This lesson was taught on the Sabbath after the Feast of Tabernacles, at Israel Church of the Firstborn in Indianapolis. Brother Obadiah says it is a lesson he had never taught before, even though he had read these passages for years: each time you read the Bible cover to cover, God gives you more understanding. The subject is generational curses, the sins that come down from your fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers and follow you until you break them. He traces the iniquity of the fathers from the garden of Eden through Israel's history, from Zechariah, Saint John and Saint Matthew back to Genesis, the law, the wilderness, the kings and the prophets. Then he turns to the way out, from Ezekiel 18, Leviticus 26 and the prayer of Daniel: confess your own sins and the sins of your fathers, and live right with the Lord. Every passage is read in the King James Version.
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He opens the Sabbath script with Leviticus 23:1-3 and Saint Luke 4:14-16, where Jesus went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day as his custom was.
"Custom means his way of life. Custom is what you do. If you going to be a Christian, you got to follow the teachings and the customs of what Christ did."
"One thing that Satan want to do, he want to put on you the spirit of slumber. He don't want you to read your Bible. He don't want you to come to class. You make time to do everything else you want in the world, but you won't make that time at all for God. That's Satan. So beware of all of his devices."
1.What Generational Curses Are
"Generational curses are sins that come down from your grandfather, your great-great-grandfather. They come all the way down to you. You had a child that was walking around, and this child is bad, and the first thing they say, Boy, you acting just like your daddy. Those are what you call generational curses."
"Some of those curses, even though that you are believers in the word of God, they still follow you around. But one thing that the Lord want us to do is, once you come into the word of God, you can break these generational curses, because they going to follow you wherever you go."
"You got Israel that's still under the curses right now. Us as a people, we don't get along with one another. Why? Because the Lord had split that nation. He put the ten tribes where they pitted themselves against Judah, and they never got along. Well, those are curses. When we came over here as slaves, you are still in the land of your captivity until the Lord take you and go back home. And the only way that curse is going to be removed is when the Lord come back and remove it."
"So you got to come up under the blood when you dealing with generational curses. When you come into this word, you got to plead the blood of Jesus over these curses, and you got to get them away from you."
He gives everyday examples of what gets passed down: addiction, a temper, the way a man treats women or a woman talks to her husband, even illnesses that run in a family. A son who saw his father mistreat women, or a daughter who grew up watching her mother, often ends up doing the same thing. He is open about his own family too, a line of men he says taught him the wrong way to treat women, and he says he knew even before he came into the word that he could not behave the way his fathers and uncles did.
2.Be Ye Not as Your Fathers
Zechariah 1:1-6 KJV1In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,
2The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers.
3Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.
4Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD.
5Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?
6But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.
"The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. These are the people that came down before you. And if you don't break these curses, these same sins is even going to follow you."
"Turn ye unto me. That's all God want you to do. No matter what you have done, no matter what you have been through. And I will turn unto you. That is a fair shake. The only thing that God want you to do is change, and he want you to change for the better."
"A lot of people sitting in here, we probably think that we was never evil before in our lives. You might have not put your hand on nobody. But make no mistake about it. If you did not come under the blood of Jesus, you was wicked at that point in time."
"The reason why we are in the situation that we are in is because they would not hearken to what the Lord is saying. Once the Lord grab your coattail, you better hear what he's saying to you."
"These people have turned to the Lord. But what he is also telling you is that even though you done turned to the Lord, you going to still catch the brunt of all of the problems because of the sins of what your forefathers have done."
3.Ye Are of Your Father the Devil
Before the physical fathers, he says, comes the spiritual father. If you are dealing with sin at all, you are dealing with the devil, and he points to First John, that whosoever committeth sin is of the devil. He goes to Saint John the eighth chapter.
St. John 8:12-16 KJV12Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
13The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.
14Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
15Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
16And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
"I am the light of the world. And that is period. If you want to walk in the light, you got to walk with Jesus, and there ain't no other way around it. You can see everything that's in front of you, but still you walking in darkness, because you spiritually walking in the dark if you do not have the Lord in your life."
