The Sins of the Fathers

As Abraham paid tithes, so also did Levi. We can conclude that God will visit the iniquities of the fathers upon the descendants because the fathers have failed to be covenantally faithful. Yet, we see in the other verses a declaration of legality in dealing with people. There is no contradiction. This article is also available in: Do the sons bear the sins of the fathers or not?

Related Articles Don't Genesis 1 and 2 present contradictory creation accounts? How many kinds did Noah bring into the ark, two or seven? Has anyone seen God or not? Should we keep the Sabbath or not? Is a bat a bird? Why was a man killed for gathering sticks on the Sabbath? I really liked Scudder. I liked his style, quiet, up-front, honest with himself, but ready and willing to get pushy when it seems to be needed. I appreciated his sense of morality, even though it's dingy and dirty, and would definitely not be the type to be put on a pedestal.

He's brutal at times, and I liked that.

When he called Marcia a foolish bitch, I admit that I shivered a bit. It was sharp and unexpected - to me AND Marcia - but I was glad that he isn't the type to let himself be railroaded by some stupid girl. He seems to be great at reading people, and with her, he knew that she needed to see that he wasn't going to be shoved off by her reticence, so he chose the quickest way to get her attention. I could have cheered, because I was already kinda ready to slap her myself. Yeah, yeah, I know, that's all disrespectful to women and yada yada yada, but I get so tired of women either being treated as fragile dolls or punching bags in books like these.

It was nice to see the various ways that Scudder interacted with the women he encountered, especially his ex-wife. He seems to have respect for women - but isn't too concerned with their fragility if they are between him and a piece of info he wants. He doesn't try to own or control or threaten - he just accepts the situation and deals with it accordingly. I like that a lot. The mystery was, in my opinion, the weakest aspect of the book. I figured it out much earlier than Scudder himself did, though to be fair, he was thorough in his investigation and didn't leap to judgement like I did.

Still, I did enjoy going through the investigation with him, and seeing how his mind works and how the impressions he picked up came together to form a picture. What I really liked was his method of justice. I shouldn't say that, because it's not the approved way of things, but I liked it all the same.

He's creative and resourceful and more than a little bit ruthless. So yes, I like. There were some editing issues in this book - the kind that you see in badly formatted ebooks. I'm chalking this up to the same kind of thing, since the edition that I read was put out in the 90s, when the book would have been almost 20 years old already. There was one case of "must of" instead of "must've", but I can't recall if that was in dialogue or not.

I usually ignore it if it is in dialogue, since that could be patois rather than bad writing. Anyway, I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of this series. I really enjoyed the first book, and I can't wait to hook up with Scudder again. Everyone, I think, has their favorite P. Like classy ladies of the night, he accepts gifts not payment. I think what I dig most about Scudder is how he treats others. He doesn't hit women. He doesn't bash gays in fact, in later books, he has a transvestite friend, a relationship tha Everyone, I think, has their favorite P.

He doesn't bash gays in fact, in later books, he has a transvestite friend, a relationship that was way ahead of its time. He's also what I like to call a cynical optimist, which basically means he knows people will let him down but he still hopes they won't. In other words, me and him have a lot in common. I dig the way this guy writes, and I dig the author as a person. But what I dig most about his Scudder series is how Matthew Scudder evolves over the years. This first book is a great place to start, but you can read any book in this series out of order, another aspect I love about Block's work.

The audiobooks narrated by Alan Sklar are excellent. If you like P. The old ones take about hours to read, but if you're a speed reader you could easily knock one out in one or two. Mar 02, Brandon rated it really liked it Shelves: Until then, I needed a detective series of substance.

A character so cool, so awesome, that I could branch out from Charlie Parker into another series. I've actually had this book on my to-read list for several months now. I have no idea what took me so long to pick it up. I mean, it's not like Kemper , Dan or Stephen had been singing it's praises up and down Goodreads. Scudder is my type of character. He drinks a lot, he's suffering from self inflicted guilt and he has little patience for the public. This is a guy who has lived through a freak accident which in turn caused him to alienate his wife in asking for a divorce, distancing himself from his kids and quitting the force.

He takes on cases which he identifies as "favors" for cash, which he identifies as "gifts". Sure, he tosses a couple of bucks to charity every now and then but he's pretty much a loner. He's like a hooker with a heart of gold. Did I just say that? Man, I'm really excited to dive into this series and really sink my teeth in. I devoured this is one day, which, for me at least lately is equivalent to the speed of light. I basically broke the sound barrier reading this thing I loved it that much. Jan 03, Nikki rated it really liked it Shelves: Or, in this case, Matt Scudder.

It comes down to the individual detective, and in that sense, Scudder probably comes out neck and neck with Brandstetter. Overall, I actually really enjoyed this. View all 3 comments. Feb 01, Mara rated it really liked it Shelves: If you're entering the world of Matthew Scudder, you better brace yourself for some dark and delicious detective work.

