Post by Mark on Nov 5, 2008 4:55:24 GMT -8
The political climate of Israel in the first Century was tense. There were a lot of unhappy people around for a lot of reasons. Many followed Messiah Yeshua because they believed that He might answer their political frustration: that He would route the Roman occupation and restore the kingdom of Israel to the height of her glory like the reign of King David. Many believed that He would raise an army like Yehudah Maccabee, the folk hero of the Hanukkah celebration, roughly two hundred years before.
Messiah gathered crowds who could see that He was an amazing prophet from Adonai. Surely, this must be the One. And yet, He says such contrary things to their expectation. "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth."
The Jew, particularly living in the land of Israel, doesn’t think much about the circular orb that floats through space. The Greek word "ghay" or Hebrew "eh-rets" means "earth" but more properly "soil", "land" or "dirt". In cultural context, Messiah was saying, "The meek shall inherit the land of Israel." This was a bucket of cold water on the current Messianic expectation. Rather than thinking Messiah was coming to do something different than what we expected, many left off from following Him. If it is through meekness that He has come to restore the kingdom, then He must not be the Son of David for whom we have been waiting.
Many stayed with Him. Many who were looking at the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, for their hope were roused in their expectation. Messiah wasn’t simply defusing the hope of a military deliverance. He was quoting David:
Fret not yourself against evil-doers,
Nor be envious against the workers of iniquity.
For they shall soon be cut down like grass,
and wither as the green herb.
Trust in the Lord and do good;
so shall you dwell in the land,
and verily be fed.
Delight yourself in the Lord;
and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your ways to the Lord;
Trust in Him,
and He shall bring it to pass.
And He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your judgment as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
and do not fret yourself over him who prospers in his way,
because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass.
Cease from anger and forsake wrath:
Consider no method of doing evil.
For evildoers shall be cut off:
but those who wait upon the Lord,
they shall inherit the earth.
For yet a little while and the wicked shall no longer be;
Yes, you shall diligently consider his place,
and it shall not be.
But the meek shall inherit the earth;
and shall delight themselves in the adundance of peace.
(Psalm 37:1-11)
David knew what he was talking about. He saw, first hand, the deliverance of God and fulfilling of Adonai’s promises without David stepping in to try and do the Amighty any favors. In fact, the pattern is consistent throughout Scripture: Moses, Joshua, Esther, Nehemiah, Jehoshaphat are all examples of those who waited on deliverance to come from Adonai in faith rather than launching out against their enemies.
Meekness ought not to be considered pacifism. In fact, any who would consider David a pacifist hasn’t had even the most cursory exposure to biblical history. David was known as the warrior king of Israel. Yet, of all the writings of David that Messiah might have quoted, this possibly drew the greatest distinction of who David was rather than what David did.
Meekness is simply recognizing yourself for what you are in relation to who is the Lord your God. Meekness is determining that you don’t know as much as He knows, that you’re not as strong as He is, and that maybe the best way to accomplish the goals of righteousness is to submit to His will and authority in your life in all things. Meekness is the relaxed feeling when you relax yourself into the arms of a skilled master, while He demonstrates, hand over hand, how to effectively do a task. Meekness is simply saying, "Not my will, Lord, but Yours be done."
The quality of meekness is something that I don’t easily understand. What I see is "micro-management". Just tell me what you want me to do, then go someplace else while I get the job done. This is what we would have liked our Messiah to be. This is the Messiah that Israel was expecting: a take charge kind of guy. Yet, if this were the sort of fellow David had been, the nation of Israel would have destroyed herself in civil war. If this had been the sort of fellow our Messiah had represented, then He would not have been the spotless sacrifice for our sins. If this is the sort of people that we are, then there is no peace in the land but confusion, arrogance and bitter conflict
The only possible way that Promised Land can be a land of peace is if it is inherited by the meek. Messiah understood this as David did. There can only be one Lord and Master. If we are anything but obedient servants to His kingdom, unless we are submissive to His rule in meekness, we are nothing but rebels, for whom which there is no place in the kingdom of Adonai.
Messiah gathered crowds who could see that He was an amazing prophet from Adonai. Surely, this must be the One. And yet, He says such contrary things to their expectation. "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth."
The Jew, particularly living in the land of Israel, doesn’t think much about the circular orb that floats through space. The Greek word "ghay" or Hebrew "eh-rets" means "earth" but more properly "soil", "land" or "dirt". In cultural context, Messiah was saying, "The meek shall inherit the land of Israel." This was a bucket of cold water on the current Messianic expectation. Rather than thinking Messiah was coming to do something different than what we expected, many left off from following Him. If it is through meekness that He has come to restore the kingdom, then He must not be the Son of David for whom we have been waiting.
Many stayed with Him. Many who were looking at the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, for their hope were roused in their expectation. Messiah wasn’t simply defusing the hope of a military deliverance. He was quoting David:
Fret not yourself against evil-doers,
Nor be envious against the workers of iniquity.
For they shall soon be cut down like grass,
and wither as the green herb.
Trust in the Lord and do good;
so shall you dwell in the land,
and verily be fed.
Delight yourself in the Lord;
and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your ways to the Lord;
Trust in Him,
and He shall bring it to pass.
And He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your judgment as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
and do not fret yourself over him who prospers in his way,
because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass.
Cease from anger and forsake wrath:
Consider no method of doing evil.
For evildoers shall be cut off:
but those who wait upon the Lord,
they shall inherit the earth.
For yet a little while and the wicked shall no longer be;
Yes, you shall diligently consider his place,
and it shall not be.
But the meek shall inherit the earth;
and shall delight themselves in the adundance of peace.
(Psalm 37:1-11)
David knew what he was talking about. He saw, first hand, the deliverance of God and fulfilling of Adonai’s promises without David stepping in to try and do the Amighty any favors. In fact, the pattern is consistent throughout Scripture: Moses, Joshua, Esther, Nehemiah, Jehoshaphat are all examples of those who waited on deliverance to come from Adonai in faith rather than launching out against their enemies.
Meekness ought not to be considered pacifism. In fact, any who would consider David a pacifist hasn’t had even the most cursory exposure to biblical history. David was known as the warrior king of Israel. Yet, of all the writings of David that Messiah might have quoted, this possibly drew the greatest distinction of who David was rather than what David did.
Meekness is simply recognizing yourself for what you are in relation to who is the Lord your God. Meekness is determining that you don’t know as much as He knows, that you’re not as strong as He is, and that maybe the best way to accomplish the goals of righteousness is to submit to His will and authority in your life in all things. Meekness is the relaxed feeling when you relax yourself into the arms of a skilled master, while He demonstrates, hand over hand, how to effectively do a task. Meekness is simply saying, "Not my will, Lord, but Yours be done."
The quality of meekness is something that I don’t easily understand. What I see is "micro-management". Just tell me what you want me to do, then go someplace else while I get the job done. This is what we would have liked our Messiah to be. This is the Messiah that Israel was expecting: a take charge kind of guy. Yet, if this were the sort of fellow David had been, the nation of Israel would have destroyed herself in civil war. If this had been the sort of fellow our Messiah had represented, then He would not have been the spotless sacrifice for our sins. If this is the sort of people that we are, then there is no peace in the land but confusion, arrogance and bitter conflict
The only possible way that Promised Land can be a land of peace is if it is inherited by the meek. Messiah understood this as David did. There can only be one Lord and Master. If we are anything but obedient servants to His kingdom, unless we are submissive to His rule in meekness, we are nothing but rebels, for whom which there is no place in the kingdom of Adonai.
