“Generational curses, simply put, is the belief that individuals inherit judgment for the sins committed by their forebears. Central to this belief is the word “curse,” which makes it a weighty matter. It means that many sufferers consider themselves cursed—even cursed by God.”¹

The Bible records a fascinating event in Numbers chapters 22 to 24 that speaks directly to this subject. For context, Israel is en route to the Promised Land. At a certain point in their journey, they needed passage through another nation’s territory. Balak, the king of that land, was terrified by Israel’s history of conquest (Numbers 22:1-3). His response? He contracted Balaam son of Beor, to curse God’s people in exchange for a reward.

Balaam is something of an enigmatic figure. In the New Testament, Peter compares false teachers to Balaam, “who loved the wages of wickedness” (2 Peter 2:15). Jude echoes this, associating Balaam with the selling of one’s soul for financial gain (Jude 1:11). His character is further exposed when he “taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality” (Revelation 2:14). He was evidently a man who practiced divination for a fee (Numbers 22:7).

From the very outset, God told Balaam: “You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed” (Numbers 22:12). Yet in his greed and covetousness, Balaam persisted — and rather than curse God’s people, he ended up pronouncing blessings over them instead (Numbers 23:8-12; 19-25; 24:6-10).

You Are Blessed in Christ

Before you read further, dear believer—regardless of your struggles in life or with sin—know that in Christ, your life is lovely. Do not be discouraged. Keep believing God.

There is a phrase in Numbers 23:21 that deserves our full attention, one that paints a picture of God’s blessings over his people: “It pleased the LORD to bless Israel.” What a wonderful statement. God’s enemy sought to curse God’s people, yet God’s promise of blessing remained immovable. The intended curses were negated by the faithfulness of God. Balaam looked upon a lovely people whom he was powerless to curse. This is something every Christian must internalize and believe: no one can bring a curse upon God’s people (Numbers 22:8; 23:19-20).

In Ghanaian Christianity, there is much talk of generational curses, spells, and juju. Faith has, in many places, given way to superstition. But if you are in Christ, no evil power—by whatever name it is called—has authority over you. You are in Christ and you are secure. Never allow anyone to explain your circumstances as evidence of a generational curse or as the work of evil spirits in your family. Shake off that bad theology. This narrative shows us plainly: God’s blessings on his people cannot be revoked.

Perhaps you have believed some of these lies about generational curses or family evil. Perhaps you are quietly entertaining the idea that your challenges in life are somehow linked to your family—a generational curse passed down. I call on you to renew your mind and remind yourself of your standing in Christ. In Christ, God has blessed you, and nothing can overturn it. Your greatest blessing in Christ is this: you have been saved from your sins, justified, and reconciled to God—”canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Colossians 2:14-15).

You Are Fruitful in Christ

How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the LORD has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. (Numbers 24:5-6)

Balaam paints a picture of God’s people using agricultural imagery—the language of fruitfulness. “Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river.” This text calls to mind Psalm 1, which describes the person planted by streams of water: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (v.3).

The believer has been called to go forth and bear fruit for the Lord (John 15). A life planted in Christ does not wither—it bears fruit. And notice this: the fruitfulness pictured here is tied to where the people have been planted. “Like aloes that the LORD has planted.” Your fruitfulness is linked to your connectedness to Christ.

You Are Set Apart for God

We know the story of Israel—delivered from captivity in Egypt, a picture of deliverance from the world of sin. Speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, Balaam noted that they had been brought out of Egypt. That is the picture of a saved community. God delivered them from Egypt to fulfil his promise to them.

God brings them out of Egypt and is for them like the horns of the wild ox. For there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel. (Numbers 23:22-23)

God is for them. Dear believer, God is for you. The God who saved you in Jesus Christ is for you. No charge can be successfully laid against you: “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33).

