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Matthew 5:13: (NASB 1995) You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. Salt is a preservative and adds flavor. If the salt has become tasteless, it loses the ability to be a preservative. Just like salt, we can lose saltiness – the aspect of righteousness, integrity and godliness in the world around us. To be the “salt of the earth” is to be a person of exceptional character – godly character – a person who witnesses as a living sermon. That kind of character has a preserving effect, keeping things intact. It is stable and selfless. Matthew 5:14-16: (NASB 1995) You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. The Christian is supposed to be “light,” just as we are supposed to be “salt.” To be the “light of the world” is to be a source of light and truth. Being a light means not only revealing what is in dark places, but also being a beacon of hope and direction. The Christian is to rise above to be the example of discipleship in Christ.

The lower numbers, being foundational to all the higher numbers, may carry symbolisms which we would not expect of larger numbers. We don’t normally ask, for example, the meaning of a number like 271. But smaller numbers, when used conspicuously, do seem to be symbolic. The number three is used frequently, and we suggest in many cases it may be used because there are three parties to the atonement: God, man, and Jesus our redeemer. “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). It has also been suggested that three represents a complete experience with a beginning, middle and end. The number three appears conspicuously respecting our Lord’s sacrifice and redemptive work. Jesus was three days in the grave, the price of his betrayal was thirty pieces of silver; he was anointed for his death with 300 pence worth of spikenard; and at Pentecost when his sacrifice was applied to the church, the number of believers swelled to 3,000 persons. In each case these references are apparently significant, judged by their repetitious use. The three days in the grave are specifically prophesied (John 2:19) and linked with the type of Jonah (Matthew 12:39,40). The price of betrayal was predicted in Zechariah 11:12, “so they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.” The spikenard Mary used on Jesus as he sat at their table was referred to in Song of Solomon 1:12, “While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof,” and its specified value therefore the more prominent. The three thousand enlivened through the spirit at Pentecost have their counterpart in the three thousand who died at the giving of the law (Exodus 32:28). “The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). This grouping – 3, 30, 300, and 3,000 – is even more striking when we recognize the same sequence in one of the Old Testament narratives, specifically an experience of Samson. Samson had a riddle which challenged his adversaries for three days (Judges 14:14). The reward for its solution was 30 changes of garments (verse 13). The punishment on his enemies involved 300 foxes (Judges 15:4), and Samson was apprehended by 3,000 of his fellows (Judges 15:11). This is not simply a repetition of numbers; the themes involved have to do with the atonement brought to us by Christ during the Gospel age. The riddle posed by Samson – “Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness” (Judges 14:14) – referred to a slain lion which bees had used to contain a reservoir of honey. The lion represents our Lord Jesus, the “Lion of the tribe of Juda” (Revelation 5:5), from whose death we have redemption and the sweet call of the divine nature pictured by the honey. The 30 changes of garments represent the justification all may receive who identify and accept their Savior. The two subsequent narratives refer to other judgments during the Gospel age, and the theme is extended in Revelation where the judgments during this first age of redemption frequently involve the number three. (Compare for example trumpets one through four where a “third part” was affected in each case.) When Abraham viewed Moriah afar off where Isaac was to be offered, it was on “the third day” (Genesis 22:4). The letter of the Law, symbolic of the later spirit of the Law, was received by Israel on “the third day” and even on “the third month” (Exodus 19:11,1). Offerings under the law were to be fully consumed by “the third day” (Leviticus 7:17; 19:6). Defiled ones were sprinkled on “the third day” (Numbers 19:19). All these examples have something to do with atonement or reconciliation. But why three? It is good to recognize a common theme in the use of a number, but the deeper question is why a particular number is appropriate for the theme. In this case, perhaps three is used because there are three parties to the atonement: God, man, and Jesus our redeemer. “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). It has also been suggested that three is experiential, representing a beginning, middle and end to an experience.

