Today’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 31:15-40; Jeremiah 49:34 through Jeremiah 51:14
How many times a day do we hear people blaming their dysfunctions on their parents?
It seems that this is nothing new; the Jews in Jeremiah’s day did this so much they turned it into a proverb:
The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste. –Jeremiah 31:29
This proverb was actually true in those days; they were living under the curse of Exodus 34:7
I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.”
But in today’s reading Jeremiah speaks of a day when the people will no longer quote that proverb.
The Day is coming when…
All people will die for their own sins—those who eat the sour grapes will be the ones whose mouths will pucker. –Jeremiah 31:30
Ever since Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent, (Gen.3:11-13) human beings have shifted the blame for our sins, faults and shortcomings to anyone and anything we could find to remove the guilt for our own shoulders. In the last century psychologists have sought to trace the main source of adult’s problems back to their childhood. While we know our parent’s genetic disposition and the environment they created for us played a role in
- Our physical features
- Our personalities
- Our self-esteem
- Our values
Jeremiah 31:27-34 assures us,
–WE are not punished for our parents sins!
–WE are accountable for our sins!
Friends, if you mark in your Bible make sure you highlight, underline and star* Jeremiah 31:31-34. This Old Testament passage is the bridge to the New Covenant .
“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”
This covenant was inaugurated on Christ’s death and will be ultimately fulfilled during the millennial reign of Christ when Israel acknowledges their sin and turns to the Messiah for forgiveness (The Bible Knowledge Commentary). When Jesus died on the cross, all the accountability for our sins was placed on Him, not our parents. Our sinful nature came from our original parents, Adam and Eve and Jesus’ death on the cross broke that curse. All we have to do to be free from our original parent’s sins is
- Admit we have a sinful nature (Romans 3:23)
- Recognize we need a savior (Romans 6:23)
- Believe that Jesus Christ, the son of God died on the cross at Calvary to rescue us for our sinful ancestry (Romans 5:8)
- Receive God’s gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9)
- Confess to others that Jesus is our savior (Romans 10:9-10)
- Enjoy the promise of eternal life in Christ (John 3:16)
All parents do things right and do things wrong. Let’s be thankful for the good things and nail the bad things to the cross of Christ, and leave it there! Blaming our sins on our parents won’t save us, but accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior will provide true freedom from our past.
Dear friend, if you are reading this and you’ve never accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, I pray that today is your day for salvation!
Be free in Jesus’ Name! Amen and Amen!
© 2012 Dianne Guthmuller
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 51:15-58; 2 Kings 24:10-17; 2 Chronicles 36:10; 1 Chronicles 3:10-16; 2 Chronicles 36:11-14; Jeremiah 52:1-3a; 2 Kings 24:18-20a; Jeremiah 37:1-10