"Jesus knew that he was God that became man, went back to being God again. So he knew that he was going to go back and sit down at the right hand of the Father."
St. John 8:17-24 KJV17It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.
18I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
19Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.
20These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.
21Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.
22Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come.
23And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
24I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
"You not alone. It might seem like you alone, but you're not alone. You might have 50 people in the room and you might be in there by yourself, but if you got the Lord, guess who beside you? Jesus."
"Jesus know the end from the beginning. Jesus know who going to change, and Jesus know who is not going to change. In this little bitty room right here, we all about deliverance. Deliverance from Satan, deliverance from this world."
"Whither I go, ye cannot come. So the next time you go to church and they tell you this bona fide lie, you understand that Jesus said, I'm going to go to the third heaven, but you cannot come up here. That prayer that you say, Thy kingdom come. I'm gonna bring the kingdom down to you."
St. John 8:31-36 KJV31Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
33They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
34Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
"The worst thing you can do is walk back out of that door and don't come back, because you done heard something that should change your life. You not automatically a disciple because you start calling on the name of the Lord. That means that you got to bear your cross to follow him."
"They tried to lean on being the seed of Abraham, the physical seed. But God don't care nothing about that. God don't care if you a full-blooded Israelite or if you Chinese or Japanese or Gentile. The only thing that God see is the person that's not committing adultery, not lying, not stealing, not backbiting with their tongue."
"Those of you that have made the conversion, don't it feel good to be free?"
St. John 8:37-44 KJV37I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
38I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
39They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
40But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
41Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
42Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
43Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
"They wanted to kill him physically. But we generations removed from when Jesus died on the cross. When you go out and commit sin, you put him right back on the cross to an open shame all over again. Every time you disobey, every time you tell a lie."
"You see how they like to lean on Abraham. You got a lot of Israelites that do that. But now Jesus is getting ready to break them down. If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham."
St. John 8:45-47 KJV45And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
46Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
47He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
"A lot of people don't like the truth. The more and more of the truth you speak, the more and more you going to find yourself being alone, because the truth hurts. But it's the truth that's gonna make you free."
"He that is of God heareth God's words. God told you not to steal. God told you not to lie. God told you to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. So if you say that you gonna believe God, then from here on you got to do everything that you can to walk right."
4.Fill Ye Up Then the Measure of Your Fathers
Saint Matthew the 23rd chapter, to show the children doing the same things their forefathers did.
St. Matthew 23:25-28 KJV25Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
26Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
28Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
"One thing you don't want to be called in the word of God is a hypocrite. You don't want to tell everybody about the word of God and you not living it yourself."
"You got to clean the inner man and the inner woman first. You can appear holy, come in saying happy Sabbath and hugging everybody, but you still evil and you still wicked. You got to clean the inside of the cup first."
St. Matthew 23:29-34 KJV29Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
30And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
31Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
32Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
33Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
34Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
"If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. A lot of people say that today, and then go hang a Christmas tree up. They got pork on their plate, but they say they love Jesus. A lot of people love Jesus with their mouth, but spiritually you are killing Jesus today."
"He talking to church people now. He talking to the people that show up every week at church. That's the reason why, once God come back, who you think he going to start with in judgment? The people that say that they believe in the Lord."
St. Matthew 23:35-37 KJV35That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
36Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
"All of the people that was righteous before God, the church people killed them."
"We would have been back at home. The Lord told Judah that if y'all just keep the Sabbath day, I will have y'all's children sitting on the throne of David forever. If we just would have kept the Sabbath. But we couldn't even do that."
5.When Sin Entered the Creation
Then he goes back to where the first father's sin began, in Genesis the third chapter.
Genesis 3:1-6 KJV1Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
"For those that are new, this tree that was in the midst of the garden was none other than the devil. You had all other trees in the garden that was made for beauty and trees that you could eat off of. But there was a spiritual tree in the midst of the garden. You got to eat of the conversation of Satan for him to be in your body. You got to put him in your mind."
