Legacy
Author Dawn Wilson
www.dawnwilsonministries.org
We as believers have been given the legacy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have been
given an inheritance which was purchased for each of us at the cross.
We can build a legacy to pass on. If we build a ministry that is "all about us" at our death it
dies and is no more. If we build a legacy it will be passed on to others who will complete their
portion and pass the legacy on to the next generation.
We can also tear down or squander our legacy.
If we squander our legacy, can we bring it back? Let's answer this question with the Word of
God.
The prodigal son demanded his inheritance from his father and he squandered it with loose
living.
Luke 15:11-13 And He said, "A certain man had two sons; 12. and the younger of them said
to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' And he divided his
wealth between them. 13. "And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything
together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate
with loose living.
We can be as the prodigal son, we can demand the promises of God and then squander them
with loose living. Can our legacy be returned to us once we have squander it?
We will study a time that the kingdom of Israel squandered their inheritance.
1 Samuel 4:3-4 When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the
LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark
of the covenant of the LORD, that it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our
enemies." 4. So the people sent to Shiloh, and from there they carried the ark of the
covenant of the LORD of hosts who sits above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni
and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
1 Samuel 4:10-11 So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to
his tent, and the slaughter was very great; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers.
11. And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
Israel lost their legacy when the ark was taken, their legacy had been squandered as the ark
was captured in battle and taken by the Philistines.
The legacy of Israel was God Himself and His presence abiding with them over the mercy seat
of the ark. God had said to Israel “I will be your God and you will be my people.” God said
His presence would dwell over the mercy seat. God’s presence would come each evening
and sit down on the mercy seat over the ark. His presence, His abiding with them, He being
their God was the inheritance, the legacy of Israel.
We have been adopted into the legacy of Israel—God is our God and we our His people
through Jesus Christ our Lord. We have been predestined as His vessels in which He dwells
through the cross. Predestined means encircled. Predestination is the same as when we go
looking for houses to buy and we circle all those that have the potential of meeting our
desires. Predestination = if this house lives up to its potential I can live and dwell and do my
purposes in it. We have this inheritance in God—we are His vessels and we are to live up to
our potential for Him to live and dwell in us and do His purposes in us and through us.
The enemy is always looking for a place of weakness to attack us through and to try and
overcome us. The enemy took this opportunity and stole the legacy of Israel from them.
Israel’s mistake was they looked at the ark to deliver them and not at God. The put the
symbol of God above God Himself.
1 Samuel 4:3 When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the
LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark
of the covenant of the LORD, that it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our
enemies."
From 1 Samuel 4: 17-22 we know that Eli fell dead when he heard the news that the ark had
been taken in battle by the Philistines.
Eli’s daughter-in-law delivered a baby boy at this time and named him Ichabod, which means
the glory has departed from Israel. She says in verse 22, “The glory has departed from
Israel, for the ark of God was taken.”
Eli knew the inheritance that Israel possessed and set them apart from all other nations was
the presence of God, His anointing and His glory. It had now been squandered, stolen from
them by the Philistine army.
Exodus 25:21-22 "And you shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall
put the testimony which I shall give to you. 22 "And there I will meet with you; and from above
the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will
speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.
Exodus 30:6 "And you shall put this altar in front of the veil that is near the ark of the
testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is over the ark of the testimony, where I will meet with
you.
Leviticus 16:2 And the LORD said to Moses, "Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter
at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest
he die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.
1 Samuel 5:1-4 Now the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to
Ashdod. 2. Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the house of Dagon,
and set it by Dagon. 3. When the Ashdodites arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon
had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set
him in his place again. 4. But when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had
fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. And the head of Dagon and both
the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.
God who always keeps His word came down each evening and sat down on the mercy seat of
the ark to meet with Israel. When God’s presence sat down on the mercy seat, dagon fell
before Him the first evening. The Philistines set dagon back in his place. God came again as
He had promised and sat down on the mercy seat. Dagon fell before Him once again and was
broken to pieces. Dagon fell before the presence of the Living God.
