Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5
I can’t remember if I have ever used the word “meek” in a sentence outside of talking about this
verse. Have you? It’s not a common word for us. But it is a common word in the Bible. Elsewhere,
in our modern translations, this word is often translated “gentle”. We understand that word a little
better, and it can help us understand the sense of this verse better.
We, Americans, respect a person who is powerful but is able to be gentle as well. We may refer
to a “gentle giant.” But we also respect people who can “take the bull by the horns.” I think there
are at least some trains of thought in our culture that expect that gentleness will only get you so
far … after that, you may need to “flex your muscles.”
I think this is getting us close to the paradoxical nature of this Beatitude. Jesus here quotes from Psalm 37:11, “But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.” In that context, David is saying, “trust God, commit your way to Him, don’t worry about wicked people succeeding, don’t get angry, just wait and He will take care of things. The meek will inherit …”
So when Jesus tells us that the meek/gentle are blessed, He is telling us that our means to arriving at our goal is not through force or human power, rather it is through trust and faithful perseverance. Ours is a journey that is characterized by a peaceable-ness and gentleness that is an expression of trust that God is in control and we need not “take the bull by the horns” and use force in our human interactions. Jesus says this is a blessed or happy state to be in, because in the end, such people will inherit all that God has in store for them.
– Deryk Pritchard, Preacher