The generational effect of keeping the 2nd commandment

“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:4-6 NIV)

While I was on my vacation break to Virginia last week I visited one of my cousins. She and I share a passion for studying our family tree. We had a wonderful time of catching up and showing one another the latest finds from our research.

As she was showing me photo after photo of the generations she had discovered, she handed me an envelope of old negatives, saying,”I found these in an old trunk in Granny’s house, but I haven’t been able to find anyone that can print them.”

“Let me try.” I offered. I had just purchased a photo scanner that can scan negatives. I was salivating at the possibility of discovering an old photo that would reveal some image we’d never seen.

I wasn’t disappointed. Late one night as I was scanning the old negatives, the picture above emerged on my computer screen. I was transfixed. These three men were without doubt the most influential in my life. From left to right they are my mother’s father (Papaw), my mother’s brother (Uncle Basil), and my Dad.

Looking at the photo, I thought of how I had idolized these three men since I was a boy. The first because he was my father and because I lost him to cancer when I was only eight and he only 39 (It’s easy to idolize when all you have is a childhood memory). I idolized the other two men because they both became surrogate fathers to me.

While all three of these men have since passed away, I believe that their faith in Jesus has secured for them a place in heaven. They are gone, yet they still live.

And so does their legacy. I cannot let this photo or their memory become an idol, a graven image for me, because they left me something better. They left me their faith in Christ.

While with my cousin we discussed the blessing of having a family that passed on such a spiritual legacy. I’m convinced that God HImself promises this legacy to those who love Him with priority.

It’s good to love family, but the best way to bless the generations is to be careful to put the love of God first. When we worship God without lowering our eyes to man made substitutes, He promises to “show his love to a thousand generations.”

I pray that I leave the same legacy to my children.