Matthew Henry’s Commentary on The Sermon of The Mount Part 3

Now as to the merciful. 1. They are blessed; so it was said in the Old Testament; Blessed is he that considers the poor, Ps. 41:1. Herein they resemble God, whose goodness is his glory; in being merciful as he is merciful, we are, in our measure, perfect as he is perfect. It is an evidence of love to God; it will be a satisfaction to ourselves, to be any way instrumental for the benefit of others. One of the purest and most refined delights in this world, is that of doing good. In this word, Blessed are the merciful, is included that saying of Christ, which otherwise we find not in the gospels, It is more blessed to give than to receive, Acts 20:35. 2. They shall obtain mercy; mercy with men, when they need it; he that watereth, shall be watered also himself (we know not how soon we may stand in need of kindness, and therefore should be kind); but especially mercy with God, for with the merciful he will show himself merciful, Ps. 18:25. The most merciful and charitable cannot pretend to merit, but must fly to mercy. The merciful shall find with God sparing mercy (ch. 6:14), supplying mercy (Prov. 19:17), sustaining mercy (Ps. 41:2), mercy in that day (2 Tim. 1:18); may, they shall inherit the kingdom prepared for them (ch. 25:34, 35); whereas they shall have judgment without mercy (which can be nothing short of hell-fire) who have shown no mercy.

VI. The pure in heart are happy (v. 8); Blessed are the poor in heart, for they shall see God. This is the most comprehensive of all the beatitudes; here holiness and happiness ar fully described and put together.

1. Here is the most comprehensive character of the blessed: they are pure in heart. Note, True religion consists in heart-purity. Those who are inwardly pure, show themselves to be under the power of pure and undefiled religion. True Christianity lies in the heart, in the purity of heart; the washing of that from wickedness, Jer. 4:14. We must lift up to God, not only clean hands, but a pure heart, Ps. 24:4, 5; 1 Tim. 1:5. The heart must be pure, in opposition to mixture—an honest heart that aims well; and pure, in opposition to pollution and defilement; as wine unmixed, as water unmuddied. The heart must be kept pure from fleshly lusts, all unchaste thoughts and desires; and from worldly lusts; covetousness is called filthy lucre; from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, all that which come out of the heart, and defiles the man. The heart must be purified by faith, and entire for God; must be presented and preserved a chaste virgin to Christ. Create in me such a clean heart, O God!

2. Here is the most comprehensive comfort of the blessed; They shall see God. Note, (1.) It is the perfection of the soul's happiness to see God; seeing him, as we may by faith in our present state, is a heaven upon earth; and seeing him as we shall in the future state, in the heaven of heaven. To see him as he is, face to face, and no longer through a glass darkly; to see him as ours, and to see him and enjoy him; to see him and be like him, and be satisfied with that likeness (Ps. 17:15); and to see him for ever, and never lose the sight of him; this is heaven's happiness. (2.) The happiness of seeing God is promised to those, and those only, who are pure in heart. None but the pure are capable of seeing God, nor would it be a felicity to the impure. What pleasure could an unsanctified soul take in the vision of a holy God? As he cannot endure to look upon their iniquity, so they cannot endure to look upon his purity; nor shall any unclean thing enter into the new Jerusalem; but all that are pure in heart, all that are truly sanctified, have desires wrought in them, which nothing but the sight of God will sanctify; and divine grace will not leave those desires unsatisfied.

VII. The peace-makers are happy, v. 9. The wisdom that is from above is first pure, and then peaceable; the blessed ones are pure toward God, and peaceable toward men; for with reference to both, conscience must be kept void of offence. The peace-makers are those who have, 1. A peaceable disposition: as, to make a lie, is to be given and addicted to lying, so, to make peace, is to have a strong and hearty affection to peace. I am for peace, Ps. 120:7. It is to love, and desire, and delight in peace; to be put in it as in our element, and to study to be quiet. 2. A peaceable conversation; industriously, as far as we can, to preserve the peace that it be not broken, and to recover it when it is broken; to hearken to proposals of peace ourselves, and to be ready to make them to others; where distance is among brethren and neighbours, to do all we can to accommodate it, and to be repairers of the breaches. The making of peace is sometimes a thankless office, and it is the lot of him who parts a fray, to have blows on both sides; yet it is a good office, and we must be forward to it. Some think that this is intended especially as a lesson for ministers, who should do all they can to reconcile those who are at variance, and to promote Christian love among those under their charge.