Despite their rebellion, murmuring, and disobedience in the wilderness, the Israelites remained God’s people; a people over whom he would not permit a curse. How much more, then, are we who have been washed by the blood of Christ secure in him? Despite our shortcomings, weaknesses, and sins, the Lord Jesus died for a church he is washing and cleansing to present to himself as a holy bride without spot (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Jesus Christ: The Victor Over All

In this narrative, Balaam glimpsed a final Conqueror over evil. He saw, prophetically, Jesus Christ:

I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth. Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly. And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of cities! (Numbers 24:17-19)

This was a prophecy pointing forward to the Lord Jesus. He is the One who died to break the curse of sin and redeem us from its clutches through faith: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged upon a tree’—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:13-14).

“In his fourth oracle, Balaam predicts the advent of a royal conqueror who will triumph over Moab and Edom. An initial fulfilment of this prophecy is seen in David’s victories over these nations (2 Samuel 8:2-14), but David’s accomplishments were themselves a foreshadowing of the greater conquests of Christ (cf. Colossians 2:15).”²

Dear believer, if you are in Christ, believe this with your whole heart: you are blessed beyond curse in Christ. This is not a triumphalist boast—it is a humble, settled reality from which we are to walk the Christian life in faith, and not in fear.

References

¹ Charlie Rampfumedzi, “Break the Power of Sin, Not a Generational Curse,” TGC Africa Edition, https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/article/br

⁠ ⁠² R.C. Sproul, ed., Reformation Study Bible, Orlando, Florida: Reformation Trust, 2015

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“Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” John 6:26-27

Just the previous day, he fed five thousand men with five loaves of bread and two fish. For the majority of his followers, this was it—finally, a miracle worker who would solve their perennial food shortage issues. There was no longer the need to till the land. Who cares whether the rains come in or not now that the food-producing king had arrived?

This characterisation may sound condescending and simplistic, but it is not far–fetched when you consider the actions of some Christians today. I have been to churches where the average person was there not because Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”, but because of what they have heard he can do for them materially.

On April 6 2023, I came across a social media post attributed to the ministry of a prominent preacher with a large following. I want to believe this is not his real account and even if it’s not, it clearly tells what his followers believe. In the said post, 17 items had been listed from which followers could select one and they would have it by April 30 (don’t ask me, because I have no idea what was so auspicious about that date). The listed items ranged from cars to babies to visas. The most astonishing item on the list was number 11, Salvation. According to the post, salvation is one item among many that followers could simply pick from the shelf. No mention of repentance from sin, turning to Jesus, or God’s sovereign act in saving the lost. They could either choose a car, a visa or salvation. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. Such is the state of Christianity in Ghana and many parts of the world today.

It is against this backdrop that Jesus makes his statement in John 6:26-27, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.” Jesus knew why the throng was following him. It wasn’t because of his teaching or his impending death and resurrection and what that means for their eternal state; rather, it was because they ate their fill of loaves the previous day and had come for more. However, in verse 27, Jesus exhorted them to have a different mindset; he elevated their eyes and minds to that which is truly eternal. He offered them himself, the true bread that came from heaven.

I’m not sure why you are following Jesus, but his reproof in this verse is important for you too. One of our greatest deficiencies as humans is our inability to accurately diagnose our true needs. Perhaps this is why most of our problems remain: because we have not been able to accurately identify what will truly bring us joy and peace. Our felt needs are often not our truest needs. Jesus says, “do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life.” Your greatest need is not a visa or a car or a baby or even good health. Your truest need is peace with God through Jesus Christ.

If you don’t have that yet, then earnestly call out to God to have mercy on you and restore you to a right fellowship with him through his Son, Jesus Christ. If you have already accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, then you have everything you need. Don’t let anyone distract you with cheap and fleeting substitutes. Your worth is not in what you own, not in skill or fame but in the fact that your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Remember, he will never deny us what he knows to be good for us, and he will never give us what he knows will be harmful to us. That is the confidence we have in our Heavenly Father as Christians.

Most of those who followed Jesus back then thought their problem was bread, but Jesus would have them focus on their true need, eternal life. This understanding is what led Paul to say, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him” (Philippians 3:7-9).

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