In Mark 1:21-26, Jesus cast out demons. In Matthew 10:1, Jesus also gave the apostles power to cast out demons. In Mark 9:28,29, after the disciples were unable to cast out a demon, Jesus said, “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” (Note, some original manuscripts omit the word “fasting,” so this does not appear in some translations.) We are no longer in apostolic days and their authority was not passed down to others. In the New Testament, the apostles never give any advice or instructions to the Christian churches about casting out demons. Rather, Ephesians 6:10-18 instructs that the Christian defense against demonic power is by putting on the armor of God of – faith, righteousness, truth, salvation, the Word of God, and spreading the gospel of peace. So, exorcism, as often practiced with special rituals, is unadvisable for Christians today. However, since demon possession likely still occurs, if we come across someone who may be demon possessed, we can follow Jesus’ last instructions. First, the individual must be cooperative and truly want help. Then, our only option is to follow Jesus’ council. He said to pray for them. The individual must also focus his attention on eliminating any spirit that may be affecting him. This means they too must pray and ask God for help. Their thoughts must be focused on God’s word. This, of course, means any necessary lifestyle changes must be done. Certain habits, what they read or watch can all have a negative affect and keep them under demonic control.

When reading the accounts of some of the miraculous events recorded in the Bible, it can be helpful, even faith strengthening, to consider the harmony of biblical accounts with the laws established by the All-Wise Creator. 2 Kings chapter 20 and Isaiah chapter 38 both describe a miraculous event that centers on Hezekiah, king of Judah, and Isaiah, a prophet of God. The scriptures record Hezekiah’s efforts to turn his people away from the idol worship that previous kings had led them into, and return them to the worship of God. Due to this faithfulness, God rewarded Hezekiah and his efforts, as recorded in 2 Kings 19. 2 Kings 20 opens with Hezekiah sick and near death. After being told by Isaiah that God would extend his life by an additional 15 years, Hezekiah asked for a sign from God to confirm the promise. In response to Hezekiah’s request, verse eleven records that the shadow of the “sundial,” used by the people for timekeeping, would be set back ten “degrees.” By witnessing this miracle, Hezekiah was given his requested sign from God. Many interpretations of these events lead to the conclusion that in some miraculous fashion, God caused the planet to turn backwards for a time, thus causing the shadow of the “sundial” to reverse ten “degrees.” This scenario can cause some to question the accuracy of the account. The scriptures do not refer to any natural disasters or events that would accompany such a dramatic change in the earth’s established rotation, or any other reaction to an event so momentous as the reversal of time. Further, such an event would fundamentally break God’s established natural laws, and can thus prove difficult to reconcile in one’s mind. With these thoughts in mind, consider an alternative interpretation of the events in verse 11. First, the phrase “sundial,” as used in the King James Version of the Bible, is Hebrew word #4609 in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, and has the meaning of a step or a stair. Thus, the “sundial” may have actually been a set of stairs that Hezekiah and his people looked upon and depending on how the shadow lay on the stairs, ascertained the time of day. From this perspective, verse 11 records the shadow upon these stairs reversing ten literal steps backwards up the stairway. There are any number of events that could have occurred to cause the shadow to reverse up the stairs. A sufficiently bright light in the sky brought about by some natural event could have “out shown the sun” temporarily, causing the shadow of the steps to reverse back. This explanation would be completely in harmony with God’s established laws of the planets and of time itself, and still have provided Hezekiah with the requested evidence of God’s promise. This suggestion does nothing to lessen the power of God and the beauty of His miracles. Only God who “knows the end before the beginning” (Isaiah 46:9-10) could have orchestrated the exact timing of such an event, celestial or otherwise, that would cause exactly enough light to reverse the shadow exactly ten steps up the stairs at exactly the moment Hezekiah looked out his window. However, even more important than a definitive understanding of the miracle of the shadow and the ten steps is the potential lessons that those who seek to please God may take from this account. Hezekiah brought many positive changes to bring his people back to God, and in so doing, Hezekiah pleased God. However, despite all of the blessings God provided Hezekiah, when offered deliverance by God Himself from a life-or-death situation, Hezekiah asked for a sign or proof of God’s intentions. Centuries later, however, Jesus instructed his followers to have faith in God above all else. In John 20:29, Jesus stresses the importance of faith and its relationship to pleasing God, even when physical evidences are not seen. In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus teaches his followers to have faith in God for all things, material and spiritual. In 1 Corinthians 5:5-8, Paul emphasizes that followers of God should seek to order their lives by their faith, not by things necessarily seen. Instead desiring “signs,” a follower of God is better served seeking out God’s will in all things, and once His will is understood, doing all in one’s power to accomplish that will, sign or no sign. Picturing the miracles recorded in the Bible can be difficult at times, especially when viewed through the perspective of modern science and knowledge. However, all of God’s followers can have complete confidence in God’s word and in all of His creation, including the laws that govern the universe that He established. Further, all of God’s followers should seek to cultivate a complete trust in the merciful Father for all things, from the most mundane to the most precious.

