GODLY INHERITANCE (1)
(Message by Tanny Keng)
0. Introduction
a) God has instituted in his divine purpose that to those who love him and keep his commandments, he will keep his covenantal commitments and show his mercy to them to a thousand generations. For he is a faithful God.
i) 10 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Deuteronomy 5:10 NIV)
ii) 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. (Deuteronomy 7:9 NIV)
b) In the same way, he will also visit the iniquities of fathers upon their children to the third and the fourth generation of them that hate him (i.e. those who are disobedient to God's Law), for God is a jealous God.
i) 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, (Deuteronomy 5:9 NIV)
c) The Scripture constantly emphasized the fact that obedience to God's Law and the keeping of covenantal obligations bring blessings to us and our descendants after us. Similarly disobedience brings a curse upon us and our descendants.
i) 26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse— 27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; 28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known. (Deuteronomy 11:26-28 NIV)
d) In Adam, we have inherited the sinful nature (original sin) and we reap the consequences (curses) of Adam's sin; which is death.
i) 12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned. (Romans 5:12 NIV)
e) Nevertheless, by the death of Jesus Christ, he broke all these curses of sin and imputed his righteousness to us and at the same time we too inherit the blessings of Abraham.
i) 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. (Genesis 3:13-14 NIV)
ii) 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! 18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:17-19 NIV)
1. Biblical examples of generational blessings and curses
#1) Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
a) The Lord chose the Israelites to be his special people, to shower his love and care upon them. This choice was not taken because the Israelites were more in numbers or any other merits, but the Lord chose to love them to keep his oath which he had sworn to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
i) 6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. 7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:6-8 NIV)
b) The Lord revealed himself to the Israelites as the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.
i) 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:6 NIV)
c) Abraham's deeds of faith; paying tithes to Melchizedek was imputed to his great grandson Levi. God viewed Levi to have participated in Abraham's tithing because Levi was in Abraham's loins.
i) 9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor. (Hebrews 7:9-10 NIV)
#2) Esau
a) Esau the rightful heir of his ancestor's blessing, being the firstborn, despised the spiritual significance of the birthright and sold it to his brother Jacob for a bowl of red bean soup.
i) 29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.) 31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” 32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” 33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright. (Genesis 25:29-34 NIV)
b) The Scripture called Esau a profane person; someone who lacks piety and is void of all relationship or affinity to God.
i) 16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done. (Hebrews 12:16-17 NIV)
c) Therefore Esau lost all the blessings that God had promised to Abraham and Isaac, while Jacob inherited them.
#3) Eli
a) Eli the high priest during the time of Samuel, did not train nor discipline his children to honor God, they became self-indulgent. Eli's sons committed immorality and despised God's sacrifices.
i) 12 Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord. 13 Now it was the practice of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat was being boiled 14 and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. 15 But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
16 If the person said to him, “Let the fat be burned first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.”
17 This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt. (1 Samuel 2:12-17 NIV)
ii) 22 Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. 24 No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good. 25 If one person sins against another, God may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who will intercede for them?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was the Lord’s will to put them to death. (1 Samuel 2:22-25 NIV)
b) The Lord judged Eli and the generation after him where the high priestly role was taken away from his descendants and given over to Zadok.
i) 27 Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? 28 I chose your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites. 29 Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’ 30 “Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. 31 The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age, 32 and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age. 33 Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life. 34 “‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you—they will both die on the same day. 35 I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always. 36 Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and plead, “Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat.” (1 Samuel 2:27-36 NIV)
c) High priestly role given to Zadok
i) 27 So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the Lord, fulfilling the word the Lord had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli. (1 Kings 2:27 NIV)
ii) 35 The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab's position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest. (1 Kings 2:35 NIV)
The End ...
0. Introductiona) God has instituted in his divine purpose that to those who love him and keep his commandments, he will keep his covenantal commitments and show his mercy to them to a thousand generations. For he is a faithful God.
i) 10 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Deuteronomy 5:10 NIV)
ii) 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. (Deuteronomy 7:9 NIV)
b) In the same way, he will also visit the iniquities of fathers upon their children to the third and the fourth generation of them that hate him (i.e. those who are disobedient to God's Law), for God is a jealous God.
i) 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, (Deuteronomy 5:9 NIV)
c) The Scripture constantly emphasized the fact that obedience to God's Law and the keeping of covenantal obligations bring blessings to us and our descendants after us. Similarly disobedience brings a curse upon us and our descendants.
i) 26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse— 27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; 28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known. (Deuteronomy 11:26-28 NIV)
d) In Adam, we have inherited the sinful nature (original sin) and we reap the consequences (curses) of Adam's sin; which is death.
i) 12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned. (Romans 5:12 NIV)
e) Nevertheless, by the death of Jesus Christ, he broke all these curses of sin and imputed his righteousness to us and at the same time we too inherit the blessings of Abraham.
i) 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. (Genesis 3:13-14 NIV)
ii) 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! 18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:17-19 NIV)
1. Biblical examples of generational blessings and curses
#1) Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
a) The Lord chose the Israelites to be his special people, to shower his love and care upon them. This choice was not taken because the Israelites were more in numbers or any other merits, but the Lord chose to love them to keep his oath which he had sworn to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
i) 6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. 7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:6-8 NIV)
b) The Lord revealed himself to the Israelites as the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.
i) 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:6 NIV)
c) Abraham's deeds of faith; paying tithes to Melchizedek was imputed to his great grandson Levi. God viewed Levi to have participated in Abraham's tithing because Levi was in Abraham's loins.
i) 9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor. (Hebrews 7:9-10 NIV)
#2) Esau
a) Esau the rightful heir of his ancestor's blessing, being the firstborn, despised the spiritual significance of the birthright and sold it to his brother Jacob for a bowl of red bean soup.
i) 29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.) 31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” 32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” 33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright. (Genesis 25:29-34 NIV)
b) The Scripture called Esau a profane person; someone who lacks piety and is void of all relationship or affinity to God.
i) 16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done. (Hebrews 12:16-17 NIV)
c) Therefore Esau lost all the blessings that God had promised to Abraham and Isaac, while Jacob inherited them.
#3) Eli
a) Eli the high priest during the time of Samuel, did not train nor discipline his children to honor God, they became self-indulgent. Eli's sons committed immorality and despised God's sacrifices.
i) 12 Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord. 13 Now it was the practice of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat was being boiled 14 and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. 15 But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
16 If the person said to him, “Let the fat be burned first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.”
17 This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt. (1 Samuel 2:12-17 NIV)
ii) 22 Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. 24 No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good. 25 If one person sins against another, God may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who will intercede for them?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was the Lord’s will to put them to death. (1 Samuel 2:22-25 NIV)
b) The Lord judged Eli and the generation after him where the high priestly role was taken away from his descendants and given over to Zadok.
i) 27 Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? 28 I chose your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites. 29 Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’ 30 “Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. 31 The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age, 32 and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age. 33 Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life. 34 “‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you—they will both die on the same day. 35 I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always. 36 Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and plead, “Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat.” (1 Samuel 2:27-36 NIV)
c) High priestly role given to Zadok
i) 27 So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the Lord, fulfilling the word the Lord had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli. (1 Kings 2:27 NIV)
ii) 35 The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab's position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest. (1 Kings 2:35 NIV)
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