When reading through the Old Testament, we find many common themes. One common theme is that there are specific sins shared among generations. This can appear as an older generation doing something and a younger one being punished for it. Generational sin also takes the form of sin habits being passed down to the next generation. In Abraham and Jacob, we see sins of the grandfather reemerging in the grandson.
Abram, Sarai, and Hagar
God made a covenant with Abram and promised that Abram would have a son (Genesis 15:3-5). When the promise remained unfulfilled, in Genesis 16 Abram’s wife, Sarai, told Abram to sleep with her servant, Hagar, so that she would bear him a son. Abram and Sarai should have trusted God fully, but they didn’t. Hagar had a son and gave birth to Ishmael (Genesis 16:15).
After this, God made another covenant with Abram (now called Abraham) and promised that Abraham would be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:2-7). God also promised that Sarai (now called Sarah) would bear a son (Genesis 17:16). Even after this second covenant and the promise made, both Abraham and Sarah laughed at God because they didn’t trust that God would let them have a child in their old age (Genesis 17:17, 18:12). Abraham and Sarah did indeed have a child, just like God had promised (Genesis 21:1-2).
“When the promise remained unfulfilled, in Genesis 16 Abram’s wife, Sarai, told Abram to sleep with her servant, Hagar, so that she would bear him a son.”
Jacob, Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah
Two generations later, Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, and Jacob’s wives, Leah and Rachel, would fall into a similar pattern of sin. Jacob loved his second wife, Rachel, more than his first wife, Leah. Genesis 29:31-35 says that God blessed Leah with children. It also says that after each childbirth, Leah hoped that it would make Jacob love her, but it didn’t. Leah initially had four sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. To hopefully gain Jacob’s love, Leah gave her servant, Zilpah, to Jacob so that she could have more children (Genesis 30:9-13). Zilpah had two children: Gad and Asher.
During this time, Rachel did not have any children and became jealous and angry. She had Jacob sleep with her servant, Bilhah, so she could build a family. Bilhah had two sons: Dan and Naphtali. Leah later had two more sons and a daughter (Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah) when she exchanged her son Reuben’s mandrakes with Rachel to be able to sleep with Jacob. Later, God let Rachel have two children: Joseph and Benjamin.
“To hopefully gain Jacob’s love, Leah gave her servant, Zilpah, to Jacob so that she could have more children.”
Both Leah and Rachel didn’t trust that God would bless them with children, so they took things into their own hands to make it happen.
Thankfully, the sins of our ancestors aren’t the end of our story.
1. Even through our unfaithfulness, God is still faithful.
Unfaithfulness emerged in similar ways in both generations. The unfaithfulness in these stories was shown through impatience, haste, and a lack of trust. Even though it was normal back then for people to sleep with concubines, it doesn’t mean it was right. One of my Old Testament professors constantly told us that even if God allows something, it doesn’t mean he approves of it—but he can still use it for his glory.
The good news is that God remained faithful to the people in these stories. God saw Hagar in her situation. In fact, Hagar called God “El Roi,” which means “the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13). God promised to bless Ishmael, make him into a great nation, and increase his numbers (Genesis 17:20, 21:18). Jacob’s children went on to become the twelve tribes of Israel (Jacob told Joseph in Genesis 48:5-6 that Joseph’s sons would be considered his own, making them part of the twelve).
God turned bad situations into good ones and remained faithful to his people, even though they sinned against him.
“Even if God allows something, it doesn’t mean he approves of it—but he can still use it for his glory.”
2. God can break the curse of generational sin.
Praise God that he forgives our sins. He helps break the curse of generational sin by doing so. In our day, both divorce and alcoholism tend to be passed down through generations in families. If your parents got divorced, or someone in your family is alcoholic, then statistically you are more likely to fall into these sins. As a child of divorce, thinking about generational sin can bring anxiety that I will get caught in the trap of it, but the hope I have in God overcomes this. I have hope that God can help me change the trend of divorce in my family.
I have hope because God is who he says he is. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). The words of Micah describe the hope of God perfectly:
“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham, as you pledged an oath to our ancestors in days long ago.” (Micah 7:18-20, NIV)
