Daily Devotional For Sunday, August 18, 2024

Today is Super Sunday — let’s celebrate and worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. We are making our way through the best and most memorable sermon ever — Jesus’ Sermon On The Mount. It is found in Matthew 5,6, & 7. We are specifically looking at the Beatitudes and today we come to Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth” (NASB). I would imagine that those hearing these words of Jesus would have been in shock and even questioned His reasoning on this one. 

Why? Ever since the collapse of the Davidic dynasty due to Israel’s disobedience, in 722 BC they were conquered by Assyria. Then Assyria was conquered by Babylon, which took 3 major campaigns to conquer Israel and Judah starting in 609 BC, then 598 BC and then 586 BC. Each time thousands of Jews were rounded up and forced to walk as prisoners to be slave laborers to Babylon. Then in 539 BC, Persia conquered Babylon. Then in 537 BC, Persia allowed Jews to return home and even the king of Persia helped rebuild the Temple destroyed by Babylon. He gave money to do it. 

And then in 334 BC Persia was conquered by Greece and Alexander the Great. This is one reason Israel and Judah had to learn Greek. And then in 146 BC, Greece was conquered by Rome. Each time one country conquered another, they got possession of the conquered country. So, each time, starting in 722 all the way down to 146 BC, Israel and Judah were the slaves to different countries. Around 167 BC, a group of Jews led by brothers from the Maccabean family obtained freedom for Israel. It was a bloody war with Israel gaining her freedom in 137 BC until 37 BC. In 37 BC, 100 years of freedom. Rome conquered and enslaved Israel and Judah again. 

I share all of this so that you get the picture. When Jesus said this, they were an occupied and conquered nation. How in the world could they inherit anything but more Jewish deaths, enslavement and taxes to Rome. Some hearing this might have silently laughed at Jesus. They might have thought, “inherit the earth? Are you kidding me Jesus? This isn’t funny and there is no way that will ever happen until God’s Messiah comes. When he comes, he will defeat Rome and Israel will be united and the superpower of the world. Unless you know something we don’t, please don’t tease us with false hopes.”

All Jews in Israel lived for the day to see the Messiah. To them, the Messiah would be political and military, not spiritual. If you remember in Jesus' birth narrative, a priest by the name of Simon was promised by God that he would personally get to meet and see the Messiah. Look at Luke 2:26, "And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (i.e. Messiah)” (NASB). As Jews waited in hope, their anticipation grew to form different Jewish sub-groups to join the Messiah in throwing off the yoke of Rome. One such group were the Zealots — as their name implies — they were overflowing with the zeal to kill Romans. Though small in number, they had the support of the Jewish people. 

The main reason the Jews rejected Jesus as Messiah is because He did not fit their expectations, hopes and beliefs for a Messiah. And when Jesus was crucified, He was considered cursed by God. Look at Deuteronomy 21:22-23, “If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, (23) his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance” (NASB). Crosses were made from trees. 

So, with this context and background, let’s start breaking down this Beatitude into its individual parts. Jesus said in Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the gentle . . .” (NASB). The word translated as “gentle” is the Greek New Testament word [πραύ̈ς, praos] which means “soft or mild.” This word was used in the 1st century to refer to a soothing breeze or medicine. 

It was also used to refer to animals whose wild spirit was broken by a trainer so that they were useful for work. When used of people, it referred to a gentle spirit, meek, humble, submissive, quiet, and tender-hearted. This word was used to describe Jesus on His triumphant entry in Matthew 21:5, ““Say to the daughter of Zion,‘Behold your King is coming to you, Gentle [πραύ̈ς, praos], and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden’” (NASB). The Apostle Paul used this word in 2 Corinthians 10:1 to refer to his own attitude — “Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness [πραύ̈ς, praos] and gentleness of Christ—I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent!” (NASB). 

Now to help us understand the difference between “being poor in spirit” and “meekness,” pastor and author John MacArthur helps us with this:

“The essential difference between being poor in spirit and being meek, or gentle, may be that poverty in spirit focuses on our sinfulness, whereas meekness focuses on God’s holiness. The basic attitude of humility underlies both virtues. When we look honestly at ourselves, we are made humble by seeing how sinful and unworthy we are; when we look at God, we are made humble by seeing how righteous and worthy He is.” 

We again can see logical sequence and progression in the Beatitudes. Poverty of spirit (the first) is negative, and results in mourning (the second). Meekness (the third) is positive, and results in seeking righteousness (the fourth). Being poor in spirit causes us to turn away from ourselves in mourning, and meekness causes us to turn toward God in seeking His righteousness.”

The blessings of the Beatitudes are for those who are realistic about their sinfulness, who are repentant of their sins, and who are responsive to God in His righteousness. Those who are unblessed, unhappy, and shut out of the kingdom are the proud, the arrogant, the unrepentant—the self-sufficient and self-righteous who see in themselves no unworthiness and feel no need for God’s help and God’s righteousness.” 

Most of Jesus’ hearers, like fallen men throughout history, were concerned about justifying their own ways, defending their own rights, and serving their own ends. The way of meekness was not their way, and therefore the true kingdom was not their kingdom. The proud Pharisees wanted a miraculous kingdom, the proud Sadducees wanted a materialistic kingdom, the proud Essenes wanted a monastic kingdom, and the proud Zealots wanted a military kingdom. The humble Jesus offered a meek kingdom” (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 170).

