Blessed* (3107) (makarios from root makar, but others say from mak = large or lengthy) means to be happy, but not in the usual sense of happiness based on positive circumstances. From the Biblical perspective Makarios describes the person who is free from daily cares and worries because his every breath and circumstance is in the hands of His Maker Who gives him such an assurance (such a "blessing"). As discussed below makarios was used to describe the kind of happiness that comes from receiving divine favor. A T Robertson - The word accents the actual inner state rather than the outward appearance as another sees it...It is important to note that in the discussion of righteousness which is to follow Jesus assumes the new heart (Ed: Or serves to challenge unbelievers to believe in Jesus and receive a new heart), which alone makes it possible to come up to the lofty ethical standard here set up. Rob Morgan - Makarios (blessed) means happy, fortunate, blissful. Homer used the word to describe a wealthy man, and Plato used it of one who is successful in business. Both Homer and Hesiod spoke of the Greek gods as being happy (makarios) within themselves, because they were unaffected by the world of men-who were subject to poverty, disease, weakness, misfortune, and death. The fullest meaning of the term, therefore, had to do with an inward contentedness that is not affected by circumstances. That is the kind of happiness God desires for His children, a state of joy and well-being that does not depend on physical, temporary circumstances (cf Php 4:11, 12, 13). (From his sermon entitled "Blessed") Makarios is found 49 times in the NASB NT (Click all uses at end of this note). The translates makarios as blessed, 46; fortunate, 1; happier, 1; happy, 1. (Click for a devotional on "blessed" or "happy") Makarios - 40x in the non-apocryphal Septuagint (LXX) - Ge 30:13; Dt 33:29; 1Kgs 10:8; 2Chr 9:7; Job 5:17; Ps 1:1; 2:12; 32:1, 2; 33:12; 34:8; 40:4; 41:1; 65:4; 84:4, 5, 12; 89:15; 94:12; 106:3; 112:1; 119:1, 2; 127:5; 128:1, 2; 137:8, 9; 144:15; 146:5; Pr 3:13; 8:32; 20:7; 28:14; Ec 10:17; Is 30:18; 31:9; 32:20; 56:2; Da 12:12. Question: Do you want to experience God's hand of blessing in your life? Who doesn't?! Suggestion: Hold pointer over the links for the Psalms and Proverbs in the Lxx and make a list of what is associated with God's hand of blessing. I think you will be surprised, edified, convicted (rebuked?), and I pray transformed by this simple study that illumines God's truth, His word of grace (Acts 20:32), concerning His blessing on men and women (cp Jn 17:17). Greek used makarios to refer to their gods and thus "the blessed ones" were the gods. They were "blessed" because they had achieved a state of happiness and contentment in life that was beyond all cares, labors, and even death. The blessed ones were beings who lived in some other world away from the cares and problems and worries of ordinary people. To be blessed, you had to be a god. Homer used makarios to describe a state unaffected by the world of men, who were subject to poverty, weakness, and death. The Greeks also used makarios in reference to the dead who were "the blessed ones", men and women who, through death, had reached the other world of the gods and so were now beyond the cares and problems and worries of earthly life. To be blessed, you had to be dead, a state many of us have felt like we would just as well experience because of the nature of our manifold troubles and afflictions at the time. Finally, the Greeks used makarios to refer to the socioeconomic elite, the wealthy, the idea being (completely false I might add) that their riches and power put them above the normal cares and problems and worries of the lower socioeconomic strata, who constantly struggled to make it in life. In short, the Greeks felt that one had to be either a god, dead or filthy rich to be blessed (makarios)! And so we see another one of the words (like doulos, charis, etc) that the Bible elevated in status and meaning, as described below in a compilation from many different resources. MacArthur writes that makarios... is a divine pronouncement, the assured benefit of those who meet the conditions God requires. (MacArthur, J: Matthew 1-7 Chicago: Moody Press) Makarios is a state of existence in relationship to God in which a person is “blessed” from God’s perspective even when he or she doesn’t feel happy or isn’t presently experiencing good fortune. This does not mean a conferral of blessing or an exhortation to live a life worthy of blessing; rather, it is an acknowledgment that the ones indicated are blessed. Negative feelings, absence of feelings, or adverse conditions cannot take away the blessedness of those who exist in such a relationship with God! Makarios ultimately describes the state those who believe in Christ and in so possessing God, possess everything. In addition since