God’s Grandchildren
But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, Psalm 103:17 NASB
To children’s children – What’s the connection? Hesed operates between related parties. It isn’t like grace (hen). Hesed presupposes some already-existing connection. Once in place, hesed governs the continuing relationship between the parties—and the extension of that bonded relationship to generations. It’s popular in evangelical circles to claim that God has no grandchildren. The intention is to emphasize the necessity for personal, individual salvific relationship with God. But I wonder if this isn’t hyper-evangelism rather than sound theology. It certainly seems as if YHVH honors relationships with the progeny of David for decades after David is dead. In fact, YHVH forestalls judgment on subsequent generations because David enjoyed hesed with God.
As you recall, David makes an allusion to Exodus 34:6 in Psalm 103:8, citing the positive characteristics of YHVH. But we noticed in that verse that David deliberately avoids the subsequent statements about punishing the wicked and the impact on future generations. In other contexts we discovered that the Hebrew word paqad, notoriously translated with the implication that YHVH passes the judgment of the sins of the fathers to the children of the third and fourth generations, is more likely a word of oversight rather than retribution. This correction is needed to understand David’s view of Exodus 34:7. Unlike the traditional punitive assumptions made by translators, David points his readers to YHVH’s hesed continuing to the children’s children. Since David’s exegesis of Exodus 34:7 points us toward mercy rather than judgment, perhaps we need to rethink our usual translations of the statement YHVH made to Moses.
Hesed continues. Its power is not limited to the particular individual who engages YHVH in covenant bond. Ruth is the consummate example of the generational impact of hesed. And David certainly knew about Ruth. Now David reflects on the impact of hesed for those yet-to-be-born. Because of the faithfulness of the Lord, they too will experience YHVH’s hesed. What that ultimately means for their individual relationships with YHVH is not determined, but YHVH will seek them out. The fathers, the children and the grandchildren.
Are you comforted by David’s insight? Do you feel just a bit relieved that your experience of hesed with YHVH means He is committed to your children and your grandchildren? Hebrew is a family-first society and family is never limited to the persons who are presently in the household. Hebrew views family as the full number of people who belong to the name. That’s why Boaz intervenes in the lives of Naomi and Ruth. That’s why David looks for last relatives of Saul. That’s why all nations will be blessed in Abraham. Western thinkers may limit YHVH’s family to first-generation individuals, but that’s our problem, not His.
Topical Index: bene banim, children’s children, Exodus 34:7, paqad, hesed, Psalm 103:17
Why, oh why, oh why do we always seem to get it backwards? Love, that is. We think it stops (ends) with us; piles up in our back yards and fills our pocketbooks, or at least our pockets, when, really, it does not truly show up until we start looking to pass it on. Why do we insist that salvation is a private affair (the ultimate secret society), when salvation is about restored connections? Why do we want God to have a private affair with us when His intimacy is really about loving all we love (or are supposed to love!)? No, we couldn’t get love more wrong if we tried!
We seem to want to keep our two glitches intact: the us’s and them’s and the somethin’s for nothin’s. We want to still believe that His salvation supposes the ultimate DIFFERENTIATION between Us and Them – you know, us Saved Ones and all the Others, when salvation is what is accorded to those of us who are ready to repent such illusions. We want Him to save us, but we don’t want it to cost us anything, even though we were warned that it would cost everything – would require that we turn in ALL our fractures with all those others. We don’t listen very well!
Love is never just about me. Love, in fact, is about restoring me to everything and everyone else. Love is not about the end points, but about what happens BETWEEN those points. Love takes me back out of the blind, one-way alley of Just My Way and returns me to the vast ocean of connectedness with All Other Ways. I never have to go worrying about interceding with God about all those other precious ones in my life that, well, I love, but He has left out(!): you know, all my siblings and children and such that are so lost. No, my salvation is about restoring them, too. Desperately imploring Him to please have mercy on all I love is not exactly in order, although I am sure He appreciates that I care, for He has already automatically included them when He cared for me. No, if I really want to be accurate, I would be asking what I needed to repent of that is keeping me from actively participating in His restoration of all my Others (which He already considers extensions of me). It is I, once again, who is confused, and He Who already has it straight!
