“…for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20.5, 6

The orientation of God’s Law is decidedly toward the future, and the assurance that God gave His people in His Law was that He would continue His promises and blessings into the future for generations of those who loved and obeyed Him.

The only “seen” reality Israel could have known would have been their own moment in time. In each of those moments they were to obey the Lord and serve Him, but not for the sake of that moment alone. God taught His people to live in the present, with a view to the past, and an eye for the future. The decisions and actions they took in the present, based on what they knew from their past, would determine the course of Israel’s experience for generations to come.

The future was unseen, but that does not mean that it could not be known. God had promised in His Word to bless for the generations those who loved Him and kept His commandments. We live faithfully, and in obedience to God, when we remember that our decisions in the present affect not only us but the generations of those who come after us. The future may be yet beyond the horizon, but by faith in the present we can help to ensure that the people who succeed us will know the promises of God for themselves and the generations who succeed them.

For a more complete exposition of the promises of God, order a copy of T. M.’s book, I Will Be Your God, from our online store.