Pastor's Pen
March/April 2003

The beatitudes – continued

(Mat 5:6) Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

A hungry baby is a healthy baby (1 Pet. 2:2). Here is another interesting phenomenon in the kingdom economy: The Lord never force-feeds His children. In the book of Esther, we have a picture of the kingdom. There is a table spread with delectables and with royal wine, yet none is compelled to partake except at his own pleasure (Est. 1).

Hunger and thirst are really the prerequisite for progression in the kingdom. Many years ago, the Lord spoke certain verses into my heart from Luke’s gospel. In the narrative, there was a great famine and there were many widows (during the time of time of Elijah). But Elijah was only sent to one – only one got fed! That birthed a cry within my heart, "Lord, let it be me!" (See Luke 4:25-26.)

In Psalm 121, the psalmist finds himself dwelling in the tents of the wicked (not by choice). He then longs for the mountain of the Lord’s house. Sometimes dwelling with the evil (working with or being exposed to evil men) works a revulsion of evil. We then begin to long for the ways of righteousness and truth.

David cried out, "My soul thirsts for the living God…" How does that spiritual hunger and thirst come? In most scriptural accounts, we see an exile, or a captive – one that been separated from God’s house. One thing is sure, hunger and thirst come from being deprived, and from experiencing a spiritual famine or a very dry time in one’s life. When a Christian is feeding on worldly delights, such as the cinema, that kills all spiritual appetite. Worldly entertainment can replace one’s desire for the living God!

For many months, I found my soul hungering as I participated in a denominational church. That organization had reached their spiritual capacity (spiritual growth) and that was as far as they wanted to go!

May we always have an attitude of "I need more"! I want more of Christ! I want to become more like Him! "They shall be filled!"

The fifth Beatitude – the merciful

(Mat 5:7) Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

It has been said that the highest revelation of God is revealed through the symbolism of the mercyseat. The mercyseat was a lid that covered the Ark of the Covenant. This lid (covering) was made of beaten gold. There were two cherubim on the top facing one another (slightly bowed) with outstretched wings that touched one another. It is the supposition that these angels represented the 2/3 in heaven that found mercy during the revolt of Lucifer. (There are only three angels mentioned by name in scripture.)

The "pure gold" indicates that mercy is the divine nature. Our Heavenly Father wants to instill this attribute of mercy within us in such a way, that it becomes our disposition throughout life. Our spiritual father (my pastor) has always intimated that if we must err let us err on the side of mercy! Mercy sometimes requires action (Jas. 3:17).

The real test of mercy comes when we are directly affected by our decision "to show or not to show" mercy. This attribute of mercy, as all the beatitudes, does not come without a great personal cost. The story was told of a young man who lost his darling wife (she was pregnant). She was struck by a fellow on a motorcycle and was killed!

The Lord said, "You must have forgive this man because he is also suffering very much!" (Forgiveness is rooted in compassion and mercy.) Needless to say, there was a tremendous cost involved to show mercy to the man that had taken away his loved one. We can keep people (spiritually) in the "debtor’s prison" when we refuse to show them mercy. And, we ourselves can be shut out from the Lord’s mercy, as king David also said in (Psa. 18:25).

It takes a real suffering to have the nature of mercy and compassion worked out in our life. We have to know what it is to fail or to hurt, in order to have compassion on others. There was a certain man who knew the humiliation of failing in business. His heart would just bleed for others who were struggling in business (See Heb. 5:2).

The reward of the merciful is mercy. When the day comes that shall burn as an oven, the Lord shall spare them as one spares his loyal son (Mal 3:17).