The Nature of Iniquity
The iniquities of our fathers. You may have read about iniquity in the Bible, but what is it? So today I will investigate the nature of iniquity, according to the infallible word of God, the Bible. I’ll provide biblical examples to explain its features.
In previous Bible studies, I have looked at sin, transgression, and abomination, and you will find links to these videos in the description below.
Before I explore iniquity, let me introduce myself. I am Leroy Daley of Blogging About The Word. You can find me at www.atotheword.com.
On that website and on this channel, I teach Christians how to better understand their Bible. I utilize Bible study to accomplish this.
I teach using scriptures, here a little, there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept. Precepts must be on equally relevant precepts or else we will have confusion and misinformation in the church.
So let’s dive right into the content.
If you would rather watch the video of this Bible study, click this link.
What Does Iniquity Mean in the Bible?
Features of Iniquity
I’m going to look at some of the features of iniquity and explain what iniquity means according to the Bible.
- So iniquity references a particular sin that a person or a being commits.
- To be more concise an iniquity is not just a sin, but it’s a transgression because there was prior knowledge of that sin.
- And to take it further, it’s not just a transgression, but it is a presumptuous sin. I’ve looked at presumptuous sin and transgression before, you will find links to these Bible study in the description below.
- However, iniquity has a maturity date, for it has a start date and it has an end date (Genesis 15:6, Exodus 20:5, 34:7, and Ezekiel 21:29; 35:5).
- Now there are two customary outcomes of iniquity. One, we either bear our inequity. Two, the Lord forgives our iniquity. If we bear the iniquity, we face the consequence; we face the penalties. If the Lord forgives the iniquity, then we are free.
- Now, the act of iniquity affects not just the doer, but also his lineage (2 Samuel 14:9 and Joshua 22:20). I will not go into details in these Scriptures, because later on, I have Scriptures below that I will look in-depth.
- So the consequence or the consequences of iniquity are transferrable to others who may not have anything to do with it (Exodus 20:5;34:7; Numbers 14:18; Deuteronomy 5:9).
#1 The Iniquity Of Adam
Four examples of this include the iniquity of Adam, David, Eli’s sons, and Lucifer.
Many people refer to iniquity as generational curse, but the Scripture describes it, as iniquity.
“If I cover my transgressions as Adam, by hiding my iniquity in my bosom” (Job 31:33).
So, let’s look at the different categories according to Adam, David, Eli’s sons, and Lucifer. I will examine the iniquity of Adam first.
Now, the sacrifices of animals were inadequate to atone for Adam’s iniquity, so God intervened. He became a man to offer sinless blood to remove Adam’s transgression.
“Wherefore by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).
So, remember the Lord placed Adam in the garden. And He instructed him not to eat of the fruit of the tree that was in the midst of the garden.
That is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He disobeyed the Lord and took it and ate and as a consequence, sin entered into the world.
Are the Sins of Our Fathers Passed Down From Generation to Generation?
Now, because of Adam’s sin, everybody else in the world who was born subsequent to him was born in sin and shapen in iniquity.
We didn’t know anything about Adam’s sin. But it was passed on down through the lineage of humanity because he’s the father of all humanity.
We inherited his sin and we didn’t know anything about it. His sin was transferred to us. So his sin has a start date and it has an end date.
It began when he sinned in Eden, but, it ended when Christ was nailed to the cruel cross because Christ bore our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5).
He bore the sins of the world or the sin of Adam.
(John 1:29) says, he was the Lamb of God who takes away the, one, singular, sin of the world. And the sin of the world is the sin of Adam.
The sin that every human inherits, as long as you came through the lineage of a man, from the loins of a man, you inherit that sin.
And that is why Christ didn’t inherit that sin because Christ was no man’s son. He was the seed of a woman. The Holy Ghost overshadowed Mary and Christ was conceived and born.
All Have Sinned
So, that’s why he didn’t have that sin. So we are all sinners because Adam is the father of us all. He sinned, so we inherited his sin and because of his sin, death entered into the world. And as a result, because of his sin, we must die.
So, millions of years down the line and we are still experiencing the consequence and the punishment of Adam’s sin, his iniquity.
