This verse has been grossly misunderstood. It has been taken out of context. It has been manipulated for some ulterior purpose. It is profoundly repugnant to think that God would cause sin to be afflicted on second and third generations! We have pictured here a father that has been enveloped in sin. We also have in this chapter surrounding verse seven words of encouragement and comfort that seems to be a stark contrast to how most people take this verse.
When Moses originally came down from Mount Sinai, he saw the people worshiping a golden calf. In his anger, Moses broke the tablets God gave to him on which were written the 10 Commandments. In this chapter, God obligated Moses to hew two tablets of stone on which he would again write the 10 Commandments.
His experience on Mount Sinai caused him to worship the Lord. In doing so, Moses interceded for his people begging pardon for their iniquity. God warned him not to make any type of covenant with the surrounding peoples so they would not be a snare in the midst of his chosen people. Today, we must listen to this warning. We must not allow people who display a negative spiritual life to be too close to us other than witness to them for the sake of salvation.
After Moses descended from the mountain, his face showed so brightly that no one else could look at him. He had to wear a veil. When God passed by Moses on the mountain, he proclaimed how that he was merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. So far everything we have noticed may seem like a mismatch to our verse under consideration. Let us look closer at what actually was said.
God did not say that he was visiting punishment from the father onto the next two generations. Our own common sense can relate more clearly what the verse is saying. It is talking about iniquity, transgression, and sin. It is those spiritual misgivings that God is addressing. He is saying that the sin behavior of the fathers is cast upon following generations.
Any social worker, therapist, psychologist, and clergy will attest to the fact that what character flaws the father has are often copied by the succeeding children and grandchildren. If dad is an alcoholic, those who follow him could likely also be afflicted by this tendency. If dad is a drug addict or has any other kind of addiction, it is highly possible that the children and grandchildren will also follow his footsteps. While we are growing up, what we see is what we take as normal. What we see is likely what we will copy. If a child has not been exposed to any of these “inequities,” it is less likely he will also conform to them.
In the succeeding verses God expects believers to take a stand against iniquity. Instead of copying sins, the children are more likely to avoid the behavior of other children. In my case, I had a grandfather who was a full-blown alcoholic. I was too young to know him. I was told by other family members that my father threw his own father out of the house because of his abuse of alcohol. That is one of the reasons I have never drunk alcohol.
Even in this verse, we are reminded about God’s mercy and forgiveness. God is a loving God. His very nature and character is that of love. Our Lord would never afflict children with sin just because their father has sinned! Let me repeat myself. God will not punish a child for the behavior nature of the father! The person that finds himself dealing with the consequences of iniquity can take comfort that God will forgive and heal.
Christian Writer 