Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Blessed are the Meek Matthew 5:5
Dec 9th, 2016
Weekly Bible StudyArt Sadlier
Categories: Commentary;Inspirational;Book Study

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

All Israel was filled with expectation, was Christ the long awaited Messiah?

Background

In 596 BC Nebuchadnezzar came a third time and sacked and burned Jerusalem. Since that time Israel had lost its sovereignty and its former glory. All but a remnant were carried captives into Babylon for 70 years. In 536 BC they began to return to their homeland. In 445 BC they rebuilt the Temple and the city walls, and re-established the worship.

But during that time they were under the control of the Persian Empire. In 336 BC the Greeks under Alexander defeated the Persian Empire, and Israel came under the control of the Greeks. In 163 BC Israel gained a limited but troubled independence after the Maccabean revolt. In 63 BC Rome annexed Palestine as part of the Roman Empire by appointing kings and governors and procurators.

During all that time there burned in Jewish hearts a fire that had never gone out. It was a longing to be free, a longing to re-establish the glory of the Kingdom of David who had ruled a thousand years earlier. Israel had lived in the hope of those scriptures that promised a Messiah and deliverer would come.

They knew that someday Israel would be delivered and the kingdom restored. However, their concept of how and when was wrong. Their concept of what the kingdom would be like was also faulty.

Understand

There were four basic parties in Judaism ay that time. They were the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Zealots and the Essenes.

The Pharisees were the religious conservatives. They held closer to the truth of God's Word than all the others. They were anxious to overthrow Rome. They were not looking for a religious kingdom, they were looking for a restoration of the Old Testament theocracy. They were looking for a Messiah who would, in a miraculous, supernatural way overthrow Rome.

They knew the scriptures that told of Messiah's coming.

Daniel 7:13-14, "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.  And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

They did not know how it would be accomplished, but they were looking for it. They thought they were ready for it.

Even the apostles had this concept. Acts 1:6, "When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?"

The Sadducees were the liberals. They thought they were more practical: they didn't believe in miracles. They just wanted a material kingdom. They anticipated that it could come through negotiation and compromise.

"We don't care how it happens, just put two chickens in every pot and two chariots in every garage, an don't overdo the religion too much."

The Zealots were impatient; they had more courage and brawn than common sense. They were like the PLO and the IRA. They would assassinate some Roman official and Rome would bring reprisals against Israel.

They thought they could bring in the kingdom with their swords. Eventually, in 70 AD they would provoke the Roman army to utterly destroy the Temple, Jerusalem and the cities of Israel.

The Essenes were the mystics, the dreamers. They just wanted peace and quiet. They eventually moved to the wilderness of Qumran. They lived like hermits.

They thought that if you just ignore conflict and war it would go away. They thought they could “wish in the kingdom.”

All of these groups were looking for the kingdom and of the coming Messiah. They were initially excited about Christ. But, all of these groups eventually were disappointed in His program because of their misconceptions about the kingdom. He was not the kind of Messiah they were looking for. Their disillusionment began with this Sermon on the Mount.

When Jesus talked about being "Poor in spirit," they lost interest in Christ. When Jesus talked about "Mourning over sin," and about "Meekness in spirit," that was not how they would set up a kingdom. They were disappointed.

When they saw Him eventually beaten and arrested by Rome, it confirmed to them what they had thought all along. He was obviously not going to overthrow Rome. So they cried out, “Away with Him, crucify Him,”

They were bitter against Him because He did not live up to their expectations. They had missed the whole point of Christ’s message. Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus was saying, “My kingdom is not for the proud or the self-righteous; my kingdom is for those who recognize their sin.”

In saying “Blessed are they that mourn," Jesus was saying, "My kingdom is for those who realize that they are sinners, and are sorry for their sin." They could not be sorry and mourn over sin because they were not even aware of their sin.

Now Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” “Meekness” = Yieldedness. Jesus said that the kingdom of God is for those who are willing to yield to God’s will, for those who will yield to God’s Word, and for those who will yield their rights to others.

This was the last straw for those Jews, they reasoned that you can’t build a kingdom by yielding to your enemies. Those Jews were not willing to learn about God’s program. They would not yield to God’s program. It had to be their way; therefore they didn’t qualify for the kingdom.

Jesus was saying in effect, It is not the self-sufficient, not the righteous, not the proud, not the strong, not the arrogant, not the dreamer and not the religious who will enter my kingdom. It is the broken in spirit, the sorrowful, (over sin) the hungry, (for God) the meek (yielded to God) the merciful, the pure. It is the peacemaker and the persecuted that will enter my kingdom.

Those Jews, who sat on the mountainside that day as Jesus taught, failed to realize that first and foremost the kingdom of God was a spiritual kingdom. Whatever outward form it might take, it was first a spiritual kingdom.

Whether it involved the promise of an earthly kingdom or the Church of Christ and its heavenly hope, the entrance was the same. It was an individual personal issue; it was by recognition of sin. It involved sorrow over sin. It involved yielding the will to God’s will. It involved faith in God’s plan and His provision for salvation.

Secondly, these qualities and characteristics are the qualities and characteristics found in the people who are in the kingdom.

Listen to J.C. Ryle, “If we would know what kind of people Christians ought to be, study the Sermon on the Mount.”

“If we would know the outward walk and the inward habit of mind which becomes a follower of Jesus, study the Sermon on the Mount.”

We have seen what it means to be, “poor in spirit,” it means to recognize our sin. We have seen what it means to, “mourn over sin.”

The world says, “Hold on to that which you are entitled to.” God’s kingdom is strangely different. God’s kingdom says, “Yield your rights.” What a contrast!

The supreme example of yielding personal rights was given when Christ hung on the cross of Calvary. He created the material from which the cross and the nails were fashioned.

Illustration – A horse is strong, it is naturally wild and uncontrollable. It is of no use or value in its natural a state. But when its wild nature is broken and it is trained and tamed, it is beautiful and useful. It is power under control. That is a picture of meekness. Whatever the master wishes the horse does.

 God is also looking after the meek. He has a way of bringing blessing into their lives. Luke 14:11, “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” True happiness and joy comes from God. The meek Christian is content to let God satisfy him. The world cannot understand the Christian.

How do I know if I am meek? The answer is simple, meekness is yieldedness. The answer to a few simple questions will be very revealing. Have you yielded to the gospel? As a Christian, have you yielded your schedule to the Lord? Have you yielded your property to the Lord? Have you yielded your body to the Lord? Have you yielded your will to the lord?