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Inheriting the Earth
“Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth.”
(Matthew 5:5)
Many of our Bibles will translate this passage as, “Blessed are the meek.” So what is meekness, and what does that have to do with the context of the church itself? The Greek word that is used here is πραῦς (praus), and in English, it means to be gentle, humble, considerate, or meek. In other words, it means that one is not overly impressed with oneself (think of how this word is used in 1 Peter 3:4), hence the use of the word humility here in our translation. This word does not equate with being weak, but instead, speaks of great strength that is under control, as Jesus uses this word to speak of himself in Matthew 11:29.
When we apply this to the individual Christian, its application is obvious. The Christian is not proud or boastful. In fact, we boast in Christ and in His cross, not in ourselves. Thus, we arrive at the obvious conclusion that a Christian should never be self-seeking or interested in his own gain, but instead, he should be focused on Christ and Christ’s glory. And, herein lies the rub. Too many churches are focused on their own growth and success. Programs are planned, productions are put forward, all with one goal in sight: build themselves up.
When a church focuses on itself, it loses the ability to be humble. In fact, often, churches that are primarily focused on attendance compromise the Gospel in a great many ways just to keep people happy. Or worse, they bend over backwards to keep their major donors happy. Yet, folks, that is not how Christ’s church is to behave. Notice too the little word that is part of the blessing: “inherit.” Inheritances are given; they are not earned. If a church wishes to inherit the earth, it must do so not by trying to aggressively market itself in such a way that they grow large. Such would be a corporate business model. No, the church must be humble, meek, and lowly while also being utterly committed to the commands of Christ.
So, what is one of the simplest ways to judge a church’s humility? Look at their worship. Is worship built around what God commands in His Word or is worship built around the preferences of the people? If worship is built around preference, where is the humility? No, the scriptures speak of the things that God desires from His people: prayer, reading and preaching of the Word (with understanding in the body), singing psalms, and the administration of the sacraments as Christ demonstrated them to us (Baptism & the Lord’s Supper). When other things begin to be imported into worship or when some or most of these elements are removed from worship, the church loses its humility. When a church is more interested in its programs than in God’s program, they cease to be meek. And, with the sacrifice of humility, they will never inherit the earth. Worse yet, in some cases, they cease to be a church altogether and exist more as a social club under the guise of Christ’s church.
The Church that is Poor in Spirit
“Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
When we arrive at passages like this, we must begin by asking the question: “What is blessedness?” Sadly, over the years, there have been some translations that have rendered this phrase, “Happy are…” Is being happy the same thing as being blessed? No, it is most certainly not! Happiness tends to be based on external things that bring you joy or comfort: friends, a good meal, entertainment, etc… In contrast, blessedness focuses on one’s inward state. That is why one can be blessed even during the most difficult of times. Indeed, just a few verses down, Jesus speaks about those who are persecuted for His name’s sake as being blessed. Happy…probably not so much, but definitely blessed.
So, what then does it mean for a church body to be blessed? In a sense, that is the purpose of these eight blessings (beatitudes). Ultimately, it means that the kingdom of heaven is theirs. But, what does it mean that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to a church that is poor in spirit? To answer that question, we must first ask, to what does the Kingdom of Heaven refer?
A Kingdom, by its nature, is a nation or realm that is ruled by a king. In the context of the church, we are talking about King Jesus. The idea may seem obvious enough, but its ramifications are wide and sweeping. For instance, kingdoms are not ruled in a democratic manner; the king has absolute sovereign rule. One might share with the king one’s difficulties with an aspect of his rule, but like it or not, but the subjects of the king do not get to make the rules. That belongs to the King alone. Similarly, in the church, the subjects of the King (believers) do not get to make or remake the rules. Our role is to submit to His Lordship and to yield ourselves to His authority. Every man does not get to do what is right in his own eyes (yet, how many churches do just that!).
But wait, I sound as if I am speaking of the church today, not the church in heaven. True. You see, while we tend to think of the Kingdom of Heaven only in future terms, that is not how the Bible treats it. For instance, both John and Jesus preached that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand (Matthew 4:17; 10:7). Yet, Jesus also spoke as if the Kingdom of Heaven had always been present in the life of God’s people (Matthew 11:12). Finally, though, Jesus also speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven as something that will come at the end of all earthly time (Matthew 8:11). Perhaps, though, the Parable of the Mustard Seed presents the idea of the kingdom best. It starts very small and then grows into something mighty and magnificent (Matthew 13:24). In other words, it began small, in the Garden of Eden, and then grew through history until Pentecost, where it reached its branches to the ends of the earth. Further, it will come to completion in the New Creation when Jesus’ reign will be clear and universal. Nevertheless, in the here and now, the Kingdom exists and the King is seated on the right hand of God the Father, so the church should be in submission to the King’s rule.
That idea of submission brings us back to the beginning of the beatitude: blessed are the poor in spirit. So, to what does “poor in spirit” refer? The Greek word that is translated here as “poor” is the word πτωχός (ptochos) and refers to the idea of being entirely dependent upon others for support. It is the opposite of being proud and self-sufficient. At the same time, poor does not mean “without any other means,” but it means that any means one might have of their own are utterly inadequate to the task. And indeed, when it comes to heaven, membership in the Kingdom, and a life that honors Christ, we are utterly and completely bankrupt. Indeed, we are inadequate to the task.
If I might translate that a bit into the context of the life of the corporate church. It means there is no room for pride in the Church of Jesus Christ. It means that no matter how many dollars that the church has in the bank, they can do nothing. They are like vapor, summer grass that is burned up in a moment. Pride and the church are incompatible ideas if we are talking about the True Church of Jesus Christ. Civic associations have pride. Social clubs have pride. Yet, if we are to be a part of Christ’s eternal kingdom, we owe our past, our present, and our eternal future to Him. In turn, we must be obedient to His commands in life and in worship. It’s not about what we want. It is about what Christ commands.
Humbling Moab
“And they struck down Moabites at that time — 10,000 men, all fat and all men of strength and not a man was able to flee to safety. Thus, Moab was humbled on that day under the hand of Israel…and the land had rest for 80 years.”
(Judges 3:29-30)
And as we see this account come to completion, once again we find some plays on words in the description of the Moabites. In particular, just as their king was a fat man, ready for the slaughter, so too was his army. There were 10,000 men, all fat and ready for the kill. And it is these men that Ehud and his soldiers slew as they tried to cross the ford in the Jordan river.
Some of our translations will render the first clause in verse 30 as “Moab was subdued” on that day, yet a better translation of oÅnDk (kana) would be, “to humble.” In practical purposes, Israel did not engage in conquest against Moab at this time nor did it seek to take any possessions from Moab. Israel simply overthrew the oppressors — and humiliated them in the process. Thus, indeed, they were humbled before God’s people.
Thus, the land had rest for 80 years. Rest from what? Rest from oppression both from outside and rest from oppression of the idolatry within.
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