Whether we realize it or not, whether we like it or not, whether we accept it or not, meekness has always been God’s way. Look at the following verses:

• Job 5:11, “So that He sets on high those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to safety” (NASB).
• Numbers 12:3, Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth” (NASB).
• Psalm 25:9, “He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way” (NASB).
• Ephesians 4:1-2, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called (2) with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love” (NASB).
• Colossians 3:12, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (NASB).
• Titus 3:1-2, Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.

Contrary to popular misunderstanding, meekness does not equal weakness. Meekness refers to power under control. A person without meekness, is the fulfillment of the passages:

• Proverbs 25:28, “Like a city that is broken into and without walls, is a man who has no control over his spirit” (NASB).
• Proverbs 16:32, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city” (NASB),

A horse that has not been broken cannot be ridden. Medicine that is not soothing is difficult to swallow. Wind that is too strong destroys and tears down and up. Emotion that is out of control makes a disciple of Jesus useless in His kingdom. Meekness uses its resources wisely. Maybe that is why it is a Fruit of the Holy Spirit according to Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness [πραύ̈ς, praos], self-control; against such things there is no law” (NASB), Notice how gentleness and self-control are Fruits of the Spirit and one follows the other. Why? Power out of control is ungodly and dangerous. Power in control is godly and life-saving. 

This is why meekness is the opposite of violence, vengeance and revenge. The person who is meek has died to self and lives by self-denial. They do not worry or fret or seek compensation for being injured, ridiculed, mocked, imprisoned for the Gospel, abuse, personal possessions stolen or seized (see Heb. 10:24),  or insult. In the words of pastor and author John MacArthur:

“The meek person does not defend himself, first of all because that is His Lord’s command and example, and second because he knows that he does not deserve defending. Being poor in spirit and having mourned over his great sinfulness, the gentle person stands humbly before God, knowing he has nothing to commend himself.

Meekness is not cowardice or emotional flabbiness. It is not lack of conviction nor mere human niceness. But its courage, its strength, its conviction, and its pleasantness come from God, not from self. The spirit of meekness is the spirit of Christ, who defended the glory of His Father, but gave Himself in sacrifice for others. Leaving an example for us to follow, He “committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Pet. 2:21–23)” — (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 171).

Look at the power Jesus controlled when He went through 6 illegal trials, was scourged, mocked, and crucified. That is meekness — power under control but as I said, meekness is not weakness. For example, look at Jesus cleansing the Temple overturning the money changers’ tables. Jesus cleansed the Temple twice: when He first started His ministry and then in His last week of ministry. He pronounced judgment on the religious leaders for their abuse and at no time did He show any fear or hesitancy. 

If you want other biblical examples to understand meekness, read:

• Genesis 13:5-8 where Abraham let Lot choose the land he wanted even though God had promised all the land to Abraham and his direct descendants, which did not include Lot.
• Genesis 45:2 and Genesis 50:19-20, where Joseph in a position of power chose to forgive his brothers and see God’s hand in getting him to Egypt. 
• Exodus 3:11, Exodus 4:10, and Numbers 12:3, where Moses is called humble. This comes after he killed an Egyptian and then stood up to the powerful Pharaoh. Then after humbly giving God reasons why he of all people did not qualify as to be the one chosen to lead the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt by standing up to Pharaoh.
• 1 Samuel 24:5-6, where David, the now anointed next king over Israel, refused to kill Saul to take the throne. 
• 2 Chronicles 26-4-5, where King Uzziah started out well but let pride go to his heart and head. As a result, God inflicted him with leprosy. 
• Philippians 4:13 where Paul, the most educated of all the Apostles, did not put any stock in his education as a bragging post over the other disciples. In meekness he knew where his strength came from and it was not his education. 
• 1 Timothy 1:15, where Paul, living in one of the most sinful cultures of his day — Rome — and around very sinful, vile and evil people called himself “the chief of all sinners.”

Questions To Consider

1. When you think of meekness or gentleness, what usually comes to your mind and why?
2. Having read the background to how Israel and Judah were conquered over and over, in what ways does this help you understand their false or misunderstanding about a future Messiah? Just like them, what have you either learned, or assumed or were taught about Jesus and meekness, that you now have had to change your mind?
3. New Testament scholar Bruce B. Barton has taken the Beatitudes and to help us understand them better, has written their opposites which he calls “The Unbeatitudes.” For Matthew 5:5, he writes the opposite this way: “Wretched are the self-centered, for they will be empty” (Source: Bruce B. Barton, The Life Application Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 76). In which areas of your life are you self-centered and why? If you were to do what Jesus says in Matthew 5:5, what difference do you think it would make in your life and why?
4. As you saw with examples, meekness does not equal weakness. Meekness is power under control. In which areas of your life do you need meekness the most and why?
5. Read the examples from the Bible above about specific biblical characters who modeled meekness and what does this teach you and how can you apply this to your own life?

Scripture To Meditate On: Isaiah 29:19, “The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel” (ESV).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, I’m not sure You would describe me as being meek. I can be selfish, self-centered, and sometimes I lose control over my anger and temper. Please help produce the Fruit of the Spirit of “meekness” or “gentleness” and self-control in my life so that I bring You glory and others to Christ. I love You Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside!—Pastor Kelly