May 9 - Matthew 5:5

May 9
Matthew 5:5

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

The Beatitudes are often misunderstood, lacking what Jesus meant when He spoke these beautiful words to His disciples. In essence, these same words apply to us today as believers in Christ when we choose to follow after Him as His disciple. Matthew 5:6 is a perfect example of one of those misunderstood verses.

We have learned from the first two verses of the Beatitudes that blessed means "happy or spiritually prosperous." So then happy are the "meek"...so then what does "meek" mean?  Most believers think this word "meek" means weak. This is far from the truth. Doing research into the Greek through the Thayer's Lexicon, the word "meek" means "teachable, using the example of holding the reins on a horse while you are riding on it, and you are guiding and stirring the horse in which direction it should trod. We can liken that to I John 2:27 which tells us "But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him." The Holy Spirit, who dwells in us as believers in Christ is like the rider on a horse, steering the reins in which way we should go. As we walk through life, relying on the indwelling Holy Spirit, He then guides (or steers) us as to which direction we meed to travel on.

I'll give you another verse from John 14:20 in which Jesus was telling His disciples that He would send them a helper who will teach them all things and bring to their rememberance all things that Jesus had taught them.

So then, let's look at the word "earth," as the meek shall inherit the earth. The earth simply means "land." 

Now, let's put this verse together in what we have learned:

Happy and spiritually prosperous are you as you allow the Holy Spirit to direct and guide you through life. As a result of listening to the Holy Spirit's direction, He will guide and steer you throughout life continuously in which direction or pathway you should take. For when you listen to Him, you will become so prosperous to where you will inherit land around you, becoming not only spiritually properous, but physically prosperous because you have followed the leading of the Holy Spirit.

To put that into full perspective, look at the lifestyle of Jews in Scripture who follow the teachings of the Law. When they obeyed God's Law, they were prosperous and gained the land in which God had planned for them. Jews throughout history have learned God's principle of God's Law on how to become prosperous. They have used them, and even to this day, Jews are the wealthiest people in the world because they have been taught the principles of God's law.

God's Law works because it is a principle He has set up in the earth for mankind.