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Then the LORD passed by in front
of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps
lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet
He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of
fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth
generations” (Exodus 34:6-7 NASB).
This verse has
been used to teach so-called “generational sins.” The theory that sins of our ancestors
can pass on to us much like eye color and IQ. The above verse has been used as
support. If that is
true, then this verse is somewhat of a curse. Could that be what God intended?
Moses had asked God to let him
see His glory. God answered that no one could see His face (presence) and live,
but He would allow Moses to see His back—His after-effects or His glory-trail,
so to speak. He said, “I myself will make all my goodness pass before you, and
will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; I will be gracious to whom I
will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion”
(Exodus 33:19).
So when God passed by Moses in
Exodus 34:6, He proclaimed His character, an attribute list which is quoted six
other times in the Old Testament: Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 86:15; Psalm 103:8;
Psalm 145:8; Joel 2:13; and Jonah 4:2. This is how God wants us to think of
Him. He
is not a punishing God, ready to pounce on those who disobey. Yes, sin has
consequences, and God’s holiness demands justice, but that quality is tempered
by His other attributes, referred to in all sections of the Hebrew
Scriptures—the Law, History, Poetry, and Prophets.
At the end of Exodus 34:7, the
word generations is understood; it is
not literally in the Hebrew text. Thus when God said that He maintains faithful
love for thousands, we should understand that He means thousands of
generations. Do you think that means a literal 1000 generations or is it a
figure of speech for unlimited/perpetual? Of course it’s a figure of speech.
Then God said that the
consequences of sin visit to the third and fourth [generations]. Might that
also be a figure of speech? Whereas His mercy is unlimited to all generations,
sin’s effects are limited to only three or four generations. Four generations would
equate to one lifetime.
This means that even if our sins
are known by our great grandchild (the fourth generation), the descendants
after that won’t remember us or care. Our sin history dies with us. In addition,
the sins of our ancestors we never knew need have no effect on us.
We should see this verse as a
caution not a curse, because the main point is a contrast. Although sin’s
consequences may affect those who know us, God’s love and forgiveness extend to
all our descendants. In this light, do you think God wants Exodus 34:7 to be a
fearsome warning or a comforting promise?
What
did God show Moses? All His goodness and His name. That needs to be our focus
as well. Be thankful that our sins are forgiven, and the consequences are limited,
because our YHWH is compassionate and gracious, abounding in lovingkindness and
truth—perpetually.
