Leaving a Legacy That Lasts

The Survey of Consumer Finances reports that the median inheritance Americans leave to their heirs is $69,000. But the average inheritance is spent within five years because of overspending, careless debts, and bad investment choices. Whatever the figure, no monetary legacy lasts forever.

How can we leave a legacy that lasts and that blesses? Proverbs 10:1–16 helps us answer that question, with verse 7 being the hub that pulls it all together: “The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot” (10:7).

A Blessed Memory Is a Priceless Legacy (10:7)

“The memory of the righteous is a blessing” (10:7). Who are the “righteous”? They can be the righteous by faith (Rom. 5:1) or the righteous in life (Rom. 6:19). The former is the believer’s legal status before God, which is unchangeable; the latter is the believer’s daily obedience to God’s law, which is changeable. Given the practical focus on Proverbs 10, verse 7 probably refers to the righteous in life. However, as the rest of the Bible makes repeatedly clear, only the righteous by faith in Christ can be righteous in life like Christ.

The chapter selects two areas of living that contrast the life of the just with the life of the wicked: their wealth (10:2–5, 15–16) and their mouths (10:6–14).

The just may never be rich, but they will always have enough to live (10:2–3). They work well and wisely for their income (10:4–5) and use their wealth to protect and benefit others (10:15–16). Their speech is like a fountain of life (10:11) because they lovingly cover offenses (10:12) and speak out of knowledge not ignorance (10:13–14).

A just life leaves happy memories during life and after death. Indeed, these memories will last for all eternity, as those brought to heaven by their life and witness will forever remember them with joy and laughter. The memory of the just is blessed because God uses it to make others just by faith and just in life. The recollection motivates those who still live to seek and find what the deceased person had.

The poorest believer can leave the richest legacy.

What’s the alternative?

A Rotting Name Is a Worthless Legacy (10:7)

“The name of the wicked will rot” (10:7). The just are just by faith in Christ. Looking away from themselves, they look to Christ alone for salvation and to the Spirit alone for sanctification. The wicked, though, have confidence in themselves. They rely on their own works instead of Christ’s. While this kind of self-reliance doesn’t seem like a big sin to us, in God’s sight, it’s the incarnation of wickedness.

The wicked are also assessed by their wealth (10:2–5, 15–16) and their mouths (10:6–14). They get their wealth wrongly (10:2), it never satisfies them (10:3), they want something for nothing (10:4–5), they lose it stupidly (10:15), and they use it sinfully (10:16). Their mouths conceal violence (10:6), ruin them (10:8), are hypocritical (10:10), stir up strife (10:12), and ruin others (10:14).

The wicked use their wealth and mouth to promote themselves, but their names rot. They rot while they still live when the stench of their wickedness is revealed. And they rot after they die as sordid details emerge about their private lives. Their names will rot forever as people arrive in hell due to the bad example of the wicked. The names that used to be in the headlines will be rotting, stinking insults.

The wicked leave riches and rottenness.

Changing Our Story with God’s Story

Christ is the only one who was perfectly just. Remembering his perfect life is a blessing. Remembering his perfect death is an even greater blessing. He gave us the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper to give us happy and holy memories of him: “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). What a legacy!

Summary: How can we leave a legacy that lasts? Leave a holy memory to leave a happy legacy.

Question: How can you live today to change the way you will be remembered tomorrow?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me your rich righteousness and your happy holiness so that I can leave a holy and happy legacy behind.