Inheritance (Proverbs 20:21)

To inherit means to receive something that was not yours. But an inheritance is usually gained because of death.

"An inheritance hastily gotten [by greedy, unjust means] at the beginning, in the end will not be blessed." Proverbs 20:21, Amplified

Inheritance comes at the death of another. Usually it is a parent who leaves something behind for his children, or a husband for his wife. When I read this verse, all I can think about is the parable about the Prodigal Son. He demanded his cut of the inheritance from his father so he could go live abroad. He was basically saying, "I wish you were dead, dad!" He had many friends after coming into his share of the inheritance. But when the money left, so did the friends. His end was a destitute one.

Sometimes, the Lord just wants us to exhibit patience. Could we use the blessing now? Maybe. But to gain what is not rightfully mine until it is time can never be blessed the way the Lord intended it to be.

Sharing the Inheritance (Proverbs 17:2)

We should never come to the conclusion that we have anything coming to us. For it is just as easily taken away as it is given.

"A wise servant shall have rule over a son who causes shame, and shall share in the inheritance among the brothers." Proverbs 17:2, Amplified

Just because one is the son of a father does not mean that he will have free reign in his house. There are those sons who have caused their father's, and therefore their family's, much grief due to a wretched lifestyle. Back in this era, a servant might be placed over a son in order to ensure he was constantly watched over and that same servant might just be thought of as more of a son than the real thing.

This is what happened to us. The chosen people of the Lord turned their backs on Him. This is not to say that we were ever servants of the Jewish people or that we have dominion over them. What I am drawing a conclusion to is that we can now share in the inheritance with the brothers.

True Inheritance (Proverbs 13:22)

One of the goals in the American society is to leave an inheritance for the next generation so that the same struggles do not necessarily have to be endured. As an inheritance is passed, a legacy is born. Some names on the American landscape have embodied this ideal. Not only is it an American "philosophy", but it is also something that the Lord wants and desires for fathers to do for their children. For years I have put off finishing my education, and now I am only three units away from being able to teach.

"A good man leaves an inheritance [of moral stability and goodness] to his children's children, and the wealth of the sinner [finds its way eventually] into the hands of the righteous, for whom it was laid up." Proverbs 13:22, Amplified

The inheritance left by a good man is not necessarily the same as the person of the world might view an inheritance. Try to think of the inheritance as a lifestyle or ideals left for the next generation to live up to. Life is more than money. A good man leaves moral stability just as the world leaves iniquity for his children. "The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation." (Numbers 14:18, NKJV) We have all seen the effects of an alcoholism in the family tree. Sin has a way of transferring to the next generation. This is not to say that we do not have choice and free will. My father was an alcoholic and I chose not to be, because I decided early in life that my children deserved better, a more stable inheritance.

As for the second part of the verse, what is trying to be conveyed is that the sinner cannot hold on to material things forever. What the righteous man has is eternal, it follows us into the next life; this is the inheritance that our children's children need.

Hold fast to what is good and true.

Trouble in the House (Proverbs 11:29)

The foolish person will never be entrusted with a responsibility so they will always be the servant and never the master.

"He who troubles his own house shall inherit the wind, and the foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart." Proverbs 11:29, Amplified

To cause trouble to one's own house is a foolish thing to do. There is neither peace nor rest in a troubled house. Troubling one's own house is to inherit the wind. To try and catch the wind is futile. To try and harness the power of the wind or to control the wind is useless. No man can ever hold the wind in his hand and call it servant; no man can ever be master over the wind.

There is a book, eventually made into a movie, entitled "Inherit the Wind". The book is the story about the school system adopting the practice of teaching evolution to the children. It eventually became a court case and the side of evolution won. The book was called this because to teach children about evolution, that they are cosmic mistakes instead of intelligently designed beings is to trouble our house.

Then Solomon links the service of the fool to the inheritance of the wind. It is interesting how he does so. The inheritor of the wind is a foolish person. He will be a servant to the man with the true inheritance; the wise man. The wise man has a very tangible inheritance that he will use to lord over the fool. And please do not misunderstand; I do not mean that the wise are lords over fools, rather they take the place of master over those with less intelligence, possessions and position.