Generational Curse? - Like Father Like Son?
Generational Curse? - Like Father Like Son
There is a great fear that all of us face and often we are reluctant to admit that it exists. It is the fear of repeating our parents’ mistakes. Growing up, you saw what your father or mother did in either raising kids or the handling of money or serving God, and then as an adult, you swore you will do it differently. As an adult now, you are seeing the same patterns and you are wondering what is going on and who can deliver me from these fears?
Some may call it “generational curse” or other names but the fact remains that it hunts all of us. Personally, I disagree with the “generational curse” labeling because it offers us a good excuse not to change. If you want to talk about “generational curse”, then let’s go all the way back to Adam and Eve and not just to our immediate parents. In fact, the serpent (Satan) was the one cursed because he deceived Adam and Eve to sin. “You are cursed… and I will put enmity between you and the woman and between you and her Seed” (Genesis 3:14).
In Daniel 5, we see “Like Father like Son” – King Nebuchadnezzar (king Neb) and his son king Belshazzar (king Bel). King Neb we have seen from previous chapters that he dishonored the Most High God until he was humbled. Now his son king Bel is doing the same thing. Why can’t he learn from his father we would ask? Why can’t we learn from our fathers and mothers I would ask? What is it that is blinding our eyes and driving us to these same mistakes and sins? “The god of this age has blinded (the minds of those), who do not believe” 2 Corinthians 4:4). Except for the grace of God we are all in the same boat.
Daniel 5: 1-8, 17, 22-31 (Please read the entire chapter 5)
1 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. 2 While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father [a] had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. 3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way.
7 The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers [b] and diviners to be brought and said to these wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom."
17 Then Daniel answered the king, "You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.
22 "But you his son, [d] O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. 24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.
25 "This is the inscription that was written: Mene , Mene , Tekel , Parsin [e] 26 "This is what these words mean: Mene [f] : God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. 27 Tekel [g] : You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. 28 Peres [h] : Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." 29 Then at Belshazzar's command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, [i] was slain, 31 and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. It seems like king Neb is dead by now but it is not very clear from the passage. We can make the deduction from the references such as “during the days of your father” per the queen’s advise. vs. 11. Also, Daniel in addressing king Bel spoke of king Neb in the past tense vs. 18- 21.
2. Was it a question of forgetfulness or that king Bel was too young to have comprehended the father’s mistakes and sin? It does not seem like it. Both the queen and Daniel testified to the contrary. “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this” vs. 22. From this statement of Daniel, king Bel would have been of age to comprehend and observe his father. He is solely responsible for his sinful ways just as any of us are. Unfortunately his end was different from his father who later repented.
3. The sins of king Bel was three fold vs.23. First was pride and he did not humble his heart. Second, king Bel dishonored God by drinking from the vessels dedicated to God. And the third is that king Bel “praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone” instead of the Most High God “who holds your breath in His hand”. Unfortunate the same three sins hunt every human till this day. We are no exception. The gods of materialism are ruling these days and many are worshipping them.
4. Notice that Daniel refused the gifts offered by king Bel vs.17. Unlike some pastors of today who think they are to be paid for special prayers for you. We minister out of God’s grace. It is not an entitlement but a privilege and trust given to us by God.
5. How can you break the “generational curse” of sin? The good news is that it has been broken on the cross by our Lord Jesus Christ. Back in Genesis 3 where our first parents sinned, God had already made provision for dealing with our sins. “He (the woman’s Seed – Jesus) shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heel”.
6. Beware of the so called ‘Deliverance Ministers” who specialize in taking advantage of people’s fears by telling you that you are suffering and not progressing because your family is “cursed”. They promise you deliverance prayers in exchange for money. Remember that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. Your family is no exception and God has delivered you when you believed in “His only begotten Son”.
7. Seeing your parents’ good or bad behavior is not a guarantee that you will behave accordingly in following the ways of God. We only see God by His grace and mercy. We can however avoid some of the “bad choices” and sins of our parents when we pay heed to the Word of God and allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit of God.
“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” 2 Corinthians 4:6. This is “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” that we have received and we must proclaim to all “who are perishing” because they have not believed. Lord, help us not to take your grace for granted but to be your means through which the light of your gospel shall shine in other hearts. Amen.
