Generational Redemption
Aaron is to bear their names on his two shoulders as a memorial before the LORD. - Exodus 28:13
We are to bear the name of those that went before us, not in necessarily in the literal sense, but in a way where we are reminded of the past and how it can shape our future.
I spoke with some high school students yesterday and through our conversation we spoke of the importance of seeing parents and adults go through productive struggle. In teaching we use this term to explain situations where students are to work through increasingly challenging problems and new problems they have never seen before in order to accomplish goals or overcome adversity. We can apply this to parenting, and we should.
Often times, parents will tell me everything they are going through and the herculean efforts they are using to shield their children from the pain, struggle, heartache, or stress. While there is something to be said about shielding our children from unnecessary stress, there is much to say about allowing them in enough so they can learn how to overcome tough or uncomfortable situations in their own lives. Of course there is a balance, because there is real damage parents can do by oversharing and causing their children stress or increasing their anxiety when children don’t have the tools, maturity, or experience to handle those situations.
In Exodus, God tells Moses to have Aaron weave a stone into the priests ephods on the shoulder with the names of the sons of Israel (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin). I found this insightful and applicable to anyone reading this. We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us; whether their example was beautiful and strong, or damaging and traumatic. Studying our ancestors lives show us that they can be both strong and damaging, they can be beautiful and cause trauma.
Let’s review some of the men from the 12 tribes of Israel:
Damaging
Reuben - slept with his step-mother’s maidservant
Simeon & Levi - went on a violent and bloody rampage to avenge their sister’s sexual assault
Judah - taunted, teased and tried to kill his brother
Dan - instigated the killing of his brother
Naphtali - failed to drive out the Canaanites and paid for it
Moses - murder
Strong
Reuben - tried to save his brother Joseph from the pit; repented and confessed
Levi - became the tribe honored to lead as faithful priests
Judah - offers his life to save his brother’s
Naphtali - conveyed the importance of following God and all His laws; received a blessing for it
Moses - led the Israelites out of slavery
Whether we try to emulate their example or learn from their experiences to lead us in a new, better and healthier path…we need to remember the history that went before us. We can study their lives to comprehend what actions, beliefs, and decisions led them further away from God or drew them nearer to His presence and love. God can use our stories, our failures, our experiences to redeem future generations by learning from past generations. There are no perfect people, only a perfect God who will reveal His grace, compassion, love, and mercy in our lives if we allow Him to work through us.
“Ask the former generation
and find out what their ancestors learned,
for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,
and our days on earth are but a shadow.
Will they not instruct you and tell you?
Will they not bring forth words from their understanding?” - Job 8:8-10
Today, let us pray for discernment in what to share with our children and what to hold back on. I can suggest using these guidelines when deciding what to share and when.
What is the purpose of sharing? Will it help them grow in their current situation or stage of life?
Are you still in the thick of it? Can you share with wisdom or do you need to wait till emotions have settled?
Are you able to explain how God moved, or is moving, through the situation with you?
Does the outcome or situation point to God’s glory, His compassion, or redemptive nature?
Have you prayed for discernment?
“Tell it to your children,
and let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the next generation.” - Joel 1:3