"In that moment, she should have stopped the conversation with him immediately. Satan ain't going to come to you and say, I'm the devil, follow me. He's gonna feed your mind subtly. So if you not feeding your spirit, then you feeding the devil."
"That's what make you God, when you know good and evil. Man wasn't supposed to know evil until after he had became God, after the thousand years."
Genesis 3:7-15 KJV7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
14And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
"How you going to hide from the creator? A lot of people do that with God today. I ain't ready to serve him. So let me hide from God."
"Who told thee that thou wast naked? That means that you had a conversation. They didn't eat no apple."
"You see how he turned on her real quick. He threw her under the bus."
"I will put enmity between thee and the woman. The woman is the church. Her seed is going to be the ones that's going to follow the Lord, and thy seed is going to be the ones that's going to follow Satan."
"You go read Isaiah 53 and it will tell you exactly what these bruises is talking about. In the end, Satan, I'm going to bruise you and throw you in the lake of fire, but then I'm going to have to die for the sins of the people."
Genesis 3:16 KJV16Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
To show that the curse on childbirth is real, he turns to the death of Rachel in Genesis 35.
Genesis 35:16-18 KJV16And they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.
17And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.
18And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, ( for she died) that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin.
"She had this child and she died. We have some women that when they have labor, the labor be so hard that they die. Why? Because of what they did in the Garden of Eden."
Genesis 3:17-19 KJV17And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
"That means you going to have to go to work, and you going to have to make a hard living. He is talking unto the man now."
"You reading right now when Adam brought death into the creation. We wasn't supposed to die. We supposed to had lived for a thousand years, and then the Lord would have made us God, the same way that he did with Enoch."
6.As in Adam All Die
"This is the reason why we have funerals and we put people six feet under the dirt. It's because of the sin that Adam did."
Romans 5:12 KJV12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
"The sin that Adam did is the reason why we are physically dying today. But we going to show you, you don't have to spiritually die because of the sins of your father."
1 Corinthians 15:20-23 KJV20But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
"You had to have Jesus die for the sins of the people, but you also had to have Jesus that rose from the grave, so he could be the firstfruits of them that slept."
"Every man in his own order. Christ the firstfruits, afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. You ain't going to die and already be judged and already be up in heaven. And we know that the Lord going to come at the seventh trumpet."
7.Unto the Third and Fourth Generation
Exodus the 20th chapter, the first six verses.
Exodus 20:1-6 KJV1And God spake all these words, saying,
2I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
"Don't have no black Jesus on your wall in your house. Don't have no white Jesus up. Don't have none of that stuff, because if it represent Jesus, it's wrong. No matter what color he is. We all know that he black, but I wouldn't care if he was white if he gonna give me salvation. I'm trying to live forever."
"You know how much a generation is? A generation is 40 years. So you talking about 160 years. It could be something that your great-great-grandmother and great-great-grandfather did, and you got to still deal with the same things."
"You ain't gonna get too many people that's gonna come out of their mouth and say, I hate Jesus. Where they falling wrong is the second part of this. They not keeping the commandments. You got to love Jesus, but you got to also keep the commandments."
8.If They Shall Confess the Iniquity of Their Fathers
Leviticus the 26th chapter, which he says shows that God wants you to confess the iniquity of your fathers, because that is the way you break the curse.
"Like Israel don't get along. How can we break the curse? By showing love and mercy to every one of our brothers, no matter what color they are. That's how we can break that."
Leviticus 26:1-2 KJV1Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.
2Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.
"I like to talk about that statue down in Brazil, where Jesus standing up overlooking the city. God don't want you doing none of that. You only heard my voice, but you never seen my shape."
"Reverence my sanctuary. That means when you come to church, come with some respect in your mind and in your heart. Don't come in backbiting. You got to come in here to reverence the sanctuary."
Leviticus 26:3-6 KJV3If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;
4Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
5And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.
