Matthew 5:5
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Remember the previous beatitudes.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
These a blessings for believers.
Following the pattern of the Old Testament, those who were in the people of God were the ones who experienced the blessings of the covenant.
Here it is the same.
The pronouncement of blessing is for one group of people.
The poor in Spirit are those who mourn and likewise this week, the blessing to those who are meek.
Could be translated Gentle.
Meek is defined this way- not having or showing any feelings of superiority, self-assertiveness, or showiness.
The opposite of meek would someone who is cocky, prideful, narcissistic, self conceited and self concerned.
To be meek is to be the opposite of those.
This beatitude is actually found in the old Testament as well.
turn with me to Psalm 37
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
The humble will inherit the land.
The meek will inherit the earth.
I believe this meekness and gentleness he is referring to, is humble submission to God.
This should follow and fall right in line with the first two.
The poor in Spirit- Those who are wicked and know it
They will mourn over their sin
And when they experience the joy and grace of salvation, they will respond in humility. in gentleness toward others.
This is apart of the fruit of the Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Humility- Gentleness- Meekness
Now what does this mean, practically?
Most misunderstand meekness to mean weakness.
Thats not what it means. how do we know?
Well just take a look at the people in Scripture who were labeled “meek” or humble.
(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)
Was Moses weak?
Not at all. We see him lead the Israelites through the thick of it. He is the one who goes to Pharaoh.
He leads them through the Red Sea.
Through the wilderness.
But there was one more meek than Moses.
Jesus says of himself in Matthew 11:29
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Was Jesus weak? Was he passive?
No, he wasn’t. Look at how he dealt with the Pharisees. He was direct.
He was truthful.
But he was also kind.
Jesus was stronger than any other man who has ever lived and yet he was the meekest man who ever lived.
So if its not weakness, was is it?
John Calvin said that meek people are “persons of mild and gentle dispositions, who are not easily provoked by injuries, who are not ready to take offense, but are prepared to endure anything rather than do the like actions to wicked men.”
I believe this naturally flows from someone who knows what they deserve.
This naturally flows from a believer who understands the grace of God.
Its an attitude of dependence upon God. We know we are finite. We know we deserve worse than what we have gotten.
A meek will be quick to forgive rather than to be angry.
now look at the blessing for the meek. They will inherit the earth.
This implies leadership. It implies being blessed with abundance. Not necessarily in this life, but certainly in the next.
I think the “Inherit the earth” here means this.
God’s blessings and gifts are given to those who know they do not deserve them.
If we are believers, we should pray to be meek. Pray for God to strengthen us to be meek.