Now, (1.) Such persons are blessed; for they have the satisfaction of enjoying themselves, by keeping the peace, and of being truly serviceable to others, by disposing them to peace. They are working together with Christ, who came into the world to slay all enmities, and to proclaim peace on earth. (2.) They shall be called the children of God; it will be an evidence to themselves that they are so; God will own them as such, and herein they will resemble him. He is the God of peace; the Son of God is the Prince of peace; the Spirit of adoption is a Spirit of peace. Since God has declared himself reconcilable to us all, he will not own those for his children who are implacable in their enmity to one another; for if the peacemakers are blessed, woe to the peace-breakers! Now by this it appears, that Christ never intended to have his religion propagated by fire and sword, or penal laws, or to acknowledge bigotry, or intemperate zeal, as the mark of his disciples. The children of this world love to fish in troubled waters, but the children of God are the peace-makers, the quiet in the land.

VIII. Those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, are happy. This is the greatest paradox of all, and peculiar to Christianity; and therefore it is put last, and more largely insisted upon than any of the rest, v. 10–12. This beatitude, like Pharaoh's dream, is doubled, because hardly credited, and yet the thing is certain; and in the latter part there is change of the person, "Blessed are ye—ye my disciples, and immediate followers. This is that which you, who excel in virtue, are more immediately concerned in; for you must reckon upon hardships and troubles more than other men.'' Observe here,

1. The case of suffering saints described; and it is a hard case, and a very piteous one.

(1.) They are persecuted, hunted, pursued, run down, as noxious beasts are, that are sought for to be destroyed; as if a Christian did caput gerere lupinum—bear a wolf's head, as an outlaw is said to do—any one that finds him may slay him; they are abandoned as the offscouring of all things; fined, imprisoned, banished, stripped of their estates, excluded from all places of profit and trust, scourged, racked, tortured, always delivered to death, and accounted as sheep for the slaughter. This has been the effect of the enmity of the serpent's seed against the holy seed, ever since the time of righteous Abel. It was so in Old-Testament times, as we find, Heb. 11:35, etc. Christ has told us that it would much more be so with the Christian church, and we are not to think it strange, 1 Jn. 3:13. He has left us an example.

(2.) The are reviled, and have all manner of evil said against them falsely. Nicknames, and names of reproach, are fastened upon them, upon particular persons, and upon the generation of the righteous in the gross, to render them odious; sometimes to make them formidable, that they may be powerfully assailed; things are laid to their charge that they knew not, Ps. 35:11; Jer. 20:18; Acts 17:6, 7. Those who have had no power in their hands to do them any other mischief, could yet do this; and those who have had power to persecute, had found it necessary to do this too, to justify themselves in their barbarous usage of them; they could not have baited them, if they had not dressed them in bear-skins; nor have given them the worst of treatment, if they had not first represented them as the worst of men. They will revile you, and persecute you. Note, Reviling the saints is persecuting them, and will be found so shortly, when hard speeches must be accounted for (Jude 15), and cruel mockings, Heb. 11:36. They will say all manner of evil of you falsely; sometimes before the seat of judgment, as witnesses; sometimes in the seat of the scornful, with hypocritical mockers at feasts; they are the song of the drunkards; sometimes to face their faces, as Shimei cursed David; sometimes behind their backs, as the enemies of Jeremiah did. Note, There is no evil so black and horrid, which, at one time or other, has not been said, falsely, of Christ's disciples and followers.