“For until the law, sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed where there is no law” (Romans 5:13). Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is a figure of him that was to come.
Now, because we are free from the sin of Adam, by the work of Jesus Christ, we must repent of all other sins to receive salvation.
So everyone, since Adam, up until the resurrection of Christ, all their sins were forgiven by the work of Christ on Calvary. But from that point on, any other sin we commit, we have to repent of it and seek forgiveness for it.
#2 The Iniquity of David
- Now, the iniquity of King David. King David transgressed the Lord’s commandment concerning Bathsheba and Uriah.
- “Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight?”
- Earlier on, I told you that the Lord sees abomination as evil. Evil is synonymous with abomination.
- Now we’re seeing that He sees iniquity as evil too.
- “Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword and has taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon” (2 Samuel 12:9).
Punishment For the Iniquity of David
So, the Lord sees this act of David as evil and that’s one of the reasons why it is iniquity. I’ve also informed you that sin like iniquity has consequences or punishment. Thus, observe one of the penalties for David’s iniquity. As punishment for his iniquity, death shall never depart from his family.
This means that a member of his family will always die violently or murdered by the sword. Consequently, Absalom, who is one of David’s sons, murdered his brother Amnon, because Amnon raped his sister Tamar. And Joab killed Absalom (2 Samuel 13:7-14).
Joab was a captain in David’s army, and he killed Absalom in the woods. And the first child that King David got with Bathsheba died as a result of his actions. So we are seeing here a pattern of death in the family of David.
The Bible says, “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house.” So death shall never depart from the lineage of David’s family, not just his immediate house, but his children and his children’s children. This is one of the punishments that David will face for his action for killing Uriah and taking Bathsheba as his wife. “Because thou hast despised me and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife” (2 Samuel 12:10).
So, I’m telling you that this is not just a light sin in the eyes of the Lord. He says David has “despised” him. So sometimes we sin against each other, but some sins we sin against the Lord. And this is a case in point.
Does the Lord See the Sin of Iniquity Differently?
So the Lord has said to David, David, you despised me when you do this thing, you have done it to the Hittite and you have done it to Bathsheba, but indeed you have done it unto me. And he doesn’t take this lightly. And this constitutes iniquity. When we sin directly against God like that.
“Thus saith the Lord, behold I will rise up evil against thee out of thine own house.”
And this is true, because Absalom, one of David’s sons, is going to turn against David and even try to murder David and his family.
So, God raise up evil against David out of his own house.
“And I will take thy wives before thine eyes and give them unto thy neighbor.”
In fact, Absalom went in, to all of David’s concubines on the roof of his house and all of Israel saw.
“And he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of the sun.” (2 Samuel 12:11).
“For thou didst it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun” (2 Samuel 12:12).
“And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord.”
You see, I told you, he sinned against the Lord, but you might ask when we sin, isn’t it the Lord we sin against?
Transgression Against Our Neighbor
Sometimes the transgression we commit is not directly against the Lord. It’s against a person, a neighbor, but, in transgressing against the neighbor we are transgressing the commandment of the Lord.
That’s not directly sinning against the Lord. This case is like this. It is a direct sin against God, that’s how He sees it.
“And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord and Nathan said unto David, the Lord also, hath put away thy sin, thou shall not die” (2 Samuel 12:13).
So David escaped this other punishment of iniquity, which is usually death. He escaped that, the Lord put it away, the Lord forgive him in this respect and usually that is a direct consequence of iniquity. A person who commits iniquity usually dies.
What Was the Punishment For the Iniquity of Achan?
Do you remember Achan? When Achan stole the Babylonian garment and the wedge of gold and hid it in his tent that was iniquity and he died.
Not only him, but his entire house, family, wives, and children died with him as a result of that iniquity, which he committed (Joshua 7:1-26).
David did not die but the child that was born as a result of his iniquity, died.
“Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die” (2 Samuel 12:14).
So that was Nathan informing David about the consequences of his actions, including the punishment that he and his house or lineage will face as a result of David’s iniquity.
But David had a repentant heart. He repented before God and God accepted him, but put aside his sin.