they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, they are fully satisfied no matter what their circumstances. It is interesting that Aristotle contrasted makarios with the Greek word endees which means "the needy one". Friedrich Hauck says that the Greek word Makarios "refers overwhelmingly to the distinctive religious joy which accrues to man form his share in the salvation of the kingdom of God." Makarios means possessing the favor of God, experiencing "spiritual prosperity". It describes a state of being marked by fullness from God. And so what Jesus is saying in the "Beatitudes" is "Spiritually prosperous (blessed) are the poor in spirit...", etc (Mt 5:3) And thus some of the translators like Wuest pick up this definition... Spiritually prosperous are the destitute and helpless in the realm of the spirit, (Wuest) Some sources record that makarios means "to be congratulated." The natural man thinks of the "poor in spirit" as the person who mourns over sin and suffering, the meek, the persecuted as groups to be despised or even pitied. However, Jesus says they are fortunate people for God is pleased with them and fittingly He has "blessed" them. They are to be congratulated and after all what fortune is so great as God's blessing? D Martyn Lloyd-Jones adds that... The only man who is at all capable of carrying out the injunctions of the Sermon on the Mount is the man who is perfectly clear in his mind with regard to the essential character of the Christian. Our Lord says that this is the only kind of person who is truly 'blessed, that is, 'happy'. Someone has suggested that it might be put like this; this is the sort of man who is to be congratulated, this is the sort of man to be envied, for he alone is truly happy. (Lloyd-Jones, D. M. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount) (Bolding added) One might paraphrase Jesus' first beatitude... Blessed are the spiritual paupers, the spiritually empty, the spiritually bankrupt who cringe in a corner and cry out to God for mercy. Why? Because they are the only ones who tap the real resource for happiness independent of what happens. They are the only ones who ever know God. They are the only ones who are allowed entry into the Kingdom of Heaven (God). Theirs is the Kingdom—then and there, here and now and forever. Hallelujah! Blessed connotes the state of “prosperity” that comes when a superior bestows his favor (blessing) on one. Expositor's Bible Commentary - Usually makarios describes the man who is singularly favored by God and therefore in some sense "happy"...As for "happy" (TEV), it will not do for the Beatitudes, having been devalued in modern usage. (Gaebelein, F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary) Cremer says that makarios “is the gracious and saving effect of God’s favor … ,(Ed: Note this condition) but is enjoyed only when there is a corresponding behavior towards God; so that it forms the hoped-for good of those who in this life are subject to oppression.” (Bolding added) Cremer goes on to add that in the NT makarios... "is quite a religiously qualified conception, expressing the life-joy and satisfaction of the man who does or shall experience God’s favor and salvation, his blessedness altogether apart from his outward condition … It always signifies a happiness produced by some experience of God’s favor, and specially conditioned by the revelation of grace.” (Bolding added) Kenneth Wuest says that when makarios is "used of the state or condition of the believer, we would say that it refers to the spiritually prosperous state of that person who is the recipient of the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, who is enabled to minister these blessings to him when the believer yields to Him for that ministry and cooperates with Him in it. For instance, those who are reproached for the name of Christ, are in a spiritually prosperous condition, for the Holy Spirit is ministering to them with refreshing power (see note 1 Peter 4:14). (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament) Makarios is is used in pagan Greek literature to describe the state of happiness and well-being such as the gods enjoy as distinct from that of men who were subject to poverty and death, denoting a state of being of the gods who were exalted above earthly suffering and the limitations of earthly life. Other secular Greek writers used makarios to describe the state of certain men as supremely blest, fortunate, prosperous, wealthy. Some theological dictionaries define "blessed" as a "state of happiness" but this is not completely accurate because blessed differs from ''happy'' which describes a person with good ''luck''. The English word "Happy" is from the root hap which means luck as a favorable circumstance. What if someone asked you today "Are you happy?" Being the spiritual person you are would you stumble and fumble and hesitate and hem and haw because the question is not an easy