As always, you can read the transcript of the message below
Psalm 119:17-24
17 Be good to Your servant while I live,
that I may obey your word.
18 Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in Your law.
19 I am a stranger on earth;
do not hide Your commands from me.
20 My soul is consumed with longing
for Your laws at all times.
21 You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed,
those who stray from Your commands.
22 Remove from me their scorn and contempt,
for I keep Your statutes.
23 Though rulers sit together and slander me,
Your servant will meditate on Your decrees.
24 Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors.
Matthew 5:5
Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.
Psalm 119:17-24; Matthew 5:5 BLESSED ARE THE HUMBLE BEFORE GOD
Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth”. (Matthew 5:5)
Who is the strongest person that you know? I am not talking here about physical strength and the ability to lift heavy weights. I am talking about someone who has learned the way of blessing through a humble attitude before God. Jesus taught that there is blessing in having an accurate view of ourselves and of God. Whenever we recognize the immensity of who God is and how tiny we really are, then this humble approach to God can lead to the blessing of inheriting or receiving what cannot be purchased with money.
This beatitude has been quoted often, but has it been understood as Jesus intended?
What do we have to learn this week about being humble before God? This is where rests the possibility of the blessing that Jesus speaks of here.
Sometimes when misunderstanding this teaching of Jesus, people have suggested that Christians, Christ followers should be very meek, mild mannered, agreeable and accepting of whatever happens, never standing up to anything or anyone. This is not the case.
The misunderstanding of this teaching does not lead to blessing, but rather to resentment and to people being used unfairly and taken advantage of. This does not have the outcome of blessing from God.
Again, to many, “meekness” suggests the idea of passivity, someone who is easily imposed upon, weak. Remember, Jesus declared Himself to be meek (Matthew 11:29). We know that Jesus is certainly not weak!
In the Greek New Testament, “meek” is from a Greek term that does not suggest weakness; rather, it denotes strength brought under control. The ancient Greeks employed the term to describe a wild horse tamed to the bridle.
In the biblical sense, then, being meek describes those who have channeled their strengths into the service of God.
This teaching of Jesus centers in our attitude before God. Do we come to God waiting on Him to show Himself to us and to address the things in our lives that need to change? This is an attitude of humility that is necessary for God to bless us.
If our prayers become demands that God work things out in the ways we think will best suit us, then we are not approaching God with humility.
We have then become like the arrogant spoken of in Psalm 119 and arrogant living (making no room for God) does not result in blessing.
Psalm 119:17 has the person who wrote this Psalm addressing God directly with a promise, “Do good to your servant and I will live. I will obey Your word.” In humility we can realize, that anything good that comes our way is a blessing from God. We are not trying to take credit for it. Our response to the good that comes to us, as a result of God’s care and blessing, is to want to obey His word, to want more of God and less of us (true humility).
Consider Psalm 119:18 as a further step forward in blessing from God. It is a request to keep learning the way of blessing, “Open my eyes that I may see, wonderful things in Your law.” There is humble anticipation here that God has more to teach us about who He is and who we are and there is so much for us to discover. But we can only be open to discover, as long as we remain humble before God.
Do you think of yourself as a “stranger on earth”?
This is the psalm writer’s humble description of himself (vs. 19). As a servant of the Lord (a citizen of God’s kingdom), he is not at home in any of the kingdoms of this world.
We should not expect to feel entirely at home here either.
More and more our world seems to be rejecting the ways of God and moving in its own stubborn and arrogant direction. Only a humble attitude of dependence on God will keep us where we need to be as we live our lives as strangers on earth.
Is verse 20 true of us? Are we longing for God and God’s ways, at all times?
We see in verses 21 and 22 that the contrast to humility before God is arrogance, being smug and self satisfied. This attitude does not bring anyone close to God and the way of blessing.
God rebukes those who are arrogant and who choose their own way and stray away from God’s commands.
Sadly, an attitude of arrogance in this case has led the arrogant to engage in scorn and contempt toward this man who is wanting to serve and please God. (vs. 22)
We hear of and sometimes experience scorn and derision directed towards those who choose to follow Jesus.
The Psalmist describes a helpful response when we are criticized for our faith in God:
Though rulers sit together and slander me,
Your servant will meditate on your decrees.
Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors. (verses 23,24)
We can choose to cling to God and the delight and blessing of living for Him and following His way that we keep learning.
Returning to the words of Jesus that are quoted from Psalm 37:11, we receive the truth, “Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5)
What do you think it means for those who are meek or humble before God to inherit the earth?
God is the owner of this earth (Psalm 24:1). Those who obey Christ become children of God (Galatians 3:27; Hebrews 5:9), and “joint-heirs” with the Lord (Romans 8:17). The Father supplies all our needs (Philippians 4:19), we therefore enjoy this earth and its blessings.
Mainly, however, our inheritance is spiritual (Acts 20:32); we are heirs in the kingdom of Christ (Ephesians 5:5), and citizenship in that kingdom is available now on this earth (John 3:3-5; Colossians 1:13).
With real estate prices the way they are, no one could ever afford the price of the whole earth. Likewise, there can be no price tag on all that God is prepared to give us as we learn His way of blessing. Walking the way of blessing does not mean longing for and chasing after the temporary things of this earth where we are only strangers and short time residents.
Instead, Jesus points our attention to receiving the blessing of lives lived with meekness-humble devotion to Him.
In this attitude of humility, we trust God to give us the blessing of an inheritance that is so priceless only He can provide it, as we are “LEARNING THE WAY OF BLESSING.”