“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” —Matthew 5:3
In a bit of departure from our usual approach, I plan to spend the next several weeks looking at the beatitudes, a catalogue of eight virtues upon which the Savior has already bestowed His blessing, and suited to be woven into the spiritual garment of every believer in the God of the bible.
This first is made more challenging by reason of the fact that Luke’s rendering is simply, “Blessed are the poor…” ; but, there is no inherent virtue in material poverty. Some are poor by reason of indolence. “How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man [Prov. 6:9-11].” Some are poor because of careless living. “He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich [Prov. 21:17].” Some are poor because they will not listen to wise counsel. “Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured [Prov. 13:18].” And some allow poverty to become an excuse for dishonest behavior and even blasphemy. “Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain [Prov. 30:7-9, my italics].”
Clearly, the modifying phrase in Matthew explains the kind of “poverty” the Lord has in mind, citing a disposition, or “spirit,” which may be found in some men of means as well as in the indigent. And the Savior here echoes the prophet Isaiah: “…to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word [Isa. 66:2b].” And, “…thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones [Isa. 57:15].”
Whether materially poor or not, it is this spirit of humility, manifest before God and man, that comes under the banner of “blessed.” Job manifested it when, bereft of family and fortune and belittled by his friends he said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” And, it was evident in David the king whose voice in the Psalms is so often one of humility. Its counterpoint is seen in king Saul to whom Samuel said, ‘When you were little in your own sight…the Lord anointed you king over Israel,’ but when position generated pride, he lost the kingdom.
The “poor in spirit” measure their worth not by the things which they possess, but by the divine standard. These first discover their spiritual bankruptcy and need of God’s grace. Making application by faith to the treasury of heaven, they become ‘joint heirs with Christ,’ and thus ‘heir of all things.’ Whether their material circumstances are prosperous or impoverished, there is an awareness that all comes from God and they maintain an attitude of humility that is evident in the way they deal with others around them.
Arrogance and pride are foreign to those who are poor in spirit, and they handle prosperity or poverty with equal grace. David could say from his throne, “Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation; And thy right hand hath holden me up, And thy gentleness hath made me great [Ps. 18:35].” The apostle Paul, on the other hand, declared himself as “having nothing, yet possessing all things [II Cor. 6:10].” The disposition is the same in either case.
How blessed indeed, is that church where rich and poor alike are characterized as “poor in spirit,” so that there is neither an air of superiority on the one hand nor jealousy and envy on the other. Both are investors in the kingdom of heaven and look forward to an equal share in “the glory of God.”
“Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” –James 2:5
For treasure in heaven,
"Pastor" Frasier
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