A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children; but the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the righteous [man].
One proverb sets two households side by side: one passes something on for generations, the other's savings end up in someone else's hands. So what can a person really leave behind, and who decides where wealth lands?
Who the "Good Man" Is
The proverb starts with the man, not his money. One writer shows where his goodness came from.
A good man is like the One who found him evil. By grace He made him share in a divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world through evil desire. God has blessed him, so he leaves an inheritance to his children's children. It may not be gold and silver, but it is better, and it lasts.
The Inheritance May Not Be Money
This verse does not shut out readers who own little. What they hand down can be of another kind.
It may not be an inheritance of money, but it is certainly a spiritual one, and that is much more valuable.
One writer names what that legacy is:
What a heritage for any child! To know the Holy Scriptures. We may have little to leave our children in earthly possessions. But if we have given them the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures from childhood, we have given them greater riches and greater treasures than everything else this world has.
Reaching the Third Generation
The verse reaches past the children to the children's children. One writer answers a common doubt about that reach.
People sometimes say that the third generation gives things up. But in the Scriptures I find a third generation that is very, very strong: Timothy. His mother and grandmother were known for their faith, and Paul says that the same faith "dwells in you as well". Here was a third generation strong and healthy in faith. That young man gave Paul every encouragement. Faith is not passed down by birth, but, thank God, we can pass on the teaching of faith from one generation to the next.
Another writer distinguishes a gift from a blessing, which is worth weighing before drawing up a will:
Many material legacies or presents result not in blessing but prove a curse to the recipient. Let us put increasing stress on the importance of spiritual legacy.
What Parents Store Up
One sentence names what parents forget:
Many parents are careful to lay up portions for their children, but they do not lay up prayers for them.
Another writer warns that not every legacy blesses:
Many material legacies or gifts bring no blessing. They turn out to be a curse to the person who receives them. Let us put more and more stress on the importance of a spiritual legacy.
The Sinner's Wealth Changes Hands
The second half of the proverb follows the sinner's money to its final owner.
The sinner's wealth, great as it may seem, is laid up for the just. Ungodly people may plan, arrange, and tie up their estates; but God cares for those who serve Him. So the just will wear the clothing meant for others, and the innocent will divide the silver, if He sees fit.
The same truth appears in Job, where Job speaks of the wicked and their wealth:
They may gather silver and wealth like dust, only to have the righteous enjoy it — "the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous." … Job can speak this way about the perishing things of this world's greatness. That shows he knew he had a far different heritage himself.
A Caution About Reading It as a Promise of Riches
Read as a guarantee of prosperity, the proverb will disappoint. One writer draws the line carefully, and it matters for how the whole chapter is applied.
God certainly calls the Christian to share Christ's sufferings — perhaps not for Him, but surely with Him. God does not promise him the earthly prosperity He promised the godly Jew. Instead, "all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." But "the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." In every way and at every time, good will be repaid to the righteous.
Summary
- Source — Grace found the good man evil and made him share a divine nature. The legacy starts with what God did in him, not with what he earned.
- Substance — If gold and silver are missing, something better remains. A spiritual inheritance, above all the knowledge of the Scriptures, is worth more than anything this world has.
- Span — The gift is designed to travel to grandchildren. Faith is not passed down by birth, but the teaching of faith can travel through the generations, as Timothy shows.
- Store — Many parents lay up money for their children and forget to lay up prayers. A material legacy can even turn into a curse.
- Settlement — The ungodly may plan and arrange, yet God cares for those who serve Him, and the sinner's hoard ends up with the just. Commentators differ here. One says God orders such things for His own glory. Another warns that the Christian gets no promise of earthly prosperity — only that good will be repaid in God's way and time.