I preached a message about Generational curses at my church the last few weeks.

I’ve never been big on the subject, but we’re spending some time preaching on real questions people have - and quite a few people really have this question.

Have you ever considered the role generational curses play in life? Are they real? And if so, can they be broken?

I titled my message, and this blog;

Have you ever watched The Sandlot?

It’s an old baseball movie, back when movies were really good and made you love America. A couple of neighborhood kids would get together at the local park to play baseball, but there was a terrifying neighbor with an even more terrifying dog.

These two hated baseball and kids.

Or at least that's what they thought!

Through the back door, that neighbor looked like he’d stick his dog on you if you went to retrieve your ball from his backyard, but then they got a front door view of him.

He was an old teammate of Babe Ruth, had the best baseball collection you could think of, and would go on to mentor one of the boys to the pros.

Something’s in life look a lot different when viewed through the front door.

I think we have a backdoor framework of generational curses; we’re always looking at what effect our grandparents and parents have on us. But is there a front door view? Is there another way we should be looking at it?

I believe Scripture proves, in numerous places, that there is.

Let's quickly run through the stories of a few Bible characters.

First, enter Jehoshaphat.

We’re first introduced to him in 2 Chronicles 17, the rich and righteous King of Judah.

“Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and hehad great riches and honor. His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.” - ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭17‬:‭5-‬‭6‬ ‭‬‬

So it starts off good for him, but it doesn’t end that way;

“Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah.” - ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭22‬:‭10‬ ‭

This is technically not the end for Jehoshaphat, as the next few chapters chronicle the 4th and 5th generations of Jehoshaphat’s line. But it never gets any better for his line; it’s all downhill from 2 Chronicles 22:10.

What’s the in between?

Remember when the prophet Nathan confronts David after Bathsheba? The “you are the man!” speech?

Well, Jehoshaphat had his own prophetic confrontation; twice.

“But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the Lord.” - ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭19‬:‭2‬ ‭‬‬

“Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, 'Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.” - 2 Chronicles‬ ‭20‬:‭37‬ ‭

Now, before we go any further, I think that last statement in 19:2 reflects what we think of generational curses;

“Wrath has gone out against you from the Lord.”

Many view generational curses as the effect on the current generation because of something the older generation did.They were born into a battle they did not choose. Wrath went out from God and wreaked havoc on the family line for generations, against their will, for no fault of their own.

But is that biblically accurate?

If I’m honest, I can’t say no with full certainty. But I think there’s an aspect of one generation's effect on another that goes unnoticed, and it’s abundantly clear in Jehoshaphat's story;

“Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.”” - 2 Chronicles‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭

“After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly.” - 2 Chronicles‬ ‭20‬:‭35‬ ‭

Twice, Jehoshaphat clung to ungodly kings, even letting his son marry into Ahab's family.

That’s a good business decision, uniting with the other nation within God's chosen people.

But it was the wrong decision. Look at Jehoshaphat's son;

“When Jehoram (his son) had ascended the throne of his father and was established, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the princes of Israel. Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” - ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭21‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭

So his son chose the way of his father-in-law, which, here’s a quick reminder of what the Bible says about Ahab;

“And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him.” - ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭16‬:‭30‬ ‭‬‬

Jehoshaphat let his son marry into the family of the most wicked king and lost his son as a result. And the story doesn’t end there;

“Ahaziah (Jehoshaphat's grandson) was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri. He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done. For after the death of his father they were his counselors, to his undoing.” - 2 Chronicles‬ ‭22‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭

Sounds like God didn’t need to release “wrath” from Heaven to haunt Jehoshaphat's family line, his decisions did that all by themselves.

Which, through the back door, becomes a scary thought;

“What if my granddad's choice haunts me?”

But through the front door, it’s a superpower.

You have the power to make choices that will “haunt” your family line.

Let’s juxtapose Jehoshaphat's story with Ruth's.

Her story starts as a Moabite, someone not included in the “family of God.” Her husband, brother-in-law, and father-in-law all died, and now even what she had was taken from her.

It legitimately sounds like a curse.

But while her sister in law was heading home to pick up what was left of her life, Ruth made a different choice;

“Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”” Ruth‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬-‭17‬ ‭

Ruth clung to Naomi, the only person in her life who knew our God, and she ended up marrying Boaz. She was considered an outsider, and became an insider of epic proportions;

“and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,” - ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭

From Moabite to a member of the line of David, and eventually Christ!

