Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

 Today’s devotion was Matthew 5:1-12.  

“¹  When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

 2  He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

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

 4  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

 5  “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

 6  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

 7  “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

 8  “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

 9  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10  “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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

12  “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  Matthew 5:1-12.

The temptation is to read these Beatitudes as we would read the Ten Commandments.  But, how can we ignore the blessings?

Notice that Jesus did not teach in this way:  “THOU SHALT BE HUMBLE.  THOU SHALT BE GENTLE.  THOU SHALT BE MERCIFUL.  and so on,”  Rather, Jesus taught:  “Blessed are the poor in spirit.  Blessed are the gentle.  Blessed are the merciful.  and so on.”  (Emphasis added.)

You can call it “leading with a carrot rather than a stick”.  But, there is more to it than just holding forth the promise of blessings if we act in a certain way.

Jesus said: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.  For My yoke is easy, and My load is light”. Matthew 11:28-29.

What is a yoke?  According to Oxford American Dictionary, published in 1980 by Oxford University Press, a yoke is a “wooden crosspiece”.  It is a foundation for pulling or work.

After reading this definition of yoke, I thought of the cross.  The cross is a wooden crosspiece that was fastened to Christ as a foundation for His work of carrying away the sins of the world.  The yoke that Christ endured was the cross, but the yoke that Christ give us is His Spirit.

The Pharisees lay law upon law on the people: “And they tie up heavy loads, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.” Matthew 23:4.

In contrast, Christ tied up the heavy loads of the law and laid them on His own shoulders and gave us His Spirit as a yoke: “in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit”.  Romans 8:4.

As we know, “… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”  Galatians 5:22-23.  Doesn’t this fruit of the Spirit sound a lot like those blessed behaviors and actions?! 

Psalm 23:3 summarizes it:  “He restores my soul;  He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” 

In conclusion, do not read the Beatitudes as the Ten Commandments and depend on your own resolve and will-power to act accordingly.  Rather, read the Beatitudes as they were written and with the provisions given to you:  the blessings, the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and the overall promise that God will lead and guide you in these paths of righteousness.  Thank you.