The Generation of the Righteous

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD.
Who greatly delights in His commandments.
His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.

(Psalm 112:1-2)

The purpose of God in the world reaches out to nations and down through generations. Those who are blessed by the Lord, who delight in His commandments and walk in His ways, leave a great legacy for their children. The blessing we have through faith in Jesus Christ is not just for us, it is for our children — it is their inheritance, if they also will lay hold of it by faith. And it is not just for our children but for all the nations of the earth as our children walk it out in the world.

And your descendants will inherit the nations,
And make the desolate cities inhabited.

(Isaiah 54:2-3)

This is the same blessing God promised Abraham:

I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

(Genesis 12:2-3)

Notice the word “families.” It is a very powerful one because it is through families that God does His best work. It is through the family of Abraham that blessing comes to all the families of the earth. The blessing from in Abraham’s family, from one generation to the next, until it was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jesus went to the cross to deliver us from the curse so that the blessing of Abraham might come upon all, even those not of Abraham’s house (Galatians 3:13-14). Through faith in Jesus Christ, we may now all receive the promise God made in the beginning.

Ever since, the blessing of Abraham has come upon more and more people, family to family, nation to nation, generation after generation. God’s purpose is increasingly being fulfilled until it will one day appear in all its glory. The kingdom of God is coming; the will of God is being done more and more on earth as in heaven.

God is doing it through the influence of fathers, family and inheritance. The Philippian jailer asked, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:30-31). Through faith, this Philippian father became the gateway for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the blessing of Abraham to come upon his household; they all believed and were baptized.

The older I get, the more I become aware of God’s workings through the generations. I received the inheritance of faith from my fathers, embraced the Lord Jesus for myself and now I leave a legacy for my children and my children’s children — indeed, for all my descendents. My focus has sharpened and I pray daily for my children, claiming the promise for them. My descendants will be mighty in the land and their generations will be blessed. They will inherit that nations and make the desolate cities inhabited. They will be a blessing to many others in fulfillment continual fulfillment of the promise God gave Father Abraham.

Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments. (Deuteronomy 7:9)

How happy are those who live in awe of God, trust in His Word and walk in His ways. This great joy is for all their descendants, too, as many as will take hold of it by faith in Jesus Christ. For the blessing of Abraham has come to their house.