Shifting Generations

1 And it came to pass after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 So Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near, next to my house; and for it I will give you a vineyard better than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money.”3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!” -

1 Kings 21:1-3, NKJV

32 And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” 33 Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Genesis 25:32-34, NKJV

In my teenage years, telenovelas were gaining popularity in the Ghanaian media. Most of these love stories captivated many minds including mine but there was one that I abhorred with time. It felt like a waste of time watching it because the plot didn't make sense to me and it seemed it would never end as it was aired year after year with changing characters. Guess which one. Generations! :) It became a buzzword in that period but I doubt that people caught the weight and import of this word.

As you read Scripture from Genesis to Revelations, you will find that God is all about Generations! As the supreme creator, He set the universe in place to endure through ages and eras with a generational mindset. Right from the Garden of Eden, he addressed individuals with a vision of the seed in their loins or womb in mind. When He spoke to Adam and Eve, he addressed the entire human race and foreshadowed the redemptive plan He had already secured in Christ before the foundation of the world were made. And in every generation that came after these progenitors, He revealed aspects of his plans that will culminate in the restoration of the human race to their original mandate and purpose.

As human history unfolds in the Bible, we come across characters with mindsets or perspectives that agree or deviate from this generational mindset of God. In Noah's time, sin was so rampant that God wanted to wipe out that generation and start over with a few remnants. He gave those dwelling in the land an opportunity to repent while Noah built an ark but they ridiculed this man and perished in the floods. When the floods receded, God would begin something new with Noah's children but again one of the patriarch's sons erred by ridiculing his father's nakedness while He was drunk. Realizing this when he became sober, Noah pronounced a curse on the seed of Ham, Canaan, and it matured and unfolded down his generations. But a seed of his first son, Shem, charted a better path for his generations.

When God called Abram from his father's house to a new land, he did not yet have a child. Yet, in all of His dealings with Abram, God repeated over and again that His covenant and blessings were for his seed and generations after him. That covenant was first ratified with circumcision when Isaac was born and he too would pass on the mandate to his children's children. Twenty centuries on,someone would attract mercy and healing from Jesus because of this patriarch. In Luke 13:16 (AMP), Jesus says, "And this woman, a daughter (descendant) of Abraham whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?” What seeds are you also planting?

In our anchor texts, we are introduced to Naboth, a man who owned a vineyard that a prominent man wanted. My first impression was 'why would someone surrender a family legacy to be used for a garden just because of its convenience for another?'. Vineyards can last more than 100 years, so it's possible it had been groomed for over 4 generations and now Ahab wanted to convert it into a vegetable garden to satisfy his vain lusts? Naboth was resolute that he would not trade what his fathers has laboured for and handed down to the king. As the TLB version renders it, Naboth replied, “Not on your life! That land has been in my family for generations.” (1 Kings 21:3, TLB)

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Obviously, this didn't please Ahab and his cantankerous wife, Jezebel, so Naboth's decision cost him his life.

It's sad to say that such tragedies still happen in our era. Many pursue their personal comfort, wellbeing or family wealth by defrauding others or denying people what is rightfully theirs. But per the records of the fate of Ahab and Jezebel's family, we learn that such seeds yield a harvest that we or our children may reap. Interestingly, this dawn I had a dream about one of my granduncles who my mum entrusted with herds of cattle that she bought in her prime to establish something worthwhile for her seed. He sold the cattle and squandered the money with no sympathy for my mom and her posterity. Neither did he think of his children's future - he must have been thinking only of his needs and enjoyment then. What's even more alarming is that his descendants who were not party to his decision may bear the brunt of his irresponsible decision.

What were they supposed to tell their generations? A huge army of locust had invaded the country and destroyed the agricultural produce they had laboured for, collapsing the economy, and ushering a period of misery. The generations before them had despised the ways of the Lord and the present leadership had failed to restore the people to God's ways. Thankfully, there was a message of hope too and God gave them a remedy. The prophet summoned the people to fast and implore the Lord for mercy, restoration and a shift in the narratives that future generations would meet and pass on.

12 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” 13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. 14 Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him— a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly;

16 Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. 17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not give Your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ” 18 Then the Lord will be zealous for His land, and pity His people. 19 The Lord will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.

Joel 2:12-19, NKJV

On this 40-day fast, we are also pursuing a similar goal: to change the narratives of generations to come for the better. So, it's important that we understand the reason for our theme, 'Shifting Generations'. The dictionary definitions for shift include to move or cause to move from one place to another; to change the direction or focus of something, or replace by another. Other informal British meanings of "shift" I find relevant to our discussion are to remove a stain or move quickly. So, we are seeking God to intervene in our lives: to show mercy for our sins and those of generations gone by; to remove the stains that have soiled His original legacy for our bloodline; to replace the negative seeds sown with good ones; to change the direction of our posterity towards a blessed future with hope; and ultimately to shift generations into a glorious destiny with supernatural favour and acceleration.

For the next few days, we will address different dimensions of our theme. We'll consider the role and mandate of seed bearers. Why? Because our failure to honour the legacy of former generations does not absolve us of certain consequences. Those of us branded as 'Generation Z' often have no idea of the sacrifices that previous generations have made to prepare the platforms we are building on. We will also address the need for Forgiveness and Restitution because failure to address the wrongs of yesterday will limits the benefits we derive and build upon for future generations. Then, we'll learn how to bridge the gaps between generations and position ourselves for worthy generational and eternal impact.

We are in a very pivotal season in history and God is counting on you to prepare for coming generations. What covenants are you invoking for your descendants to reap decades from today? Are there sins, iniquities and errors made by present and past generations that you need to seek God's mercy over? Are there legacies under threat of destruction or compromise that you must safeguard? Are there blessings that you need to pursue and plant for future generations? God has ordained a future and a hope for you and your posterity (Jeremiah 29:11). But, you must take a stand to redeem, secure and lay up a good foundation for posterity to build on. It is time to shift generations after you for God's best.

Scripture Reading:

1 Kings 21:1-19, Genesis 25:29-34 & 27:30-40, Joel 1 & 2, Jeremiah 29:11