The Happy Ones
Those Poor in
Spirit
Matthew 5:3
- It is important that we not take this one out
of context. It seems that there can be various ways of interpreting it
correctly. The interpretation as given by the Good News Bible (GNB) implies that
those who are cognitively aware of their need for Holy Spirit are happy
because they are called by God to become members in the kingdom of the
heavens. We shall cite Matthew 5:3 in the King James version which in this
case happens to be closer to the oldest known copies of the original Greek
version shown by B.F. Westcott and F. J. A. Hort:
-
Matthew 5:3 KJV+
Blessed3107 are the3588
poor4434
in spirit:4151
for3754
theirs846
is2076
the3588
kingdom932
of heaven.3772
- The Greek word for poor in this translation can mean a beggar, and
thus might refer to those who beg for Holy Spirit, or rather pray in the
Spirit. So it might be translated as:
- Blessed are the ones who pray (beg)
in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
John 4:23-24 KJV
But
the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the
Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a
Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him
in spirit and in truth.
- However it may denote one who is distressed in spirit, or
depressed, feeling lowly and crushed, and therefore humble. This is in line with James' inspired words.
·
James 4:7-10 ASV
Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to
you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your
laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,
and he shall exalt you.
- Another reason the King James, in this case, is a more
accurate interpretation, is that those who are haughty, or those with dark
lofty eyes, are those that God hates, and clearly not worthy of the kingdom of
the heavens. Furthermore because the KJV is closer to the original, it covers
a more general range of interpretation, and is not pigeonholed into one
group’s limited range of interpretation. This does not however imply that the
King James is the perfect Bible translation out there, nor is it in any way
saying that the GNB is fundamentally flawed.
- The point is that we need not limit ourselves to one way of
looking at something until all the evidence is thoroughly evaluated. In this
particular case we see that the KJV happens to be in better harmony with what
we find in the Bible as a whole. Many people are conscious of their spiritual
need, but that does not and should not give them the right to conclude that
they qualify as heirs to the Kingdom of heaven. To do so is basing one's faith
on a very weak and limited foundation. It displays a presumptuous attitude.
- Luke 6:20
GNB Jesus looked at his disciples and
said, "Happy are you poor; the Kingdom of God is yours!
- Proverbs
6:16-19 WEB There are six things which
Yahweh hates; Yes, seven which are an abomination to him:
17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, Hands that
shed innocent blood; 18 A heart that devises
wicked schemes, Feet that are swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness who utters lies, And he who
sows discord among brothers.
- Proverbs
28:14 Webster Happy
is the man that feareth always: but he that hardeneth his
heart shall fall into mischief.
- Proverbs
16:19 Webster Better
it is to be of a humble spirit with the
lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
-
Proverbs 29:23 Webster A man's pride
shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.
- Psalms 34:2
WEB My soul shall boast in Yahweh. The
humble shall hear of it, and be glad.
- Psalms
119:71 WEB It is good for me that I have
been afflicted, That I may learn your statutes.
- Let us all pray to our Father in the heavens that he make us among
the poor in spirit.
The Mourners
Matthew 5:4
- Those who mourn perhaps over the death of lost loved ones shall
be comforted. The congregator gives us some insight on the matter:
-
Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 WEB A good name is
better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one's
birth. 2 It is better to go to the house of
mourning than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all
men, and the living should take this to heart. 3
Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is
made good. 4 The heart of the wise is in the
house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
- It is implied here that once we are asleep in death our
ability to learn ends and thus we are wise to learn as much as we can as far
as the Word of God is concerned, before that day comes. If we are in constant
vexation than we are allowing our hearts to be refined to purity by God.
- Let us all pray to our Father in the heavens that we be among
those who mourn.
The
Meek
Matthew 5:5
- Matthew 5:5
KJV Blessed are
the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
- A meek person is the same as a mild-tempered person. One who
is meek is willing to turn the other cheek. Sheep are meek, but donkeys are
stiff-necked. If one is mild tempered, then one is therefore patient with
those around him and willing to learn when his instructor from the heavens
teaches him. It can be argued that God has provided Satan as a means of
discipline for his sons, and so a meek person is willing to suffer slaps from
Satan, through other men, knowing that his Father in the heavens is teaching
him or her something about His statutes, His commandments, and His judicial
decisions. A meek person is also one patient with those he is trying to teach.
We should also notice here that the meek shall inherit the earth. Dose that
then imply that they shall not go to Heaven as some try to teach? No! It
implies that the true Israel shall
own the earth as a possession and rule over resurrected mankind, but a proof
of that is for another paper.
- Proverbs
29:1 ASV He that being often
reproved hardeneth his neck Shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without
remedy.
- Exodus
13:13 ASV And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb;
and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck: and all the
first-born of man among thy sons shalt thou redeem.
- Let us all pray to our Father in the heavens that he give us a
meek heart.
Those Who Hunger and
Thirst after Righteousness
Matthew 5:6
- Righteousness as found in the Word of God is moral justice
without partiality or favoritism. In other words to hunger and thirst for
God's righteousness is to have a desire for His statutes, His commandments,
and His judicial decisions rather than the wickedness and perverseness we see
going on now in the world. Those who hunger and thirst for it simply crave it
because in Satan's system of things it is difficult if not impossible to find,
but in the kingdom to come, when Messiah rules over the earth it will exist in
great abundance.
- Proverbs
2:20-22 GNB So you must follow the
example of good people and live a righteous life. 21
Righteous people---people of integrity---will live in this land of ours.
22 But God will snatch the wicked from the land
and pull sinners out of it like plants from the ground.