6And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.
"Your threshing shall reach unto the vintage. You got so much wheat on the threshing floor that you don't even have enough room for all of the food that I give you. That's what God said that he was going to do for his people if they was going to keep the commandments."
Leviticus 26:11-12 KJV11And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.
12And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.
"That means I'm going to be among you, Israel. Everybody is on one accord with God. This how we was when we was back in the land. And we gave all of this up to touch another man's wife. We gave all of this up to steal and lie and fornicate."
Leviticus 26:14-17 KJV14But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;
15And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
16I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
17And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.
"You break that covenant, the ten commandments. We can really worship God at any time, we don't really have to show up on Saturday to go to church. That's when you are abhorring his statutes, and you are also breaking the covenant when you break the Sabbath day."
"The burning ague. That means I'm going to give you disease. Project your mind back in time. This burning ague is talking about malaria."
"Ye shall flee when none pursueth you. You done took off running and ain't nobody behind you at all."
Leviticus 26:18-21 KJV18And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.
19And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:
20And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.
21And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.
"You got to understand it's levels to it. When you don't want to deal with the commandments and you keep putting God's words off, I'm going to punish you seven times more for your sins. When all God is asking you to do is love. Love your husbands and your wives. Treat everybody with respect. Love man. Love God."
"I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass. That mean I ain't going to give you no rain. What is a plague? A plague is a disease."
Leviticus 26:38-42 KJV38And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.
39And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.
40If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me;
41And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:
42Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.
"Whose iniquities they going to also get punished for? The iniquities of their fathers. We talking about generational curses right here."
"Not only your sin, but you got to also recognize the iniquity of your forefathers. This is how you get out from under the generational curse."
"You got to accept the punishment of your iniquities. You got to understand why you're the last one hired and the first one fired. It's because of the iniquities of your fathers, and those same curses are still on us today. They brought us over here in chains, and you ain't going to leave until the Lord come back."
9.By No Means Clearing the Guilty
Numbers the 14th chapter, where he says the goodness of the Lord and the sins of the fathers appear side by side.
Numbers 14:18-21 KJV18The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
19Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
20And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word:
21But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.
"You got a great God that you serve. He is ready to forgive you at all times. All you got to do is confess it. If you repent to God about it, he is going to forgive you for it."
"But he ain't going to clear the guilty. If you guilty, you guilty before God, and you going to accept the punishment of your sin. Even if you in the word, you still going to have to deal with the curse. So the only way you going to break the curse is you got to pray yourself out of the curse."
"Moses, you the intercessor right now. You doing what I'm doing in the third heaven. You told me to forgive them, so I'm going to forgive them. But I'm not going to let them off the hook."
Numbers 14:22-24 KJV22Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;
23Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
24But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
"You better be glad Jesus done rose from the dead. He only gave them ten times. We probably offend God ten times in one day. That's why you got to understand he is a merciful and longsuffering God, and he's giving you a chance to get it right."
"You want to have that same spirit that was on Caleb. All them men that was in the wilderness, only two of them made it into the promised land. Everybody else died."
Numbers 14:26-31 KJV26And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
27How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.
28Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:
29Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,
30Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
31But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.
"That little child that you got in your house, you say, you ain't going to be nothing when you grow up, you going to be in jail. A lot of us talk bad to children. They going to be the ones that the Lord going to bring in."
Numbers 14:32-35 KJV32But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.
33And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
34After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
35I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
"The sins of the fathers, that's going to be on the children. And they shall bear your whoredoms. What you did wrong. The Lord ain't playing with you. He said, if I can't get you, I'mma get your children."
10.Turned Back to the Iniquities of Their Forefathers
Jeremiah the 11th chapter. He tells the newcomers to bring a pencil, paper and patience, because the class reads the Bible.
Jeremiah 11:1-5 KJV1The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
2Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
3And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,
4Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:
5That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD.
"He called you cursed when you do not obey the covenant. The covenant is the ten commandments. So you got to do them."
