Isn't it funny that two of the most talked about topics in the Bible fall under the same chapter so much that they are inexplicably intertwined. And, yet, most people don't even know about it.
When I was little I was made to learn each of the ten commandments by heart so much that I won quiz competitions because of it. But right in between those golden words in the Bible, a fearful and threatening sentence was squeezed in: "for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me."(Deuteronomy 5:9b, RSV)
The above quoted verse always scares the shit out of me every time I read or hear it. Why should I be punished for the sins of another man? Why should I suffer for the wrong choice of someone else? Isn't every man supposed to bear the brunt of their foolishness or overzealousness?
As unfair as it seems, in the world we live in, our lives, failures and successes are forever woven with the ones before us, our progenitors. My point is simple: if one can have access to all the wonderfulness of life because of the choice of one's parents, shouldn't one suffer for their misdeeds too?
Great names do open incredible doors of opportunities; cursed ones lock those doors and throw away the key. The name Abacha still sends shivers down the spine of those that General Abacha and his minions ran roughshod over when the deceased general was head of state. The last time I came across a guy whose last name was Abacha, I felt like slapping him to stupor. I don't even want to know if he's related to the evil dictator. Likewise, people still look out for those whose last name is Abiola out of love for the great MKO Abiola, the president who never was.
Either we like it or not, the sins of the father shall continue to trail the sons for generations to come. Why should it be different? Kings are chosen from a closed family unit whose parents were either hardworking or lucky or brave enough to place themselves amidst the founding fathers of the particular region.
And just because of that, kings are chosen to rule the people, whether they are intelligent or not, stupid or not. The only thing that matters is their antecedent, their ancestors. So if the son of a king can be called a Prince, the son of an armed robber automatically becomes a junior thief. Cruel, right? Unfair? Suck it up, fairness is fantasy.
And for those who still want to live in fantasy, this is for you:
"Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself."
(Ezekiel 18: 19,20 ESV)
In conclusion, in a fair and just world the above verses painted, the sins of the father should never be visited on the sons. However, the reality at hand is in stark contrast. People still get punished for the sins of their parents, either in the physical or spiritual realm. It is not a fair and just world. Things may never change.
