Through the Word in 2020 #60 - June 24 / Leaving an Inheritance

Thought about what you might be leaving behind for others as an inheritance? The older I get, the more it runs though my mind. And the truth is, we always leave one. It may not be money. It may not be land. It may not be family heirlooms, a stock portfolio or an estate. But we will leave those behind us with something. They will carry the memory of us - for better or worse. We will leave that deposit with them. It was something King Hezekiah, as good of a man as he was - never considered well. Maybe we can do better. I’m Reid Ferguson, and we’ll talk about that today on Through the Word in 2020.

All 3 of our readings today touch on the impact each generation has on the other - older to younger, and younger to older. Ephesians 5:22-6:4; Luke 1:57-80 and 2 Kings 20:1-22:2. And there is a most interesting and important observation regarding King Hezekiah in 2 Kings.

As I mentioned above, Hezekiah was a good King. By that I mean that Scripture says he “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” He brought massive social reforms to Judah, and especially sought to bring the nation back to its moorings in serving God. He ruled for nearly 30 years.

Then Hezekiah got sick. So sick the prophet Isaiah visited him and told him to get his house in order because he was going to die. The King pleaded with God who in turn added 15 more years to his life. A season in which he made a couple of grave errors. God’s favor toward him seemed to produce a certain laxness, a sense perhaps that he could do no wrong. After all, didn’t God supernaturally give him 15 more years? He was indestructible until that time was up - right?

First, he fathered another son during this hiatus. A man who would prove to have nothing of his father’s godliness and would go on arguably to be Judah’s most vile king. Second, in his hubris, he openly bragged to foreign powers about all he had - how wealthy and secure the kingdom was. In the end, leaving him vulnerable. So much so that once again Isaiah approached and told him because of his foolishness, the very powers he bragged to were one day going to destroy the kingdom. His response to that news?

2 Kings 20:19 ESV

Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?”

Did you catch that? As long as there would be peace and security in his days, the prospect of the future meant nothing. The inheritance he left to his son, to his nation, was the legacy of careless indifference regarding the future, as long as today was OK.

And I wonder how many of us give serious enough thought to what inheritance in this regard we will leave those behind us? Will they have inherited from us indifference over their future - especially their eternal future? Or will they instead witness how we prepared for eternity - regardless of the peace and security and comfort of the present?

What will you leave behind for your children and grandchildren? A legacy of seeking, loving and serving Christ and His Kingdom? Of living now with your eye on eternity? Or how temporal, immediate comfort and ease and interests ultimately won the day?

Make no mistake, you WILL leave them something. Whether you die penniless or a multi-millionaire.

Will you leave them the legacy of the redeemed?

That’s worth thinking about today.

God willing, we’ll be back tomorrow.