"The only thing that God want you to do is obey. But man have an obeying problem. A man, once he get a certain age, he don't want to be told what to do no more. But you got a Father that's in heaven, and you got to obey everything that he tells you to do."
"That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers. Stop blocking your blessings through the things that you're doing that's not right with God."
Jeremiah 11:6-11 KJV6Then the LORD said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.
7For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.
8Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.
9And the LORD said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.
11Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.
"They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers. The things that your forefathers did, Israel turned back and started doing the same thing that their granddad and their great-granddad and great-grandmother was doing."
"Please, Lord, don't let them hit me no more on my back with that whip. But you wouldn't listen to the Lord. You broke the covenant. That's why God brought all this evil on his people."
11.In His Son's Days Will I Bring the Evil
First Kings the 21st chapter, Elijah and Ahab, to show how the Lord brings the evil down in the children's day.
1 Kings 21:20-24 KJV20And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.
21Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,
22And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.
23And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
24Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.
"I will take away thy posterity. Who is your posterity? Your posterity are your children."
"The same thing that I did to Jeroboam the son of Nebat is going to be the same thing that I'm going to do to you, King Ahab. Jeroboam and Baasha did their own sins, but they made the whole nation sin when they kept the feast in the eighth month. That was the great sin."
1 Kings 21:25-29 KJV25But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
26And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
27And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
28And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
29Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.
"There was no king that was in Israel, other than Jeroboam, that was more wicked than Ahab. But when Ahab humbled himself, he said, I will not bring the evil in his days, but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house. So that's the sins of the father."
12.He Shall Go to the Generation of His Fathers
Psalm 49, to show that nine times out of ten, if the parents are evil, the children are going to be evil too. There are exceptions, he says, and the lesson will get to them.
Psalm 49:5-9 KJV5Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?
6They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
7None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:
8( For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)
9That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.
"This is Jesus talking right here, speaking through one of the sons of Korah. Those evil days when he was betrayed by Judas, that's when the iniquity of his heels compassed him about."
"You can't pay the Lord off. You can pay your way out of man's courts, but you ain't going to be able to pay for your salvation."
Psalm 49:10-14 KJV10For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.
11Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.
12Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.
13This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.
14Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.
"They called their lands after their own names. Jim Jones, he bought that land down in Guyana and he called it Jonestown, because he thought that it was going to last forever."
Psalm 49:15-20 KJV15But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.
16Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
17For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.
18Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.
19He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.
20Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.
"When you die, you can't carry none of this stuff away with you. That's why God don't want you to put all your stock in worldly material things."
"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. One day you going to be a part of the morning stars."
13.That They Might Not Be as Their Fathers
Psalm 78, on what parents are supposed to pass down instead.
Psalm 78:1-4 KJV1Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
3Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
4We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
Psalm 78:5-8 KJV5For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:
6That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
7That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:
8And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
"This is what we are supposed to be doing as men and women of God, fathers and grandmothers. We got to teach the children that they set their hope in the Lord, because a lot of children don't get that today."
"And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation. That's what our forefathers were. Whose spirit was not stedfast with God. That means they only served God on the Sabbath. They only served God when it was convenient for them. But you got to serve the Lord every day."
Psalm 78:9-11 KJV9The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.
10They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;
11And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.
14.The Works of the Flesh Run in Families
He switches to Galatians the fifth chapter, because, he says, some in every family are dealing with what it lists, and some of us have had to deal with it too. He had a bad temper growing up, and people told him he got it from his mother's side.
Galatians 5:19-21 KJV19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
He walks through the list one family at a time. Adultery that an uncle practiced shows up again in the nephew. Fornication gets passed down as advice to go sow your wild oats. Lasciviousness is unbridled lust that children pick up from their parents. Idolatry is putting up a Christmas tree because you saw your grandmother do it. Witchcraft is the relative who reads palms, tells fortunes or plays with a Ouija board. Emulations are sibling rivalries. Drunkenness and drugs that the uncles used, the nephews start using. He is frank that his own family had most of these.
