W e hear the word “legacy” used a lot in sports. Penn State is often referred to as “Linebacker U.” Dynasties like the UCLA men’s basketball team, the Boston Celtics, and the New York Yankees passed on a legacy of winning that has lasted multiple generations.
We all leave a legacy, and the great thing is that we each have a choice as to what kind we leave. For example, my biological father apparently wanted little to do with my mother after she became pregnant with me. I don’t know him and have never met him. The man who adopted me—and thus became my father—loved me and raised me.
I now have two children, and I also have a choice in the legacy I leave for them. I can choose the legacy of abandonment (like my biological father), or I can choose the legacy of love, responsibility and fatherhood (like my adoptive father). I chose to love and raise my children. That’s my legacy.
Throughout Scripture we see two distinct kinds of legacies—those that honor God and those that dishonor Him. Gideon, summoned by God to lead the downcast nation of Israel to victory over the Midianites, had a difficult decision. His father, Joash, worshipped the false god Baal and erected an altar that was leading many people astray. But God intervened in Gideon’s life and asked him to cut down this altar.
So, which Father would Gideon obey? He could follow his Heavenly Father God, obey Him, and begin the process of setting a God-ordained legacy that would faithfully lead his nation. Or he could follow the footsteps of family and cultural pressure to worship a false god and lead his nation into the gutter. As we read in Judges 6, Gideon was reluctant and hesitant, but he finally did cut down the altar of Baal and chose to honor his Heavenly Father.
In sports, players or coaches talk often about meeting the standard (or legacy) of heroes from the past. It’s easy to talk, but it’s far tougher to actually follow in the footsteps of those legends. Similarly, in life it’s easy to talk about leaving a godly legacy, but it’s exponentially tougher to pay the price of choosing that God-inspired trajectory.
Let’s go back to Gideon’s story. Although he chose God’s way for him and his nation, which led to a remarkable comeback for Israel, his lack of consistent godly choices eventually sent the nation spiraling right back to its own troubles. Gideon lowered the bar of excellence through materialistic greed for lucrative golden earrings collected after the victory over their enemies. In Judges 8:27, what appears to be a harmless picture of Gideon and his family enjoying their wealth eventually turns into a snare of sin. With Israel relishing the fruits of victory, the ungodly trap triggered by Gideon’s decision would eventually destroy the legacy.
Judges 8:33-35 (ESV) serves as the final “punch line” for a great legacy gone bad.
“As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. And the people of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, and they did not show love to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel.”
In other words, just because we come from a great legacy or, like Gideon, we initially choose a great legacy, it does not automatically mean it will remain a great legacy. A lasting legacy is built and sustained on proper, godly choices and continual, consistent obedience to God.
For example, the formation of America was a fantastic legacy by our founding fathers. But to think that inheriting that legacy automatically gives us some kind of “blessing fund” for the future is foolish! There are many in our country today who have chosen to squeeze Jesus Christ out of the equation and instead follow false gods. It’s a vastly different time and culture but, much like Gideon, we have a choice as to the kind of legacy we will leave. We can choose to follow societal pressures towards paths that ultimately lead to despair, or we can choose to look to our Creator and follow His path. It’s fine to be “proud to be an American,” but our legacy has almost nothing to do with where we are from and everything to do with the continual, consistent choices we make regarding our commitment to Jesus. It falls on the shoulders of every true Christian.
Let’s be faithful frontrunners, followers and finishers of the only legacy that is a game changer: Jesus Christ!
Originally Published: January 2014