Never has and never will. But it is clear that many pulpits have never received that memo given all the various versions and spins that are projected about Who God is.
The range is wide and expansive…. ranging from fire-breathing-hell-and-brimstone-deity to some sappy-greasy-grace icon who is fine with whatever is popular at any given time.
When God chose to ‘introduce Himself’ to the descendants of Abraham after they had spent 400+ years in bondage in Egypt, enslaved to the whims of various Pharaohs, He did it in grand style. You can read about it in the book of Exodus. God raised up Moses, and then using a series of plagues and such, led several million Israelites out of Egypt with soldiers in hot pursuit. The parting of the Red Sea was a dramatic display of what God was capable of doing which included ridding the freed slaves of their enemies.
Then the story gets really interesting. God saw to it that their immediate needs were met; no small feat given the number of people traveling through a harsh environment where Door-dash and Buc-ee’s had yet to arrive on the scene.
You would have thought these people would have been a tad on the grateful side given what they had witnessed and been delivered from, but that was not the case. There was to be a time of testing to see if their hearts were able to realign and cooperate with their Deliverer and like most test and trials we go through, it will reveal what is truly in men’s hearts. (Deut. 8:1-5)
Which leads us back to when God re-introduced Himself to the next generation that were preparing to enter the Promised Land. A place that God had waiting on them where He could establish them and bless them. Make note that this has always been the heart of God…to deliver, to set free, and to bless those who turn to Him.
You might say the Ten Commandments were a ‘calling card’ of sorts to let the people know who was in charge and how they were expected to act. That is not an unreasonable thing to do, when you are taking about expectations and how a family operates or a business or an army or sports team, etc. Which leads us to where I left off yesterday and we were taking a closer look at the second commandment.
It’s the one about not having idols or it will get really bad for not only you, but also your kids and grandkids effecting 3-4 generations.
He also said something about being a ‘jealous’ God. I mentioned in closing yesterday that Paul wrote to the Corinthians alluding to the fact that provoking God to jealousy would just not end well. (1 Cor 10:22). It has to do with making God angry, which can happen. And this is one element of God’s character and nature that we like to ignore, or pretend does not exist….or as many modern Christians opt to do…choose to dismiss such nonsense. – Because God is Love. Jesus is Kind. And that “God of the Old Testament” is not really who we are dealing with today so let’s just pretend that OT stuff was like a bad nightmare and move on.
If only we had that option. Granted, many people like the idea of designing their own version of God today. It’s easy to do and rather popular. We can take our own ‘gold’ from God’s word and form and fashion our own image to believe in and trust in, and it just works much easier, or so we like to tell ourselves.
But when you take a close look at this second commandment where God flat out tells us He is jealous (for our hearts) and wanting compete allegiance and obedience, you can be sure it’s not because He suffers from low self-esteem and needs a lot of positive affirmation. It is for OUR own good…that we sit up, listen, and then obey or adhere to His plan. After all, He is the creator of all the heavens and the earth, not to mention You, so He just might know what He is doing. And besides, when was the last time you had a better idea than God?
I want to give more time and attention to this idea of God’s anger/wrath being ‘visited’ upon to the children to the 4th generation. And while there is still plenty I don’t fully understand about this, I will share what I have come to see regarding this subject matter. It boils down to this: Sin has consequences. Long, lasting consequences. To the point it can affect adversely future generations. Just ask victims of physical or sexual abuse. But it is not confined to just those particular sins either. Make no mistake about it…God is quite serious about all this. I mean, probably more so than we’ve been led to believe or understand.
Remember how I said we can make idols out of our own children? Consider this: We always talk about how we want to do things for our kids…so they can have a better life…we vow to do all we can for them. I mean after all…look at the great lengths parents go today and the money they lay out to ensure they can excel in a particular sport. I only use this example as it is quite a common practice these days for many families.
How much time have we spent investing and traveling and getting top notch coaching and training for their athletic or music or other talent related activities…wanting them to have the best and be the best they can.
Now flip over and read Deut. 11:13-32. If you were to compare the effort and time you have put forth in helping your kids to excel and succeed in this world, compared to the time and effort you have put forth doing what God instructed in vs 19 in that chapter, how will it look? I certainly know where I failed and could have improved greatly upon looking back.
So when God says He wants to show us how we can ensure that His blessing will follow not only our kids, but our grandkids and their kids as well, why would we NOT sit up and start taking notes? I am pretty keen on grandkids these days myself so I’m right there with you taking notes.
It boils down to this simple choice. Love & Follow God and do what He says…and it will go well for you. Very well. And not only for you, but for your children and their children. But if you think you have a better idea and a better way and you forsake God and turn away from Him, it won’t be pretty. And it will have negative consequences for you and your children. And their children.
Let me circle back and bring this point back up again here. I am rather confident when I share that there are some areas that the word clearly reveals where so many have been ‘in the dark’ on. I want to say ‘not fully informed’. Due in part, to an absence of teaching of the ‘whole counsel’ of God.
Because of our lack of understanding of God’s law and how it impacts us, we have lost sight of what ‘sin’ actually is. Sin is breaking God’s law. (1 John 3:4) Hence, we fail to understand how God’s judgments follow sin. When we fail to recognize God’s judgments, then it creates and absence of the ‘fear of God’. And the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge. You know that verse I mention occasionally about how God’s people are ‘destroyed’ for a lack of knowledge’? It is found in Hosea 4:6. We are more familiar with the first part of that verse but it’s the last part of that verse that should really get our attention: “…because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”
So if you are serious about wanting to do what is best for your kids, it might help if we maybe pay closer attention to what God is trying to enlighten us on here.
Deut. 28:41 puts it this way declaring that not heeding God’s word: “your children shall go into captivity’. You might also peek at Lev. 26:22. Let me remind you that God has never changed.
How much do we really love our kids? Look at how John finished out his first letter in 5:21: “Little children…keep yourselves from idols.” Isn’t that interesting?
Idols…are anything we love more than God. While material things usually get all the attention with this ‘idol talk’, it’s those ‘evil’ things in our hearts (Mark 7:21-23) that matter most to God. All those sinful traits that need to die. When He says to repent or turn from such and such, and we refuse, we are telling God we love that more than Him. It becomes an idol. As can our doctrines. Might be good to read that whole chapter in Mark 7. Jesus was scolding the religious establishment because they had…are you ready for this?... ‘laid aside’ the commandments of God and taught man-made doctrines’ instead.
How do You want to affect your future lineage?
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