those who exhibit a Christ-like meekness. The earth does not belong to man anyway, for "the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof" (Ps. 24:1) but he will one day share his rule over it with those who are "joint heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17). 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Those who "hunger and thirst after righteousness" have a burning desire to fulfil the will of God in their lives and to grow more like Christ. "They shall be filled" for God will feed and satisfy their souls with spiritual things (Isaiah 55:1-2). They shall be filled with the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19); with the Holy Spirit and power (Acts 2:4); with the fruits of righteousness (Phil. 1:11); and with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Col. 1:9). Remember that before God can feed your soul in this way, you must hunger and thirst after righteousness. 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. "The merciful" referred to are those manifest pity. “[Mercy] assumes need on the part of him who receives it and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it" (Vine). Mercy is one of the attributes of God who is declared to be rich in mercy (Eph. 2:4) and to be the Father of all mercies (2 Cor. 1:3). In the Old Testament the word “love” is often translated as “mercy”, for without love it is impossible to be merciful, since the two ideas work hand in hand. To be merciful is to have compassion, a feeling of distress for the suffering of others and the desire to relieve it. God has revealed his mercy to us in that while we were still sinners, deserving the penalty of eternal death in hell, Jesus Christ came and paid our
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