Today, Thursday February 16
“The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth”
Psalm 37:7-11
“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret--it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”
David is dealing with the age-old question about why does it seem like the wicked and evil man prosper and have everything while the righteous and good man has nothing and suffers. We are encouraged not to “fret”, to get upset about it, but we are to trust the LORD anyway. And we should continuously delight in Him, stay committed to Him, and wait and rest in Him.
If you take the time to read the whole chapter, you will find that David repeatedly tells us that if trust and obey, and wait for the LORD, we will still be around enjoying peace and an awesome inheritance on the earth but the “wicked will be no more”. Of course this will be ultimately fulfilled in the Millennium reign of Christ after the Seven-year Tribulation.
At least seven times in this chapter David talks about “inheriting the land” or “inheriting the earth” (vv. 3, 9,11, 22, 29, 34). And in verse 18 he tells us that “the inheritance of the upright shall be forever”. Jesus quoted verse 11 in His first recorded message, the Sermon on the Mount or the Beatitudes, in Matthew 5:5. In verse 3, David told the person who was trusting the LORD and doing good, “to dwell, to stay in the land”.
What specific “land” is David talking about? "Inherit the land" (vv. 9, 11, 22, 29) refers to the security of future generations in the Land of Promise, according to God's covenant with Israel (Gen. 12:1-3; 13:14-18; 15:7-17). God had a great work for His righteous remnant to do in that land, culminating in the coming of Messiah. The nation of Israel was specifically chosen by the LORD to give us the Bible and also give us the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ! The Book of Hebrews tells us that the original group that came out of captivity in Egypt with Moses were not able to enter into their promise rest in the land because of their unbelief.
Israel did eventually go into the Land of Promise with Joshua and each of the twelve tribes had their specific inheritance in the land. This land was to be passed down to future generations and become the inheritance of each family and each tribe. That was what it meant to “inherit the land".
In verse 11 we read the verse Jesus quoted, “But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Jesus expanded the inheritance to include the earth for those who are meek. Meekness" does not mean "weakness." It means force under the control of faith. Moses was meek (Num. 12:3), but he was a man of great power. To be meek means to be yielded to a greater authority or power. For the believer this means we have recognized that God is the owner of everything and that we are only the servant who is the steward, the manager of the things He has given us.
It also means that we have yielded all our rights to the Lord. Oswald Chambers said it so well, “The only right we have is the right to give up the right to ourselves.” Jesus said it this way, “Deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Me”. Jesus also said, “If you save your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up yourself for Me and for the sake of the Gospel, you will find it”.
We live in a world today that screams, “Demand your rights”! God says, “Give up your rights and fulfill your responsibilities!” A wonderful thing happens when you yield, surrender, and really give up everything to the Lord!!!!! You will find that you can enjoy every good thing that the earth has to offer!!!! It becomes “your inheritance”. Something you will never lose. Amazing!!!!
The missionary, Jim Elliott said it this way in a journal entry October 28, 1949, “"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."
God bless!