#3 The Generational Curse of Eli’s House
Now, let’s look at the iniquities of Eli’s sons. Some people might call him Ellie or Eli, same person, don’t worry about the pronunciation.
Now, Samuel was a prophet of God and Eli was a priest. Remember, Eli was that priest that spoke to Hannah and said, Oh, you’re drunk, right?
And Samuel was born. But he had two sons and they “were sons of Belial” because “they knew not the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:12).
The First Evil Of Eli’s Sons
Now, they were guilty of two evils in the eyes of the Lord. First, through their actions, they caused the nation of Israel to despite the offering of God, the entire nation, you know, not just one person.
So because of Eli’s two sons, not just one person despised the offering, but the entire nation because it was a ritual that the entire nation would conduct and perform.
So, I shall read from First Samuel Chapter Two verses thirteen to seventeen. Now, this is going to explain what Eli’s two sons did and it will constitute the first evil of Eli’s son.
“And the priest’s custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand” (1 Samuel 2:13).
So they came with this big, um, you call it a fork and stick it into the pot.
“And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither” (1 Samuel 2:14).
So it wasn’t just to one person or two persons, It was to everybody who came to offer sacrifice, that was done unto them.
What is an Example of Iniquity?
“Also before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw” (1 Samuel 2:15).
“And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force” (1 Samuel 2:16).
“Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for men abhorred the offering of the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:17).
This word is for Christians. Are your “notions of decorum” towards your ministry in the kingdom of God, leading people to him or away from him?
Most times It’s not what we do, and or say, but how we do what we say. In other words, it’s our attitude. You know, it’s not so much what we say or what we do, but it’s, how we do it and how we say it.
Um, and many times how we conduct ourselves in the ministry of Christ, it pushes unsaved people away from Christianity and Christ, or it pulls them. So this is what I’m saying, I’m talking to myself too because I have an attitude too sometimes. Yeah, I have an attitude.
Uh, but this is a serious matter, guys let us be mindful of our actions because it either turned people away from Christ or it pulls people towards him.
The very things we say, what we do, have a significant, significant impact on others, where the gospel is concerned.
The Second Evil Of Eli’s Sons
Now, the second evil of Eli’s son is this. Through their actions, they caused the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation to sin and we will find this in (1 Samuel 2:22-25).
Now I’m going to read.
“Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation” (1 Samuel 2:22).
“And he said unto them, Why do ye such things for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people?” (1 Samuel 2:23).
“Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord’s people to transgress” (1 Samuel 2:24).
“If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them” (1 Samuel 2:25).
Exactly what I said, we sin against each other and we are judged by God and by earthly people. But when we sin directly against God, who is our advocate?
So they didn’t listen to Eli. Eli was old and he spoke to them, but they just fob him off, they didn’t listen to him.
But remember, nothing can prevent the word of God from accomplishing its purpose. And the Lord spoke to Samuel as a child and told him what he will do to the house of Eli, so his word must come to pass (1 Samuel 3:10-14).
The Generational Curse of Eli’s House
Now, let’s look at the punishment of Eli’s house. That’s how the Bible termed it, the punishment for Eli’s house. For I have told him”, that’s the Lord speaking and “him” here, refers to Eli “that I will judge his house [forever], for the iniquity, which he knoweth.”
So, the Lord is not going to judge it for three or four generations. The scripture says that the sins of the father passed to the children to the third and fourth generation.
But the Lord is not doing that, he says, I will judge his house forever for the iniquity, which Eli know about because his son made themselves vile and he restrained them not (1 Samuel 3:13).
And again, and therefore, the Lord continued to speak, “therefore, I’ve sworn unto the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever. (1 Samuel 3:14).
According to the Bible, What is a Good Synonym for Iniquity?
So as I told you, the Lord doesn’t see all sins with the same disdain. This here, the Lord said no, this one does, it has a start date, but it does not possess an end date, it will continue forever.
That’s how the Lord is treating this, you know? The punishment of this is forever. People would say it’s a generational curse, but it is iniquity, it is coming from the Lord and no prayer, no fasting, no offerings, nothing will purge this sin.