There is a great fear that all of us face and often we are reluctant to admit that it exists. It is the fear of repeating our parents’ mistakes. Growing up, you saw what your father or mother did in either raising kids or the handling of money or serving God, and then as an adult, you swore you will do it differently. As an adult now, you are seeing the same patterns and you are wondering what is going on and who can deliver me from these fears?
Some may call it “generational curse” or other names but the fact remains that it hunts all of us. Personally, I disagree with the “generational curse” labeling because it offers us a good excuse not to change. If you want to talk about “generational curse”, then let’s go all the way back to Adam and Eve and not just to our immediate parents. In fact, the serpent (Satan) was the one cursed because he deceived Adam and Eve to sin. “You are cursed… and I will put enmity between you and the woman and between you and her Seed” (Genesis 3:14).
In Daniel 5, we see “Like Father like Son” – King Nebuchadnezzar (king Neb) and his son king Belshazzar (king Bel). King Neb we have seen from previous chapters that he dishonored the Most High God until he was humbled. Now his son king Bel is doing the same thing. Why can’t he learn from his father we would ask? Why can’t we learn from our fathers and mothers I would ask? What is it that is blinding our eyes and driving us to these same mistakes and sins? “The god of this age has blinded (the minds of those), who do not believe” 2 Corinthians 4:4). Except for the grace of God we are all in the same boat.
Daniel 5: 1-8, 17, 22-31 (Please read the entire chapter 5)
1 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. 2 While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father [a] had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. 3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way.
7 The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers [b] and diviners to be brought and said to these wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom."
17 Then Daniel answered the king, "You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.
22 "But you his son, [d] O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. 24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.
25 "This is the inscription that was written: Mene , Mene , Tekel , Parsin [e] 26 "This is what these words mean: Mene [f] : God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. 27 Tekel [g] : You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. 28 Peres [h] : Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." 29 Then at Belshazzar's command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, [i] was slain, 31 and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. It seems like king Neb is dead by now but it is not very clear from the passage. We can make the deduction from the references such as “during the days of your father” per the queen’s advise. vs. 11. Also, Daniel in addressing king Bel spoke of king Neb in the past tense vs. 18- 21.
2. Was it a question of forgetfulness or that king Bel was too young to have comprehended the father’s mistakes and sin? It does not seem like it. Both the queen and Daniel testified to the contrary. “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this” vs. 22. From this statement of Daniel, king Bel would have been of age to comprehend and observe his father. He is solely responsible for his sinful ways just as any of us are. Unfortunately his end was different from his father who later repented.
3. The sins of king Bel was three fold vs.23. First was pride and he did not humble his heart. Second, king Bel dishonored God by drinking from the vessels dedicated to God. And the third is that king Bel “praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone” instead of the Most High God “who holds your breath in His hand”. Unfortunate the same three sins hunt every human till this day. We are no exception. The gods of materialism are ruling these days and many are worshipping them.
4. Notice that Daniel refused the gifts offered by king Bel vs.17. Unlike some pastors of today who think they are to be paid for special prayers for you. We minister out of God’s grace. It is not an entitlement but a privilege and trust given to us by God.
5. How can you break the “generational curse” of sin? The good news is that it has been broken on the cross by our Lord Jesus Christ. Back in Genesis 3 where our first parents sinned, God had already made provision for dealing with our sins. “He (the woman’s Seed – Jesus) shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heel”.
6. Beware of the so called ‘Deliverance Ministers” who specialize in taking advantage of people’s fears by telling you that you are suffering and not progressing because your family is “cursed”. They promise you deliverance prayers in exchange for money. Remember that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. Your family is no exception and God has delivered you when you believed in “His only begotten Son”.
7. Seeing your parents’ good or bad behavior is not a guarantee that you will behave accordingly in following the ways of God. We only see God by His grace and mercy. We can however avoid some of the “bad choices” and sins of our parents when we pay heed to the Word of God and allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit of God.
“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” 2 Corinthians 4:6. This is “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” that we have received and we must proclaim to all “who are perishing” because they have not believed. Lord, help us not to take your grace for granted but to be your means through which the light of your gospel shall shine in other hearts. Amen.
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