Throughout history, nations and empires have been identified by their capital city. In 2 Samuel 5, the king of Israel, David, makes Jerusalem the capital of Israel. Israel, as a nation and as a people, has a special relationship with God. When the people of Israel agreed to become God’s chosen people (Exodus 19:7-8, Deuteronomy 26:17-19), they agreed to follow God’s commandments. The primary commandment was to remain faithful to God alone. Over the centuries, Israel departed from God and fell into idol worship. In response to this behavior, God punished the nation with periods of disfavor. These periods of disfavor generally involved Israel being conquered and subjugated by other nations. As a result of one of these punishments, Israel fell under the domination of the Roman Empire. While Israel was under Rome’s control, Jesus was born. Due to its location, Jerusalem remained an important city to the Roman Empire. Many Jewish people remained in Jerusalem, which helped to keep the worship of God alive in the hearts of many of the people who lived there. The Roman empire allowed the people of its conquered territories, such as Jerusalem, to retain their worship practices, as long as peace was maintained and taxes were paid on time. The Temple, which served as a central place of worship to God by the Jewish people, was rebuilt in Jerusalem and served to reinforce the city’s importance to the people. As Jesus grew to adulthood and began his ministry, Jerusalem was under the control of Pontius Pilate, a prefect of the Roman Empire. Pilate, however, largely left the actual running of the city to the Jewish high priest. As a result of this situation, the high priest and much of the other Jewish religious leadership of the time enjoyed a great deal of power and privilege in the eyes of the Empire and the people. The Jewish people in general, especially the religious leadership, understood the scriptures extremely well. Some of these scriptures referred to the coming of a Messiah. Some of these prophecies mentioned Jerusalem as well. One such prophecy is Zechariah 9:9. Jesus understood this prophecy, and that by entering into Jerusalem in the manner referred to in it, he would be announcing himself as the long-awaited Messiah. He also understood that this act would not be favorably accepted by the religious leadership of the time. During his ministry, Jesus had been highly critical of the hypocrisy and emptiness he saw among the religious leadership. Having had generations under God’s law and favor to develop hearts and minds pleasing to God, Jesus instead found a people who loved their earthly positions and worldly respect more than they loved God and the true spirit of His commandments (Luke 11:37-54). This hardness of heart amongst the people would lead to the opening of God’s calling to the Gentile people as well as any from Israel who would respond to God’s calling (Acts 10, Romans 10). Sometime after Jesus’s death, both the Temple and Jerusalem itself were destroyed by the Romans after an unsuccessful rebellion by the Jewish people. Jerusalem today has been re-established and remains the capital of present Israel. As such, Jerusalem remains inextricably linked to the nation it represents, as well as the people who live there. The history of Jerusalem and its people remain a special interest to many who seek to follow God today. The religious leadership during Jesus’s time were well-acquainted with the Scriptures, God’s laws and God’s prophecies. However, through accepting positions of trust and power with the Roman empire, the leaders developed prideful opinions of themselves. The maintaining of their position and authority became an end unto itself.  One of God’s first laws and commandments stresses the importance of placing Him first in one’s life, and that the worship of idols would not be tolerated. When something is worshipped, it is treated with an extreme degree of reverence and importance in one’s life. A thing that is worshipped demands perpetual attention and resources from the worshipper. From this perspective, an idol does not have to be a “graven image” of a false god, as is perhaps traditionally thought of when considering this commandment. One of the greatest resources any person has is time. Each person has a finite amount of this resource, and once it is “spent,” it is forever gone. By any definition, time, then, is a precious resource. The religious leadership of Jesus’s day spent their time pursuing the holding of their prestige and authority. In this, as Jesus said in Matthew 6:2, they found their reward. They maintained their power, at least for a time, but in doing so, missed their own long-awaited Messiah, as well as his invitation to a reward beyond imagination. Each servant of God benefits from this lesson, and is best-served in quickly putting aside anything that may divert one’s heart from their all-loving heavenly Father.