That’s what the Lord says here. So we’ll read too, that the Lord will just wipe off, wipe out his name from off the face of the earth, meaning that all the male children from Eli’s house will die.
And when all the male children die, the name dies out from the land. And that’s what the Lord is going to do to this man here. So, he will be like an abomination, like he was never born. So, the Lord does not see all sins in the same light.
He sees iniquity as a generational curse. And in His eyes iniquity is also another name for “evil”.
#4 The Iniquity of “Son of the Morning”
Now, let’s take a brief look at Lucifer’s iniquity. He was doing great in heaven until iniquity was found in him. Now Lucifer is a cherub, he is a being that the Lord created and in heaven they said he was the chief musician and he was covered with all the precious stones that you can name.
They were his covering and, as a result, he was called Son of the Morning. That’s the meaning of Lucifer, Son of the Morning.
So he was perfect, “Thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created till iniquity was found in thee” (Ezekiel 28:15).
So Lucifer was not only just perfect in his ways, he was perfect in beauty, he was perfect in wisdom and he was perfect in all his ways until iniquity was found in him.
What was that iniquity? He wanted to be God. Yes, it was his heart. He wanted to be God. As I result, the Lord kicked him out of heaven and he was in the Garden of Eden.
The Punishment of Lucifer
Now, what is his punishment? His punishment is the Lake of Fire. Yes, the Lord has already determined his punishment. He will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.
And that is why when he was kicked out from heaven, he was no longer the Son of the Morning because that was because of his brightness as a result of the precious stones that were his covering, which he lost.
Now, he became Satan, the deceiver of the brethren. And that is why he is attempting to deceive whomever he can to have them spend eternity with him in the Lake of fire, not hell because hell will be cast into the Lake of fire.
Death and hell will be cast into the Lake of Fire. And that’s where eternity will be for Satan, the Lord has already decided that.
Satan knows his end, but many Christians don’t know that their end will be in the Lake of Fire If they fail to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Son of God.
Where Will Satan Spent Eternity?
The Lord said in (St. John 8), if you don’t believe that I am he, you shall die in your sins. If you don’t believe that I am the Father, you shall die in your sins.
That’s what that scripture is saying in (St. John 8:32). If you don’t believe that I am He, and remember you can’t have a pronoun, without a noun before. So he was talking about the Father.
He wouldn’t say “he” unless he spoke about the subject before and the subject was the Father. Jesus was telling the Jews that, I’m the Father.
He said to them if you don’t believe that I am “he”, meaning the Father, you shall die in your sins. I’m telling you watching here today, if you don’t believe that Jesus Christ is the Father, you shall die in your sins.
Conclusion
If We Don’t Do This We Will Die in Our Sins!
We must believe that he is the Father. God become a man. “Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, preached unto the Gentile, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Timothy 3:16).
God became a man. So Jesus Christ was God from heaven. He was here on earth, but he was still in heaven because he’s God. God is a Spirit but he became a man, to bleed precious blood, to atone for Adam’s sin, to remove the sin of the world.
He paid the price for the sin of the world so that we are no longer bound by the law that we should die, but we’ll have life through Christ because Christ died on Calvary’s cross for our sins. We must believe that Jesus Christ is Lord to have eternal life with him. Thank you, Jesus.
Four Different Levels of Sins!
Thank you guys for stopping by, the blessings of the Lord be on you. God does not see all sins in the same light.
You have sin, you have transgression, you have abomination, and you have iniquity. These are different levels of sins seen by God in different ways, with different punishments and different consequences.
Does God Forgive Iniquity?
Now, I didn’t do this series just for doing sake. I’m laying the foundation here. I’m laying the foundation here because I’m going to look at homosexuality and I’m going to show that homosexuality is not just a sin like any other sin.
It is abominable and it is iniquity and God doesn’t treat it like how he treats other sins. Further, there can be no, and I said no, there can be no gay Christian. You can’t be gay and Christian, you can’t be yes and no. It’s one or the other. It’s a mutually exclusive state, being a Christian!
Thank you for stopping by the blessing of the Lord be with you. Look out for my next video as I explore the word of God together. God bless you. See you.
