The concept of generational curses originates in a handful of passages in the Old Testament. With one exception, these were written during the time of Moses and are specific to the nation of Israel. The passages often accompanied God’s warnings of ‘blessings’ for obedience and ‘curses’ for disobedience.
All but one of the passages appear in Exodus, Deuteronomy, or Numbers. One example is Deuteronomy 5:9-10. “For I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
Sin of Idolatry
The passages all evolve around the sin of idolatry and rebellion against God. We see one other occurrence in Jeremiah. Here, the prophet is praying to the Lord and recounting these words in light of the fact that Israel has once again rebelled against God. As a result, the people about to be taken captive by Babylon.
In short, the context of all of these these verses:
- surround the nation of Israel
- involve the sin of idolatry
- relate to the nation’s rebellion against God
And it is this rebellion against God that would pass down to future generations. There would be consequences in the later generations because the people would be prone to repeat the mistakes of their ancestors and follow their example. That’s the curse; that’s the danger. Unless they repent.
At the same time, God was quick to forgive when His people cried out to Him in honest repentance. That’s God’s heart. Over and again God, in His mercy, delivered His people from judgment. Therefore, while it’s true that in Old Testament times, there was a risk of generational curse, it was limited to the nation of Israel and it was specifically in regards to the sin of idolatry and rebellion against God.
Do generational curses exist today?
This is another aspect of the question: do generational curses still exist today? Over time, the concept twisted into the idea that current sins can be somehow blamed on a curse that took place within prior generations. This is wrong on several accounts. The first, I already mentioned: generational curses were specific to Israel and to their relationship with God. Further, the curse could be broken when the nation cried out to God in repentance.
For Christians today, the moment we are born again, we have been delivered from all sins – past, present, and future. This is because the price has been paid by the blood of our Lord. It does not mean that you and I will never commit sin or that we never have struggles. But because the Holy Spirit lives in us, the Bible teaches that we can actually choose not to sin (Romans 6:6). Even more, if we confess our sins, God is faithful to cleanse us and forgive us (1 John 1:9).
Christ Became a Curse for Us
Of course, as we well know, family pattens of dysfunction, including addictions, certainly do exist. However, we want to be careful not to confuse these with a “curse” in the true, biblical sense of the word. God alone (whether directly or through his agents, such as a prophet) has the power and authority to invoke a “curse” on a person or people. It is important to keep this distinction in mind when referring to “generational curses” in order to avoid confusion or cause someone else to stumble.
In short, the belief that some past generational curse committed by some ancestor long ago must be called out and ‘denounced’ in order for us to be set free has absolutely no biblical support. In fact, Scripture teaches in Galatians chapter 3 that Christ became a curse for us when He went to the Cross. And if you belong to Him, when God looks at you, He sees His Son Jesus Christ.
Do you think God the Father would allow His child to be cursed again? What did Jesus say in His last breath? “It is finished.” And as a result, all the powers of darkness were forever defeated. Friend, there is no curse, generational or otherwise, that the power of the Cross has not already overcome.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
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Shadia is a passionate Bible teacher, author and speaker who has a heart for seeing lives transformed by the power of God’s Word. She holds a master’s in biblical and theological studies from Western Seminary and is author of several books and Bible studies, including LEGION: Rediscovering the God Who Rescues Me.
Hi Shadia, I have enjoyed reading your posts and look forward to reading more. So thankful you have a heart for God. I live in Georgia; wish we were closer so we could meet. Many blessings to you in your ministry.
In Christ,
Jackie
Hi Jackie. I am delighted to connect with you! Thank you for joining my Brave the Deep email community. I pray the resources bless you. It is true that we live far apart, but I travel throughout the country for speaking events and also love to join Bible study groups virtually on zoom. Maybe we’ll have an opportunity to connect at a future event! Blessings!
Shadia, I have been doing some extensive research on Sins of the father. Your article has validated that I am going in the right direction. Where I live, there has been much debate and action taken regarding removal of mainly confederate monuments and changing of school names if they related to indivuals who one’d slaves. Talk has been raised as to reparations to members of families who ancestors were slaves. The mindset has and still is one is unable to achieve any meaningful life due to their past history, thus blaming essential those from the South for their dilemma. I am researching statistics and history as well as biblical proof of we are not responsible for the sins of the father along with we have choices. . Your article was such a blessing personally as I have always had fear of becoming my biological mother and perceived I was not worthy because she did not want me. The verses brought some peace and clarity, and I thank you for that.
I apologize this is so long. Ever since I read your first writing, you have been able to touch my heart (which is not easy). You are a blessing from God for whom He sent to cross my path! Thank you.
I hope I am not out of line here. I have a question. May I refer to this article – I will give you proper credit. I had plan on doing an article and a book. It is my hope to do a book in connection with law enforcement — have a lot of ideas circulating in my pea brain.
Again, thank you! Be safe! May you be filled with continued blessings! 💙💙
Dar
(I hope this makes sense.)
Thank you for your encouragement Dar! I’m so glad to hear that you are searching for truth on this topic and that my article brought you some peace and clarity. You are welcome to refer to this article while linking back to give proper credit. Blessings!