The passage in Zechariah 9, opening verses, had an immediate application to the campaign of Alexander the great, first in the north of Israel and subsequently in the southeast, overcoming the Philistine in Ekron, Gaza and Ashkelon. However, there are other prophecies that speak of Gaza that may have a far-reaching application to our day, although it is interpretive. One of these is Amos 1:6,7: “I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, which shall devour the palaces thereof.” This also would have had a fulfillment in the past, perhaps also in the invasion by Alexander the Great. However, prophecy sometimes has also a long-ange application. It may be so here. We look at this with interest, specially in light of the recent 2023 war between Israel and Gaza. It does appear that the inheritance of the land of Israel from ancient times included the land of Gaza. For after the conquest of most of Canaan under Joshua, Joshua 13:2,3 speak of the area allocated to Israel but not yet controlled by them. Among these places was Gaza. Joshua 13:2: “This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri, from Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites.” Notice the mention of “Gazathites.” Will Israel now obtain that land and include it within the state of Israel? Or will this portion later come to Israel during the approaching millennial kingdom? We will see with time.

In short, the phrase is incorrect as it relates to a reward in heaven after we die. Must one become a Christian in order to be saved? If so, what about the countless millions who have never heard of Jesus? What about all the good people who are not Christians? What about those who lived before Jesus’ time? What about the person who believes, but does not make any changes for the better? What is their fate? See John 3:13-21, verses 16-18 shown here: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. The word “judged” (also transated as “condemned”) used in John 3:13-21 means “to distinguish” or “to separate” (see Strong’s Concordance #2919). Therefore, Jesus was separating those willing to follow him now from all others. He fulfilled his mission which was to die so that ALL would be saved, some now and others later. The following scriptures are emphatic that Jesus died for everyone who ever lived (and especially for those who believe). See 1 Timothy 2:3-6; 4:10; John 5:28-29; 1 Corinthians 15:21-23; Hebrews 2:9; 9:24-28; Romans 5:12-19; 1 John 2:2. These scriptures separate the true followers from everyone else and give these followers something different, something special. The letters of the New Testament were written to these special “called out” ones. But the Scriptures do not minimize Jesus’ sacrifice for everyone else. There is a dichotomy in the plan of God – the spiritual calling out and the blessing of everyone else. Judgment is an important part of this whole picture. Those who are called out to sacrifice are judged now. These are the “spirit begotten” ones, the ones who have chosen to live a life of sacrifice to do God’s will now. This class, if faithful, will be part of the heavenly phase of the kingdom of God. Those not called out are not judged now but will be later in the “day of judgment,” soon to take place on earth. Timing is very important in God’s plan (Acts 26:23; Luke 14:14). When the class of the “called-out” ones is complete, the judgment of the rest of the world will begin and the end result of that judgment will be the eradication of tears, pain, sorrow, crying and finally death itself. (Revelation 21:1-4) Having established that there are indeed two salvations, the first for the true followers of Christ now and the second for the rest of the world later, what does it mean to be “born again”? The term “born again” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #1080) is not a correct translation in all cases in which it appears in the BIble. In the context of John 3:1-13, particularly verse 3, “born again” should be translated “begotten,” meaning conception, not birth, since one’s spirit birth (in heaven) will take place when the person dies. So, what does spirit begettal imply? Many Christians feel that once the holy spirit is received, they are “locked in” with a guaranteed a seat in heaven). The expression, “Once saved, always saved,” is not a scripture or a principle taught in Scripture. But the Scriptures show that we have to do something to make this spirit begettal turn into spirit birth. In 2 Corinthians 5:16-18 and Galatians 6:15-16, we learn that anyone “in Christ” (one who has received the holy spirit, God’s power and influence) is a “new creature” and would be walking a different path than everyone else. This path is anything but easy. The Apostle Paul talks about his struggles in Romans 7:15-25. This new creature begotten of the holy spirit desires to serve God, but our old nature still serves sin. Battling this dual nature is the struggle of each true Christian, and the battle continues until death. Nonetheless, Paul also said, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:14) “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:26-27) If