Let me ask you some questions. What comes to mind when you think of Benedict Arnold? Is “traitor” your first thought? How about Mother Teresa? Do you think of Missionaries of Charity? How about Adolf Hitler? Do you think ‘tyrant dictator who murdered millions’? What about Albert Einstein? Do you think of the one who discovered the theory of relativity?
The thoughts that came to your mind are likely the legacies of these well-known individuals. The fact is, we all create legacies. So one question we need to ask ourselves is, will my legacy be well remembered or frowned upon? The bigger question, though, is how our legacy will be viewed in heaven—as beneficial or detrimental to the building of God’s eternal kingdom.
One definition of the word legacy, according to Merriam-Webster, is “something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor.” How does the fear of God affect our posterity? To begin, let’s return to the father of faith, Abraham. On the mountain, once the angel halted him from killing Isaac with the knife, the Lord said to him:
Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants . . . and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. (Genesis 22:17 NKJV)
I’ve read these words for years and wondered why there are double references. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me, so I reached out to inquire of a rabbi, who replied:
In Jewish understanding when you have a double reference like this, it’s all about multiplying . . . and because one verb tense is present tense and the other verb tense is future tense, it’s described as one blessing on father Abraham, but God is promising that there will be blessings on his descendants. In other words, in blessing you, Abraham, I will continue to bless you through your children.
Holy fear benefits our descendants—“They will possess the gates of their enemies.” This is wonderful, and we’ll discuss it in a moment, but first there’s another truth that should be highlighted from the rabbi’s explanation. Holy fear continues to bless us through our descendants, and this is true not only in this life, but eternally.
Our forever is affected by our descendants creating greater honor and influence for us both in our near future and in the next life.
In eternity, many will possess greater honor and influence due to their descendants’ obedience in building the kingdom. Abraham is an excellent example; his eternal influence will be enhanced by his offspring— Joseph, Samuel, David, Daniel, Isaiah, and of course Jesus, just to name a few. Even now, his legacy continues. This blessing applies to all who fear God; they “will be long remembered,” and “have influence and honor” (Psalm 112:6, 9). Many think everything starts over in heaven. However, this isn’t true.
As believers, we’ve already begun to shape eternal history, for we are told, “Their good deeds will be remembered forever” (Psalm 112:9).
Now let’s turn to God’s promise that our descendants will be conquerors— “Possess the gate of their enemies.” In a more relevant vernacular, it could be stated that our offspring will not be overcome by those who despise God but instead will be successful leaders and influencers (Deuteronomy 28:13). You may think this is only for Abraham and his direct descendants. But we are told, “Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham” (Galatians 3:14). This is wonderful news!
The psalmist writes,
"How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands. Their children will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed." - Psalm 112:1–2
The word generation means “a long time,” and it references our posterity. Zechariah prophesied, “His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation” (Luke 1:50 NKJV). Not only will our immediate children be successful, but this promise encompasses generations.
At the time of this writing Lisa and I have four sons who range in age from late twenties to mid- thirties. The fears I battled when they were young centered around their lives ending early, whether they would resent their dad being on the road preaching for sometimes over 200 nights a year, or that they would resent God for calling me to this. One evening, just after ministering at a conference far from home, I realized my lack of holy fear was preventing me from relinquishing ownership of their lives to Jesus. I shouted in prayer, “Father, these four sons are not mine anymore; they now belong to Jesus. You can do whatever you desire with them, but devil, you will never touch them!” Since that day, I’ve not feared for their lives.
Soon afterward God revealed a significant truth to me through His Word. Phinehas was a grandson to Aaron the priest. He was passionate for God and the people of Israel. His strong holy fear led him to do what other believers cowered from; he boldly stood for what was right. In doing so, God said, “Now tell him that I am making my special covenant of peace with him. In this covenant, I give him and his descendants a permanent right to the priesthood” (Numbers 25:12). In essence, his descendants were promised a more intimate relationship with God due to his holy fear.
Now, years later, each of our four sons have worked at Messenger International for at least nine years. Two are published authors, they all are leaders, and most importantly, they all walk in the holy fear of God.
When our sons went wayward for short stents during their teenage years, Lisa and I cried out to the Lord for His promise to be established in our sons, and we continued to live in holy fear. We never lost faith, and neither should you. God’s promise to you who fear the Lord is that your children “will be mighty on earth” (Psalm 112:2 NKJV).
Taken from “The Awe of God: The Astonishing Way a Health Fear of God Transforms Your Life” by John Bevere. Copyright 2023 by John P. Bevere. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson Publishing. www.harpercollinschristian.com
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Tim Robberts
