There is a strange verse in Scripture that at first reading appears to be a curse spoken by a cruel and mean-hearted God, but after a little bit of reflection, proves the exact opposite, that in reality, our Christian God is full of mercy, love, grace, tenderness and compassion. Here is the verse:
"I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,..." Exodus 20:5
That doesn't seem very fair, does it? The children will be punished for the sins of their fathers, even down to the great-grandchildren? Only a Cruel God would make such a decree! Well, keep reading, because the next verse says this:
"...but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments." Exodus 20:6
God has built the human race upon the principle of multiplication: we plant a single seed, but we reap a whole field, and each one of those seeds is capable of producing another whole field of its own. So it is in the spiritual realm: If we plant a "seed" of sin, we reap a harvest of evil, but if we plant seeds of good deeds, then we shall reap a great harvest of abundant and satisfying blessings. Galatians 6:8 Therefore, God's immutable law for the human race is that parents set in motions forces for either blessings or curses that future generations of children will bear the full fruit or brunt of.
According to God's own law of multiplication, every sin committed since Adam should have been stored up as an ever-growing curse which we should all be bearing the full fury of. However, because our Creator is a Good God, He has sovereignly stepped in, effectively limiting all generational curses to a length of only three or four generations.
This means that my own struggles against sin are limited to a battle against only a couple major weaknesses in my character, rather than forcing me to fight ALL battles against every kind of temptation. By contrast, God allows all GOOD things to continue the principle of multiplication, continuing for a thousand generations. That certainly sounds like the work of a Good God to me!
