Inheritance – Proverbs 13:22

Quoting the proverb below, ThisDayLive.com says, “It is every parent’s duty to leave an inheritance for their children and even their grandchildren.  It does not matter if you are in a good paying job or not, every parent can actually leave an inheritance behind for their children with the possible inheritances mentioned below. It is not uncommon to still see many parent leaving debts for their children instead of inheritances.”  They mention several tools to use for this purpose.

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,

but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous. (Proverbs 13:22, ESV)

It is presumed in this proverb that good people care more about people than they do money and they especially care about their families.  They are thinking not just about now and how their pleasures might be fulfilled but about the next generation and the next.  How they best help their children’s children (it is hard to think past that) takes real thought and real concern.

This is not to say that wicked sinners don’t try to maintain their wealth for their children, but the way they have gained the wealth is subject to God’s judgment.  Ill-gotten gain should not stay with those who hurt others to get it.  It should go to the righteous, who, ironically, don’t care as much about money as the unrighteous do.

Money, for the unrighteous, is security and power.  It is their way of guaranteeing that they can keep themselves safe and get their needs met and show how strong and valuable they are.  That is what the righteous look for from God, not to money, and it changes the way they must relate to others.  They can truly love others because those people are not a threat to their safety, they can’t be a frustration of their needs, nor their value.