I happen to read where owners of racing horses follow the bloodline of horses in order to breed champions. All through the Old Testament we are continually told about the bloodline from Abraham to Jesus. In fact, when a person did something evil, God occasionally destroyed the individual and punished generations after.

Jeremiah 29:30 – “Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “Send this message to all the exiles: ‘This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, this is what the Lord says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion against me.’”

Numbers 14:18 – “The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’”

Being non-Jewish we could not break into the bloodline of Abraham and receive the blessings God promised to Abraham’s descendants. However, God had a plan from the very beginning that would allow us to become a part of Abraham’s bloodline.

Ephesians 1:3 – 7 – “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding.”

It wasn’t until Jesus died that the blood He shed, was shed that we might enter His bloodline that God had prepared for us prior to the creation of the world. By accepting Christ as our Savior we are redeemed by His blood and receive the same blessing that the Jews were promised through Abraham.

My mother’s side came to America in 1709. Every generation there were Christians and most generation had ministers. On my father’s side were Christians and ministers. My wife’s father was a minister. It isn’t surprising that our children and grandchildren have all accepted Christ as their Savior.

Many of us know the story of Esau and Jacob. Esau was the oldest son and in a Jewish culture that made the eldest eligible to receive the “birthright”. The birthright was a special honor given to the first born son. It gave him twice as much as any other sibling’s inheritance. Upon death of the father, it also made him the family leader and the judge of any disputes in the family. It gave them a different relationship to God than the others. The oldest son, if he chose to do so, could sell or give his birthright away. If he did, he would lose the material benefit and give up his leadership position. Esau by giving up his birthright gave up the spiritual blessing that came with it. He traded it for an immediate pleasure without considering the long-range consequence of what it would do. Something many do constantly with little or no thought about how it could change the lives of those who follow.

Genesis 23:30 – 40 – “He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.) Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.”

Here is the consequence: The Bible probably would have read—Abraham, Isaac and Esau the father of twelve sons. Esau possibly gave up every benefit that Jacob received from God. We can fall into the same trap. When we see something that we really want, what are we willing to do to get it? Our first impulse may be to do whatever it takes. That could mean using the credit card unwisely, having an illicit affair, being dishonest to gain materially. What is it that tempts us? What is our bowl of stew? What are we willing to give up in the future, to satisfy an immediate craving or lust that we have at the moment?

Esau exaggerated his hunger. I doubt that he would die if he didn’t get the stew. Yet, don’t we think similar thoughts? No one will know. It won’t hurt anyone. I will ask God for forgiveness. The pressure of the moment gives us a different perspective making the decision seem urgent. Isn’t it possible for us to justify almost any decision we make?

Consider how Esau’s decision changed his future, his family’s future and the world’s future. If you have read the Bible almost everything from that time on, in the Bible, is about Jacob and his heirs. Follow Esau’s history and there is very little good that came out of it. From Esau came many of those who have accepted Islam and are Muslins. Esau and his descendants are bitter enemies with Jacob’s heritage. There has been jealousy and enemies for centuries.

The important thing is that regardless of your previous heritage, you can change your bloodline by accepting Christ as your Savior. It is His blood that makes you a new person who is redeemed and receives the Holy Spirit. This is how you become grafted into God’s family and will live with the Trinity throughout eternity. THINK! Accepting Christ and living a holy life will affect the lives of your third and fourth generation.