A Family Legacy is an Honorable Reward

Proverbs 26:
1. As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool.

After the Great Noahic Flood God gave this promise to Noah and set the rainbow in the sky as a token of his covenant.

“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22)

We all notice that snow in summer and rain in the fall is uncommon and not what we expect. Because of the regularity of the seasons we plan our work around them and the productivity of our crops depends on hot sunny summers with rain at the right time and dryness in the fall so that crops can be harvested. Deviations from these cycles tend to reduce the crop yield. It is detrimental to our prosperity.

It is very similar with the fool. We don’t expect him to be honored. Also, a fool can be detrimental to our prosperity. If we want a job done well we don’t ask a fool to do it.

“The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.” (Ecclesiates 10:15)

It is a painful and exhausting experience to depend on a fool to complete a task when he is clueless.

As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.” (Proverbs 10:26)

But more and more we see this kind of incompetence everywhere, even in high places. When people who have accomplished nothing exceptional are given honor, or worse, when they receive the honor through fraud, everyone scornfully notices the inappropriateness. This misappropriation of honor is partly due to a false view of self-image and self-esteem that teaches we should be rewarded just because we exist. The Scripture does teach the principle of rejoicing in ones self, but it is based on proving ones own work.

“For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” (Galatians 6:3-4)

When we honor foolishness we cause the foolish to think they’re hot stuff and we get more of the kind of behavior we reward.

On the other hand some people think the humble approach is to not desire rewards, but one of the important characteristics of faith is that it pursues and expects a reward.

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

In fact, God would be unrighteous if he did not reward us.

“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” (Hebrews 6:10)

Now many people get confused and think that if God rewards us according to our works then we must earn and merit those rewards. No, that is not true. While there is a relationship between our rewards and our faithfulness in what we do, that relationship is not one of merit. Whatever rewards we receive are a gracious gift from God.

“For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)

Therefore while we strive and sweat and work and we can rejoice in our work, yet the glory goes to God who is working in and through us.

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13)

And how does this apply to a Family Legacy? Simply this. A Family Legacy is an honorable thing, but it is the result of the application of wisdom and diligence with perseverance carried forward by hope and the expectation of reward.