A Gentle Life a Key to Happiness

“Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”

One commentator looks at the Beatitudes as the Bible’s handbook to happiness. In order for that to be true, we may have to change our definition of happiness. “From the street child to the philosophy professor, everybody wants to find happiness.”[1] There are several answers to the question, “what is happiness?” It may be equality, but George Orwell debunked that theory if we have ever read Animal Farm. On the farm, all of them believed they were equal. The animals believed from the declaration of equality, they would all be happy. Reality set into the farm, and they were not happy. The animals learned they were equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

Maybe the answer to happiness is prosperity. If equality is not the answer, then maybe a large bank account is the answer. After all, The Great American Dream consists of large bank accounts, exclusive addresses, and all the rest of the good things money can buy. How many people appear to have everything they could ever desire but yet they lament and whimper to themselves, “I am discontented. I want something I do not have. There must be more to life than having everything.”

Maybe happiness is a good marriage and a satisfying family life. Many people know the family that appears to be the perfect family and, by all appearances, has everything; the kids do well and are a model family. By the world’s standards, everything appears to be perfect, but there is no real happiness. How many have seemingly perfect marriages that have ended in divorce? Divorce in the later years of life is becoming more common. One couple recently ended their marriage after nearly 60 years. A cousin recently ended their marriage after 53 years.

Those who only have a casual understanding of God may be surprised to learn that God is interested in our happiness. Matthew’s following verses relate to our relationship with God and point out that God is concerned about our happiness. The Sermon on the Mount may easily be considered a handbook on happiness. Jesus signals God’s interest in our well-being from the beginning. We will look a little more closely at one of the beatitudes that affect our happiness.

“Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.” Some of the translations use gentle, and others use meek; others may use humble. We probably are more familiar with the version that uses the word “meek.” Although if we look at what we commonly term as “Fruits of the Spirit,” we find being gentle and coming from a word study, it carries the same idea as being meek. It is one of those attributes of following Jesus and wanting to live in close harmony with Him. Having a gentle character is nothing new. In other words, Jesus was not introducing a new concept to His listeners. The psalmist referred to the attitude of gentleness or meekness many years before Jesus spoke on this hillside.

A little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look for them, they will not be found.

But the meek will inherit the land

and enjoy great peace (Psalm 37:10).

We have another problem; the idea of being meek for many of us suggests we are weak. Do not confuse this with weakness. Many would prefer to skip over this particular beatitude. We can not allow ourselves to have that attitude. We tend to hold weakness in contempt because we would hold the perceived idea of weakness does not sit well with us because of that disdain we have for personal weakness.

Some of the humblest leaders in history were known for their humility, especially in times of great distress. Let us take Moses as an example, “(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)” (NASB Nu 12.3). Even though he was a very humble man, he was also a courageous man and a strong leader despite his flaws. When you think of gentleness, humility, or meekness as being weak, consider Moses. He was a man among men; he did flee after he killed an Egyptian taskmaster. When Moses discovered his people turning from God to idol-worship at the foot of the Mountain as the Law was being given out of indignation, he broke the stone tablets, destroyed the golden calf, burnt it mixed the ashes with water, and made the people drink it to convict them of the bitterness of their attitude. Looking at Moses’ example, you can not believe him to be weak or easily pushed around. “Aristotle is some help here. He defined every virtue as the midpoint between extremes. In this case, meekness is the mean between excessive anger and absence of anger. A meek person reacts, then, with emotion appropriate to the occasion. He exercises self-control, and self-control implies strength. So we might say, “Blessed are the meek, for they have the strength to be humble.” Jesus defined this at His trial as the guards were beating Him and abusing Him. This is the sense in which Jesus referred to himself as “gentle and humble [meek] in heart” (Matthew 11:23). See Him before Pilate, receiving those slaps on His face, the spittle running down His cheeks, the cruel mockery assaulting His character—without uttering a word or making a move in His defense. See Him on the cross, breathing out His final word, “It is finished.” There is only one conclusion: meekness is born of strength.”[2]

The earlier quote from The Psalms was preceded by the following verses:

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when men succeed in their ways,

when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;

do not fret—it leads only to evil.

For evil men will be cut off,

but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land (Ps 37.7-9).

See, here is the problem, we at times missing the promise that goes with the blessing. “For they shall inherit the earth.” In the Abrahamic covenant (Ge 12.7; 22.17), there was the promised land. In Matthew 5.3, the poor in spirit were promised the kingdom of heaven, present tense. In our verse for today, it is future tense. There is Jewish tradition relating to the end of times; with God reigning over all the nations, it is a time of renewal. As we see God’s plan unfold, we see a broader plan, as it echoes the prophet, Isaiah. “Instead of your shame, you will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation, they will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land. Everlasting joy will be theirs. (NASB Is 61.7). The writer of the book of Hebrews talks of something to come in the future, a Sabbath rest. After journeying, we are looking for our inheritance; it is seen in our Sabbath rest. We receive this by the gracious gift of God. The gift was given to us by Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. We remember that when we partake of the Lord’s Supper in a few minutes…

[1] Lawson, L. (1986). Matthew: Unlocking the Scriptures for You (p. 47). Cincinnati, OH: Standard.

[2] Lawson, L. (1986). Matthew: Unlocking the Scriptures for You (p. 53). Cincinnati, OH: Standard.