What is your grandfather’s father’s name?  What did he do for a living? How much money did he make? In what kind of house did he live? In what neighborhood was it? What kind of car did he drive? For what teams was he a fan?  I would guess that most of us do not know most or any of the answers to these questions. They live their lives and now they are forgotten. The only thing that remains is a legacy.

The Bible teaches us, “I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Deuteronomy 5:9-10). God does not hold our children or grandchildren for our sin, but our sin can become a legacy. Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him, could it be that they were because of the favoritism that their father showed. His sin was a legacy to his children. Jacob learned favoritism from his parents Isaac who showed favoritism to Esau and Rebecca showed favoritism to him. Isaac learned favoritism from his father Abraham who displayed it between his sons.