Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.
Deuteronomy 7:9
An overlooked principle of Scripture is God's harvest law: we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). Farmers and gardeners know this well, and Christians should know it also. The principle has roots in the Old Testament. The sins of one generation would echo for four more generations, but the blessings of one generation's obedience would influence a thousand generations. Those are round numbers, used to illustrate a point: disobedience and obedience ripple out from our choices, impacting others.
Recommended Reading:
Numbers 14:18
In the days prior to his death, Jacob gathered his sons together to tell them what their future held (Genesis 49:1-27). His firstborn son, Reuben, should have held pride in the future, but because of his sins he would not. The second- and third-born sons, Simeon and Levi, should have been next, but they too were demoted. The fourth-born son, Judah, was made the tribal leader through whom the Messiah would come (Genesis 49:10), the One eventually called "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Revelation 5:5).
Every thought, word, and deed sown today will bear fruit tomorrow—for good or for ill.