As my choices impact all around me for ill, so they do the same for good. When I get it right, it relieves tremendous burdens off all those who are impacted by me. When I get loved, everybody else heaves a big sigh of relief. Whew! Finally! I am not desperate any more, and that desperation is not throwing kinks into everyone else’s lives. Do you know how hard it is to be around somebody who is closed off from love? Its just no fun at all! I have had children call me up and say “What have you done? Thank you for whatever it is, because life is easier for me now. I can breathe better. I am not so worried about you now”. No, we really are not very well educated about love.
On a nephesh note, we are changed at the genetic level by every choice that we make. DNA, RNA and epigenetically speaking, the expression of our genes turns on and off tens of thousands of times a day, depending on what we choose to believe, think and do. Science has recorded genes turning their expression on and off by thought alone. We can get so focused on the nouns in this culture; we think the hard wiring stuff, like DNA, is where it is at, but those wires exist so that an action, like electricity, can happen. It is what happens TO the wiring that is the real stuff. Choice has the power to re-write reality. Science is intrigued by the ability of atomic level reality to impact whatever was originally linked together, at that atomic level, over vast distances of time and space. I think this could be part of the original hard wiring, where everything was connected to everything else. (I think sometimes that it was a mercy to curse the world with fracture, so that the choices and the destruction of others did not immediately annihilate me, too!) Just think what could happen if we ever did start to learn how to think like that!
In the Siddur, there is a prayer offered after the reciting of the Sh’ma which includes this idea in which Skip expounds:
“From generation to generation He endures and His Name endures and His throne is well established; His sovereignty and faithfulness endure forever. His words are living and enduring, faithful and delightful forever and to all eternity; for our forefathers and for us, for our children and for our generations, and for all the generations of Your servant Israel’s offspring. Upon the earlier and upon later generations, this affirmation is good and enduring forever. True and faithful, it is an unbreakable decree.”
As the father of 8 children and 19 grandchildren I am relieved to have been relieved of the burden of “praying them into the kingdom”. If their salvation were dependent upon my faith or even my faithfulness in prayer, then “Houston, we got a problem”. Thanks you Yah for Your faithfulness in keeping Your covenant and gathering all my arrows and putting them back into my quiver.
Thank you too, Laurita, for your always helpful, insightful and profound comments. Even with my parched parchment degree, I also am uneducated in love, (though I am enrolled in a doctoral program called marriage). And while I do not have a MBA, I do have DNA and RNA and they is being re-educated!
Just to reiterate David (And Skip):
Deuteronomy 7:7 “The Lord did not set His love upon you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all people. 8 but because the Lord Loves you and BECUASE He WOULD KEEP THE OATH which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand……..9 THEREFORE know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy/lovingkindess (Chesed) for a thousand generations WITH THOSE WHO LOVE HIM (Back) and keep His commandments……10 And repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with those who hate Him………”
We are doing a study on Hesed and Covenants right now. So the last few TW have been very timely. It really pulls the rug out form under the “grace is free” message. Somebody always paid the price for the established covenant with YHWH for others to enjoy and walk in. From Noah to Abraham to Moses to David….. to Yeshua…. And according to the verse above there is continued stipulations to enjoying the benefits of those covenants: Love Him back and Keep His commandments. (Skip has spoken on this numerous times) Hmmmmm seems like Yeshua said something very similar in John14:11. And 1 John does an excellent job of providing commentary on the above.
I have been very Blessed to have grown up being taught YHVH’s Ways. I have wondered since childhood how I, me, could possibly have Truth when others around me didn’t. Could this be right and they all be “wrong “? (Catholic and Lutheran community ). My mother ‘s maiden name is Nikodem. I did some looking into this a few years ago and found that, most likely, my heritage goes back to Nicodemus. I believe I have truly been Blessed by the obedience of my ancestors. I am Very Thankful, and pray this Blessing to continue through the generations.