Of big stone tablets and overlooked ratios...

I'm sort of curious about the 10 commandments. I mean, if you are God, and you are going to tell people to do 10 things...why those 10?

It's been highlighted before that the first four govern our relationship with God and the last six our dealings with people, so this week I read the listing of the first four in Exodus....and I ran across something I'd never noticed before...
I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

In my religious education, so much emphasis was put on the "third and fourth generation" that the mention of "love to the thousandth generation" was missed.  I think the discrepancy in the ratios matters.  I think it reveals the character of God.  3-4 for punishment vs. 1,000 for love.  There's a reason there is a wide gap.

Thinking about that this morning...