In The Christmas Carol, the ghost of Jacob Marley, a former business partner of Scrooge, speaks figuratively about the chains he forged in life:

“I wear the chain I forged in life. I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it.”

Jacob Marley

Does Scripture teach that we forge our own chains in life or is there such a thing as generational “chains” which are handed down to us from our ancestors and former generations?

Do grandparents and parents pass on specific sin habits and personal weaknesses to their children and grandchildren? In one way, the answer is ‘yes.’

A Sinful Trait of Simeon, Levi - and Moses

By way of example, you may recall how Jacob blessed (or rather didn’t bless) his sons Simeon and Levi (Gen 49:5-6). Why did he speak unfavorably about their future? Because they had responded to an incident of wrongdoing with rash anger and violence.

When some non-Jewish men (one in particular) from a nearby city mistreated their sister, they hatched a plan to kill all the men of that city in a cruel and violent way (Gen 34:25-31). Their father Jacob condemned their impulsive behavior and projected his displeasure onto their future descendants (Gen 49:7).

It is fascinating to observe that Moses was a descendant of the tribe of Levi (Exo 2:1). Perhaps that partly explains why he displayed violent behavior (resembling his great, great grandfather Levi) when he killed an Egyptian leader in an angry, impulsive, and violent way. This rash act of vengeance against injustice resembled the way that Levi had wrongly responded to the men of the city who mistreated his sister (Gen 34:25-31).

So then, how did Jacob’s forecast of Simeon and Levi’s future generations play out? Moses and Joshua gave the descendants of these two brothers divided and scattered real estate assignments. The tribe of Simeon received land that was nestled within the property boundaries of Judah to the far south of the country (Josh 19:1, 9). The tribe of Levi received no land at all but was given a network of cities scattered throughout the country instead (Num 18:24; Josh. 21:1–42).

Why was this “division” and “scattering” necessary? To prevent the descendants of these children (and their violent tendencies) to form violent, future coalitions that would threaten the peace of the nation.

Can you see how this example illustrates what the second of the 10 Commandments teaches? “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” (Exo 20:5).

Visiting Iniquity on Future Generations

What does the “visiting the iniquity” statement mean? Perhaps you have mistakenly thought, as some Israelites apparently did, that God coldly punishes children and grandchildren for the sins committed by their parents and grandparents, giving succeeding generations no opportunity to change their ways. This is a mistaken conclusion. To affirm this, consider the following verses:

• “Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin” (Deut 24:16).
• “The children of the murderers he did not execute, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses [citing Deut 24:16], in which the LORD commanded, saying, ‘Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; but a person shall be put to death for his own sin’” (2 Kings 14:6).
• “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” Ezekiel 18:20).

The Hebrew word translated visiting features several layers of meaning. On one hand, it expresses ideas such as ‘to inspect, review or number’ and can be used for taking a census. How is this relevant?

It appears that God numbers or reviews sin by tracing it through generational lines. For instance, if a genealogy specialist counted how many people in a specific family tree struggle with stealing, when an early father in the lineage was a kleptomaniac, the total number of people in successive generations with a tendency to steal would be likely be high. Why? Because stealing habits were deposited in a concentrated way early in the family line and many descendants picked it up. Does this happen? It does.

In addition to this layer of meaning for the word visiting, you should know that it also conveys ideas such as ‘to inflict or punish.’ But because of passages like Deut 24:16, 2 Kings 14:6 and Ezek 18:20, we know that God does not punish a successive generation for the sins of a previous generation.

So how should we understand Exodus 20:5? One commentator provides some perspective that clarifies what it means for God to “visit” the sins of the parents on the children.

“This oft-repeated theme speaks of God’s determination to punish successive generations for committing the same sins they learned from their parents … God will indeed punish generation after generation (“to the third and fourth generation”) if they keep doing the same sorts of sins that prior generations did. If the children continue to do the sins their parents did, they will receive the same punishments as their parents.”

Douglas Stuart (The New American Commentary, vol. 2, p. 454)

Taking Personal Responsibility to Change

What bad habits, personal struggles or sinful tendencies have lingered in your family line for generations? Alcoholism, depression, verbal or physical abuse, immorality, racism, bitterness, dishonesty, fear, or something else? While any person may commit any sin, it seems apparent that children do tend to wrestle with the same sins as their parents did in an especially distinct way.

So whether you have inherited certain propensities genetically, or you have picked up sinful tendencies due to your exposure to them at home, the Lord is able to overcome these battles and strongholds in your life as you choose to trust in him.

Consider Moses once again. Three times in his life we find him displaying outbursts of anger or violence.

• The first instance occurred in Egypt when he killed an Egyptian taskmaster who was beating a fellow Israelites (Exo 2:11-14).
• The second occurred when he came down from Mount Sinai with the 10 Commandments written on stone; seeing the Israelites worshipping the golden calf enraged him, so he threw the Commandments on the ground (Exo 32:19).
• The third instance occurred in the wilderness at Meribah when he struck the rock in anger over his frustration with the people’s disobedience, yet disobeying God himself as a result because God had only told him to speak to the rock instead (Num 20:7-13).

That said, it is heartening to realize that God also called Moses the meekest, most humble man on earth (Num 12:3). Indeed, on numerous occasions throughout the life and ministry of Moses, you find him responding to difficult circumstances in humility and prayer rather than in anger and violence.

God also said that there was no greater prophet than Moses, due to Moses’ very close relationship with him (Deut 34:10). To find the prophet who outshines him, you need to bypass all the prophets who would come after him and turn to the New Testament to read about Christ (Deut 18:15, 18).

Moses’ example should encourage you to realize that if a man like Moses, a descendant of Levi with tendencies to anger and violence, can become a very humble man, then you can also break away from the sinful tendencies that mark your family tree. You should not use your family’s sins as an excuse for your own – you should overcome them instead.