Proverbs 29:21. Whoever pampers his servant from childhood will in the end find him his heir.
We all know that in ancient times people had slaves or servants that lived and worked for them in their homes and in their fields. Slavery seems to be a fact of life from the beginning of time. And though it is true that God did not outright condemn slavery, he did put into place all kinds of laws that, if obeyed, would always lead to a slave’s freedom. That is, unless that slave didn’t want to go free. Unlike slavery in America, rooted in racism and oppression, slavery in the Old Testament often found both the master and slave loving each other to the point of a family bond being formed.
That’s what today’s proverb is describing. Sometimes a young servant would be so loved (our proverb says pampered) by their maser that they would be treated like their own child. And sometimes that servant would even be adopted by their master becoming their son or daughter and even their heir. We can see an example of this in Genesis with Abraham and his servant Eliezer. As Abraham and Sarah remain childless into their old age, Abraham wonders out loud of Eliezer will be his family heir and God’s covenant child.
Going from slave to heir is quite the social leap. Rags to riches. Shame to honor. From being owned to owning it all. From no status to seniority. From wretched to respected. From a nobody to a somebody. From having nothing, to having everything.
What this proverb is describing is exactly what happens to us in Christ. Before we receive Christ into our hearts we are all servants of God, but not his heirs. Without Christ, honestly, we are all pretty lousy servants. Rebellious. Runaways. Because of the sin in our hearts we try to serve ourselves instead of God. But union with Christ doesn’t just make us better servants. It makes us sons and daughters of God like Jesus himself. Here’s how Paul describes our upward mobility in Christ in Galatians:
Galatians 4:4-7. 4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
As God’s only begotten son, Jesus is the heir of God. He deserves all God’s treasure, all God’s wealth, all God’s status and honor. But Jesus doesn’t just give us a piece of his inheritance, he shares it all with us. In fact, he IS our inheritance. If you have Christ, you have all that is his in God.
Christian, you are no longer a slave, but a son. An heir. A co-heir with Christ. How are you spending your inheritance? Are you living like a spiritual prince or a spiritual pauper? You have access to the unsearchable riches of Christ every day.
Spend wisely.
You: Are you able to see yourself as a co-heir with Christ? What makes this difficult at times?
You in Christ: What is the difference between a slave’s mindset and a child/heir’s mindset? Which have you been living from?
Christ in you: What might spending your infinite inheritance in Christ look like today?
Pray: Jesus, you have shared all that you are and all that you have with me. Help me to share it all with the world. Amen.
To Live is Christ 