Contents
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.Matthew 5:5
What Does It Mean to Be Blessed With the Inheritance of the Earth?
Jesus tells us, for they shall inherit the earth. That's simple enough, although Jesus doesn't speak openly about it much. Isaiah prophesies, And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.Isaiah 11:1-9
Jesus referred to Isaiah's prophecy in the speech where he separates the sheep from the goats,(Matthew 25:31-46.) but it goes deeper to tell us what it means for the children to inherit Earth. There will be no more hurt or destruction, and knowledge of the lord will spread near and far.
Additionally, we also see in a few parables the possibility that we may become rulers in our second lives.(See The Parables of the Ten Minas and Five Talents. Also inferred in the The Parable of the Prodigal Son, since the father recognized the lost son as a son and not a servant, it stands to reason that the son would be given inheritance, and thus rule, from his father.) This isn't dogmatic, but rather a thought that arises out of logical speculation.
I'd also just like to mention that even this Earthly kingdom is temporary, though we know nothing about when it will end, or what will happen next. Jesus said, Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.Mark 13:31 cf Luke 21:33 See also Matthew 5:18, Luke 16:17 So don't grow proud in the possibility that we may inherit this Earth and do a good job in all the things that God wants us to do, for even that time will pass.
What Does It Mean to Be Meek? Back to Top ↑
Meek is meek here. It means to be mild and gentle. This is quite a vague answer, but we can look at other statements from Jesus to learn what disposition we should have to inherit the Earth.
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.Luke 18:18-23 cf. Mark 10:17-22
The meek do not seek to gain Earthly wealth, nor do they seek to keep it. It is a bit ironic that in order to inherit the world, we must not want to keep any of it to ourselves. This similar to the beatitude which reads, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Matthew 5:3
Why Shall the Meek Inherit the Earth? Back to Top ↑
To be meek is very similar to, if not the same as, being poor in spirit. Both are calm, gentle, unambitious, and do not fuss over the small (or large) things in life. For these reasons, the meek will inherit the Earth for the same reasons that the poor in spirit will inherit the kingdom.