question to answer. Isn't it true that for most of us saints still on this earth, our happiness tends to go up or down depending on what "happens" or how things are going in our life? How much superior is the condition of the saint who is "makarios", a state in which we are still in the world and yet are independent of the world because our satisfaction comes from God and not from favorable circumstances. Ray Pritchard writes that makarios... "doesn’t even apply to human emotions. It’s a statement of how God views people who live a certain way. The root idea of blessed is “approved by God.” Max Lucado catches the idea beautifully in his book on the Beatitudes called The Applause of Heaven. God applauds the poor in spirit. He cheers the mourners. He favors the meek. He smiles upon the hungry. He honors the merciful. He welcomes the pure in heart. He claps for the peacemakers. He rises to greet the persecuted. Pritchard goes on to add... As we begin this study of the Beatitudes, let’s realize that if we want God’s approval more than anything in the world, then these words have the power to change us dramatically. So the real question this morning is, How much do you want God’s approval? Do you want it more than the approval of your family and friends? More than the approval of the people where you work? More than the approval of your colleagues? More even than the approval of your closest loved one? If you want God’s approval that badly, you can have it. That’s what the Beatitudes are all about. They show us what a disciple looks like and they tell us how we can have the applause of heaven. (Matthew 5:1-3 The Making of a Disciple) Dwight Pentecost explains that... The word happy, as used among the Greeks, originally described the condition of the Greek gods who were deemed to be satisfied, or content, because they had everything they desired and were free to enjoy everything they possessed without restriction. To the Greek mind, happiness had to do with material possessions and the freedom to enjoy them. Their happiness had to do with unrestrained, unlimited gratification of physical desires. Since no limits were ever put upon their deities, the Greeks deemed the gods to be happy. When they lived with the same liberty they ascribed to their gods, they deemed themselves a happy people. Happiness for the Greeks was related to the physical and material world. (Pentecost, J. D. Design for living: Lessons in Holiness from the Sermon on the Mount) As used in the Bible, makarios can rarely convey the nuance of "happy", as in Paul's instructions given to a woman whose husband has died, Paul writing that "she is happier (makarios) if she remains as she is; and I think that I also have the Spirit of God" (1 Cor 7:40) Paul also uses makarios with the nuance of "fortunate" as he speaks with King Agrippa, declaring... "In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today" (Acts 26:2) Warren Wiersbe writes... Imagine how the crowd’s attention was riveted on Jesus when He uttered His first word: “Blessed.” (The Latin word for blessed is beatus, and from this comes the word beatitude.) This was a powerful word to those who heard Jesus that day. To them it meant “divine joy and perfect happiness.” The word was not used for humans; it described the kind of joy experienced only by the gods or the dead. “Blessed” implied an inner satisfaction and sufficiency that did not depend on outward circumstances for happiness. This is what the Lord offers those who trust Him! The Beatitudes describe the attitudes that ought to be in our lives today. (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor) The Bible Knowledge Key Word Study writes that in Matthew 5:3 makarios... describes the state of someone privileged to experience God's grace in a special way. "Blessed," therefore, describes most importantly those who have a relationship with God (cf. Job 5:17; Ps. 1:1, 2-note) so that secondarily they experience his gracious provision and care in their life. (Bock, Darrell L, Editor: The Bible Knowledge Key Word Study: The Gospels Cook Communications) Blessed is the state of the individual who is the recipient of the God's grace (favor) and blessing. The psalms begin with a "beatitude" proclaiming... 1 How blessed is the man Who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. In both Psalm 1:1 and Psalm 32:1-2 below, the Hebrew word for blessed is 'esher ('eser) which describes good fortune, a state of joyous mind or a state of bliss (complete happiness, the ecstatic joy of heaven, perfect happiness, serene joy). The Hebrew word for "blessed" is translated by the Septuagint or LXX with our Greek word makarios. Note that in both of these psalms (as is true of its use elsewhere) to be “blessed”, a man or woman has to do something. Of the 45 uses of 'esher in the Old Testament, 25 are found in Psalms. Click here and take a moment to meditate on "blessed" in the Psalms (you will be blessed!), writing down what an individual has to do to be in the blissful state of blessedness (you will be surprised at one of things that bring blessing!). In the Old Testament this state of blessedness may involve material things, but David who had been guilty of such great against His God by committing adultery with Bathsheba and then plotting the murder of her husband Uriah, describes blessedness not in a material but a spiritual sense of the man or woman who has experienced the gracious, merciful gift of the Father's forgiveness (Ps 32:1, 2-note). 