The Sins of a Previous Generation

There was a time in King David’s reign when a severe drought devastated the nation. Most of us would have dismissed it as a random natural occurrence. We would have simply endured it, while praying for rain. And the drought would have continued. David, however, had a deeper understanding of the supernatural. He earnestly sought the Lord as to the reason for the drought. God’s response was astounding. He revealed that the drought was due to suffering inflicted on a pagan tribe by Saul, the previous king. By his action, Saul was not breaking a covenant that he himself had made with these people. It was just a covenant made many generations before him, right back in Joshua’s time.

None of this was David’s doing. Saul was already dead and was not even an ancestor of David. In fact, Saul and David were enemies. Nevertheless, David and all his generation were suffering because of Saul’s actions. Amazingly, this drought was not the continuation of one that had commenced during Saul’s reign. It did not even begin until well into David’s reign. And yet it all had its source in the actions of the previous generation in breaking a covenant made by a still earlier generation. What happens in earlier generations is clearly of great spiritual importance.

As is the norm for generational curses, no one’s salvation was at stake, but physical and material hardship occurred until the source was identified and specific action was taken to remedy it.

“Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest” (Proverbs 26:2), but even though David himself was innocent and enjoyed full forgiveness for his personal sins, this curse continued because it was “deserved.” The Bible reveals that there was an offense someone other than David had committed that David needed to acknowledge and deal with.

David asked the offended pagans what he should do in order for them to bless the Israelites (2 Samuel 21:3). It seems from this that they had been cursing Israel, and David wanted them to reverse the curse. The Lord had allowed this curse to affect God’s people because the pagans’ grievance was legitimate. It was not enough for David to pray for rain. Nor was it enough for him to ask God’s forgiveness for Saul’s actions. David had to put right the injustice done to these people before God answered David’s prayer for rain (2 Samuel 21:1-14).