Generational Curses and the Grapes of Wrath
by William Shifflett
For more on Generational Curses,
see Pastor Shifflett's book Friendly
Fire. Excerpts, more details,
and a
video trailer are on the
Friendly Fire page.
The book is
now available from Amazon and
Tate Publishing and
as an e-book
in theAmazon Kindle Store at both
the
US and UK sites.
One of the leading proponents of the teaching of Generational or Ancestral curses is Larry Huch. Huch insists in his books and interviews that Generational Curses are real and must be broken in order for Christians to walk in victory. In an interview with Voice Magazine he made reference to a passage of Scripture regarding the teeth of the children being set on edge. Here are his words:
“When Jesus was walking with His disciples they asked him if the man was blind for something he did or something his parents did. Jesus didn’t rebuke them for asking a foolish question because being Jewish they understood the Old Testament where it says, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes but the children’s teeth are set on edge’. In other words the fathers have done something and the children pay the price.”
Huch’s assertion in Voice Magazine is that this passage supports his claim that children reap the consequences of their father’s actions in multiple generations. But is that what this verse is teaching? Unfortunately for Huch the answer is a resounding no! The problem is that he leaves off the most important part of the verse, the beginning! Here is the entire verse with the beginning.
"In those days they shall say no more: 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children's teeth are set on edge’. But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge. Jeremiah 31:29-30
Not only has he misquoted the verse he fails to point out that the phrase appears only three times in the entire Bible; twice in Jeremiah and once in Ezekiel. What is especially significant is that all three flatly contradict what Mr. Huch is saying, and one wonders why Voice Magazine would not know that? He is using the reference as proof of the doctrine when in fact it is a denial of it. Note these passages from Ezekiel.
The word of the LORD came to me again, saying, What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying: 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children's teeth are set on edge'? As I live," says the Lord GOD, "you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die. Ezekiel 18:1-4
There is no way to use the John 9 passage or these three Old Testament passages to support the doctrine of Generational Curses. The “in those days” of Jeremiah 31 refer to the New Covenant days, the days we currently live in regardless of what the editors of Voice Magazine think.
Generational Curses
The Fallacy of Generational Curses (Pastor's Article of 12/18/2009)
Confessing Generational Curses and Iniquities
The Lies of Generational Curse Deliverance
