Title: 4 Generations of Blessing
Exodus 20:5-6; Deuteronomy 5:9-10; Genesis 5:22-29
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech.
26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:
27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:
29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.
Deuteronomy 7:9 which says, ‘Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments.’
Exodus 20:5-6 appear in the Ten Commandments, more accurately under the first commandment, ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’‘Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them’ is a reference to idols.
It instructs us of our stay in this world: we are not to worship idols.
An idol is anything that takes the place of God in a person’s heart, life, or worship.
Modern examples of idols:
- Money
- Success or career.
- Social media or image.
- Family or children.
- Religion
From Exodus 20:5-6, the negative is ‘visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me.’
The positive is God is ‘showing steadfast love to those who love me to a thousand generations.’
Ezekiel 18 is a powerful chapter about individual responsibility before God.
The phrase ‘to the third and fourth generation’ is a curse declaration but likewise it can also be a blessing that expresses a hope that positive actions and legacy of ancestors will benefit future generations. It suggests a belief in the lasting impact of choices and the desire for a positive inheritance for those who come after. This concept is rooted in religious texts particularly the Bible, which discuss the consequences of actions extending through generations.
The concept that our actions can have lasting impacts on our descendants.
What is the positive inheritance? The desire for ‘blessings’ in this context refers to the hope that future generations will inherit positive traits, opportunities, and a favorable environment because of the good deed and wise choice of their ancestors.
From the Bible, four generations escaped judgment.
- Enoch walked with God – first generation
Genesis 5:23-24
“Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.”
He walked with God for 300 years.
‘Walked with God’ speaks of a true, deep relationship.
- You cannot consciously walk with a person whose existence is not known to you.
- If I wished to find a man’s most familiar friend it would surely be one with him, he daily walked.
- One tells his trouble, and the other strives to console him under it.
- Walking with God means walking by faith, walking in the light, and walking in agreement with God.
Walking together implies amity, friendship, intimacy, love, and these cannot exist between God and the soul unless the man is acceptable unto the Lord.’
Enoch, the first generation was spared the judgment which took place 669 years later.
- Methuselah lived a long life – second generation
Genesis 5:22, 27
And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
The name Methuselah means, ‘when he is dead, it shall come.
Jude 1:14, ‘Behold the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly.’
Methuselah died at the age of 969. He lived a long life
And the flood judgment came when Methuselah died.
Methuselah’s entire life is a kind of countdown of mercy
Another meaning is to give people as long as possible to repent.
- Lamech, a story of redemption – third generation
Genesis 5:28-31
‘Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and became the father of a son. Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.” Then Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other sons and daughters. So, all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.’
Lamech’s father was Methuselah. Lamech’s grandfather was Enoch. Lamech was 113 years old when Enoch was raptured.
Lamech died at age 777
Lamech’s name possibly means strong, youth, warrior, and conqueror. The Arabic root word for Lamech means ‘a very powerful man.’
Lamech represents the redeemed of the Lord.
The Hebrew word for 7 is ‘sheva’ which is closely related to the word for ‘oath’ or ‘covenant. It shows God’s faithfulness to His promises of oath towards us and his covenant with us.
7 is the number of completeness and perfection; God completing and perfecting us. It means God completing and perfecting His oath and promises to us.
777 or triple 7 emphasize this idea to the highest degree. It symbolizes divine perfection multiplied, or ultimate spiritual completeness.
- Noah, hope in the midst of curse – 4th generation
Genesis 5:28-29
‘Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and became the father of a son. Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.”
Lamech named his son, Noah, which is Hebrew sounds like the word for ‘rest’ or ‘comfort.’
Hope in the midst of a cursed world.
Jesus did mention the days of Noah to describe what the world will be like when He returns, which is actually our days:
- Spiritual blindness.
- Lack of repentance.
- Sudden judgment.
Noah was spared from the flood because of his righteousness and obedience to Christ. Unlike the rest of the people, Noah was:
- Righteous.
- Blameless.
- Obedient.
Today we have a greater Enoch, Jesus Christ. Jesus too, walked with God. He would constantly go up to the mountain top to pray. Yet he was judged for our sins. He was not taken up to God at the cross but He was separated from God. He obeyed God throughout his life. He said he only did what His heavenly father told him to do. But he was separated from God. He did not live a long life but a short life. He died at the age of only 33. He was not spared the judgment like Noah. He was judged when he was crucified on the cross of calvary. Why? So that the curse on your life can be broken. I saw that in my own life and my future generations. Literally God broke the curse. He died for our sins which we have committed thousands and thousands of times. So that Exodus 20:6 can be fulfilled. ‘And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.’ Come to God today and start a new life with God. I promise you; it will be worth it. It will be a wonderful life. It will be a life with a future and an eternal hope. Because of Jesus.
