Inherit the Land

Psalm 37:4, 9, 11, 22, 29, 34

Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.  

For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. 

But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace. 

...for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off. 

The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.  

Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on when the wicked are cut off.

Matthew 5:5

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

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Its likely that verse 4 is the most well known part of this psalm. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. This is a rich and thrilling promise. But notice that the only reference to this psalm in the New Testament is to verse 11, mentioned by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. I would like to submit that these two parts of psalm 37 are closely connected and shed light on one another.

This psalm is a great example of Hebrew parallelism and repetition. There are several references to the threat of wicked men and that our response to injustice should not be fretting, but rather a deep trust and delight in the Lord. To bolster this call for trust in the midst of adversity, the psalmist presents several promises from God: that he will grant our desires, that he will not forsake us, that he will not let his children go hungry. And then the ultimate culmination of these promises - inheriting the land!

The passage in Matthew 5 reads "the earth," and you could say this is merely interchangeable with "the land," for the Hebrew "eretz" means both and typically refers to the promised land of Isreal. But I do not think it is an accident that Jesus broadens this word's meaning for the new covenant audience. What once was a promise and hope for material comfort and political protection has now become something much grander in scope.

For truly, those who trust in Christ with a meek heart can now expect an inheritance that encompasses the whole earth. We are given glimpses of what this will be in passages that describe our inheritance and what place we will have in the new heavens and new earth:

Our salvation: 1 Peter 1:3-4

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you...

The indwelling Spirit of God: Ephesians 1:11-14

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

An incomparable welcome home: John 14:1-3

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

The judging of the world and the angels: 1 Corinthians 6:2-3

Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!

A seat with God on his throne: Ephesians 2:4-7

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

There are other passages too, but these provide a powerful link between the salvation from sin that we typically focus on and the inheritance of a place in God's kingdom, of which we are now chosen citizens. There is a unique delight and trust that comes from looking ahead to our inheritance, over and above merely looking back to what we once received.

Can I say that it is easy for me not to fret because I am so confident in God's promised inheritance? Do I anticipate his coming and his reckoning more than I worry about my security and reputation? If this new earth is given to the meek, how can I repent of every proud and self-righteous thought that may keep me from it?

I think the psalmist may tell us to delight in Him, for that is the mark of a meek heart who has confident hope in a rich inheritance. Lord, help me to delight in you and look to my inheritance, for it is bigger and grander than anything I can imagine. Let it captivate my thoughts and bring meekness to this heart. Amen.