“I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.” (Deuteronomy 5:9)

Passages such as Exodus 20:5, 34:7, Numbers 14:18 and Deuteronomy 5:9 make it very clear that the impact of sins extends beyond those who commit them.

Those of you who have offered yourself for any kind of inner healing ministry will be familiar with the term “sins of the fathers” or “generational curses.” Since no one can be totally aware of every sinful tendency that was passed down the generational lines to us, we simply break them off so they cannot continue to affect us adversely.

The flip side of generational curses is blessings that were handed down to us from generations that have gone before us. In passages such as Deuteronomy 5:10 and Exodus 20:6, we are told that our God is one who is equally known for “showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

On this Father’s Day, as I was exploring the influence of godly fathers upon their families (e.g. Psalms 127 & 128), I came across a study that followed the generational lines of two prominent families from the 18^th century. The goal was to see how curses and blessings manifested themselves in the lives of their descendants.

One family descended from Max Jukes, a well-known atheist, who did not follow the Lord. Neither did his wife. Among the over 1,200 descendants studied, 310 were professional vagrants; 440 were physically wrecked by lives of debauchery and uncleanness; 130 went to the penitentiary for an average of 13 years each (7 were murderers); 100 were alcoholics; 60 were habitual thieves; 190 were prostitutes. Of the 20 who learned a trade, 10 learned it in a state prison. Collectively, they cost the state of New York over a million dollars.

The second family studied was that of Jonathan Edwards, the New England preacher, and his godly wife, Sarah. Among their descendants, 300 became pastors, missionaries, and theological professors; over 100 became college professors; over 100 became lawyers, including 30 judges; over 60 became physicians; over 60 authored good books; 14 became presidents of universities; 3 became United States congressmen; and one, (although he was a black sheep spiritually), became the Vice President of the United States (Aaron Burr, Jr., Edwards’ grandson).

Wow! What a striking contrast!!

Dear DWOD friend, the consequences of your decisions today not only impact your destiny in your lifetime. They follow down the generational lines and impact the destinies of your descendants as well—for better or for worse. You can be responsible for handing them blessings or curses. Now, that’s a heavy, isn’t it? But it is the God’s honest truth.

What a privilege it would be to be known as one who passed only blessings down the generational lines as Jonathan and Sarah Edwards were! It is my prayer that this is what will be said of you and me many years from now.

Do I hear a loud AMEN?