Blessed Are The Meek
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Matthew 5:5
"Blessed"
This is to be happy with an eternal mindset. It's not temporary happiness, but lifelong joy. This is to find absolute peace in your life, no matter your circumstances. To be “blessed” is to understand that you have been given grace by a Holy God. Even though we are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-3), it is God who has chosen to make us alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:4). “For by Grace are we Saved Through Faith” in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). This comprehension should bring to you much joy!
To be "blessed" is to understand and submit to the Sovereignty of God in all situations. Whether things are going well or poorly, you know that you have been blessed by the Supreme Ruler of the Universe. You surrender to His Sovereign will and you have submitted to His decree. To be “blessed” is to view yourself as nothing more than a servant of the King, and no matter the assignment given to you, you will joyfully carry it out with all hope of eternity.
As you consider “blessings” don’t think of just physical gifts that God gives to us — that is a worldly mindset. To be "blessed" is to be totally satisfied in Christ no matter your circumstances. The difference between a genuine believer in Christ and one who is just in search of “blessings” is found in the result of the search. The world is seeking the benefits of Jesus, where the true believer is pursing Christ Himself. The world calls healing a “blessing,” but will not call sickness a “blessing.” The world will call a prosperous person “blessed,” but will not understand that a poor man can be “blessed.” It is not the results of Christ that are the blessings, but it is Jesus Christ Himself. He is sufficient. He is all-satisfying. Pursue Him as a deer pants for the water (Psalm 42:1-2).
"Meekness"
This is understood to be power under control. The picture is of a wild horse who is tamed with a bit in its mouth. It's a picture of the ability to be powerful, but the wisdom to use self-control. We see this as a Godly characteristic in Colossians 3, when we study what it means to "Set Your Mind." We should be meek people. Believers should show control of themselves on this earth.
"They shall inherit the earth"
This is taken directly from Psalm 37:9,11. In Psalm 37 we get the age-old question, why do evil people prosper on this earth. I would encourage you to read this Psalm, because it is packed full of wisdom. From this Psalm we can properly set our minds to understand why ungodly people prosper on this earth and why godly people struggle on this earth.
The idea behind "inherit the land" was for the Children of Israel to hold onto the covenant made by God during times of hardship. They would tell themselves, "we can make it through these hard times, because God has promised us a land flowing with milk and honey." This mindset would help the Children of Israel remain faithful to the things of God as they watched nations find success outside of the obedience under the law of God.
We deal with the same issues today. We struggle to understand why people who don't follow Christ have more earthly success than we do. In business, we ask ourselves why are there so few actual Christians who are billionaires? The reality is that there are WAY LESS people than you think who are actually disciples of Jesus Christ. In America it has been convenient to throw a tag line of "I believe in God" as a means of success, but there is not substance most of the time. The ONLY WAY that you are truly saved in by God's Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ.
Summary of the Beatitude
Read Psalm 37:1-11 in order to gain an understanding of what it means for the believer to "dwell in the land" while the ungodly seem to prosper.
1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.
What do you find most intriguing about Psalm 37:1-11?
This is to be happy with an eternal mindset. It's not temporary happiness, but lifelong joy. This is to find absolute peace in your life, no matter your circumstances. To be “blessed” is to understand that you have been given grace by a Holy God. Even though we are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-3), it is God who has chosen to make us alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:4). “For by Grace are we Saved Through Faith” in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). This comprehension should bring to you much joy!
To be "blessed" is to understand and submit to the Sovereignty of God in all situations. Whether things are going well or poorly, you know that you have been blessed by the Supreme Ruler of the Universe. You surrender to His Sovereign will and you have submitted to His decree. To be “blessed” is to view yourself as nothing more than a servant of the King, and no matter the assignment given to you, you will joyfully carry it out with all hope of eternity.
As you consider “blessings” don’t think of just physical gifts that God gives to us — that is a worldly mindset. To be "blessed" is to be totally satisfied in Christ no matter your circumstances. The difference between a genuine believer in Christ and one who is just in search of “blessings” is found in the result of the search. The world is seeking the benefits of Jesus, where the true believer is pursing Christ Himself. The world calls healing a “blessing,” but will not call sickness a “blessing.” The world will call a prosperous person “blessed,” but will not understand that a poor man can be “blessed.” It is not the results of Christ that are the blessings, but it is Jesus Christ Himself. He is sufficient. He is all-satisfying. Pursue Him as a deer pants for the water (Psalm 42:1-2).
"Meekness"
This is understood to be power under control. The picture is of a wild horse who is tamed with a bit in its mouth. It's a picture of the ability to be powerful, but the wisdom to use self-control. We see this as a Godly characteristic in Colossians 3, when we study what it means to "Set Your Mind." We should be meek people. Believers should show control of themselves on this earth.
"They shall inherit the earth"
This is taken directly from Psalm 37:9,11. In Psalm 37 we get the age-old question, why do evil people prosper on this earth. I would encourage you to read this Psalm, because it is packed full of wisdom. From this Psalm we can properly set our minds to understand why ungodly people prosper on this earth and why godly people struggle on this earth.
The idea behind "inherit the land" was for the Children of Israel to hold onto the covenant made by God during times of hardship. They would tell themselves, "we can make it through these hard times, because God has promised us a land flowing with milk and honey." This mindset would help the Children of Israel remain faithful to the things of God as they watched nations find success outside of the obedience under the law of God.
We deal with the same issues today. We struggle to understand why people who don't follow Christ have more earthly success than we do. In business, we ask ourselves why are there so few actual Christians who are billionaires? The reality is that there are WAY LESS people than you think who are actually disciples of Jesus Christ. In America it has been convenient to throw a tag line of "I believe in God" as a means of success, but there is not substance most of the time. The ONLY WAY that you are truly saved in by God's Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ.
Summary of the Beatitude
Read Psalm 37:1-11 in order to gain an understanding of what it means for the believer to "dwell in the land" while the ungodly seem to prosper.
1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.
What do you find most intriguing about Psalm 37:1-11?
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