Matthew 5 v 5-6
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the Earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
The Meek and the Earth
I would say this is one of the most difficult verses in the Bible. The common understanding of this, is that if we remain meek, God will give us the Earth.
Psalm 36 v 11 (Sept)
But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Here, the Psalmist writes about the meek inheriting the earth. The strong will eventually be destroyed, leaving the land to the gentle.
You could argue the same about this Beatitude. As eventually only the Christian meek will be left after the Judgement and they will inherit the New Earth.
Jordan Peterson’s View
I listened to a Bible lecture from Dr Jordan Peterson, the famous psychologist. He said he was troubled by this verse and it took him a long time to arrive at an interpretation which aligned with his worldview. He suggested that the meek are those who have the capability to use the sword, but restrain themselves.
A Third Theory
My concern is that I’m not sure how the two ideas above relate to the Kingdom of Heaven of which Christ preaches. I mean, why would the meek want to inherit this Earth? After all, Christians should be looking forward to the New Heavens and New Earth, not desiring to own this current one.
And also if this Beatitude is about the future New Earth, why does Christ say:
Matthew 4 v 17
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
As we saw in my previous posts, I believe the Beatitudes are the rules of the Kingdom of Heaven. So when we come in humility and make ourselves meek in God’s presence, then he will bless us.
Inheriting the Earth
Whereas Peterson struggles with the word ‘meek’, I have difficulty with the phrase, ‘inherit the earth’.
The idea of inheriting in the ancient Near-East sometimes depended on drawing lots. This was a way to understand the will of the gods or even God’s will. We see this in the Book of Numbers, where lots were used to decide which areas of the land the Children of Israel would inherit.
Numbers 26 v 52-56
Then the LORD said to Moses, “The land is to be divided among the tribes as an inheritance, according to the number of names. Increase the inheritance for a large tribe and decrease it for a small one; each tribe is to receive its inheritance according to the number of those registered.
Indeed, the land must be divided by lot; they shall receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers. Each inheritance is to be divided by lot among the larger and smaller tribes.”
These verses from the Book of Numbers, talks about inheriting the Promised Land. I believe this Beatitude, for Christians, it’s about inheriting a ‘lot’ in the Kingdom of Heaven.
So the idea of ‘inheriting the earth’ in the Beatitudes may have more to do with the spiritual land we receive by being subjects of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Spiritual Land
This land we inherit provides all we need to maintain our spiritual lives. Think about what the Garden of Eden offered Adam and Eve, but in a spiritual sense. I believe this is a helpful analogy.
The interaction between the spiritual realm and the earthly realm is not something I will cover here, but I believe the Heavens and Earth are an ‘integrated reality’. They are separate but together. Even though they are the Heavens and the Earth, they remain one whole Creation.
And what happens in one, influences the other.
Matthew 18 v 18
“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
So when we receive land in the Kingdom of Heaven, it provides for all our spiritual needs. This then overflows into the physical realm. As Jesus said:
Matthew 6 v 33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
‘All these things’ are what we need to live on this Earth. And as we seek His Kingdom, by walking in the Beatitudes, He blesses us with all we need.
Hunger and Thirst
The fourth Beatitude tells the subjects of the Kingdom of Heaven, that if they hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness, they will be filled.
We see this in Proverbs:
Proverbs 10 v 3
The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
This proverb tells us that God will always satisfy the righteous. This is primarily spiritual hunger, but as I said previously, the Kingdom of Heaven overflows into the physical.
Practically, how does this overflowing work? When we have a community of faith whose focus is on God, we see love flow through the church. Jesus then uses His Body to meet the physical needs of those in and around the community.
By all means, He can perform miracles in our lives without the action of the Church. I know I have experienced a few in my life.
I have also experienced the love and care of the Kingdom of Heaven through my local church.
Bread and Wine
The ultimate expression of meeting the needs of those who thirst and hunger for righteousness is in the Eucharist. The Bread and Wine or ‘Body and Blood’, satisfy those who thirst (wine) and hunger (bread) for righteousness. The Lord’s Supper does indeed meet our needs, both spiritually, and by extension, physically.
That's a very interesting take. I wonder, too, whether the idea of inheritance implies the relationship of son to Father, because I think in the ancient world it was rare and unseemly to give an inheritance outside the family.