I don't know why I keep wanting to use adjectives normally reserved for coffee blends to describe this book. I'm pretty sure evenly-roasted isn't a term intended for literary review, but this story and Scudder himself just hit every note I never knew I needed for a supremely satisfying read. Scudder is neither hero nor villain; he goes by his own rules and defies what might be If you're entering the world of Matthew Scudder, you better brace yourself for some dark and delicious detective work. Scudder is neither hero nor villain; he goes by his own rules and defies what might be considered conventional morality while sifting through a world where it's hard to starkly delineate right from wrong.

I wanted this book to last me more than a day, but, like Matt, I felt compelled to keep on digging. I don't know how to deal with spoiler-y material from a tablet, so I'll just say that the tale is slightly more twisted than what I imagine you might find in your average 70s noir. So if you're looking for straight-up mystery without that extra level of peering at some of humanity's less-desirable traits, I might look elsewhere.

Sins Of The Fathers

Otherwise, grab your coffee and bourbon and go for it. Jun 17, Toby rated it really liked it Shelves: Lawrence Block does it again! The man sure can write. This is a tight little novel, the debut of Matt Scudder and an enjoyable piece of 70's noir. He's an ex-cop with a drinking problem exchanging favours to get by. The murder-suicide of a prostitute and a gay guy serve as a background for his introduction to the reader and an excuse for him to drink as much as possible.

His journey kicks over some rocks that some people would have preferred to have remained in place and leads to the inevitable co Lawrence Block does it again! His journey kicks over some rocks that some people would have preferred to have remained in place and leads to the inevitable conflicted noir ending, unearthing the darkness hidden in even the brightest amongst us.

Block once more lets us know that we are not alone with our foibles and psychological angst, everyone else suffers similarly whether they admit it or not. The slim nature of the book means you can fly through it but it still packs a punch, however perhaps a little more depth is required to fully comprehend the nature of the man and the crimes. But I guess that's what the rest of the series if for. Jun 20, Mark rated it liked it Recommends it for: I did start well into the series with the book that was made into a movie with Liam Neeson, and continued into the direction of the more recent publications.

And now I found myself with the first novel of the series in which there is no AA but a lot of drinking by Matthew Scudder former policeman turned into investigator of the not so legal variety. This means delving into the girl's past and find out why her life ended the way it did. Scudder's investigations also makes him meet the family of the murderer and the Sins of the father. An interesting book that is indeed a very different Scudder from the later books and already shows Scudders original moral compass and how he sails by it.

A decent start of a series. This was a paperback mystery when it was first published in The edition that I am reading is from , is the first hardcover edition, and has an Introduction by Stephen King.

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In King published Needful Things. In all, I found the ten page introduction more enjoyable than enlighte This was a paperback mystery when it was first published in In all, I found the ten page introduction more enjoyable than enlightening. I had bought The Sins of the Fathers used online. It turned out to be a former library book. It had some library markings but the back page where some additional markings might have been had been ripped out. The pages of the book were in very good condition. I noticed as I read the beginning of the book that there were a couple of printing errors that someone had neatly corrected with a sharp pencil.

I noticed the mistakes because of the markings but I was impressed that someone would be reading with enough attention to detail to notice the errors. Mistakes like this are rare and make me think less of the quality of the publishing job. But then I think that is not really fair to make that judgment since there are so many pages and so many words that it is not surprising that there are occasional mistakes. I think of someone going through the entire book looking for errors and am glad not to have that job. This is the first book in the Matthew Scudder series.

The series is seventeen books with the final one published in I sought out the first book in the series out of curiosity. Judging from used book prices and availability, first books in a series must be something that people collect. Our protagonist is an ex-cop. He became an ex after he unintentionally killed a seven year old girl while on duty. At the time he quit the force, he also left his wife and two children with whom he is limited contact.

He lives in a hotel. He does not present a very pleasant notion of what it is like to be a policeman. There are the bribes and payoffs that are made to seem routine and without any conscience. There is the drinking at the cop hangouts and the fact that Scudder is evidently an alcoholic. There is the petty theft that occurs in the course of a normal day of investigation. Scudder also fairly nonchalantly breaks into an apartment, the murder scene.

Does a son bear any responsibility for the sins of the father?

He does continue to make significant use of his contacts from his time on the police force. The story of The Sins of the Fathers is that Scudder people call him Scudder is hired by the father of a twenty-four year old female murder victim to look into the last part of her life and her murder since he has not been in touch with her for some time. So, he wants to get to know his daughter now that she is dead. The apparent killer committed suicide in jail so Scudder is essentially doing the police investigation of the killing that the police are not going to do since they have closed the case since both the victim and the perpetrator are now dead.

He has a good reputation as a cop within the police department. He definitely seems more like a cop than a policeman. So we have this retired functional alcoholic cop interviewing a string of people about the closed murder case. The story is told by Scudder who generally displays harmless, boorish behavior. This is his only case at the moment so he is able to focus on it. He does not seem financially dependent on this additional work; the advance cash he gets for this job is passed out in kickbacks, bribes and to church poor boxes.

