Bible Question:
Can someone please give me advice on how to reconcile the apparent contradiction of these two verses. Deu 5:9 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, Eze 18:17 Who has withdrawn his hand from the poor[fn1] And not received usury or increase, But has executed My judgments And walked in My statutes-- He shall not die for the iniquity of his father; He shall surely live! Thank you. parpar. |
Bible Answer: These two scriptures are actually referring to two distinct concepts. Deu 5:9 apparently refers to the generational consequences visited by God upon those who hate him. I think of it in terms of "sowing and reaping". What one generation "plants" in terms of ungodly lifestyles and immorality (i.e., "iniquity") will often be seen in the "harvest" of the next 2 or 3 generations. (In America, we are still reaping as a society what was sown in the 60's....) By contrast, Eze 18:17 assures us that God will judge each individual personally for the sins he has committed. In other words, a son will not be considered guilty of a sin just because his father committed that sin. One way to consider the seeming dichotomy of these two verses is in recognizing that even though we may be reaping societally problems that were spawned in the lawlessness of the previous generations (e.g., the 60's), we are not individually indicted for these social and moral ills that are afflicting our land; we are merely "afflicted" by them. Maybe this will help out.... In Christ, tdc |