And you know what’s increasingly odd about these two stories? Just how similar their responses sound;

“He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.”” - 2 Chronicles‬ ‭18‬:‭13‬ ‭‬‬

But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”” Ruth‬ ‭1‬:‭16-‭17‬ ‭‬‬

“Where you go, I go. Let’s die together.”

And that connection doesn’t stop there, but more on that in a second.

My main point in comparing these two stories is this;

Solomon saw it in his own life, and writes;

“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” - ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭20‬ ‭

Jehoshaphat clung to Ahab and carried destruction into his line.

Ruth clung to Naomi and became King David’s great-grandmother.

Ruth walked with the wise, and Jehoshaphat clung to fools.

Elisha clung to Elijah and got a double portion (2 Kings 2).

Elijah tells Elisha to stop following him three different times, and the prophets come around and encourage him to listen! But Elisha knew what Ruth knew; who he clung to would decide what he carried.

Look at this interaction;

“When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.”” (2:9)

To which Elijah responds with;

“And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.”” (2:10)

“If you’re there when I die”, essentially.

We see this principle in the New Testament, too!

The Disciples clung to Jesus and became the apostles. (John 6:67)

Jesus sees the crowds leaving and asks the disciples if they will leave too. Peter says;

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,” (6:68).

Peter knew that in order to cling to life, they needed to cling to Jesus.

It’s abundantly clear that our relationships will haunt our family lines. Who you are clinging to, right now, will affect your great-grandchildren.

Which makes a second point all by itself;

Your marriage should never be viewed through the lens of how you feel today, but how you’ll feel tomorrow. Or as our four examples present, from the “when you die” perspective.

Your relationship with your pastor shouldn’t hinge on the last sermon he preached, but on what your life will look like if you cling to one man & woman of God.

When you look back on your life, when you die, there will be someone you clung to. I’m sure both Jehoshaphat and Ruth, Elisha and the disciples had a ton of other relationships, but the ones that mattered influenced their family lines for generations.

You don’t stay married for your benefit, but so your kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids benefit.

You don’t cling to a pastor because you agree with everything they’ve ever said; you do it so you win more often than you lose throughout your life. You do it so your kids have lifelong, Godly relationships. And so your grandkids are raised by those lifelong, Godly relationships.

Here’s a quick third point about relationships;

When you cling to someone, you ultimately ally with them; you align.

Who among us hasn’t been told we become like the 5 people we spend the most time with?

But the real depth here is found when you look at who both of our characters, Jehoshaphat and Ruth, really clung to;

Ruth clung to Naomi, an Israelite who knew the true God. By clinging to Naomi, she was clinging to Naomi's God.

Jehoshaphat clung to Ahab, a wicked king who had rejected God. God makes it abundantly clear that by allying with Ahab, he was breaking his alliance with God.

God invited him, and He’s inviting us to ally with Him.

Are you single and looking for a spouse? It can feel like you don’t have many great options.

This isn’t a conversation about settling or not, it’s a question of alliance: ally with God and watch Him provide your spouse.

Are you running a business? Ally with God through your tithe and offerings, make room for Him in your board meetings, and let God run your business. There is no separation of Church and marketplace - God is equally determined to grow your business as He is to grow you. Ally with God in every facet, including your business.

Our relationships, who we’re currently clinging to, reflect whether or not we’ve taken God up on His offer to ally with Him.

Lastly,

Jehoshaphat started at the top and ended with Ahab's daughter killing all but one of his descendants. His family line never recovered.

Ruth started at the bottom and was included in the line of Jesus.

Elisha got that double portion.

The disciples became the apostles.

It does not matter where we start, relationships give us all the chance to elevate in life.

I say again;

“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” - ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭20‬ ‭

It’s a pretty cut and dry truth; if you want more wisdom, cling to the wise!

So are generational curses real? To be clear, I personally don’t think so, or at least we fail drastically to understand their influence. I believe we’re haunted by choices, and mostly our own.

Consider Paul, who seems like he’s defending the character of God;

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” - ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭7‬ ‭‬‬

We will reap what we sow, which isn’t a burden - it’s a superpower! We can sow the right choices and reap a bloodlinethat lives a life they didn’t have to choose.