- Proverbs
16:9 GNB You may make your plans, but God
directs your actions.
-
Proverbs 16:13 GNB A king wants to hear
the truth and will favor those who speak it.
- Proverbs
31:8-9 GNB "Speak up for people who
cannot speak for themselves. Protect the rights of all who are helpless.
9 Speak for them and be a righteous judge.
Protect the rights of the poor and needy."
- Let us listen to the Word of God so that we may know how to hunger
and thirst for righteousness.
The
Merciful
Matthew 5:7
- The merciful person is impartially compassionate to other souls
in need. He is even willing to show mercy to his own enemies.
- Proverbs
19:17 GNB When you give to the poor, it
is like lending to YHWH, and YHWH will pay you back.
- Luke
10:29-37 GNB But the teacher of
the Law wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"
30 Jesus answered, "There was once a man
who was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when robbers attacked him,
stripped him, and beat him up, leaving him half dead.
31 It so happened that a priest was going
down that road; but when he saw the man, he walked on by on the other side.
32 In the same way a Levite also came
there, went over and looked at the man, and then walked on by on the other
side. 33 But a Samaritan who was traveling
that way came upon the man, and when he saw him, his heart was filled with
pity. 34 He went over to him, poured oil
and wine on his wounds and bandaged them; then he put the man on his own
animal and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.
35 The next day he took out two silver
coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Take care of him,' he told the
innkeeper, 'and when I come back this way, I will pay you whatever else you
spend on him.' " 36 And Jesus concluded,
"In your opinion, which one of these three acted like a neighbor toward the
man attacked by the robbers?" 37 The
teacher of the Law answered, "The one who was kind to him." Jesus replied,
"You go, then, and do the same."
- Let us be merciful to those in need of mercy.
The
Pure In Heart
Matthew 5:8
- The pure in heart are the wise ones who allow and even pray to
our Father in the heavens to discipline them to purity. They are the same ones
found in the house of mourning and are the same ones in constant dread of God.
- Proverbs
16:2 GNB You may think everything you do
is right, but YHWH judges your motives.
- Proverbs
17:3 GNB Gold and silver are tested by
fire, and a person's heart is tested by YHWH.
- Proverbs
20:9 GNB Can anyone really say that his
conscience is clear, that he has gotten rid of his sin?
- Proverbs
21:8 GNB Guilty people walk a crooked
path; the innocent do what is right.
- Proverbs
30:12 GNB There are people who think they
are pure when they are as filthy as they can be.
- Let us all pray to our Father in
the heavens that he give us a pure heart.
The
Peaceable
Matthew 5:9
- The peaceable forgive those who have debts
against them. A debt can be owed money, or a violation of moral or of secular
law. Some examples of the peaceable are those who forgive a spouse who has
committed adultery, or a brother who has transgressed in any way, or a
neighbor who has sinned against him, and yes the ones who forgive their own
enemies. Jesus was a perfect example of how to be a peacemaker, by forgiving those who killed
him.
- Proverbs
12:20 GNB Those who plan evil are in for
a rude surprise, but those who work for good will find happiness.
- Proverbs
17:9 GNB If you want people to like you,
forgive them when they wrong you. Remembering wrongs can break up a
friendship.
- Proverbs
19:11 GNB If you are sensible, you will
control your temper. When someone wrongs you, it is a great virtue to ignore
it.
- Let us forgive our neighbors their trespasses against us, so that
we can be among the peaceable.
Those Who Have Been
Persecuted For Righteousness' Sake
Matthew 5:10
- The prophets of old are good examples of those who have been
persecuted for Righteousness' sake. They were killed or placed into the prison
house or beaten for telling what YHWH had said was right and what was being
done wrong as regards keeping YHWH's statutes, His commandments and His
judicial decisions.
- Proverbs
17:26 GNB It is not right to make an
innocent person pay a fine; justice is perverted when good people are
punished.
- Proverbs
29:10 GNB Bloodthirsty people hate anyone
who's honest, but righteous people will protect the life of such a person.
- Proverbs
29:27 GNB The righteous hate the wicked,
and the wicked hate the righteous.
- Proverbs
3:16-17 GNB Wisdom offers you long life,
as well as wealth and honor. 17 Wisdom can make
your life pleasant and lead you safely through it.
-
Ecclesiastes 7:15 GNB My life has been
useless, but in it I have seen everything. Some good people may die while
others live on, even though they are evil.
-
Ecclesiastes 8:14 GNB But this is
nonsense. Look at what happens in the world: sometimes the righteous get the
punishment of the wicked, and the wicked get the reward of the righteous. I
say it is useless.
- Let us then remember the prophets, even Jesus, and our teachers
who were persecuted for righteousness and be guided by them.
You,
When men revile you
and Persecute you And Falsely Say Evil Against you For The
Word's Sake
Matthew 5:11
- In the same way the prophets were persecuted,
you the reader
will be persecuted if you boldly do as they did. Jesus Christ is the Word of
God, therefore if you are persecuted for the sake of the Word, then you should
be happy, your reward is great in the heavens.
-
Proverbs 14:19 GNB
Evil people will have to bow down to the righteous and humbly beg their
favor.
- Proverbs
24:15-16 GNB Don't be like the wicked who
scheme to rob honest people or to take away their homes.
16 No matter how often honest people fall, they
always get up again; but disaster destroys the wicked.
- Let us then be willing to suffer the humiliation of persecution,
even to death, for the sake of our master Jesus the Messiah and prove to our
Father that we love him as Jesus did.