"Those are generational curses. But we got to pray over them to break all of that stuff out of our lives."
"They which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. If you involved in any of this stuff, you can give it up for the kingdom. And that's why God is merciful, to let you get past all of this stuff. That's why he's giving you another day to get it right."
15.I Will Also Forget Thy Children
Hosea the fourth chapter.
Hosea 4:1-3 KJV1Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
"It's getting worse and worse. You would think that we getting better and better. No, it's getting worse and worse."
"Blood toucheth blood. It's talking about blood relatives. Everybody lying, stealing and committing adultery."
Hosea 4:4-7 KJV4Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.
5Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother.
6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
7As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. This is why the people are destroyed, because they have no knowledge of God."
"Seeing that you have forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget your children. That's why your children getting locked up. They in jail, they killing one another. Every time you turn the news on, everybody that's pulling the trigger is 14, 15, 16, 17 years old. Because God has forgotten our children. Why? Because we have forgotten the law of our God."
"As they were increased, so they sinned against me. The more and more money that I gave them, the more and more that they sinned against me."
Hosea 4:12-14 KJV12My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.
13They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery.
14I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.
"The spirit of whoredoms. That's a spirit. We talking about spiritual whoredoms right here."
"Therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery. I'm just going to pass this sin all the way down into your family."
"They got the exact same spirit that you done put down on your wife and children. So when you the head of your house, when you walk in that house, you want to make sure that your spirit is right. Because if your spirit ain't right, you going to put all that negative energy down on your wife and on your children. All your problems, leave it at the door."
16.Blot Me, I Pray Thee, Out of Thy Book
Now he turns to how to get out from under the curses, starting with Moses after the golden calf in Exodus 32.
"It's one of them lessons. But that's good. That means that you seeing yourself. That means God is showing you what you need to work on. You here to get right. You either going to get right or get left."
Exodus 32:30-34 KJV30And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.
31And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
32Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
33And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
34Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.
"Anytime the whole nation sin, he calls it a great sin."
"Man, that's a brave man right there. When they say Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth, you better believe it. I don't know if I could have been this merciful. I think I got a little bit more way to go."
"In the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them. I'm still going to get them. That's what God is saying."
17.Everyone Shall Die for His Own Iniquity
"You can get out from under it, but you got to pray it. You got to confess the sins of your forefathers as well. Confess your sins, but then confess their sins as well, so God can look at everybody as a whole. God is a merciful God."
Jeremiah 31:29-30 KJV29In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.
30But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.
"Eating the sour grape is eating the sin, and the children's teeth set on edge means that the children are going through the same thing of what their fathers did. But God going to show you how to break it."
Then Ezekiel the 18th chapter, the heart of the way out.
"God want all of us to turn from our sins. And it's easy when you make your mind up to do it. But you got to make your mind up."
Ezekiel 18:1-4 KJV1The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,
2What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?
3As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.
4Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
"The soul that sinneth, it shall die. What else you want the watchman to tell you?"
Ezekiel 18:5-9 KJV5But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,
6And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour’s wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman,
7And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;
8He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,
9Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.
"He that hath not given forth upon usury. That means, I loaned you $20, and it took you two months to pay me back, so now you got to give me $30. That's why the US is in debt and all countries are in debt, because when they lend money, they put usury on it."
"He shall surely live, saith the Lord God. No matter if his father was evil. He saw the evilness of what his fathers did, and he turned away from it."
Ezekiel 18:10-13 KJV10If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things,
11And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour’s wife,
12Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,
13Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.
"He shall not live. He shall surely die. His blood shall be upon him."
Ezekiel 18:14-17 KJV14Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,
15That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour’s wife,
16Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,
17That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.
"He shall not die for the iniquity of his father. He shall surely live. So how you break the curse? By living right with the Lord. No matter what your father did. Go back and think about King Ahab. His right-hand man was Obadiah. Obadiah was a righteous man, but he was connected to an evil person."
