Blessed are...

Inherit the Earth

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

The third Beatitude may well contain a quotation. Jesus appears to be referencing Psalm 37. In that psalm we read, “Do not fret because of evil men… the meek will inherit the land… those the Lord blesses will inherit the land… Wait for the Lord and keep His way. He will exalt you to inherit the land.”[1]

In the Old Testament, ‘the land’ almost always means the land of Israel, the Promised land, given to Abraham and his descendents as inheritors of the Covenant. That small, rugged piece of real estate has always held a special place in the hearts of the people of Israel. Abraham settled it; Joshua conquered it; David and Solomon ruled it. When it was threatened by the armies of their enemies they defended it. When they were forced into exile by the rivers of Babylon, they longed for it. For generations, at Passover, their children said, “Next year in Jerusalem.” Is this the land of which Jesus speaks?

Yes and no. Yes, in that Israel represented the land of the Covenant. It was still occupied in Jesus’ day. Perhaps, like His fellow countrymen, Jesus loved His homeland enough to want to see it free. But in a deeper sense, Jesus’ promise was for much more than the territory we now know as Israel. In the third Beatitude the promise is changed. ‘The land’ becomes ‘the earth.’ Israel was promised the land. We are promised the earth. The Covenant with Israel was limited. The New Covenant draws upon the faithful from every tribe, every tongue. But our inheritance shall be larger yet. The promised reward is not the earth beneath our feet, it is the Kingdom of God. In that Kingdom, with Christ as Lord, the meek shall reign.[2]

God of promise,
Abraham followed when You called him,
though he did not know where he was going.
You told him that his descendents would be as many
as the grains of sand upon the shore,
and that they would inherit a land.
Give me Abraham’s faith,
to follow whenever You call, to go wherever You lead,
even when I don’t know where I am going.
In the name of Jesus.
Amen.

[1] Psalm 37:1,11,22,34
[2] Romans 8:17