Oh, and a drink here and there at the local bars. There is a good deal of blood. Although this is several days after the murder, cleaning up seems to be a low priority. Hold your stomach for this: I had spent most of my hour wandering through those rooms, sitting on chairs, leaning against walls, trying to rub up against the essence of the two people who had lived here. I looked at the bed Wendy had died on, a double box spring and mattress on a Hollywood frame. They had not yet stripped off the blood-soaked sheets, though there would be little point in doing so; the mattress was sdeeply soaked with her blood, and the whole bed would have to be scrapped.

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At one point I stood holding a clot of rusty blood in my hand, and my mind reeled with images of a priest offering Communion. I found the bathroom and gagged without bringing anything up. The new mayor was having trouble appointing a deputy mayor. His investigative board kept discovering that his prospective appointees were corrupt in any of several uninteresting ways. There was an obvious answer, and he would probably hit on it sooner or later.

He was going to have to get rid of the investigative board. Hard to call him a straight arrow. In fact, I was wondering what Matthew did about sex for himself since he is a PI. And we all know PIs need some. Bingo, he calls Elaine on the phone and takes a cab over to see her. The short story of that is that alcohol does not always enhance sex like some think. I was far too completely locked into my own head.

There do seem to be quite a few of them in this book. Maybe that happens with books that have a first printing in paperback only. How did Scudder see his financial arrangements with the people who hired him? He verbalized as if he did them favors and they gave him money gifts. He was not a working stiff. There was only one problem. In a very real sense, my arrangement with Hanniford was more than a dodge around the detective licensing laws and the income tax.

And in return I was doing him a favor, just as they had done me favors. I was not working for him. The investigation that Scudder undertook lasted five days. They were five busy days and nights. He covered a lot of mental territory. Scudder spooling out the story about Wendy that he had put together in five days included some additions by her father actually her stepfather.

It was touching and I got a lump in my throat. He said to Scudder of his daughter: Now she sounds like a villain. I would guess he is a lapsed Catholic. The hints are throughout the book. I thought the best hint was him saying how he liked the Catholic church because it worked through the week while the other churches took the time off.

He liked to sit in an empty quiet church. He liked to put some money in the poor box. He said he tithed. I wondered whether it was worse for men to do the wrong things for the right reason or the right things for the wrong reason. Theoretically, I give five stars to any book that makes me cry. So this one qualifies. But, on top of that, it deserves five stars. Sure, a mistake in typesetting or whatever the mechanism for getting the words into print is not impossible. But what about this: If somebody can explain that to me, I would appreciate it. Apparently Lawrence Block has been an influence to other popular writers for a number of years now; writers who I have enjoyed reading for years.

Never got around to reading Block though, he could wait. Parker got in the way. Been waiting for me to read it all these years, my loss. His writing is sparse and crisp def. Why say in 20 words what can be said effectively in 10? The protagonist is Matthew Scudder, an ex-cop and not a P. Perhaps this has made him more intuitive, more observant and knowing of his fellow man.

Either way, he knows people and knows them well. A young man, Richie, who is bloodied all over, is screaming obscenities in the streets that he murdered someone. A beat cop handcuffs him and takes him to his nearby apartment only to find his roommate, Wendy, murdered and mutilated. Richie, son of a minister, is jailed for the murder, and soon commits suicide in his cell. Scudder follows the slim leads he has and over a few days of searching out and questioning people who knew her, he develops a sharp idea of the life of the deceased roommates. The book held surprises at least every other page as the reader finds out more and more about Scudder, Wendy and Richie.

That's saying a mouthfull, too. If you want a great story, written by a great writer with great characters, this is a must read as soon as possible. Apr 10, Eric rated it really liked it Recommends it for: Fans of Lawrence Block. I picked up the Kindle version of this for 99c all of Lawrence Block's back catalog is on sale on Amazon. As for my review: I liked it a great deal. It was a quick, compelling read.

The main character was a likable rogue, the mystery was complex without being too convoluted, and the solution had some nice twists to it. My only issue is with the title. The Sins of the Fathers. Now, if you hadn't read this yet, like I hadn't, wouldn't you think you knew who the killer was? Well, you would be c I picked up the Kindle version of this for 99c all of Lawrence Block's back catalog is on sale on Amazon. Well, you would be correct. It was view spoiler [the minister that was the father of the suicide victim hide spoiler ]. He may as well title his next novel The Butler Did It for all the suspense this title gave the story.

However, having now read the novel, I like the title more, despite that it gives away the killer, because it also points out the sins the other fathers are guilty of, which gave the title, and the novel, some added depth. View all 4 comments. I've listened to another in this series, so it was nice to listen to the first one. Typical Block, very understated. Scudder is likable if a rather aimless character. The mystery was OK, a little obvious, but not bad at all. The way Scudder solved it was perfect.

Too easy to get confused. Besides, I'm not in any rush. Scudde I've listened to another in this series, so it was nice to listen to the first one. Scudder is a good way to pass the time, but I can't work up a lot of excitement for most of Block's books. Apr 03, Melissa rated it liked it. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low. You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord. Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing.

And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,. Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Behold, it is written before me: Both your iniquities and your fathers' iniquities together, says the Lord ; because they made offerings on the mountains and insulted me on the hills, I will measure into their bosom payment for their former deeds. You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for 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.

Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.

Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,. For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives.

One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him. A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. But each one shall die for his own sin.