Chapter 4 MEEKNESS AND INHERITANCE Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5).
The theocentric focus of this passage cannot be meekness as such, for God is not meek. What, then? It has to be meekness before God. Humanist theologian John C. Raines has written of Calvin: "Calvin understood the Christian life not as `a vessel filled with God' but as an active `tool and instrument' of the Divine initiative. But this is precisely our point. Active toward the world, the Christian knows himself as utterly passive and obedient toward God, whose Will it is his sole task to discover and obey."(1) This is the heart of the matter: subordination under God and His law. Dominion is by covenant.
Inheritance is a blessing. Inheriting the earth is a very large blessing. It has to be corporate. It has to be ecclesiastical. It is the people of God, members of the church, who inherit. The issue here is historical. Is this inheritance historical? Or is it confined to the post-resurrection world, after Satan and his angels have been consigned to the lake of fire? Subordination is surely historical. What about inheritance?
Subordination to Unrighteous Men The passage that we call Jesus' Sermon on the Mount was delivered to an assembly of Jews who were living under Roman rule. Jews had not lived under their own kings for over half a millennium. What they knew was political weakness. They had learned how to survive as subordinates to foreign rulers.
Jesus' Sermon on the Mount was filled with the imagery of pain and weakness. The beatitudes -- "blessed are the. . . ." -- were a series of contrasts between the pain of the present and hope for the future. This future was earthly as well as heavenly. The phrase, "the kingdom of heaven," in Matthew was used as a synonym for the kingdom of God, which was not confined to the realm of departed spirits or the post-resurrection world. The promise of earthly inheritance had been placed by God before Israel for fourteen centuries. It was a kingdom promise. They would not have imagined that the following referred exclusively to the post-resurrection world: "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you" (Matt. 5:3-12).
The contrast here was between life under unjust men and life under God's rule. Injustice must be borne patiently, but life on earth need not be forever unjust. The promise of a world to inherit made it clear that there is hope for the Christian in his work. The contrast between the present and eternity appears only in the final verse, which deals with persecution by Jews. The persecution of the prophets had been a continual problem in the Promised Land, which was one reason why Israel was living under Roman rule. God had applied sanctions to the nation for this transgression of His law: the law of false witness. Israel had killed the true prophets and had honored the court prophets.
Matthew 5:5 is not confined exclusively to Israel. Its offer of earthly hope is valid in every age in which Christians suffer because of their faith. The kingdom of heaven is not an exclusively Jewish phenomenon.(2) But the focus of the passage is on the contrast between times of suffering and a future era of victory. Compared to the promised future blessings, the suffering of God's people is a minor affair. It is also temporary.
Under God, Over the Creation Matthew 5:5 is an extension of the dominion covenant: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth" (Gen. 1:26-28). Man was created by God to extend His kingdom on earth. Man is God's agent in history. He is under God and over the creation.
This verse should not be interpreted in terms of a personality trait. It is not a statement that identifies a group of people who share this trait as those best equipped to run the world. Biblical meekness is a matter of law. The people who will inherit the earth are those who acknowledge themselves as subordinates to God and His law, and who use their knowledge of His law to subdue the earth to God's glory. Biblical meekness is correctly understood in relation to Jesus Christ: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matt. 11:29). Just as Christ acknowledged His subordination to God the Father, so are we to take Christ's yoke and imitate Him. Our position as covenantal subordinates to a sovereign God is supposed to create in us an appropriate sense of inner peace: "But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price" (I Pet. 3:4).
Jesus was not meek when He twice used a whip to drive the moneychangers out of the temple area, at the beginning of His ministry (John 2:15) and at the end (Matt. 21:12).(3) There was nothing meek about His use of pejorative language against His opponents: hypocrites (Matt. 15:7), whited sepulchres (Matt. 23:27), serpents, generation of vipers (Matt. 23:33), thieves (Mark 11:17), sons of the devil (John 8:44). Jesus' rhetoric was inflammatory. He did not hold back verbally in His rejection of the rabbis' authority over Him. On what basis could He have lawfully used such language against the religious rulers of Israel? Only on the basis of His office as the judge of Israel. He was in authority over them because He obeyed His Father perfectly. When they tried to silence Him, He spoke out in public. When they told Him to speak, He remained silent (Matt. 27:12). He was not meek before them; He was a thorn in their flesh, challenging their ethics and their willingness to teach the truth about the Bible.
