?They Will Inherit The Whole Earth?

A Look At Prophecy In The Gospel of Matthew

Who Are The Humble?

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Are Jesus' Teachings Prophecies?
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God blesses those who are humble,  for they will inherit the whole earth.

Many versions read, "Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth." In America we do not have a sense of what it means to be humble or meek. We find it hard to define them. Humble and meek do not hold a place of acceptance in our culture or worldview.

But, if we look at the Biblical meaning of "meek" we find no conflict in these word choices by the translators.

Strong's concordance translates πραιισ as gentle, mild, i.e. (by implication) humble. From Vine's Expository Dictionary we find the following:

Πραοσ is mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit, meekness. Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting.

The meek man truly acknowledges himself as a sinner among sinners and this knowledge of his own sin teaches him to meekly endure the provocations of others and not to withdraw from the burdens their sins may impose on him (Gal 6:1; 2 Ti 2:25;Titus 3:2). 

The meek are those wholly relying on God rather than their own strength to defend them against injustice. Thus, meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the injuries they inflict, (This too is not an accepted truth today, in fact Christians commonly get cowed to retract this very biblical statement.), that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver His elect in his time (cf. Isa 41:17, Lk 18:1-8).

Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God's goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is the work of the Holy Spirt, not of the human will (Gal 5:23).

Now, in today's world it seems everyone 

wants to possess as much as possible.

We say, and looks bear it out, the spoils go to the aggressives, the Type A's, the privileged few. But don't let looks fool you. These individuals and nations will lose it all unless they possess this one quality, "humbleness."

The truth remains that the humble, by their perspective on life, more fully possess the creation. And, in the Kingdom to come, they will inherit the whole earth. On this New Earth, there will be no room for the type who wedge everybody out.

God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.

Photo Credits:

Beautiful Sunrise Over The Earth - Cities At Night @ ads of the world.com
Photos of Planet Earth from Space @ boombeat.com