A.) A Good Man

1.) Good: good; appropriate; becoming; morally good.

2.) This is the good, moral, righteous man mentioned in the previous verse.

a.) Evil follows the sinner… the immoral man.

b.) But GOOD follows the righteous man… and he is repaid for his good.

c.) Prov. 11:31 – often times he is paid off in this life—in the earth.
• The good man is a hard worker… and his hard work pays off.
• The good man is a diligent student… and his studies pay off.
• The good man does things right—and thus is not investigated by the police and does not have his property repossessed… it pays off.

d.) Psalm 23:6 – Here the psalmist says, “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

3.) The good man, who works hard, studies hard, does his best, practices the famous Protestant work ethic, is fair, honest, ethical, and upright in all he does NORMALLY does well.

a.) If he’s a business owner, that man’s business should do well.

b.) If he works for a company, that man will advance in the company.

4.) If he honors God with his life, he can expect God’s blessings in his life.

a.) Prov. 10:6 – Blessings are upon the head of the just…

b.) The godliness, honesty, uprightness, and integrity of this good man manifest themselves in diligence, hard work, high standards, and faithfulness in the workplace.

c.) That usually translates into doing well… prosperity… there is usually a monetary reward for that kind of a life.

d.) There are exceptions… often the wicked do well in the world and the righteous suffer… but those issues are not under discussion in this proverb.

e.) The good man does well…

5.) And when his life is over, his goodness… integrity… and uprightness keep on manifesting themselves.

a.) At the end of his life, he has something to show for all his labor.

b.) He was a good man. He didn’t blow all his money at the race track… or on drinking. Thus, he has set aside a little nest egg.

c.) He was a good man. He didn’t spend his money foolishly, but spend it wisely and frugally. Thus, it’s not all gone… he had a savings.

d.) Prov. 21:17 – he didn’t live beyond his means…

e.) He was a good man. And when the end of his days came, he had gathered a savings of some value.

f.) Prov. 12:27 – this man was wise—and counted as precious all the physical blessings God entrusted to him. He wasted nothing.

B.) Leaves an Inheritance to His Children’s Children

1.) Solomon states that this is what a GOOD man does.

a.) He leaves an inheritance to his children… so they will have something to leave to their children.

b.) His children and grandchildren benefit from his goodness… from his hard work… frugal living… wise investments…

c.) This isn’t worldliness or materialism. This is what a GOOD man does.

2.) Good men leave their inheritance to their children.

a.) It doesn’t say to leave your inheritance to the Temple or the church… or to science… or to a favorite charity… but to your children.

b.) I have received many solicitations from Christian organizations attempting to get me to leave my earthly goods to their organization…

c.) It is a great way to increase revenue.

d.) But could you imagine how WEALTHY the churches would be if everyone left their inheritance to the church?

e.) I don’t think God WANTS the church to be that wealthy. It didn’t do Laodicea much good.

f.) Matt. 23:14 – the Jewish wolves used to prey on widows in hopes of devouring their homes when they died… leaving it to them.

g.) Many charlatan evangelists do the same thing today—and it is equally despicable! God hated it—and rebuked the Pharisees for doing so.

h.) You may want to leave a portion of your inheritance to the Lord’s work… or to a charity… but the BULK of it ought to go to your children!

i.) There is nothing unspiritual or selfish about leaving your earthly goods to your children.

3.) Again, this statement is NOT universal. It is a proverb. It doesn’t cover every situation.

a.) Some good men have no children to leave an inheritance to.

b.) And there are many good men who are poor—and have nothing to leave to their children… nothing earthly, that is.
• Ecc. 7:11 – wisdom is one of the best possible inheritances to leave behind to your children—the example of a life lived in the wisdom of God.
• Far greater than gold that perisheth is it for a father to leave his children an inheritance of a righteous example… of godliness… mercy… compassion…Christlikeness… charity…
• That is leaving behind is a true fortune… true riches…
• Whether you leave earthly goods behind or not—be sure you leave this behind in your portfolio… a godly heritage…
• One man may leave behind a valuable family heirloom: perhaps an antique grandfather clock… or a valuable picture… or a bed George Washington slept in. For years to come your children and grandchildren will remember you by that clock or bed…
• But far more important is it for them to remember grandpa as a man who loved the Lord… who read his Bible every day… and prayed for them every day… and was seen in the Lord’s House every Lord’s day. That’s a priceless inheritance to leave behind!