The Beatitudes (continued) -
      

The First Couplet – Matthew 5:3-4

With this understanding in mind, let us begin to “open the treasure-chest” of the Beatitudes by seeing verses 3 and 4 as a “couplet,” a pair of parallel statements:
³Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

This concept – those who are “poor” in spirit – is used four (4) times in the Hebrew Scriptures translated as the English word “contrite.” In three of these various forms of the word transliterated “da-kaw;” is used. Let us consider two of these from the Psalms of David:

Psalm 34:18 – (notice, once again, the couplet form):

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 51:17 –

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

A broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

Is it any wonder that our Lord Jesus couples this image of the “poor in spirit” with “those who mourn?” When you and I have experienced situations and circumstances of life – be they financial, medical, relational, loss of our dreams, betrayal, times of abject failure, et.al. – we truly have known what it means to be “brokenhearted,” “crushed” or “broken” in spirit.

At this time we also become quite contrite – “sorrowful for some wrong that we have done; deeply repentant.” (Miriam-Webster). These are the times, times of pain and desperation, of the keenly felt need for God’s help, His extended Hand, His Love and Forgiveness, times when we come in total and abject honesty as we “mourn” and weep unashamedly before Him in the midst of our pain.

These are the times when we lay aside all of our excuses and rationalizations, and we “come clean” before Him with humble and beseeching hearts – hearts crying out His forgiveness, for His deliverance, His healing, His restoration!

This is illustrated in Jesus’ comparison / contrast story of the Pharisee and the publican [tax collector] found in Luke 18:10-14.  The Pharisee may have been rich or poor; we can’t be sure, but inasmuch as Jesus used him in juxtaposition with the tax collector, we may assume that, financially at least, he was a man of modest means while tax collectors were wealthy, and they gained their wealth from extorting surplus (illegal) taxes from their own people.  Yet, the Pharisee told the LORD God that he needed nothing – and that is exactly what he got, whereas the tax collector, by contrast humbled himself, displayed grief and contrition. He repented of his sins and cried out to God for mercy – and that is exactly what he got – in full measure!

Praise God, our Father in His faithful Love responds to our cries. He comes to us and meets us in our time of need! Jesus tells us that we will be blessed with the Kingdom of heaven, and we will be comforted when we come to Him in such honest, searching humility. 1 John 1:9 tells us that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” and 1 Peter 5:6-7 gives us this promise: ⁶“Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, ⁷casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

I know that it is true that we tend to turn to the LORD God with great intensity during our times of greatest need. We cry out to Him in prayer. We seek others to pray with us, and we are open to the ministry that others can provide. We get into His Word, or we seek out those who can guide us into and through His Word to find the help we need in our present time(s) of trouble. Hear me now, please! It should not stop there. This is only to prepare us for the spiritual riches that await us!