The Curse of Bitterness
In the Bible, there are several instances where God gifts generational blessings to His chosen people (e.g. Abraham’s Promise in Genesis 17). What many people most likely don’t realize is that if there are generational blessings, then there are also generational curses (e.g. Exodus 20:5). Both good and evil can be passed down through bloodlines.
For example, in Hebrews 12:15, one type of generational curse is bitterness. In this verse, the Bible says that the root of bitterness can spring up and defile many. This happens because bitterness can spread to others even through multiple generations. Esau, who hated his brother Jacob, is in this cyclical pattern of bitterness, jealousy, and unforgiveness. Ultimately, even Esau’s bloodline despises Jacob’s descendants.
In Jennifer LeClaire’s book, Vindicated, she discusses the principle of generational vindication which exists as a result of breaking free from generational curses: “Jabez was cursed on the day he was born—by his mother! She was not an evil woman who never wanted to be pregnant and regretted having a baby. In fact, she goes down in biblical history as a godly mother who raised her son to walk in honor, walk with Jehovah, and walk by faith. Nevertheless, the enemy inspired this godly woman to curse her son after the anguish of childbirth—and if that curse hadn’t been broken, it could’ve plagued Jabez’s bloodline.
How did Jabez’s mother curse him? Quite unintentionally. She cursed her newborn son when she named him Jabez, which means ‘sorrow’ or ‘one who causes pain.’ The young mother wasted no time blaming her bouncing baby boy for the agony she experienced bringing him into the world. Doubtless, she didn’t consider the long-term consequences of her words. Jabez was stigmatized and set up to be a failure, marked as one who causes sorrow. Think about it. Whenever someone called out to him, ‘Jabez!’ they essentially said, ‘Hey, One Who Causes Pain.’ It would be like your parents naming you Disaster or Problematic. That’s hard on the self-esteem.
Jabez could have lived his whole life under the dark cloud of that spontaneous curse and allowed its effects to harass his future generations. But Jabez understood the goodness of God. Jabez didn’t settle for the curse. He extended his faith for the blessing. In 1 Chronicles 4:10, he launched out in prayer with three words that started changing the trajectory of his life, ‘Bless me indeed.’
Understand the power of the Hebrew word indeed. It means ‘without any question: truly, undeniably; often used interjectionally to express irony or disbelief or surprise.’ Jabez’s mother had cursed him. Everyone who called his name was cursing him day by day. But man’s curse does not overrule God’s blessing. Jabez prayed a simple prayer, ‘“Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested’ (1 Chron. 4:10).
With that simple prayer, Jabez turned what would have been a generational curse into a generational vindication. Though the enemy had a plan for his bloodline and activated it the day he was born through his mother’s ignorance, Jabez understood the power of God’s grace and essentially asked Him to turn the curse into a blessing (Deut. 23:5). He did it for Jabez, and He can do it for you.
When the generational curse is broken, the stage is set for generational blessings—and generational vindication. Maybe everyone in your family line has been afflicted with poverty, addiction, or depression. Maybe your DNA seems to be marked with failure and setbacks. Maybe you are serving the Lord with your whole heart, but cycles of betrayal, sickness, and disease have rippled through your family tree. God wants to break the generational curse and give you generational vindication through blessings that make you rich, joyful, healed, and whole—without sorrow.
For more information on Jennifer LeClaire’s newest book, Vindicated, visit MyCharismaShop.com