Multigenerational Transmission Process

My four children have all been married in the past four years. Marianne and I have had family-of-origin conversations with each of them. When we marry, all of us bring multigenerational patterns and assumptions to the new relationship.

This pattern is also present in Scripture. Abraham and Sarah are promised a son, but nothing happens. So Sarah suggests that her maidservant lay with Abraham. Hagar does, and conceived Ishmael. Only for Sarah to fall pregnant not long after.

What unfolds is messy. We read that Ishmael mocks Isaac, and Sarah is jealous. Sarah petitions Abraham, then Hagar and Ishmael are forced to leave the family camp and go out into the desert. We don’t get any details, but one can imagine that Hagar and Ishmael had a strong bond and attempted to lay their claims on Abraham, while Sarah and Isaac did the same.

Lo and behold, this pattern of family rivalry turns up in the next generation. Isaac has not only one, but two sons. And those two sons are at odds with each other. And it’s not just the two sons; the entire family is divided.

The family line continues through Jacob, not Esau. Guess what? Jacob marries two wives and has ten sons to Leah, and two to Rachel. The sons hate each other, with feelings of jealousy on one side and self-importance on the other.

This intergenerational pattern, and the recording of it in Scripture, is no accident. The problem in Jacob’s family is not just that Joseph is privileged or that his father spoils him. There are silent but strong multi-generational forces that impact all the players in this (and every) family.