1 (A Psalm of David. A Maskil.) How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! (Spurgeon's note) 2 How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit! (Spurgeon's note) In the original Hebrew "blessed" is in the plural implying the multiplicity of blessings upon the man whom God justifies. One might translate it "Oh the blessednesses!" One can be "makarios" and yet be in miserable circumstances. "Blessed (makarios) are you," Jesus said, "when they insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven" (Mt 5:11, 12-see notes Matthew 5:11; 5:12). So "blessed are you" does not mean "untroubled are you" or "healthy are you" or "admired are you" or "prosperous are you." It means "between you and God all is well." You are deeply secure, profoundly content, happy in God - even if you are weeping over the pain of a struck body, a perplexed mind, or a heartbreaking relationship. Whatever the makarios state is, it is true of God. Whatever it means to be blest and blessed, it is true of God and of Jesus Christ. For example, Paul describes God as "He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords." (1 Ti 6:15). Thus it stands to reason that the only people who will ever experience makarios fully are those who partake of God and of Christ. There can be no biblical blessedness or happiness apart from Jesus. Only for those who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ, who by faith have become partakers in the divine nature (2Pe 1:4-note), the same bliss, the same contentment, the same happiness, the same sense of makarios that is fundamentally an element of the character of God and Christ, is ours. So, when the Scripture speaks of blessedness, it is from a biblical context and does not refer to a superficial attitude based on circumstance. David's psalm of thanksgiving after his repentance over his sin of adultery w Bathsheba & murder of her husband Uriah (2Sa 11:16,17) which by contrast left him "spiritually destitute" (Read Ps 32). Paul thus notes that justification by faith was true both before and after Moses--before, in Abraham, Israel's great patriarch, and after, in David, Israel's greatest king & was always apart from works. Barclay has this note on makarios writing that "Makarios is the word which specially describes the gods. In Christianity there is a godlike joy. The meaning of makarios can best be seen from one particular usage of it. The Greeks always called Cyprus hÄ" makaria (the feminine form of the adjective), which means The Happy Isle, and they did so because they believed that Cyprus was so lovely, so rich, and so fertile an island that a man would never need to go beyond its coastline to find the perfectly happy life. It had such a climate, such flowers and fruits and trees, such minerals, such natural resources that it contained within itself all the materials for perfect happiness. Makarios then describes that joy which has its secret within itself, that joy which is serene and untouchable, and self-contained, that joy which is completely independent of all the chances and the changes of life. The English word happiness gives its own case away. It contains the root hap which means chance. Human happiness is something which is dependent on the chances and the changes of life, something which life may give and which life may also destroy. The Christian blessedness is completely untouchable and unassailable. “No one,” said Jesus, “will take your joy from you” (John 16:22). (Ed note: Makarios is an inner peace, an inner bliss, an inner happiness. Such inner joy is not produced by circumstance. It is a word that indicates character, touching man at the very base of his existence) The beatitudes speak of that joy which seeks us through our pain, that joy which sorrow and loss, and pain and grief, are powerless to touch, that joy which shines through tears, and which nothing in life or death can take away. The world can win its joys, and the world can equally well lose its joys. A change in fortune, a collapse in health, the failure of a plan, the disappointment of an ambition, even a change in the weather, can take away the fickle joy the world can give. But the Christian has the serene and untouchable joy which comes from walking for ever in the company and in the presence of Jesus Christ. The greatness of the beatitudes is that they are not wistful glimpses