Heritage
Author: Pastor Thomas G. Wilson
May 04, 2020
Isaiah 54:14-17 KJV 14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. 15 Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. 16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. 17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lorid.
Our focus today is on verse 17 of Isaiah 54. Heritage is commonly viewed from a cultural standpoint with emphasis on certain values and traditions being passed down through generations. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines “Heritage” as “Inheritance; an estate that passes from an ancestor to an heir by descent or course of law; that which is inherited. In Scot's law, it sometimes signifies immovable estate, in distinction from movable.”
In the case of the servants of the Lord, our heritage does not consist of money or property but is a shared bond and status. The servants of the Lord inherit righteousness from God. The Hebrew word for righteousness means “moral rightness, virtue, justice, rectitude, truthfulness, salvation, and ethically right.”Therefore, when the servants of the Lord stand before the Judge of all the Earth, we have been prejudged truthful, saved, vindicated, just, virtuous and right (morally and ethically). This rightness which is a gift of God’s favor entitles His servants to certain privileges: fear, terror and oppression shall not come near…the Creator’s promise that wicked entities purposed to come against us shall fall…no weapon formed against us shall prosper and every critical evil, vindictive tongue that shall rise up against us in judgment we shall condemn. How is it that any tongue could think to condemn what God Almighty has judged right, truthful and virtuous? This heritage is “immovable”,meaning it cannot be taken or corrupted. It is an eternal inheritance! Remembering our spiritual heritage develops in each of us an understanding and respect for our elevated current status as well as our royal eternal destiny.
For further reading: 1 Peter 1:3-5; Hebrews 9:14-15; Col.3:24
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