Both we and our fathers have sinned;
we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,
did not consider your wondrous works;
they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,
but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
that he might make known his mighty power.
At our Wednesday Night Bible Study, the question of children being punished for the sins of their fathers was raised, for good reason. A few verses in the Old testament give that impression. This psalm gives us a better look at the problem. God punishes the children and the fathers because, as verse 6 says, both we and our fathers have sinned. In all cases where this comes up, we can rest assured that we are punished for our own sins and not those of past generations. Yet, that is not the assurance we need. We are still dead in our sin.
Praise the Lord for the cross! Now we who have sinned as our fathers did or even worse are saved by grace through faith by the powerful yet merciful God who saves. The Israelites sinned promptly in Egypt after the miracle in the Red Sea. we sin daily in response to the miracle of our salvation in Christ. Yet he saved them for his name’s sake and he saves us for the same reason, to make known his mighty power. Let us make known his mighty power today in actions and words so they see his steadfast love.
Dear Lord, thank you for your grace and mercy in the face of our sin. Thank you for the cross that made the way. May they see Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church