Saturday, April 18, 2009

A Thousand Generations

I was reading in Dueteronomy today and read in Chapter 7 "he is a faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments" I was wondering if this "thousand generations" could be a possible clue to His return (as I always search for clues of His return).

Well it probably isn't a clue to His return, but the Chumash said something interesting. For those who serve God out of love, God extends His reward for as long as two thousand generations. But for those who serve Him only out of fear the reward is still enormous, but extends for only one thousand generations. Even the wicked deserve reward for their good deeds and God doesn't deprive anyone of what is rightly his. The wicked are rewarded but will not share in the bliss in the World to Come. Instead, God rewards them quickly in this world so they will not survive to enjoy the great reward that awaits the righteous.

I always wondered why the wicked always seemed to get everything they wanted.

1 comment:

Scott said...

Like this though alot. Since love is the greater motivating force (1 Cor 13:13), it should result in the greater works, and thus greater reward. Fear could still mean faithful? But fear seeks to undertake only the minimum legalistic requirement to achieve the result. Love seeks to understand the intent and find additional works to undertake consistent with the intent. Some of that I took from "Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus". Does the Chumash actually refer to those who operate out of fear as "wicked"? I have seen that term used elsewhere for those beyond repentance who will be condemned on Yom Kippur.