18 Minutes With JesusSample

We tend to think of those who are described as “meek” as being wimps. But meekness isn’t weakness at all. Meekness can be defined as “power under control.” In classical Greek, the same word was used to describe wild animals that had been tamed.

No wonder Jesus said, “Blessed are the gentle” (Matt. 5:5). Gentleness is a characteristic close to the Lord’s heart. He described Moses as “very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” (Num. 12:3). And it’s the only characteristic Jesus used to describe Himself. “Come unto Me,” He said, “for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:28–29).

To those who are gentle, or meek, Jesus gave this promise: “They shall inherit the earth” (5:5). David affirmed this promise in Psalm 37:11: “The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”

Immediately following Jesus’s words about the strength of meekness, He speaks of another paradox—the fullness of hunger: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matt. 5:6).

“Righteousness” is often used in the Bible to refer to the act of spiritual justification in which God exchanges our unrighteousness with Christ’s righteousness at the moment of faith and declares us “not guilty” (Rom. 4:5; Phil. 3:9; 1 Pet. 3:18). But that’s not what Jesus meant here. Jesus was talking about spiritual hunger and thirst for what I call “ethical righteousness,” which refers to behavior in the world that aligns with God’s commands.

This also applies to the hunger and thirst for righteousness in our own lives. You’ve heard it said, “You are what you eat!” What’s true physically is true spiritually. If you crave violence, materialism, or eroticism, then eventually you’ll personify these things. But if you crave righteousness, then you’ll personify the fruit of the Spirit outlined in Galatians 5:22–23.

That’s why Paul advised in Philippians 4:8, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

If you hunger and thirst for righteousness in your own life, then this promise is for you: “They shall be satisfied” (Matt. 5:6).

Why would God promise us delight and satisfaction? How is this different than the world’s promises to us?