Proverbs 13:22
A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children:
And the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
When read in the Greek mind that dominates current western theological and philosophical perspective, this verse can easily be interpreted to endorse what is called today the Prosperity Doctrine. Again, we need to remind ourselves that we are reading a text written possibly about 3000 years ago by a person with a Semitic philosophy and an Hebrew mind. To contextually understand the spirit of this statement, we also need to remember that in the mind of the Semitic Hebrew, Scripture was not mainly a manual of healthy godly living. In the mind of those who were given charge of the Oracles of God, Scripture represented God Himself; a semantic description of His persona; a revelation of the integrity of His character which assured us that he would fulfill His promises towards us.
Whereas God can bless the ‘good man’ with wealth, wealth doesn’t determine that a person is ‘good’ and blessed by the Almighty. Also, many a wicked rich person is able to pass on their inheritance to their children. This verse therefore cannot be telling us about an equation between wealth and goodness. Rather, as we ponder on this Scripture, we are given reassurance of the promises, the One who Yahoshua called the only Good One, the Father, made to us.
Not only His chosen children will inherit, but also will their fruit in the nations. Our Father owns everything, and through the mouth of Yahoshua He said that the meek shall inherit the earth, concurring the second clause of our text today that the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
This verse is messianic. In it, Solomon saw the Messianic age of rewards, retribution and restoration. So no matter how wicked the world may become; regardless of the poverty we may suffer at times here; we can look to our Almighty father and rest assured of the full inheritance of which we already have the earnests in Yahoshua. We are assured, like King Solomon was at the beginning of his reign, that if we desire Him first, the Almighty Father will put everything in our hands.
A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children:
And the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
When read in the Greek mind that dominates current western theological and philosophical perspective, this verse can easily be interpreted to endorse what is called today the Prosperity Doctrine. Again, we need to remind ourselves that we are reading a text written possibly about 3000 years ago by a person with a Semitic philosophy and an Hebrew mind. To contextually understand the spirit of this statement, we also need to remember that in the mind of the Semitic Hebrew, Scripture was not mainly a manual of healthy godly living. In the mind of those who were given charge of the Oracles of God, Scripture represented God Himself; a semantic description of His persona; a revelation of the integrity of His character which assured us that he would fulfill His promises towards us.
Whereas God can bless the ‘good man’ with wealth, wealth doesn’t determine that a person is ‘good’ and blessed by the Almighty. Also, many a wicked rich person is able to pass on their inheritance to their children. This verse therefore cannot be telling us about an equation between wealth and goodness. Rather, as we ponder on this Scripture, we are given reassurance of the promises, the One who Yahoshua called the only Good One, the Father, made to us.
Not only His chosen children will inherit, but also will their fruit in the nations. Our Father owns everything, and through the mouth of Yahoshua He said that the meek shall inherit the earth, concurring the second clause of our text today that the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
This verse is messianic. In it, Solomon saw the Messianic age of rewards, retribution and restoration. So no matter how wicked the world may become; regardless of the poverty we may suffer at times here; we can look to our Almighty father and rest assured of the full inheritance of which we already have the earnests in Yahoshua. We are assured, like King Solomon was at the beginning of his reign, that if we desire Him first, the Almighty Father will put everything in our hands.
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