The lesson this week starts off reminding us that the Beatitudes build verse upon verse, each verse in the order that they are written.
When you were first saved would Matthew chapter five, verse three not have described your state of mind?
Matthew 5:3
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Were you not saved by the grace of God, who saw the emptiness in our souls?
Then next Matthew 5:4 describes how those of us that need comforting in our time of mourning found comfort in God.
Matthew 5:4
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
If we remember from last week we discussed the fact that mourning as described in the Beatitudes is not concerning life’s normal problems.
Mourning in verse
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The term meekness has a different connotation today that it did in the true biblical context.
Most modern versions related to the word “meek” replace the noun "meekness" with "gentleness" or "humility, " largely as a result of the pejorative overtones that imply weakness and effeminacy that are now associated with the term meekness.
The biblical context of meekness didn’t consider being meek as a sign of weakness.
Biblical meekness is therefore an active and deliberate acceptance of undesirable circumstances.
Those who believe in biblical meekness wisely see undesirable circumstances only as a part of a larger picture.
Meekness does not identify the weak, but more precisely identifies the strong who have been placed in a position of weakness where they will persevere without giving up.
Have you not been taught that Jesus was a meek man?
Have you seen anything in Jesus character that indicates weakness?
Jesus willingly faced the cruelties dispensed by the authorities of Rome and Israel to become an atoning sacrifice for our
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The lesson went on to ask us who are the meek?
To identify a meek person the lesson states the first thing to do is to determine if that person is submissive to God’s will.
Other identifiers listed in our lesson included the fact that whatever God’s will is, the meek person will comply.
The next identifier of a meek person is a tough one.
Whatever task God assigns to the meek person; that meek person willingly accepted regardless of the negative circumstances involved?
In our lesson it states if it is God’s will; that the circumstances involve be they in a position as high as Solomon’s throne room or as low as when Job’s world collapsed around him, you would happily accept the circumstances.
How do you think you would respond if the following happened to you?
Job 1:118-22. 18 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house,
19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell
This quote is important because it is saying the hardship might beat him down but he will never bow his head and let it win him over. He is basically saying he will not let failure be an
In the 1930’s, there was many inconvenient catastrophes going on such as the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Many families migrated to California hoping to find better conditions. In the excerpt from John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, we are introduced to a man going through the situation of moving to California. He is trying to purchase ten cents worth of bread for him and his family, but isn’t quite able to accomplish that due to the stubborn waitress named Mae. Humility is shown in the excerpt when the man constantly shows his humbleness towards Mae. The man’s “insistent” and “inflexible” humility changes Mae’s behavior into becoming more sympathetic and less stubborn by the way he continued to be humble and persistent making her realize the difficulty of his situation.
Matthew chapter five is a sermon by Jesus. It tells us what perspective we ought to have in dealings with each other and with our attitude. Those who are weak shall be strong, and those who mourn shall be comforted tell of positive actions or humility being rewarded. Jesus goes through a list of these, exalting the poor and the weak. Mt. 5:17-20 is between the first section of what actions are righteous and before the section of what seem to be his own version of commandments relative to the law. It says that all shall be done and judged through and by him. So he gave a perspective on the humble and then judged the law. He tells people to be righteous and then tells them the manner in which to achieve righteousness. It included removing anything from your life that brought you away from Christ. If your eyes were causing you temptation to sin, poke them out. All you do ought to be done in Christ and to glorify God the Father, so whatever didn't achieve those things were not to be done and one should do whatever necessary to stop them.
It also follows that God, not as benevolent as could be hoped, prefers the maximization of good (2) as opposed to the minimization of evil (1). This is disquieting for the individual who might be the victim of suffering a “greater good.”
“Never came trouble in the likeness of your grace; for trouble being gone, comfort should remain, but when you depart from me, sorrow abides and happiness takes his leave”(1.1.80-83).
...stood and from our perspective, we clearly see the goals and the reasons behind it. We know what is correct and desirable in Hashem’s eyes and our job is to follow the correct path. Let us not be discouraged, but used it as a motivation to serve and pray our God wholeheartedly.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit... Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” (Mt
Greenstone, Julius H. "Poverbs 31." The Holy SScriptures: Proverbs. Philadelphia: Jewish Pub. Soc. of America, 1950. 329-39. Print.
The Bible student, laymen, or pastor will find the principles presented by Fee and Stuart helpful despite the weaknesses presented. The author’s contribution on how to interpret each of the different genres is especially beneficial. The Bible Student will have more knowledge of how to interpret God’s Word when finished with the work. Fee and Stuart achieve their goal helping the reader not only with interpretation, but with application.
Clifford, Richard J., A Commentary by… Proverbs, The Old Testament Library. Editorial Advisory Board; James L. Mays, Carol A. Newsom, David I. Petersen. Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1999.
Proverbs 3:35 “The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.” This is the ideal when common grace is at work. Sometimes the wise will be disgraged in sinful society; sometimes a fool will be honored in a sinful society. Matt 5:11 – blessed are you when reviled for Jesus
This passage reflects what Christianity care teachings “taught by Jesus” are to good by everyone, which can be observed i...
Before this line, Hughes mentioned how the Beatitudes are important to Jesus and his followers. Hughes stressed the importance of this because the Beatitudes are reputable to devoted Christian worshippers. These teachings of Jesus are notable because they were directed towards the enslaved Israelites. However, a majority of Christians believe that the Beatitudes generally apply to everyone that has or is going through a difficult time in their lives. For example, “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” - Matthew 5:3 (The Holy Bible). By poor in spirit, Jesus was talking to the Israelites who were physically worn down and even mentally drained. Hughes said that” though the empire has rejected these people as completely worthless, the kingdom of God restores dignity and views them as blessed and highly esteemed” (Hughes 66). As mentioned earlier, many Christians believe that the Beatitude teachings apply to everyone, but there are several that disagree that everyone can get into the kingdom of
The emphasis of servanthood covers the Bible, and is a building block of the Christian faith. Many words are used to describe the term servanthood, however, not all are accurate, or Biblical, but there are two words that are key to the definition and execution of servanthood. Humility is a necessary trait of servanthood; without it, servanthood becomes another avenue for the ego to encompass, in a search for self-affirmation. The deepest root of humility is buried in the recognition and of our infinite dependence on God. While greatness is seldom mentioned along with servanthood, they go hand in hand. Because, greatness is truly measured in scale with God Himself, it immediately becomes small and miniscule by comparison. This should, in turn, produce the purest humility. With this in mind, I have come to define and recognize servanthood as the communion of the true definitions of humility and greatness, and their relationship to God.
Romans 4: 18-21 Paul describes how righteousness requires an endurance of obedience. (Abraham in romans) (4b)