So Do Ye
At the Twentieth of Exodus, God declared that He showed mercy to thousands who loved Him and kept His commandments. However, He visited the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Him. That latter expression may seem difficult to reconcile with the declaration of Ezekiel Eighteen that sons do not bear the sins of their fathers. However, the issue here is the attitudes toward God and Divine authority that are exemplified by one generation to the next. God-fearing progenitors may bring forth God-fearing descendants who enjoy the benefit of God’s mercy. Those disregarding Divine instruction may bring forth descendants who do the same. As Stephen said at the Seventh of Acts, “As your fathers did, so do ye.”
Written by David Hayes Prophater