THE BEATITUDES (7)

TOPIC: THE BEATITUDES (7)
TEXT: MATTHEW 5:1-12
MEMORY VERSE: “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” – Matthew 5:5

“BLESSED ARE THE MEEK (GENTLE): FOR THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH.” In one of the Pastor Sam Adeyemi’s broadcasts I watched recently, he was describing the kind of temperament in humans and each and every one fails into the four temperaments he mentioned. Since Jesus knew the kind of persons we, human beings are, He had to devote His time to give us acceptable characters that pleases God and man in His Sermon on the Mount. Are you therefore impatient, domineering, or hot-tempered? Then listen as Jesus gives the third requirement for true happiness, the spiritual temperament we need to have to inherit the earth and the Kingdom.

In our world today, we attach little value to being gentle and meek. The beatitudes of the world are more like this: “Blessed are those who assert themselves, for they shall get their way”; “Blessed are those who promote themselves, for they shall be noticed”; “Blessed are the aggressive, for they shall succeed.” Nevertheless, Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek/gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Christians are to “put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12). There is a word that has largely lost its original meaning; it is “gentleman.” Today, that word is primarily used to distinguish between a male and a female, but at one time it referred to a man who was actually gentle in dealing with others. Gentleness/meekness has the element of humility. The meek to whom the inheritance is promised in Matthew 5:5 are those who acknowledge the great and gracious will of God. One sees himself as nothing and God as everything (the first beatitude). He mourns over his spiritual condition (the second beatitude), which causes him to repent and turn to God. Then his spiritual poverty and deep sorrow result in a gentle, meek, yielding spirit (the third beatitude), which accepts God’s will without question. Paul told Titus to remind Christians “to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men” (Titus 3:1, 2).

Meekness/gentleness is not a weak quality. To some people, being meek meant that a person is timid and afraid to stand up for himself, that he allowed people to mistreat him and take advantage of him. But the gentleness/meekness Jesus is talking about can be thought of as “strength under control. Meekness/gentleness is not an attitude of mind that is tolerant of anything and everything, even that which is wrong and immoral. Some people are thought of as meek and gentle because they never disagree with anyone. They go to great lengths to avoid any kind of unpleasantness. It is true that the gentleness/meekness of Matthew 5:5 implies an individual who seeks peace, but this does not mean that he is indulgent of evil. To fail to oppose sin and error is not gentleness/meekness.

Meekness is not a “natural” disposition of mind. It is true that some individuals naturally exhibit some of the characteristics of meekness and gentleness. These individuals are sometimes referred to as “mild-mannered.” This is not what Jesus had in mind, He was advocating a quality that every Christian needs to develop, whether or not s/he is “naturally inclined” to it. He was speaking of an attribute that requires divine help to develop. In Galatians 5:22, 23, Paul spoke of “the fruit of the Spirit.” Included in Paul’s list of fruit is “gentleness,” or “meekness” (v23). We become gentle/meek people in the biblical sense only as we yield ourselves to the Lord and let His Spirit work in our lives.

By tomorrow, we shall be looking at the examples of the people in Bible who have this quality and the possibility of inheriting the earth as promised by Jesus in Matthew 5:5.

“We become gentle/meek people in the biblical sense only as we yield ourselves to the Lord and let His Spirit work in our lives.”

Central Truth