Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Part III

As stated in the previous two Blogs, the meek are those who have been ‘bent over by the injustice of the ungodly’. According to Matt. 5:5, it is these afflicted ones who will inherit the earth, much like Israel inherited the Promised Land.

After God delivered the Hebrew people from the slavery afflicted on them by Egypt, He told them to “go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, gives you” (Deut. 4:1). Before Israel had even entered the Promised Land, it was already theirs. God had given it to them, and they only needed to trust God in acquiring it. As Israel took their land from those who occupied it, it was always God that went before them granting them the victory.

Likewise in Matt. 5:5, the meek need only to trust that they will inherit the earth. What is there in all God’s creation that He does not possess? Even now, as the earth is occupied by those who oppress others into meekness, it is only a temporary occupation. God has already given His earth to the meek. They may be ‘bent over by the injustice of the ungodly’ now, but they will one day possess the land that is theirs.

Compare Jesus’ words in Matt. 5:5 to the verses in Psalm 37 that He is alluding to:
Psalm 37:9
For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
Psalm 37:11
But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
Psalm 37:29
The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it forever.

Language such as ‘inherit the land’, ‘abundant prosperity’, and ‘live in it forever’, is certainly speaking of more than just acreage. It is speaking about Kingdom; God’s Kingdom. Even this series of 8 Beatitudes in Matthew 5 is introduced in verse 3 and concluded in verse 10 with: “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Consider the plight of those described in the first four beatitudes: ‘poor in spirit, mournful, meek, and famished for justice’. These first four beatitudes are each a type of ‘affliction’, possibly caused or maintained by the injustice of the ungodly.
Being called meek twice (Mt. 11:29; 21:5), Jesus is identified with these first 4 beatitudes, yet He behaved in accordance with the last 4 beatitudes. He was merciful, pure, making peace between God and humanity, and was persecuted for it.

We can all make the claim that we are ‘meek’ and on the receiving end of an injustice. I’ve heard many stories, from getting an undeserved parking ticket to getting victimized out of hundreds of thousands by some fraudulent scam artist. We may very well be verses 3-6: poor in spirit, mournful, meek, and starving for justice; But we are still able to be verses 7-10: merciful, pure, peacekeepers, undoing the affliction of others even at the risk of being further afflicted. Regardless of our various ‘afflictions’, as an ethics professor of mine likes to say, “Its about what we do with what we have.” Or in the words of Jesus: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48).

Perhaps Revelation 21:1-4 better illustrates the point:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling of God is with men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’”

The hope and motivation available to those employed or supported by Christian Horizons may be rooted in the promise of God: “Blessed are the meek (those bent over by the injustice of the ungodly), for they shall inherit the earth.”

My 1.5 cents,

Jamie Hussain