The Children

Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert. Numbers 14: 33 NIV

Sinfulness and rebellion never happen in a vacuum.  In this passage, the children of the Israelites were forced to live in the desert for forty years because of the unfaithfulness of their parents. God’s plan had been for them to live in the fertile land of Canaan.  Not only the children of the rebellious people had to stay in the desert, but even the children of Caleb and Joshua, the spies who had wanted to obey God and go into the Promised Land.

We are all affected by our own sins but also the sins of those around us. Families in particular are negatively impacted by ungodly behaviour. Husbands and wives refuse to be forgiving of each other or to put the other person ahead of themselves.  If two believers married and followed God’s guidance, there would be no divorce among Christians.  Sadly, that is not the case because people don’t follow God’s light.  They cherry-pick what they want to obey and totally disobey important aspects of the Christian life.  How many Christians hold grudges against family members or members of their church? Way too many!  “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Matthew 9:13 NIV  But we would rather sacrifice our time, our money, our energy, instead of forgiving others. This does and will negatively affect our children and even children outside our families. Sin is always accompanied by some kind of destruction.