Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the gentle (meek. humble), for they shall inherit the earth.”
Psalms 37:11 But the humble will inherit the land, And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
I can be a bold person. I can also be a weak person. I have to temper the bold part of me, and ignore the weak part of me. Too many people think that being humble means being weak. I know a man whose mother taught him how to act humble. I used to know him better than I do now, but I had seen him in his church when he took up the collection, his head down like he was ashamed. He had been taught to mimic humility without ever being humble. When Jesus spoke of being meek (gentle, humble), he was saying to those listening that a gentle person could be bold and determined but chooses instead to be gentle. In many ways, that person backs down from a fight.
Jesus is tying this to Psalms 37, when he says, “Blessed are the humble for they shall inherit the earth” Psalms 37 says many good things. David wrote this Psalm. He first tells us not to fret or envy those that do evil because they will fade and wither. He says to be good, and cultivate faith in your life. He tells them to delight in the Lord, for He will give you the desires of your heart. David says to commit and to trust the Lord, and He will do it. The Lord will bring forth your righteousness into the light. He reminds the reader to rest in the Lord, and not to worry over those who prosper from wickedness. He tells them to let go of their anger and wrath. It will only harm you. He tells them that the evildoers will be cut off, and you will inherit the land, if you wait. He said in time the evildoers will be cut off, and they will not be found. He says that the humble will instead inherit the land and will prosper. He continues and says to the reader that the wicked will plot against you and clinches his teeth. But then David says, “The Lord laughs at the wicked for His day is coming.”
David continues to say that the wicked weapons will be turned on them. Those the Lord blessed with continue but the wicked will be cut off. The Lord has set the steps we will walk for those who trust him. This is the theme of this psalms… those who trust the Lord will be protected and will receive God’s blessing. The wicked may seem to have everything but in the end they will lose. The key words here are trust, dwell, delight, commit, and rest.
Many of those there will remember this psalms. Jesus is reminding them that to be humble in the Lord is to be strong in your trust of the Lord for it will give you the delights of your heart. He is also reminding them that to dwell with the Lord is to allow Him into your days and nights. He is telling them to be grateful for the things that the Lord has given to you. This will take commitment for it will take practice to do these things. Jesus is telling them to rest in the Lord and let Him do it.
When Jesus is telling the people that the gentle, meek or humble are blessed, He is saying they have trusted the Lord, they find delight in the Lord, they have invited him into their daily lives, they are committed to the Lord, and they can rest in Him because He will take care of them. It is all of these things that we choose to do that allow us to inherit the earth.
But what does it mean to be gentle? I read in a book once that to be gentle meant to be tamed. I think of how horses have to be tamed so that they can be useful. Our hearts, our minds, our spirits and our bodies have to tamed so that we can be used in God’s kingdom. We allow God to tame us. It doesn’t happen immediately. God takes that strength within each of us and teaches us how to act instead of reacting. We learn not to buck when we don’t want to do something. We allow a burden to be placed upon us instead of fighting that burden, we are thankful for it. We learn how to stay calm in the midst of a storm. All of this teaches us to live peacefully with everyone.
I know I have work to do on these things. I let worry batter my faith, and my trust fails. I am committed to the Lord. I find delight in Him, but I do not find rest in Him as I should. Most days I have invited the Lord to dwell with me, but some days I do not. I have much to work on within myself. Remember these words: Trust, Dwell, Commit, Delight and Rest.
Today’s Question:
Where do you fall short of being gentle?
Ever in God’s Love,
Mary Elizabeth Todd
November 14, 2024
Ruhamah United Methodist Church Bible Verses 