Under the Creation, Over God The covenant-breaker worships idols. Schlossberg calls these idols of nature and idols of history.(4) Ancient man believed in local spirits that exercised rule over him. Modern man believes instead in impersonal forces that exercise rule over him: meaningless, purposeless forces. Or he may trust in impersonal chance or impersonal fate, just as classical man did.(5) He fears the State, just as classical man did,(6) for it is the most powerful institution that man has created. In all of these cases, he does not worship a God who created everything out of nothing by the power of His word. The god of covenant-breaking man always shares power with the creation. To the extent that mankind can gain power over the creation, man becomes co-regent with this god.
Man seeks to worship a god with enough power to assist him in his quest to gain power. But this god is not to be so powerful that he lays down the law to man. Some law, yes, but not comprehensive law. Man is therefore willing to subordinate himself to nature in order to escape complete subordination to God. He invents gods of nature in order to escape the God who created nature.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things (Rom. 1:18-23).
One of the themes of modern evolutionary humanism is that man is a destroyer of nature. He is a polluter who seeks his own ends at the expense of nature, which deserves respect as an equal, if not a superior. The ecology movement is a reaction to the exploitation of nature. The "deep ecology" movement, while tiny, is dedicated to the proposition that modern society is evil because it refuses to become subordinate to the forces of nature. Man is not to use science to extract from nature the resources necessary to sustain a middle-class lifestyle for large numbers of people. The deep ecologists correctly observe that man in his autonomy is a destroyer. But their answer is not to recommend placing man and society under God through the four oath-bound covenants -- personal, ecclesiastical, familial, and civil -- but to place mankind under an implicit covenant with nature. In some cases, nature is seen as alive, having a hidden agenda. "Mother nature" is seen as more than a phrase; it is seen as a personal force. This borders on nature worship and animism -- a very ancient religion. Sometimes it crosses the border.
When men subordinate themselves to any aspect of the creation, they become idolatrous. They seek both power and meaning apart from the God who created nature. They ignore the Bible as the source of law. They reject God's demand that man exercise dominion over nature. They reject the suggestion that man alone is made in God's image, that he possesses lawful authority over nature on this basis. In short, they place God in the dock and seek to bring a covenant lawsuit against God by bringing one against His people and His Bible.
Inheritance and Meekness Inheritance is point five of the biblical covenant model. Deuteronomy is the book of the inheritance in the Pentateuch.(7) It is also the book of God's law. "Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee" (Deut. 16:18-20). The Psalms repeat this theme.
His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth (Ps. 25:13).
For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth (Ps. 37:9).
But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace (Ps. 37:11).
For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off (Ps. 37:22).
Conclusion Jesus here set forth a principle of Godly rule: meekness before God and authority over creation. The hierarchy of authority from God to man to nature implies that man must be meek before God and confident before nature. Covenant-keeping men are to be confident in their prosecution of covenant lawsuits against God's enemies. They are not to be meek before the shepherds of the goats of this world. They are to be meek before the Shepherd whose voice they recognize (John 10).
The promised reward for such behavior is the inheritance of the whole world, which is the judicial basis for the church's progressive working out of the dominion covenant (Gen. 1:26-28). This will finally be accomplished after the final judgment, but there is a down payment in history: the New Heavens and New Earth.
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands (Isa. 65:17-22).
Footnotes:
1. John C. Raines, "From Passive to Active Man: Reflections on the Revolution in Consciousness in Modern Man," in Raines and Thomas Dean (eds.), Marxism and Radical Religion: Essays Toward a Revolutionary Humanism (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1970), p. 114.
2. Traditional dispensationalism drew a sharp contrast between the kingdom of heaven in Matthew and the kingdom of God in the other gospels. The kingdom of heaven supposedly referred only to Israel before Jerusalem fell in A.D. 70 and to a future millennial era after Jesus returns in person to set up an earthly kingdom. This contrast has faded in the writings of dispensationalists ever since the publication of the New Scofield Reference Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, 1967).
3. Chapter 42, below.
4. Herbert Schlossberg, Idols for Destruction: Christian Faith and Its Confrontation with American Society (Westchester, Illinois: Crossway, [1983] 1993), p. 11.
5. Charles Norris Cochrane, Christianity and Classical Culture: A Study of Thought and Action from Augustus to Augustine (New York: Oxford University Press, [1944] 1957), p. 159.
6. R. J. Rushdoony, The One and the Many: Studies in the Philosophy of Order and Ultimacy (Fairfax, Virginia: Thoburn Press, [1971] 1978), chaps. 2, 3.
7. Gary North, Inheritance and Dominion: An Economic Commentary on Deuteronomy (Tyler, Texas: Institute for Christian Economics, 1999).
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