Matthew 5:5
"Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth."
Jesus said in His Sermon on the
Mount, in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Our Father is to get the
glory for the way His disciples live. And so in our meekness we must glorify
God. But how is that possible? How does meekness – becoming and being meek –
glorify God?
A text that is very similar to
the third beatitude is found in Psalm 37. Verse 11 says, “But the meek shall
inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” But
earlier in the psalm David says, “But those who wait on the Lord, They shall
inherit the earth.” Notice the similarities. Both inherit the earth. A logical
conclusion is that the meek are people that wait for the Lord. But what does
that mean?
Verses 5-8 of Psalm 37 explain
this:
5 “Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
7 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 brings wicked schemes to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.”
So in summary the meek trust in
God (vs 5b); they commit their way to Him (vs 5a); they are quiet before God
and wait for him (vs 7a); and finally they don’t fret over the wicked (vs 7b).
So it starts with trust. It
starts with the belief that God will work for you and vindicate you. Next commit
your way to God. He is trustworthy so pile your problems on Him. Next wait
patiently for the work of God in your life. Know that God is omnipotent, that
He has everything under control and that he works all things for your benefit.
Finally don’t fret yourself over the seemingly prosperous wicked. Refrain from
anger (vs 8).
It is clear from this that
meekness is deeply dependent on God. It involves trust in Him, a committal to
Him, patience for Him, and a dependence on Him.
To find out more about meekness
see James 1:19-21:
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
James pictures a man who
is slow to speak and quick to listen. He recognises the limitations of his
knowledge and is thus eager to learn more. That’s meekness. Meekness is having
an open mind to teaching.
Meekness is also slow to anger
(vs 19). We must be slow to condemn someone. Be willing to listen to the
reasons for a person’s opinion. Be willing to give reasons for your opinions.
That’s meekness.
As a whole, meekness begins
when we put our trust in God. Then, because we trust Him, we commit our way to
Him. We pile onto Him our anxieties, frustrations, our plans, relationships,
our jobs, and our health. And then we wait patiently for the Lord. We trust His
timing, power and grace to work things out in the best way for His glory and
for our good. We also don’t give way to anger. We become reasonable and open to
correction. Meekness loves to learn more.
Meekness begins with God and
ends with Him. Meekness glorifies God.
Now meekness is hard. It
contradicts the very fibre and natural inclinations of our being. So God gives
us a promise to give us strength to persevere in meekness. The meek shall
inherit the earth. All things are yours.
Meekness is beautiful. But
it’s hard. It requires supernatural help. That help is available. God has
already begun to help you and will help you more. He helps you by assuring you
that we are heirs of Christ and the world is ours.
“He who did not spare His own
Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely
give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). All things! Nothing shall be withheld from
us.
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