Mercy to a Thousand Generations

13 January

Thou 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: Thou shalt not bow thy self 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; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love ME, and keep My commandments. Exodus 20:4- 6

SUGGESTED FOR FURTHER READING: Micah 7:14-20

God is characterizes here as a husband who will tolerate no rival. He will assert His rights as a husband, since His rivalry is nothing more than retaining what is His own. He will exclude all rivals of His honor. Considering God's sacred covenant with the Jews, Moses seems to be alluding here to the violation of this spiritual marriage. But though He begins with a threat, God, who far prefers mercy to severity, gently allures His own to Himself rather than compels them to allegiance. He declares that He will be merciful to a thousand generations, as the original Hebrew says in verse 6, while He only denounces punishment on the third and fourth generations.
To encourage worshipers to earnest piety, God declares that He will be kind not only to them but to their posterity, even for a thousand generations. This is proof of His inestimable kindness, even indulgence, for He designs to bind Himself to His servants, to whom He owes nothing, and to acknowledge His favor toward them and their seed.
It is wrong to infer merit from the promised reward, however, because God does not say that He will be faithful or just toward the keepers of His law. Rather, He only promises to be merciful. Let the most perfect then come forward, for they can require nothing better of God than His favor to them on the grounds of His gratuitous liberality.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: The implications and consequences of our present actions extend to the next generation and beyond. Seeing that our conduct has such consequences, should we not flee from sin and seek to be more like Christ? Are there specific ways to do this today?


365 Days With Calvin
Compiled by Ewald M. Plass