In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And his children will have refuge.   Proverbs 14:26

It is in the book of Proverbs that we learn that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  Only when we have a proper respect and fear of God will we understand things as we ought to in life.  It is a lack of fearing God that leads to sin and to ungodly behavior and choices.  Thus it should be no shock to us that the fear of the Lord brings us a strong confidence in how we live, what we say, and in how we look to the future.  The fool has no such confidence in life.  Their brief forays into confidence are mere moments of braggadoccio that fade into insignificance when suffering and death make their appearance. 

Confidence comes to the man or woman of God because they fear the Lord.  They truly know the end of the story - which is that man will stand in the judgment before a holy God.  That seems a little odd at first because we read in the book of Hebrews that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God.  But for the one who fears the Lord, that day will not involve falling into the hands of a yet angry and wrathful God.  Wisdom has told him to run to God's provision of forgiveness and grace which is in Jesus Christ.  When we do this we know that the wrath of God fell upon His own Son, so that we might be forgiven and granted great grace by our loving Father.

When we choose to fear God now - we will not have to cower in terror later.  We fear God now - looking in absolute terror at the cross and what God truly requires in His holiness to pay for the debt of sin.  It is in seeing what had to be done to Christ Jesus to pay for sin that we cringe in horror at what our wickedness truly costs.  But when we embrace Jesus Christ, receiving the gift of repentance and faith, our sins are gone.  Thus there is no longer the "terror of the Lord" at the thought of judgment, but rather a strong confidence that our anchor will hold.  Jesus Christ has paid all that there is to pay - and we are forgiven and free. 

The second part of this proverb is vital for us to see as well.  We are told that the children of the man who fears the Lord will have a a refuge.  This points to the fact that if a man truly knows the Lord, his greatest desire is for his children to know his Savior as well.  The refuge that his children have is first seen in how he rears them and teaches them the Scriptures.  What a wonderful refuge is provided by a set of godly parents to their children as they grow up in the Lord.  The parents may not be perfect, but they provide an example of two who walk with the Lord - and who look to Him for their hope and their salvation.  They also do their very best to teach their children the things of the Lord and the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  They pray for their children and do all that they can to see that they follow them in their pursuit of Jesus Christ in life. 

God desires for men to be saved.  That is a given when you read the Scriptures.  But there is more.  He also desires that there be many godly generations descending from a family who have come to Christ.  This is the legacy that comes to children and grandchildren - and even great grandchildren of those whose parents fear the Lord.  Oh that we would see this and live in the fear of God.  Oh that we would provide a lasting refuge - a lasting legacy of godliness and gospel-led lives to our children - and even to many generations of our families.

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.   Proverbs 13:22

What kind of inheritance are you leaving to your children?  What kind of inheritance are you leaving to your grandchildren?  That is what today's proverb wants us to consider.  There is a blessing that we should pass to our families.  From what we read in Scripture there is one that we can pass to several generations if we choose to live as God would have us to live.  Let us take a look at this today.

The good man leaves an inheritance to both his children and his grandchildren.  He approaches his earnings in life in such a way as to use them frugally and save for the future.  This is how he provides an inheritance for his family.  Note that he is called a "good" man - which refers to his character.  In order to be such a man one needs to be selfless and desire to bless his children - rather than to spend it all on himself. 

One thing we need to remember is that God does not promise riches in wealth to all men in equal amounts.  Therefore to say that this refers only to money is foolish.  Solomon laments of the man who had worked himself to death to obtain money, only to leave it to a son who is a fool.  This man may have left wealth to his son, but he forgot to leave him spiritual wealth and wisdom.  Therefore the money he has earned and saved will only be wasted by a son who is a complete moron when it comes to how to live. 

We need to leave our children an inheritance of godliness and wisdom as well as one that we can financially.  Without this our children will suffer far worse than if they miss a few luxuries according to the dictates of society.  There are those who will have wealth, but may spend eterntiy in abject poverty in hell when they die.  This is no inheritance that you want to pass on to your family.  If we leave them with wisdom and with knowledge of the Word and of their Savior Jesus Christ - they will be rich for eternity - even if they don't live on the upper east side in this life. 

The wicked will leave their wealth to the righteous.  This means that although they live wealthy for the few years of this life, they will eventually die and leave all of it to others.  Since they have lived for wickedness, their children will most likely waste their wealth and have it transfer to those who use wise principles in how they do business.  These are those who are godly and good in their business as well as their daily lives. 

There is something that we desperately need to leave to our children and their children.  It is a good thing if we can leave them an inheritance that will help them afford a home or other things financially.  But more importantly is to leave them with an inheritance in the things of the Lord.  This is something that can never be lost.  God promised that a godly man can touch thousands over the lives of his children and grandchildren.  But to do so we need to be willing to invest, not just in stocks and bonds - but in a godly heritage that will take a lifetime to develop and prepare for our families.