The Family Legacy and Reproof

Proverbs 29:
1. He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Here is a good verse for a hell-fire and brimstone preacher, and the examples of the hardened neck and the resultant destruction are many in Scripture. Imagine those outside Noah’s ark, struggling to get in when the waters began to rise, but unable to do so because the door was shut. Or Pharaoh, who with each successive plague, did not repent, but hardened his heart until he was finally drowned in the Red Sea. Or Ahab killed by an arrow drawn at a venture, or Judas Iscariot, who “went to his own place.” Many preachers might like to use these as examples that support this saying:

“The floggings will continue until the attitude improves.”

But I would like to go in a different direction – a direction described by this verse.

“Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Romans 2:4)

In reality it is the realization and hope of God’s goodness that brings repentance.

There is the story about a Methodist church in the early 19th century whose minister died and they requested of the Bishop a hell-fire and brimstone preacher to replace him. So he sent them one, but he only lasted nine months and left. So the Bishop sent them a second hell-fire and brimstone preacher and in even less time he was asked to leave. So the Bishop sent them a third hell-fire and brimstone preacher and he stayed there 30 years. In the Bishop’s later life he was conversing with one of the older parishioners, and he asked, “Why did you reject the first two preachers but not the third? They were all hell-fire and brimstone preachers.” “Well,” replied the parishioner, “The third preacher preached as though he didn’t want us to go there.”

A striking illustration in Scripture of how the realization and hope of God’s goodness brings repentance is found in the story of Jonah. Jonah ran away from God’s command to preach against Nineveh, was swallowed by a fish, coughed up on shore and then decided to obey God and go to Nineveh and preach against it.

“And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” (Jonah 3:4)

Where is the grace in this preaching? Jonah says in 40 days you will be toast, no ifs, ands or buts. But how did Nineveh respond?

“So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. And [the king proclaimed], Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.” (Jonah 3:5,7-8)

Now what made the people of Nineveh think that all this would change anything about Jonah’s prophetic preaching? This is what they thought.

“Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?” (Jonah 3:9)

Even though there is no record of grace in Jonah’s preaching, the people of Nineveh dared to believe that God was merciful and compassionate and they responded accordingly with this result.

“And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.” (Jonah 3:10)

It is a remarkable thing that the people of Nineveh responded with an expectation of God’s mercy, but many today who name the name of Christ think hard thoughts against God.

So what does this have to do with a Family Legacy? Much every way. The point is not to give license to ministers to preach graceless sermons, but rather to encourage all of us to see God’s grace and goodness in everything.

“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;” (Deuteronomy 7:9)

God is the God of Family Legacies to 1000 generations. Embrace it, labor for it and dare to believe that God will bless you with it.