"Matthew 5:1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:" (ESV). In Micah 6 we read: "8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" In both cases the teaching is being given to those who are called believers, in Micah it is the people of Israel, and in Matthew it is the disciples.
I have heard many people talk about these Beatitudes, and they have for the most part spoken of them as laws for us to follow, as if to say that one must be humble, and merciful, a peacemaker, and must also be able to withstand persecution for being a follower of Jesus. If one can do these things then one is to receive blessings. However the actual reading here is this: "Happy is the one who is poor in spirit." Well what does that mean? It certainly cannot mean the one who is poor, because the spirit is mentioned. Could it be that Jesus was not telling the disciples that they had to be poor to be blessed?
We do read in both the old and new testaments that the poor are those who must depend upon God for everything and therefore they are cared for by God. In this case perhaps we need to understand that this is one who has come to that point in life where he or she can depend upon nothing but God for their very sustenance. There is nothing left to her but faith in the God who created and is creating. So this would be the poor in spirit, because without God there is no hope.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Mourn? What are they mourning? The sin that has brought them to the point where they must mourn for their own lives, and those around them, corrupted by sin, and at war with God. So as they mourn and repent of the sin that is their life, they are comforted.
I would believe that they also mourn for those who have yet to repent, who are still wallowing in their own sin and have no happiness in their lives. Isaiah who comes into the temple and sees God, cries out, "Woe is me, I am a man of unclean lips, and I live amongst a people of unclean lips." He mourned for his own sin and the sin of his people. Blessing flows to the one who recognizes his or her sin and repents of it.
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." (ESV) So who are these meek folks? This is not about being shy and retiring or timid, Billy Graham, is a meek man, for he desires to be in the presence of God always. These are the ones who are constantly before the throne, not for themselves but rather for others and for the glory of God. Meekness is humility before God, not timidity not shyness, but rather boldness for the kingdom.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (ESV) These are the ones who are looking for the righteousness of God, they wish to be like Christ in all things. They also understand that they themselves cannot and will not hold righteousness without it coming from God through Jesus. They wear His mantle of righteousness not their own.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." (ESV) In this world of today, we have to have laws to protect those who would be merciful. It used to be that when you offered help to one in need, it was understood that you were just trying to be like Jesus, that your compassion would be also your protection. Now there is no protection unless you live in a state with a Good Samaritan law on the books. Those who are merciful, receive mercy from God, happy are those who have received that mercy from God.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (ESV) Those who work tirelessly for the kingdom, who love God to the exclusion of themselves and who want only to bring the Kingdom to fruition on earth as it is in heaven.
These are the folks who work out of the will of God as they perceive it, and are blessed many times with the presence in their heart and life of God, one day to see Him face to face which will be their greatest blessing.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." We have an office in the Conference that is dedicated to peace with justice. This is what we are talking about here, these are the folks who strive to bring SHALOM, God’s perfect peace to reality in the space around them. Striving to bring community wholeness to the church and to the society at large. They are happiest when peace is extant and it is a peace that is not the absence of war, but rather a peace with health and wholeness. A just peace for all persons.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account." Of course it isn’t much of a blessing to be persecuted, however, by hanging in through all of this, by sticking with the one who saved you, blessing is yours for all eternity.
The interesting thing to me in today’s readings is that the verse we read today in Micah 6:8 actually says what these beatitudes say. "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" The scriptures have put forth the will of God for our lives very clearly and concisely, yet, we Christians still seem to have a problem figuring out what it is that our God has for us to do and to be.
If we actually spend time in the word of God, we can begin to see what we are in relation to what God is. God sees us through perfect vision, God knows our hearts and minds, and as our creator wants us to be as He is. Jesus has said: "Matthew 5:48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
So how can we be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect? Micah tells us as does Jesus. We are to be people who do justice. To act with integrity in all our dealings with others. To be truthful, not trying to hurt but bringing a sense of healing with all that we say and do, working to help and to build up those around us. Doing always that which is right, treating all others with fairness and equity. Treating all the same, there can be no Lord, other than the Lord our God, there is also none who are truly inferior to me or to you. Yes there are those who are in inferior places, or who have problems dealing with life, but you are to act toward all persons with integrity. That is doing "justice."
Next Micah tells us that we are to "love kindness." Webster defines this as: "1. Good will; benevolence; that temper or disposition which delights in contributing to the happiness of others, which is exercised cheerfully in gratifying their wishes, supplying their wants or alleviating their distresses; benignity of nature. Kindness ever accompanies love." (Webster 1828 Dictionary of American English) Along with integrity of action, doing justice we are to act in a kind, compassionate manner to our fellow man. The Declaration of Independence of the United States says that men have the divinely given right of the pursuit of happiness. When we act kindly toward others, we are contributing toward their finding of that which they are seeking. The word translated kindness can also be translated "steadfast love."
To love when the object of that love is hard to love, or is difficult to live with or be around, to love anyway. It is this kind of love that God has for us, a love that deals with us in kindness and mercy, even though what we deserve is to be punished for our crimes. This is the kind of love that Jesus exercised when he went to the cross in our place. So God expects us to act in this way toward one another, to build up and to edify each other, to practice kindness and compassion toward all.
C. H. SPURGEON, delivered a sermon, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, on Thursday Evening, August 22nd, 1889. It was titled "Micah’s Message for Today." In that sermon he spoke of walking humbly with God, that sermon took about 1 1/2 hours to deliver and Spurgeon made some excellent points in it. It was all about the last part of verse 8, "to walk humbly with your God." Spurgeon has this to say about walking humbly with your God: "I do believe that the more grace a man has the more he feels his deficiency of grace. All the people that I have ever thought might have been called perfect before God, have been notable for a denial of anything of the sort; they have always disclaimed anything like perfection, they have always lain low before God, and if one has been constrained to admire them, they have blushed at his admiration."
Walking humbly with your God, is to walk in the knowledge of your imperfection, in light of His perfection. It is to want and indeed be concentrated upon being all that God wants for us to be, yet understanding that we are on a journey toward that perfection. John Wesley taught that we should strive to become perfected in love in this life, yet never claimed that for himself and did see it in others.
How may we walk in this humble state? By being in communion with God always, to hold a part of our self in His presence all the time. In our day and age we call that multitasking, and yet we see that many who followed Christ have done just this. The apostle Paul spoke of praying always, of being thankful even in the midst of tribulation. In the old Testament we find Abraham walking and talking with God. Even in one instance discussing with God the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and trying to save those cities.
Job in the 42nd chapter comes face to face with God and in verses 5 & 6 says: " had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes." Walking humbly with your God is seeing yourself through His eyes, and knowing that no matter how long you are walking with Him, you are still a sinner saved by grace. Spurgeon again says this: "The best of men are but men at the best, and the brightest saints are still sinners".
Walking humbly with your God is recognizing that you are "saved by grace and not by works, lest any should boast in themselves." We who have confessed Jesus as Lord, have received a free gift from God, because there is no way we could have paid the price for that which God has given to us freely. For it is Jesus who has shown us what it means to "Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God." It is his blood, shed on the cross at Calvary which gives us eternal life in the presence of the glory of God. All you must do is claim that for yourself, repent of your sins, and go forth to practice that which you have received.
Let us remember that this teaching was to those who claimed to be God’s people, both in Micah and in Matthew. This is for those of us who truly claim Jesus as Lord. This is the will of God for you and I, so let us strive together to walk in the will of God for our lives, today and everyday.
