Inheritance - Part 5
God's Working with Inheritance

There are several biblical principals and precepts showing God's position on the inheritance given to His children

People can be inherited but this is only promised by the Lord with the guidelines of being a godly leader (ruler) over them. Whatever the Lord gives you as an inheritance He also expects you to take good care of.

Psalms 2:8
Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. KJV

Purchased bondmen and/or bondmaids are an inheritance to the child who is the heir of the estate.

Leviticus 25:43-46
43 Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God.
44 Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.
45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession.
46 And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour.

When the Lord gives an inheritance it is intended to last forever as long as the people remain righteous (if they continue to obey God’s commandments with His Heart of Love).

Psalms 37:18
The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. KJV

The Lord Himself chooses our inheritance, it is not our responsibility to choose where we desire to dwell independently from the Lord. This principle also holds true for allowing the Lord to choose your church, your physical location of where you live and your career.

Psalms 47:2-4
2 For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.
3 He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.
4 He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah. KJV

If one inherits money (property) without the wisdom of how to keep it up (how to run the business, or the farm, or how to re-invest the inherited money) it will probably depreciate in value due to a lack of maintenance or a lack of good investment (re-investment, sound business or financial decisions). Thus, the inheritance will not be blessed which means it was cursed due to the lack of knowledge. If the inheritance is given gradually (over a sustained period of time) you will learn the business with the wisdom of running a successful business to keep the business prospering. The blessing of God comes with the knowledge of God and the wisdom of God through understanding how to generate and keep financial provision. Learning how to grow money is a part of the blessing of the Lord and that is the primary reason why we should not dump an inheritance in the lap of a child (the heir) without proper instruction and guidance. Remember the example of the Prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32

Proverbs 20:21
An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed. KJV

Ecclesiastes 7:11-12
11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.
12 For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it. KJV

Inheritance may be purchased by a relative in the family so long as the property stayed with the proper tribe because the land was measured out by tribe before the Lord, not by household. The property for each family was determined by the elders of the tribes so some level of change of ownership was possible as long as it stayed within the original family within the tribe. Notice this example included his uncle (kinsman, relative) on his father’s side which made this sale of property acceptable before the laws of the land.

Jeremiah 32:6-8
6 And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
7 Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it.
8 So Hanameel mine uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD. KJV

Inheritance may be given to others if the heirs (certain people) disobey God.

Lamentations 5:1-7
1 Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach.
2 Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens.
3 We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.
4 We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold unto us.
5 Our necks are under persecution: we labour, and have no rest.
6 We have given the hand to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.
7 Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities. KJV

One should tithe on their inheritance. If cash give ten percent of the cash unto the Lord, if you inherit land give ten percent of the increase of the land unto the Lord’s church, if you inherit a business give ten percent of the profit of the business unto the Lord.

Ezekiel 45:1
Moreover, when ye shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, ye shall offer an oblation unto the LORD, an holy portion of the land: the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand. This shall be holy in all the borders thereof round about. KJV

A blessing of rain (and good weather) may be requested by the heir (the owner) of the property. Since it is all under God’s ownership we are expected to be good stewards over what the Lord has placed in our hands as an inheritance.

1 Kings 8:35,36 a blessing of rain is mentioned by King Solomon on God’s inheritance during the dedication of the Temple of God.

2 Chronicles 6:25-27 this same request is repeated for two witnesses

Psalms 68:9
Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, Thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary. ASV

The inheritance may be realized years later by great – great grandchildren

Acts 7:1-7 God promised Abraham an inheritance of the land that was more fully realized many years later.

A great name can be inherited, like the Name of Jesus was inherited. The inheritance of a well respected name will open doors of opportunity just like inheriting an unpopular name will keep certain doors closed to you, but God can still open the right doors for you to accomplish your ministry (His career for you, His Will for your life).

Hebrews 1:2-5
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? KJV

Unwise to try to shallow up an inheritance given to a tribe (or person) from the Lord

2 Samuel 20:18-20 Joab counsel to not destroy a tribe of the Lord’s inheritance referring to the people of the tribe not the physical property.