Scripture Reading:

Proverbs 13:21-23

Proverbs 13:21

Evil pursues sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repaid. 

The Bible distinguishes between the sinner and the righteous man. We know that the righteous is that person set apart by Christ, justified, and sanctified by His Spirit. God is gracious in that He gives us salvation, and then rewards us as sons with a glorious inheritance.

As Christians, we work day to day as sons of God, not as slaves. All that we do for the Kingdom of God is of eternal value, and God will see to it that there will be good dividends. At the same time, nothing good is ever accomplished without God first working in us “both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:11–12). So in the ultimate sense, we have nothing and we produce nothing that was not first given to us. Shall we therefore work in order that we will be repaid, or do we do good out of gratefulness and love to the God who saves us and equips us to do good works (Eph. 2:8–10)? Of course, there is no more powerful or more important motivation than love. If we were only motivated by a desire for repayment, what would become of the all-important motive of love?

This verse contrasts the completion of a life for the sinner and the righteous. Sinners head for condemnation and destruction, but the life of the righteous will be resolved (or completed) in glory. The sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that awaits us (Romans 8:18). In no way can this be considered a quid-pro-quo payment. All the glory that awaits is the unspeakable gift of God — much more a reward than a paycheck merited in this life.

Proverbs 13:22

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.  

You may have seen the bumper sticker on an expensive motorhome traveling the country that reads, “I’m spending my children’s inheritance.” Intended to be humorous, messages such as this signal the decline of the family as a viable institution in America. Since 1916, the federal government has imposed increasingly severe taxes on inheritance in order that the all-encompassing state might displace the family as an economic entity. Let us not negate the importance of inheritance and family economics in the restoration of the solidarity of the family.

If parents would pay for their children’s education and upbringing (Deut. 6:7), if children would take care of their parents in their old age (Matt. 15:5–6), and if parents would provide an inheritance for their children, we might recover the nuclear family in this country. At the same time we would see the size of the state reduced to biblical proportions (1 Sam. 8:10–18).

But an inheritance is far more than just monetary wealth. We inherit a spiritual legacy of faith, love, wisdom, expertise, and character from our grandfathers and grandmothers. Typically, strong biblical character produces wealth, and the lack of character consumes it over time. That is why the wealth of the sinner will eventually end up in the hands of the righteous. To this day, the most prosperous places on earth are those in which reformed, Protestant Christians have settled (America, Canada, England, Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden). Yet, Mohammedans have moved into lands inhabited by lapsed Christians
in the past. After these lands were turned over to the Muslims, not long afterwards the fruitful, prosperous lands of North Africa and Byzantium (Turkey) languished under petty tyranny, slave-states, poverty, and stultified economies. Will we see the same thing occur with Europe through the 21st and 22nd centuries, should our Lord tarry? But if and when the Christian apostasy in the West subsides and faithful Christians will raise their children in the fear of God
again, we will find the wealth of sinners back in the hands of the just.

Proverbs 13:23

Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for lack of judgment. 

Here again is a wonderful promise of reward for those who will work the fields. Hard work produces reward, by the ordinance of God. But even this calls for faith on the part of the worker. As we rise up out of bed on Monday morning, we rely upon this promise and principle laid down in this Scripture. Should an employer reduce our compensation, let us remember that God is completely sovereign over these things. Ultimately, He provides the increase, and He writes the paychecks for us.

However, if we set out to plant a crop in the Sahara Desert or to open an ice cube stand in northern Alaska, we may come up short on the return on the investment. Part of the dominion work God has assigned us is mental work, requiring the employment of our brains. That is why we include the mental exercises called “academic study” as a part of child training. Although many children find these exercises boring and tedious, it is important preparation for the dominion work they will do later in life.

Family Discussion Questions:

1. What are the character traits and important lessons in wisdom we have inherited from our grandparents? What sort of inheritance would we like to leave for our own children?

2. Have you ever destroyed anything for lack of judgment? How could you have avoided this sort of thing?

3. Is it hard to believe that God rewards our labors? How might this reaping-sowing principle motivate our labors? Do you find your academic school work boring and tedious, or rewarding?