“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (Mt 5:5)
This is the most difficult beatitude blessing for me to understand. First of all, who says meek anymore? I don’t think it just means humble, as one translation puts it. I’ve also heard gentle as a synonym. I actually like the description from The Message of being “content with just who you are – no more, no less.” It’s contentment with yourself not just from your own doing, but by God’s design. By His creation of you.
Meek… contented… humble… gentle… these get to a quality of inner satisfaction where the wrestling is over. Accepting God’s design of yourself, content with His leading of you and His Sovereignty over all brings you to a place of rest. Meek is not weak. It is a strong, unshakeable rest. Confident, patient rest. The meek wait on God however long they need to in quality quiet.
Understanding meek as an inner strength, how does it lead to inheriting the earth?
First of all, it seems to me that earth and world are different in God’s Word. The meek inherit the earth, not the world. Earth means a place. World usually refers to people and their ways.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” (Psalm 24:1)
Genesis 1 and Job 38-39 are two scriptural descriptions of God’s designer Earth. It’s unique. It’s His. It belongs to God and is to be inherited by the meek.
How does this happen? It happens one person at a time.
As God moves people to give their lives to Him, that piece of earth where they actually live is now for God’s glory and His Kingdom rule. The meek inherit the earth because God is given control in their lives, and in turn He gives back to them the insight, courage and Holy Spirit to make their place on earth a place that honors His family name.
Putting it all together, this is how I understand the simple verse above:
“Blessed are the contented, inner-strong, committed and meek. They are the ones who will unshakably exhibit God’s love and grace to others in their environment of daily life because all they inherited from God will equip them to make their little corner of earth His.”
Connie and I are in Kenya this week. We appreciate your prayers for us. When we return, I will describe to you the man we are currently visiting who personifies “meek”. His name is John Keshe.
Til next week,
Dan
