The Poor In Spirit

 

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 11:4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor

 

Isaiah continues to speak of the Messiah and he echoes the thoughts of Solomon in Ps 72:2 He will judge Your people with righteousness, And Your poor with justice.

 

Righteousness and justice will be the benchmarks of the judgement wielded by the Messiah. Are you perfectly righteous? Have you never sinned? I don’t think so. As far as our own righteousness goes, we are in trouble aren’t we!

 

No one can make that “perfect life” claim except Jesus. Therefore, we need His righteousness in order to pass muster. Paul tells us in Php 3:9 that he (we) we must “be found in Him, not having my (our) own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

 

That’s the benchmark for entering the kingdom of heaven. It’s our only pass. Perfection! Ps 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever. What a great promise for the believer’s future!

 

How do we become righteous? By faith, which, by His grace, is a gift! This gift of grace comes to the “poor in spirit,” those who are humble enough to admit they bring nothing to the table, only a plea for God’s mercy.  

 

The poor sinner who is aware of his spiritual poverty and acknowledges his sinful state before God and asks for God’s mercy, will be heard and saved. He is like the tax collector we read about in Lu 18:13 "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' Listen to what Jesus says about this in the next verse!

 14 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

The poor in spirit will find favorable judgement with the Messiah. Or as Isaiah states it, the Messiah will judge the poor! His judgment is in favor of the poor in spirit and the kingdom of heaven is given to them!

 

Jesus said in Mt 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word