Internal Adornment (Part 3)

We continue our series in the Beatitudes. This is week 3 with the blogging series.

In recent weeks, we studied God’s desire for internal righteousness (Matthew 5:20). And then, we studied the 1^st piece of internal adornment: mourning. Today, we consider the 2^nd piece of internal adornment: humility. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

This word for “meek” means “mild, soft or humble.” The meek do not make room for boasting. The meek do not assert their own way or agenda over others. The meek do not get defensive. The meek do not pity themselves. The meek welcome correction and teaching. The meek do not justify sinful decisions. The meek is quick to admit wrong. The meek do not minimize personal sins and maximize the sins of others. The meek do not see themselves as better than anyone or everyone else. The meek surround themselves with the wisdom of others.

With the Jews expecting political and military deliverance from Rome, Jesus’ admonition to be humble shocked and bothered His audience. Jesus told his contemporary audience, “Your rights are not an issue. Show allegiance to the king. Be humble.”

If you are humble, you will be “blessed”. How?

Jesus says that you “shall inherit the earth.” Sounds good, right? But, how can one acquire the earth? Doesn’t it belong to God? Even Satan has authority in the earth. Does my humility somehow supersede his reign? What can this possibly mean? This is probably an allusion to Psalm 37:10-11 when the psalmist writes, “In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves IN ABUNDANT PEACE.” Inheriting the earth refers to one who has found complete satisfaction and contentment in the world.

The “earth” would be one of the largest measurable realities for the audience Jesus was speaking to; it’s like Jesus is saying, “What you gain when you die to self is of far greater value than anything else. There is nothing compared to what you gain by serving others.” Paul put it this way – “… as having nothing, yet possessing everything” (II Corinthians 6:10). To “inherit the earth” is to be content, and that is a privilege granted to the humble.