by: Dr. Allen Domelle
Lamentations 5:7
“Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.”
The verse above is a sad commentary about several generations of men who never took into consideration the effects their sins would have on the next generation. The verse above are the comments of a generation who was born in captivity because of their father’s sins. This generation never got to see the Promised Land; they only heard about it from their parents. They didn’t get to experience the blessings of God’s miracles; they only suffered the judgment of God. All of this happened because of a generation of people who selfishly never considered what their sins would do to the generations to come. There are four observations to be taken away from the verse above.
First, your sins affect several generations. It is interesting that the verse above says, “fathers” and not “father.” This is because several generations sinned against God. Sadly, this generation in captivity was paying for the sins of their fathers. It is wrong to think that your children won’t pay for what you are doing. Your children not only pay for the results of your sins, but they also pay because they learn your sinful habits. You should always consider that what you do today will affect your children and grandchildren. Sin never affects one generation; it always adversely affects several generations.
Second, your legacy will not be what you have done, but what you have left for the next generation. It is sad that this generation who lived in captivity never learned the good their fathers did because they lived in the results of their fathers sins. I often tell people that you will only be remembered for your last act. It won’t matter all the good you have done if your last act is one that leaves others suffering your consequences. You can try to bring up all the good you have done in your life, but your legacy will sadly be what you left for the next generation. If you want the next generation to love and remember you fondly, you had better leave them something for which they are pleased.
Third, don’t use learned sinful habits as an excuse to continue in sin. Just because you learned the sinful habits of your fathers doesn’t mean you have to continue in them. There must be a generation who breaks the habit of teaching the next generation how to sin. You can let learned sinful habits be your crutch to continue in sin, or you can determine to be the one who breaks the chain of learned sinful habits in your family.
Fourth, you can change the course of sin’s effect. One of the things I love about the Scriptures is that they show us what the next generation did. When you read the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, many decided to change the course of sin’s affect and do something productive for God. Friend, with God’s help you have the power to change the condition of your life. You have the choice to sit and complain about what your fathers left you, or you can take the initiative to leave the next generation in a better condition than what you inherited. What are you going to do? Let your adverse conditions be the motivation to be productive for God so that you will leave the next generation with God’s blessings.