of some future beauty; they are not even golden promises of some distant glory; they are triumphant shouts of bliss for a permanent joy that nothing in the world can ever take away." (Matthew 5 Commentary - Daily Study Bible online) Lloyd-Jones comments that... There is, beyond any question, a very definite order in these Beatitudes. Our Lord does not place them in their respective positions haphazardly or accidentally; there is what we may describe as a spiritual logical sequence to be found here. This, of necessity, is the one which must come at the beginning for the good reason that there is no entry into the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God, apart from it. There is no one in the kingdom of God who is not poor in spirit. It is the fundamental characteristic of the Christian and of the citizen of the kingdom of heaven, and all the other characteristics are in a sense the result of this one...It is obviously, therefore, a very searching test for every one of us, not only as we face ourselves, but especially as we come to face the whole message of the Sermon on the Mount. You see, it at once condemns every idea of the Sermon on the Mount which thinks of it in terms of something that you and I can do ourselves, something that you and I can carry out. It negatives that at the very beginning...The Sermon on the Mount, in other words, comes to us and says, 'There is the mountain that you have to scale, the heights you have to climb; and the first thing you must realize, as you look at that mountain which you are told you must ascend, is that you cannot do it, that you are utterly incapable in and of yourself, and that any attempt to do it in your own strength is proof positive that you have not understood it.' It condemns at the very outset the view which regards it as a programme for man to put into operation immediately, just as he is. (Lloyd-Jones, D. M. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount) The Sermon on the Mount reveals the true standard of righteousness which Christ requires of all who belong to Him (Matthew 5:1). The limitation of the Sermon on the Mount lies in the fact that our Lord reveals His standards for the Kingdom life, without the full revelation of the power by which this standard can be maintained. This fuller revelation would come later. It is similar to the John 7:37-39 passage, where Christ gives His promise of power and fruitfulness before the Holy Spirit has come, through Whom this power is given. The Sermon on the Mount is similar to a plumbline which shows the crookedness of a wall, but does not rebuild it. More Like Jesus Would I Be by Fanny Crosby Let my Saviour dwell in me; Fill my soul with peace and love, Make me gentle as a dove. More like Jesus while I go, Pilgrim in this world below; Poor in spirit would I be; Let my Saviour dwell in me. (Play hymn) ><>><>><> Join the Happy Minority - Are most people happy? Dennis Wholey, author of Are You Happy? reports that according to expert opinion, perhaps only 20 percent of Americans are happy. Those experts would probably agree with the wry definition of happiness offered by psychiatrist Thomas Szasz, who said, “Happiness is an imaginary condition, formerly attributed by the living to the dead, now usually attributed by adults to children and by children to adults.” Are you happy? What if we define happiness as an abiding mood of joyful contentment, a deep-down state of peace and hope, not just an upbeat, fleeting feeling induced by favorable happenings? Now, in light of that definition of happiness, are you happy? In His “Sermon on the Mount,” our Lord gave us His prescription for a life that is truly happy regardless of circumstances. Most English translations of Matthew 5 use the word blessed, but Jesus was actually promising happiness. He repeatedly assured His disciples that they would be happy if they trusted Him and practiced His teachings. The Great Physician has prescribed this remedy for unhappiness. Have you tried it? Take it and rejoice with the “happy minority.”— Vernon C. Grounds (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved) “Rejoice in Him!” Again, again The Spirit speaks the word, And faith takes up the happy strain: “Our joy is in the Lord.” —Peters, Mary Bowley (1813-1856) The Christian’s happiness is not determined by happenings. ><>><>><> ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT: oi ptochoi to pneumati: (Mt 11:25; 18:1, 2, 3; Leviticus 26:41,42; Deuteronomy 8:2; 2 Chronicles 7:14; 33:12,19,23; 34:27; Job 42:6; Psalms 34:18; 51:17; Proverbs 16:19; 29:23; Isaiah 57:15; 61:1; 66:2; Jeremiah 31:18, 19, 20; Daniel 5:21,22; Micah 6:8; Luke 4:18; 6:20; 18:14; James 1:10; James 4:9,10) "they who know their spiritual poverty" (Berkley) "those people who depend only on Him" (CEV) "who recognize they are spiritually helpless" (GWT) "those who know they are spiritually poor" (GNT) " those who are destitute in