even the great Apostle Paul had to struggle from being “disqualified,” we also have a massive fight in front of us. It is a fight to joyfully do the will of God as we crucify our own wills and desires. Although we struggle with our sinful nature, we have an advocate in Jesus. “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2) How encouraging is this precious promise! If we sin, there is a way to cancel out that sin – through Jesus Christ our advocate, who is the ransom for us (now) and for the entire world (later). “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) The Bible identifies this call as the high or heavenly call (Philippians 3:14; Hebrews 3:1). As the “new creature” begotten within us grows, the spiritual qualities of love, mercy and compassion also grow. Each of us needs to ask if we are being transformed into a likeness of Jesus or are we just putting on the guise of Jesus while failing to change our thinking, our hearts, our motivation. Christianity is not just about being nice. It’s not just about feeding or giving money to the poor. It is a calling to spirituality

Father Adam was created in the image of God. When he sinned, he received a sentence or curse because of his disobedience to the divine will. Thus, a law must have been given him that was sufficiently explicit. Adam and Eve were not prone to sin. They were righteous, surrounded by righteous and perfect conditions, and conscious of their obligations to their Creator. They knew, not vaguely, but precisely, what He had commanded. They were, therefore, without excuse in their transgression. Surely Adam’s children were well-schooled in righteousness in order to help them be faithful to God and to order their own lives. Yet, sin was now inherent in man. Adam’s children inherited the beginnings of a propensity to disobedience that would never have been there had he not sinned against direct instruction from God. As for a law, there need be no law in humans to realize that inflicting harm on another being was wrong. Written laws have been created because the farther mankind came from Adam, the more they sinned. They no longer instinctively knew right from wrong, The very fact that God didn’t exact the punishment of death upon Cain indicated that merciful God understood a degree of innocence was in him, yet he never was permitted to forget his sin. 

In the Bible, idolatry – worshiping false gods instead of the one, TRUE God – was often a big problem for God’s people, the Israelites. Time and again they witnessed all of the wonderful things He did for them. He delivered them from slavery in Egypt, protected them from their enemies, fed them manna in the wilderness, and provided capable leaders to guide them. Through Moses, God gave them the Law, including the Ten Commandments, important rules to follow regarding the correct behavior towards God and the proper treatment of others. In fact, the First Commandment says, “You are to have no other gods besides me.” (Exodus 20:3, ISV) The Second Commandment says, “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.” (Exodus 20:4, NLT) Despite these two very clear commandments, they were often influenced by people from other regions who worshiped wooden (Isaiah 44:13-15), stone (2 Kings 19:18) or metal images (Exodus 32, 1 Kings 12:28). These made up, fake gods couldn’t do anything, because, in reality, they were NOTHING – they didn’t exist! When Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Law from God, the people grew restless (Exodus 32). Instead of patiently waiting for Moses to return, they told Moses’ brother, Aaron, to make them a god to worship. Shockingly, Aaron collected all of their gold earrings and formed a golden calf. They danced and bowed down to a useless piece of metal. God and Moses were understandably angry with this betrayal. We are specifically told in 1 Corinthians 10:6,7, NIV: “Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; …” Of course, it’s easy to look back at the Israelites’ behavior and say, “Well, I don’t worship idols. There are no golden calves in MY house! ” But in our day, we DO have idols, although they may not look like the ones that the people of the Bible worshiped. Today, an “idol” means anything that takes our focus away from God. Examples might be money, power, our appearance, acquiring possessions or influencing others. Are we focused too much on ourselves? On our “stuff”? On our friends? On social media? These can all be “idols,” leading us into idolatry. The prophet Isaiah 44:9, NLT sums it up well: “How foolish are those who manufacture idols. These prized objects are really worthless. The people who worship idols don’t know this, so they are all put to shame.” So, what is idolatry? Worshiping anything other than the one true God. In the Bible, idols were images of made-up, fake gods that didn’t exist. Today, an idol can be anything that occupies too much of our time or focus, removing God from being first in our lives. 1 Corinthians 10:12, NLT warns us: “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.” There is only ONE true God, the Creator of all, and nothing should come before Him.

