“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

5:3

are the poor in spirit,

The “poor in spirit” are those who put their trust in God. They have nothing in themselves to gain God’s favor. This poverty has nothing to do with economic poverty.

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The word “for” (because) in each beatitude gives the reason why the person is blessed. The reason for each blessing is the fulfillment of kingdom grace.

One cannot enter the kingdom of heaven without rejecting self-sufficiency. Residents of this kingdom find no virtue in self-autonomy.

The phrase “kingdom of heaven” is a literary device showing that all beatitudes envelope the fulfillment of the Messiah’s coming to establish His kingdom. This kingdom fulfills all Old Testament prophecies of the coming kingdom.

PRINCIPLE:

God honors those who recognize their spiritual unworthiness and rest in His grace.

APPLICATION:

The “poor in spirit” rely on God’s grace; they rely on God’s provisions to sustain them. They view themselves as having no intrinsic righteousness. It is important to have the right attitude towards ourselves. The right attitude is that we are void of any worth before God. When we develop this attitude, we receive God’s favor upon our lives.

The premise of the world system is that happiness comes from self-esteem, self-assertion, and self-confidence. That system believes that if you envision your future, you will succeed. This is the polar opposite to the way God operates.

For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Re 3:17

One qualification: To be “poor in spirit” does not communicate the Uriah Heep mentality of Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield. Heep kept reminding people of his humility!