John Bradshaw - Heredity
When God gave the Second Commandment, no Idols or images, no worshiping them, He said this, "I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me." Exodus 20 verse 5.
So is God punishing children for what the parents did? No far from it. God is explaining how heredity works, in fact nature and nurture. The child of a drunk, is more likely to grow up to drink. If your father was mean, you may be mean. The descendants of an idolater are likely to worship idols.
You set the example for your children to follow. Doesn't mean it's impossible to break the mold, but usually, as go the parents, so goes the child. Now faithfulness to God is a powerful example too. Make your decisions for Jesus, you leave your posterity a real legacy. I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written.