When the Jewish people arise to tell their children the story of the Exodus I am sure that the more curious children would want to hear about the generation before the Exodus, about the patriarchs, about the generation who entered Canaan, and the generations who became the victims of Canaanite domination (see the Book of Judges chapters 2, 4 and 6) and they would also want to be informed about God’s judgment upon the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the exile and the restoration.  The more discerning children would notice the gaping hole in the narrative between the Exodus and the possession of Canaan.  A tradition of lies keeps the generations apart, because the adults in the room are living a lie, pretending that they have faithfully followed the best features of Abraham’s legacy.  It is still a quick and convenient detour for adults to lecture young people about things the young believers know all too well.  You see, there is much more to leadership in the 21st century than a few self-serving slogans and a minority shocking the majority with vile pronouncements, armed atrocities and discredited rhetoric about self-defense and superior culture and undisputed military power.

Lead yourself out of the curse

“He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” Malachi 4:6

Here at the end of the Old Testament period, Malachi’s prophecy comes forth that the hearts of Israelite fathers need to turn (perhaps return )  to the children and vice versa, which refutes the notion that Jewish life is more family-centred than others.  Even with a covenant stipulation for children to honour (kabbed, כבד) their parents a thorough failure is evident, since this covenant demand is the only one in the Ten Words written with God’s own finger without a negative particle, and perfectly complied with by people with no conscious recognition of God.

Willingly bewitched

The emphasis on generational transmission of tradition and responsibility is however far from negligible.  Every generation since the Exodus has wanted to be remembered as the hero who fixed the broken down walls and repaired the house.

When Christians gather to celebrate salvation I am sure that there will be people who want to know what does salvation have to do with Moses and the prophets. They will want to hear about the sub-apostolic age, the many centuries of Christian scholarship and the diligence of many believers and their pastors who have resisted the numerous assaults by cults, other religions and eastern mysticism.     You see, there is much more to leadership in the 21st century than a few self-serving slogans and a minority shocking the majority with armed atrocities and discredited rhetoric about self-defense and superior culture.

ELOHIM defines himself as trans-generational

The Eternal One has no regrets about involving himself in space and time. His involvement, whether pictured as angel of the Lord, terrifying manifestations of thunder, tempest, earthquake, fire and cloud, must certainly waken human imagination about our participation in the eternal glories. Sadly, the generation that is most iconic to modern observers is that one that questioned this very thing. It is a pathetic slice of tomfoolery to intimate that God violates himself by clothing himself in humanity, and the corollary is that humans are presumptuous and blasphemous to believe that partaking in divine nature is possible.

“who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”” (Exodus 34:7, NASB)

ELOHIM THREATENS CONSEQUENCES ON SUCCEEDING GENERATIONS

You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, (Exodus 20:5, NASB)

JOSHUA PREDICTS THE  INTEREST OF GENERATIONS IN THE EXPLANATION OF HISTORY

He said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’” (Joshua 4:21, NASB)

Of all the things one might expect people who are committed to the Ten Commandments to accomplish honouring one’s parents has to be near the top of the list.  Obligations towards one’s parents do not call for spiritual or special insight, education, knowledge or wisdom.  Apparently many people are perfectly naive mucking around in glaringly natural traditions, and the cautions of the Galilean fisherman still ring louder and more distinctively than Big Ben.

And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” (Acts 2:40)