verse 22: “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.”
In A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge gets a glimpse of his future, unaltered at the time of the present. He sees himself dead and gone, friendless and not fondly remembered. And his wealth, that he worked so painstakingly hard to hoard? It’s divvied up among the usual suspects; even scroungers like his washer-woman and other servants taking his sheets and silverware.
The Holman concordance on Proverbs makes an interesting statement about this verse on page 279: “But even when the godly do not have great material wealth, they can always pass down a spiritual inheritance that is even more important.” It can be interesting to see what people do with inherited wealth, especially if that inheritance is not from the last generation, but the one before that one. All well-meaning parents want to work hard to provide for their children; we should work as hard not just to pass on material wealth to following generations, but a spiritual inheritance even more so.
Back to A Christmas Carol…Scrooge did change his ways, and one of the scenes I’ll always remember is him not only being a better friend and employer to Bob Cratchit, but to his children, Tiny Tim especially. My grandmother often talks fondly of my grandfather (who passed away shortly after I was born); she tells me of good traits I have that remind her of him. If you have children, take a moment to think of what you want them to be or to have when they grow up. Is one of those things you want for them….to be good parents themselves? How do you want to be remembered…by your grandchildren?
Something to think about.
Combing The Word 