Our God is a God of order. Psalm 89:14 says that righteousness and justice are the very foundation of His heavenly throne. This means that all He does must be based in what is right and just. While some of us may look at this through fearful eyes, this is actually great news. It means God is and always will be dependable and trustworthy. If this is the case, why did God seem so over-the-top angry in the Old Testament? Why did He seemingly curse not only wrongdoers, but the generations that followed them as well? Did these “curses” of God work the same way the curses of our day are said to work? Were they a wishing of evil upon someone or something? Did God give anyone the authority to curse others? The idea of a generational curse can be daunting. From the sound of it, somebody does something deemed bad or evil and the response to that action is to strike their children, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren and so on with some dark and even sinister retaliation. Such treatment reeks of injustice, revenge and nastiness. The problem here is that in the Old Testament, God has pronounced generational consequences, but they are often interpreted as generational curses. There is a massive difference between the two. Such a gross misinterpretation of Scripture results in a serious misunderstanding of God’s character. How do we know God isn’t cursing generations of people for what they didn’t do? It all comes down to understanding what curses mean in the Bible, beginning in the Old Testament. See the Additonal Resources below for more. This is no easy task. In the Old Testament alone there are over a dozen words that are translated “curse.” To really know what the Jewish Scriptures teach, we need to gain a comprehensive understanding of who cursed what, to what end result and what it really meant. Those who believe generational curses are happening today often bring up Exodus 20:4-5: (NASB) 4You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me. “Of those who hate me” – in other words, if you disobey My Law in relation to idolatry, then evil and punishment will follow. There is no halfway with an idol. They could not say, “I love both God and the goddess Diana.” For that matter, we cannot say “I love God, and I love (anything of self-interest – money, power, etc.).” This is a specific part of the Commandments. This “third and fourth generation iniquity” is mentioned on three occasions: 1. At the giving of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:4-6 and repeated in Deuteronomy 5:8-10; the same event recorded in a different book of the Bible. 2. God repeated this generational iniquity to Moses in Exodus 34:7 when Moses went back up the mountain to replace the broken tablets of the Law. 3. Moses repeated it as he pleaded with God as Israel faithlessly rejected entering the Land of Canaan (Numbers 14:18). This is not a curse; it is simply a consequence for disobedience – you disobey Me and that disloyalty will fester and grow for generations. It is basically the same context of the Law of Israel repeated three times – not three separate instances throughout the Bible. Whenever Israel stopped being idolatrous, the “hedge of protection” they enjoyed was put back and they were again blessed. Reading this out of context loses the full meaning of the consequences of moving away from God’s laws. By disobeying laws set up in their best interests, the Israelites’ bad choices were reflected down on their offspring resulting in suffering to the third or fourth generations. Not because God afflicted them – they afflicted themselves – and God withdrew His protection. It is wrong to pull this out of context and apply it to generational sins for the Christian or even the rest of the world at this time. The punishment on the third and fourth generation was at a specific time for a specific people for a specific purpose. We know God forgives our sins when we ask in the name of Jesus. We are to live a repentant life where we do not have to look back through our lineage in fear. God “curses” when He pronounces a logical punishment or consequence for sin or disloyalty. The outworking of that sin and the influence we all have on our children and grandchildren causes the effects of the sin and consequent separation from God to naturally be visited on the second and third, possibly even the fourth and more generations, depending on whether these further descendants follow the practices of their ancestors. The beauty of God’s curses is that He sets the whole process in motion and lets man use free to will to choose. We cause our own punishment by separating ourselves from God’s loving and merciful provisions.