The fourth beatitude is “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” It’s like he was telling them that despite their circumstances, they could seek after God and the righteousness that He desires and they would be filled with the right knowledge, the right thinking, the right actions, and the right attitudes that would change the world…the kind of world that God envisions.

    Beatitudes five through nine represent something else. They move away from things we experience to the things I mentioned in the fourth beatitude, things that lead to righteousness.

    “Blessed are the merciful” says Jesus; “Blessed are the pure in heart”; Blessed are the peacemakers” … This world knows too much cruelty, intolerance, and harshness. Strife and violence are tearing our world apart. The current divide in our own country seems fueled by those who have become so convinced of their own virtue and vice, they have no desire for reconciliation nor compromise. The path of Christ requires the arduous effort of finding common ground, of seeing the opponent’s view point, of admitting that we might be wrong, and becoming peacemakers.

    “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” … “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” If you strive to live as Christ lived, you will be at odds with the values and traditions of our culture. You may even become a target. Stand firm! Stand for what is right! Be merciful…Be a peacemaker… strive to have a pure heart…Be kingdom minded, you are blessed!

    One of my favorite parts of New Testament scripture is Matthew chapter 13. It’s the parables of Jesus. He tells them the Parable of the Sower, then his disciples ask him; “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” It’s almost like the disciples are saying; “The people understand the story, but they don’t get the point!” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ But Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Blessed

Chapter 2 – “Upside-down blessings”

Matthew 5:3-11

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.”
“Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.”
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
“Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.”
“Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.”
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of        righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

    Perhaps the most famous use of the word “blessed” is found in the Sermon on the Mount. Right at the start of the sermon, we learn that Jesus went and sat down. Was the equivalent of walking up to the pulpit all “mic-ed” up. Expectations were high, everyone was hanging on his every word,,, and the key note speech begins… “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.”…“Blessed are those who mourn…Wait … What?”

    Billy Graham wrote a book about this and called them “The Be-attitudes”. It may be a good way to remember them, but what this is not is a list of people whom God blesses. What they are is “good news” in fact, they were and are wonderful news! Jesus comes announcing that the worlds values have been turned upside down! With His coming things have changed. “The first shall be last” (Matthew 20:16); “Whoever wants to be great must become a servant.” (Matthew 20:26) Does Jesus not understand that to attract followers and boost numbers, you need star status? Surely the wealthy are blessed! The beautiful are blessed! The powerful are blessed! Not so, says Jesus.

    New Testament scholars point out that the beatitudes consist of two groups. The first four describe not personal qualities but oppressive situations of distress that are “blessed” because they will be reversed in God’s Kingdom. When Jesus says they are blessed, he is not saying that they should put on a smile and whistle a tune. He is saying that God cares deeply for them and they should find comfort and hope in that fact. While some may not know what it is to know poverty, we can all relate to what it means to have a depressed spirit because of certain circumstances at times. We all know what it is to mourn, or what it is like to feel meek or incompetent. He was refuting the popular notion that those who suffer in some way are being punished by God, and those who were living the “good” life were being blessed. That just is not true.

Blessed

“Lord fill my quiver!”

Psalm 127:3-5

“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.”

    You can tell a lot about a society by the way it treats children. In the Old Testament while the pagans sacrificed their children to pagan gods, the Jews taught their children these words: “Hear, O Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). They took God seriously when he said to impress these truths upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up (vv. 7-9). 

    Our children are gifts from God. We should treasure them and not take them for granted. Jesus declared that “whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me” (Mathew 18:5). Then he offered this solemn warning, “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea“ (Matthew 18:6). Because Jesus loves children, those who harm children will answer to him.

    There is no joy in life that can equal the pleasure of seeing your own children grow up (except for grandchildren). So much like you, made in your image, a miniature of you, yet so very different. They walk like you, they talk like you, they laugh like you, and yet they definitely have a mind of their own. You love them, you get angry with them, you discipline them. You try to spare them harm by teaching them the dangers in life, but sometimes they learn the hard way. No one can be said to have lived in vain who leaves behind children who love the Lord and follow in  his steps. 

    Children bring God’s love to us. When you look into the face of your child, or if you are really blessed a grandchild, you will know that only God could have done this. Your doubts will vanish like the morning mist in summertime. Time and eternity meet in the heart of a child. Each one comes bearing the fingerprint of God.

    An arrow is small but powerful. Like arrows that are shot into the future, think what our children can do. An arrow must be sharpened well; so must we shape our children. An arrow can travel far. Who knows how far our children will go? An arrow must be aimed in order to hit the target. What are kind of future are you aiming at?

    Archers spend countless hours preparing their arrows. They carefully choose the right piece of wood, cut it precisely to size, then spend hours polishing, shaping, and fitting the feathers and the arrowhead. They carefully aim their arrows because an errant arrow can do great harm.

    Most Christian parents are playing defense with their children when they ought to be playing offense. Playing defense means hoping your children won’t smoke, won’t drink, won’t do drugs, won’t sleep around, and won’t get in trouble. As good as that is, that’s too low a goal for Christian parents. We ought to raise our children to play offense, to learn how to change the world for Jesus Christ. We ought to pray that God would make our children “impact players” for Jesus Christ.

    Sometimes our dreams for our children are too small. We want them to get an education, find a career, settle down, marry a good person, and move out of the house. That’s not enough. Do you want your children to serve the Lord? It won’t happen by accident. You must sharpen them like arrows and aim them in the right direction.

    God doesn’t mandate how many children a couple should have. Quivers are like shoes, they come in many sizes. Age and health considerations play into the decision, but motive is also important. Having fewer children may be convenient, but it may not always be the best decision. My wife Judy and I decided that three was enough for us, but I have always also said that I wanted a quiver full of grandchildren.

    Children were the Biblical version of Social Security. They provided for their parents in their old age. If parents have loving children, their future is more secure than if they had $1 million in the bank.

    Derek Kidner points out that “raising children can be tiresome and difficult” and that is certainly true. Children are both a burden and a blessing. It is likely that our children will be a handful before they become a quiverful.

    We can partner with the Lord Jesus Christ in the building of our homes. When we do, our families will be blessed, our children will prosper, our marriages will flourish, and Jesus Christ will be praised. I speak from personal experience. There is no greater reward, no better testimony, no higher goal for Christian parents. “May you live to see your grandchildren playing at your feet.”