After offering his reasons for declaring as blessed those who are poor in spirit; and those who mourn, Jesus said, blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth (Matt 5:3-5).
Of the word for “meek” Thayer’s Hebrew lexicon offers the opinion that, “Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting. In the Old Testament, 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, that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver His elect in His time. (Isaiah 41:17, Luke 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…This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will. (Ga 5:23).”
Seems to me that there is a sense of progression in these declarations of the king, and that each new description and explanation of blessedness builds on those which precede it– working toward an outcome of life that the King of kings, himself, personifies and inspires.
Are you seeing something similar, rather than seeing them as an unordered, impersonal affirmation of principles?
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