spirit" (ISV) "those who feel poor in spirit" (Moffat) "those who realize their need for him" (NLT) "people who know they have great spiritual needs" (NCV) "the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant)" (Amplified) "when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule" (Message) "Blessed are the beggars in spirit, blessed are the spiritual paupers, blessed are the spiritually destitute, blessed are the spiritually bankrupt ones who cringe and cower because of their helplessness; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Dwight Pentecost) "They who are unfeignedly penitent, they who are truly convinced of sin; who see and feel the state they are in by nature, being deeply sensible of their sinfulness, guiltiness, helplessness." (Wesley) "Our attitude toward ourselves in which we feel our need and admit it" (Wiersbe) Are (2076) (root verb is eimi) is in the present tense indicating continuous action. The indicative mood is the mood of certainty and means that this is a fact (the poor in spirit continually possess the kingdom of heaven). It is interesting to note that the next 6 beatitudes are in the future tense but that in the eighth beatitude promising as a reward "the kingdom of heaven", Jesus reverts back to the present tense. The Expositor's Bible Commentary has an interesting note here that... one must not make too much of this, for It should be noted that the present tense can function as a future, and the future tense can emphasize certainty, not mere futurity (Tasker). There is little doubt that here the kingdom sense is primarily future, post-consummation, made explicit in Mt 5:12 (note). But the present tense "envelope" (Mt 5:3,10 [note]) should not be written off as insignificant or as masking an Aramaic original that did not specify present or future; for Matthew must have meant something when he chose estin ("is") instead of estai ("will be"). The natural conclusion is that, though the full blessedness of those described in these beatitudes awaits the consummated kingdom, they already share in the kingdom's blessedness so far as it has been inaugurated (see Mt 4:17; 8:29; 12:28; 19:29). (Gaebelein, F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary) The poor in spirit in the present context describe not so much those in literal poverty or a depressive condition although many have so misinterpreted Jesus' meaning. Some in fact have given away all their possessions based on Mt 5:3! The tragedy is that a man can possess no earthly possessions and still not possess the spirit Jesus is describing! No, the poverty Jesus describes is the state of spiritual poverty (see analysis of the definition of ptochos below) without which no one can become a believer! And every believer has recognized and acknowledged his spiritual poverty and like the prodigal have also come to their senses (cf Luke 15:17). They have come humble, as beggars, empty of all pride, conscious of the debt owed for their sins (cf note Matthew 6:12) realizing that all they can do is cry out "Have mercy on me O Lord!" because... Nothing in my hand I bring Simply to Thy cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress, Helpless, fly to Thee for grace. Foul, I to the fountain fly. Wash me, Savior, or I die. (play) And so we see Augustus Toplady (biography) beautifully expressed the truth of "poor in spirit" in his classic hymn Rock of Ages. Praise God for that moment in time and eternity when He by His sanctifying Spirit (cf 1Pe 1:2 (note), 1Cor 6:11, 2Thes 2:13) leads us to see that spiritual poverty is our real condition before Him and recognizing this to be so, then He births that spirit in our hearts. (cf Ro 3:10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19-see notes Romans 3:10; 11; 12, 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 19) We come to see that in God's courtroom of righteousness we are all bankrupt debtors and can only plead for mercy. In passing it is noteworthy that many who have experienced sustained economic lack and social distress are often who are also "poor in spirit". (cf Mt 19:24, Mk 10:25, Lu 18:25) We need to heed Jesus' warning to the Laodicean church who said... "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked" (see note Revelation 3:17) Their failure to recognize their spiritual poverty placed the Laodicean church in danger of being spewed out of the Lord's mouth! Sinclair Ferguson warns that We are urged today to develop almost every other kind of spirit except poverty of spirit...There is much teaching on how to be filled with the Spirit, but where can we learn what it means to be spiritually emptied - emptied of self-confidence, self-importance, and self-righteousness? The sad truth is that we know so little of the blessing of which Christ speaks (and which He gives) because we are all too often full of ourselves and our own means of blessing. In fact, there is no sadder commentary