God did not have to have Israel for Him to come and sit down on the mercy seat of the ark.
God does not have to have us. We have to have God. Israel had to have God. Ego says,
“God has to have me.”
Israel learned to live without her legacy. Israel learned to exist without the legacy. Israel
learned to live without God and without His presence.
Saul did not seek the ark to restore it to the tabernacle while he was king. 1 Samuel 7:2 tells
us that the ark was in Kiriath-jearim for twenty years. David served as king seven years
before he pursued bringing the ark back to its rightful place.
Our ark, our legacy is out there, we have to go find it, we have to pursue it.
David pursued the ark. He had the right motive and the wrong method. He did not seek and
find out how it was required by God to go and get the ark. He did not seek out God’s process
or God’s method. David wanted it the “quick way” and the “easy way.” We must seek God’s
way.
1 Chronicles 13:1-3 Then David consulted with the captains of the thousands and the
hundreds, even with every leader. 2. And David said to all the assembly of Israel, "If it seems
good to you, and if it is from the LORD our God, let us send everywhere to our kinsmen who
remain in all the land of Israel, also to the priests and Levities who are with them in their cities
with pasture lands, that they may meet with us; 3. and let us bring back the ark of our God to
us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul."
David sought out popular opinion for bringing the ark back.
1 Chronicles 13:7 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab,
and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart.
David used worldly methods to bring the ark back.
David was full of himself and who he had become. He thought that God thought of him in that
way also. “I’m the king, I’m the anointed of God.” David had on his kingly robes as he brought
the ark up on the cart. He celebrated before God as king of Israel. David thought that he was
something and God also honored him as special.
God was going to require David to go back and find out what God had to say. David was
going to be stripped of “who God had made him” so that God could be seen.
1 Chronicles 13: 9-11 When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his
hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly upset it. 10. And the anger of the LORD
burned against Uzza, so He struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark; and he
died there before God. 11. Then David became angry because of the LORD'S outburst
against Uzza; and he called that place Perez-uzza to this day.
Uzza thought it was his job to “protect God.” We are not called to prop God up. He will
defend and care for Himself. This was thinking that said “God needs me.” “I can compromise
God’s truth and God’s methods because He needs me.” We are to declare God and who He
is, we are not to waste time proving He exists. We are not called to protect God, His claims of
who He is or His word. We are commanded to declare Him.
David was angry with God. He was not angry with God because Uzza died, David was angry
because he was embarrassed. We expect God to line up with our plans just as David did.
When he doesn’t we get angry because we are embarrassed.
David was finding out that even though God had made him king, God did not honor him as
special. David’s pride had to die. David was going to learn godly reverence and godly fear of
the Lord.
David comes once again to bring the ark of the Lord back. This time he has the right motive
and the right method.
David pitched a tent for a dwelling place for the ark of the covenant. 1 Chronicles 15:1
The ark was carried up on the shoulders of the priests. 1 Chronicles 15: 2, 26
He did not forget the sacrifice that was necessary. He made a sacrifice before God every six
steps. 2 Samuel 6: 13
David wore an ephod. This ephod is often taught as being a priestly garment. The ephod
that David wore was what children wear as an undergarment. That is why Michal despised
him in her heart. Not because he danced as a priest before the people. No, she despised
him because he had laid aside his kingly robes and danced as a child.
David had stripped himself of who God had made him. David had stripped himself of pride.
This first time he came in his royal robes as king, this time he came as a child in an ephod as
he danced and worshipped before God.
Just as David had to humble himself so also the Prodigal son had to humble himself and
return home to his father to receive his legacy back.
There are no short cuts for receiving our legacy back once we have lost or squandered it. We
must do it God’s way and with God’s methods to bring back the legacy once again.
Author: Dawn Wilson
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