Ezekiel 18:18-23 KJV18As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.
19Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.
20The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
21But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
22All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
23Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
Ezekiel 18:30-32 KJV30Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
32For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.
"He don't have no pleasure at all that the wicked should die, but that the wicked should turn from all of his sins and live. That don't even need me to talk about it. This is what God want you to do."
18.A Little Sanctuary in the Countries
"You ain't never alone. Even in the land of your captivity, you are still never alone with God."
Ezekiel 11:16-21 KJV16Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.
17Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
18And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.
19And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
20That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
21But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD.
"We got a little bitty sanctuary right here. God don't care how many. We ain't worried about playing no numbers game no more. Whoever God set before you, those are the people that God expect for all of us to get right. I'm not the only teacher in this room. We got many teachers."
"But as for those whose heart walketh after their detestable things, I will recompense their way upon their own heads. You better get yourself right."
19.We Have Sinned, and Our Fathers
For Daniel the ninth chapter, he stepped back and let the elder read the whole prayer, because it is a prayer.
Daniel 9:3-8 KJV3And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
4And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
5We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
6Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
8O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
Daniel 9:9-12 KJV9To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
10Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
11Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
12And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
"So basically what he was praying, he was praying for the iniquities of our fathers, and also our sins and transgressions. So it take us back to Leviticus 26, when he said, confess the sins of your fathers."
20.Did Not Your Fathers Thus?
The last spot is Nehemiah the 13th chapter.
"We are going to push the Sabbath day. The only way for us to get back in covenant with the Lord is for us to keep the Sabbath."
Nehemiah 13:14-18 KJV14Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof.
15In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals.
16There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.
17Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?
18Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.
"They're trying to get the nation back. But they saw some people that was treading the winepresses on the Sabbath day."
"Did not your fathers thus? He talking about the forefathers. So anytime that you thinking about doing wrong on the Sabbath day, go and read this."
"You getting me in trouble. I'm trying to keep the Sabbath, but you getting me in trouble with God. Those are things we don't think about when you pollute the Sabbath. What if it affects the class, or the people that's actually trying to serve God?"
Nehemiah 13:19-22 KJV19And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.
20So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice.
21Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath.
22And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.
"He said, you come over here again and try to sell to the children of Israel on the Sabbath, I'mma put these paws on you. From that time forth came they no more on the Sabbath."
He calls the next verses the ones for the single brothers, and first makes a correction: the problem with the wives of Ashdod, Ammon and Moab was their pagan gods, not where they came from. Ruth was a Moabitess, and look what came of her.
Nehemiah 13:23-27 KJV23In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab:
24And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language, but according to the language of each people.
25And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.
26Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.
27Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?
"Their children could not even speak in the Jews' language. So people talking about speaking Hebrew. At one point in time they was even in the land, and they could not even speak the language."
"Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? So who was their forefather at this time? Solomon. Get you a woman that's in the word of God. I don't care how she look. Get you a woman in the word."
Nehemiah 13:28-31 KJV28And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son in law to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me.
29Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites.
30Thus cleansed I them from all strangers, and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, every one in his business;
31And for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.
Closing Word
"So that is generational curses and sins of the father. And I hope you got some understanding in Jesus name."
Brother Obadiah's lesson was that the iniquity of the fathers is real. It started with Adam, whose sin is why every one of us dies, and it came down through Israel generation after generation, from the wilderness to the kings to the captivity. The same sins show up in families today: the temper, the adultery, the drinking, the idols, handed down from parents to children. But the curse can be broken. The son who sees his father's sins, considers, and does not do such like shall not die for the iniquity of his father. Turn to the Lord and he will turn to you. Confess your own iniquity and the iniquity of your fathers, the way Daniel did, keep the commandments and the Sabbath, and teach your children to set their hope in God, so that they might not be as their fathers.
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This lesson was taught at our Sabbath service at Israel Church of the Firstborn in Indianapolis, IN. Join us every Saturday at 12PM, or watch the Sabbath live online.