on our lack of this spiritual poverty than the readiness so many of us have to let others know what we think. But the man who is poor in spirit is the man who has been silenced by God and seeks only to speak what he has learned in humility from Him. (Ferguson, Sinclair: Sermon on the Mount :Banner of Truth) Spurgeon... Spiritual poverty is both commanded and commended. It is the basis of Christian experience. No one begins aright who has not felt poverty of spirit. Yet even to this first sign of grace is the kingdom given in present possession: "theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The question in heaven's kingdom is not, "Are you a peer?" but, "Are you poor in spirit?" Those who are of no account in their own eyes are of the blood royal of the universe. These alone have the principles and the qualifications for a heavenly kingdom. May I be such! (The Gospel of the Kingdom: A Popular Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew.) It is sad to see how inaccurate interpretation can lead to inappropriate application as in the case of the Roman emperor Julian the Apostate (332-63) who is reputed to have said with vicious irony that he wanted to confiscate Christians' property so that they might all become poor and enter the kingdom of heaven! Joseph Hart (1759) paraphrases the essence of Jesus' first and in some ways most important beatitude, for if you tarry tell you're better you will never come at all! Dear reader, perhaps you have never seen yourself as utterly, totally bankrupt before the holiness of God. You've tried to be better, to do better, to be pleasing, and on an on... but it was always "you" trying. Jesus says we must recognize our poverty and quit trying to be good enough. Come ye sinners poor and needy, weak and wounded by the fall. Your King stands ready to receive you and to make you one of His royal subjects. And you dear fellow citizen of the Kingdom...continue to come thirsty (Mt 5:6-note)...continue to come daily to Him and drink so that you might be replenished, sanctified, adequate and prepared for every good Kingdom work. Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy by Joseph Hart Come, ye sinners, poor and needy, Weak and wounded, sick and sore; Jesus ready stands to save you, Full of pity, love and power. Refrain I will arise and go to Jesus, He will embrace me in His arms; In the arms of my dear Savior, O there are ten thousand charms. Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome, God’s free bounty glorify; True belief and true repentance, Every grace that brings you nigh. Refrain Come, ye weary, heavy laden, Lost and ruined by the fall; If you tarry till you’re better, You will never come at all. Refrain View Him prostrate in the garden; On the ground your Maker lies. On the bloody tree behold Him; Sinner, will this not suffice? Refrain Lo! th’incarnate God ascended, Pleads the merit of His blood: Venture on Him, venture wholly, Let no other trust intrude. Refrain Let not conscience make you linger, Not of fitness fondly dream; All the fitness He requireth Is to feel your need of Him. (play hymn) Alexander Maclaren explains that... to be poor in spirit is to be in inmost reality conscious of need, of emptiness, of dependence on God, of demerit; the true estimate of self, as blind, evil, weak, is intended; the characteristic tone of feeling pointed to is self-abnegation (self-denial), like that of the publican smiting his breast (Luke 18:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14) or that of the disease-weakened, hunger-tortured prodigal (Luke 15:11-32), or that of the once self-righteous Paul, ‘O wretched man that I am!’ (Ro 7:24, 25-notes Ro 7:24; 25) People who do not like evangelical teaching sometimes say, ‘ Give me the Sermon on the Mount.’ So say I. Only let us take all of it; and if we do, we shall come, as we shall have frequent occasion to point out, in subsequent passages, to something uncommonly like the evangelical theology to which it is sometimes set up as antithetic. For Christ begins His portraiture of a citizen of the kingdom with the consciousness of want and sin. All the rest of the morality of the Sermon is founded on this. It is the root of all that is heavenly and divine in character. So this teaching is dead against the modern pagan doctrine of self-reliance, and really embodies the very principle for the supposed omission of which some folk like this Sermon; namely, that our proud self-confidence must be broken down before God can do any good with us, or we can enter His kingdom. (entire sermon) (Bolding added) Spurgeon sums up this beatitude writing that... This is a paradox that puzzles many, for the poor in spirit often seem to have nothing; yet they have the kingdom of heaven, so they have everything, lie who thinks the least of himself is the man of whom God thinks the most. You are not poor in God’s sight if you are poor in spirit. POOR: PTOCHOS