Paul McKenzie

Memory Verse, Friday, January 30, Matthew 5:5

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

Meekness seems to be the least understood quality out of the Beatitudes. Teachers like to point out that it did not mean "mousy", or one without a backbone, but actually quite the opposite. Moses was known as "the meekest man on earth" during his lifetime, and if you look at him, you don't see much "mousiness", but one of the strongest leaders that ever lived.

The Amplified Version "amplifies" the verse this way: "Blessed [inwardly peaceful, spiritually secure, worthy of respect] are the gentle [the kind-hearted, the sweet-spirited, the self-controlled], for they will inherit the earth.

It also gives a cross-reference from Psalm 37:11 "But the humble will [at last] enter the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity and peace." Then verse 29 of that Psalm: "The righteous will inherit the land And live in it forever."

There were two passages which came to mind when I contemplated this verse. One was from Ephesians, which I think contains this quality in a very real way:

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for the building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (4:29-34)

I think this conveys the true meaning of the word. Moses was the meekest because he understood his place before God. We have been given the unique and blessed gift of the Holy Spirit, which should constantly be in our thoughts. We understand that "but by the grace of God" we're no different than any other sinner. And in His grace we stand, stand forgiven and reconciled.

And we have no arrogance about it. We see souls lost like we once were, and our hearts go out to them. If only they could see what we see!

The other pertained to the second half of the verse, that kind of slips by a lot of people: "they shall inherit the earth".

Coupled with some of the references given in the Amplified Bible, we see the "Land" again. This brought me back to Acts 1:6, just before Jesus ascended. Before this it says: "He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God." (1:3)

And this was their final question: "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?" Wait, what? It sounds like they are saying that He is still going to literally fulfill His promises to Israel! That He will literally return and restore the land, as the prophecies say! That He will literally reign on this earth!

If it were not true after His forty days of teaching about "the kingdom of God", you'd think He would have corrected them at this final moment. But instead He said "It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority." (7)

Hmm. So if I read it right, the "inherit the earth" and "the kingdom of heaven" are linked pretty tightly. And physically. And at the end of His revelation He gave to John, we find two things, a 1000-year physical reign on the restored earth that had been wracked from God's wrath during the tribulation, to the eventual complete renovation of the Heaven's and Earth, and the Trinity descending to the New Earth, in the New Jerusalem, where they will reign forever.

So, this isn't just some euphemism. It is the very truth. Christ will return to the Land, just as all the prophets described. You would do well to see these Beatitudes in this light. And read what the prophets have said about the restored kingdom, not in the sense many "spiritualizing scholars" have driveled to you, but just like the prophets say. In Isaiah. In Ezekiel. In Daniel. In Zechariah. It's all there.

And boy, is it exciting!

God gave "the meekest man on the earth" the opportunity to see the unfinished Land before He took him home. We have been given glimpses of that Land, fully restored, with the understanding that we who believe have been given the privilege to reign with Him forever. And the privilege as ambassadors to say to the lost: "We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:20)

And this is basically the same answer Christ gave to the apostles in Acts 1. Read it for yourself.

Today if you hear His voice, harden not your heart.

Memory Helps

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

One thing about the beatitudes: They are sure easy to memorize. You can link them quickly by the main words: "Poor in Spirit/ They that mourn/ the meek."

And think of the rewards for those who bear these qualities: "the Kingdom Heaven/ Comforted/ Inherit the earth".

If you make word pictures for each one like I did, put them arm in arm. First the poor "sad sack". Then a "mourner", and now Moses, "the meekest man on the earth". I always have him holding the Ten Commandments. And in my word picture, in his other hand he is holding a deed of inheritance to the Earth.

Now, to link this to the verse number, I use all the same scenery, a mat and a large "five-fingered" hand, but I also have my buddy "Lee" (L=5 phonetically, vowels fillers) presenting Moses with the deed to the Earth. That helps me remember what is in Matthew 5:5. I'm taking a photo shot of them smiling together!