(3.) All this is for righteousness' sake (v. 10); for my sake, v. 11. If for righteousness' sake, then for Christ's sake, for he is nearly interested in the work of righteousness. Enemies to righteousness are enemies to Christ. This precludes those from the blessedness who suffer justly, and are evil spoken of truly for their real crimes; let such be ashamed and confounded, it is part of their punishment; it is not the suffering, but the cause, that makes the martyr. Those suffer for righteousness' sake, who suffer because they will not sin against their consciences, and who suffer for doing that which is good. Whatever pretence persecutors have, it is the power of godliness that they have an enmity to; it is really Christ and his righteousness that are maligned, hated, and persecuted; For thy sake I have borne reproach, Ps. 69:9; Rom. 8:36.

2. The comforts of suffering saints laid down.

(1.) They are blessed; for they now, in their life-time, receive their evil things (Lu. 16:25), and receive them upon a good account. They are blessed; for it is an honour to them (Acts 5:41); it is an opportunity of glorifying Christ, of doing good, and of experiencing special comforts and visits of grace and tokens of his presence, 2 Co. 1:5; Dan. 3:25; Rom. 8:29.

(2.) They shall be recompensed; Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. They have at present a sure title to it, and sweet foretastes of it; and shall ere long be in possession of it. Though there be nothing in those sufferings than can, in strictness, merit of God (for the sins of the best deserve the worst), yet this is here promised as a reward (v. 12); Great is your reward in heaven: so great, as far to transcend the service. It is in heaven, future, and out of sight; but well secured, out of the reach of chance, fraud, and violence. Note, God will provide that those who lose for him, though it be life itself, shall not lose by him in the end. Heaven, at last, will be an abundant recompence for all the difficulties we meet with in our way. This is that which has borne up the suffering saints in all ages—this joy set before them.

(3.) "So persecuted they the prophets that were before you, v. 12. They were before you in excellency, above what you are yet arrived at; they were before you in time, that they might be examples to you of suffering affliction and of patience, James 5:10. They were in like manner persecuted and abused; and can you expect to go to heaven in a way by yourself? Was not Isaiah mocked for his line upon line? Elisha for his bald head? Were not all the prophets thus treated? Therefore marvel not at it as a strange thing, murmur not at it as a hard thing; it is a comfort to see the way of suffering a beaten road, and an honour to follow such leaders. That grace which was sufficient for them, to carry them through their sufferings, shall not be deficient to you. Those who are your enemies are the seed and successors of them who of old mocked the messengers of the Lord,'' 2 Chr. 36:16; ch. 23:31; Acts 7:52.

I Live To Know You Lord Should Be our Motto as Christians!

Today I was reading Deuteronomy 27-29, I found several verses such as:

Deut. 28:9 "The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways.” Here is what Matthew Henry has to say about it.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

“Deut. 28:1-14 - This chapter is a very large exposition of two words, the blessing and the curse. They are real things and have real effects. The blessings are here put before the curses. God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy. It is his delight to bless. It is better that we should be drawn to what is good by a child-like hope of God's favour, than that we be frightened to it by a slavish fear of his wrath. The blessing is promised, upon condition that they diligently hearken to the voice of God. Let them keep up religion, the form and power of it, in their families and nation, then the providence of God would prosper all their outward concerns.”

Deut. 28:47 “If you do not serve the LORD your God with joy and enthusiasm for the abundant benefits you have received,”

I like this verse because it shows how God expects to be served and worshiped. But if we have not learned to be grateful for who He is and what He has done for us through Christ, we end up living the type of Christianity where we feel obligated to fulfill our obligations to Him. So, while we are religious, we are so resistant to changes that the Holy Spirit cannot make a dent in us. The real love, the enthusiasm and the joy of it all will always be missing in our walk.

Deut. 28:63 “Just as the LORD has found great pleasure in causing you to prosper and multiply, the LORD will find pleasure in destroying you. You will be torn from the land you are about to enter and occupy.”

This verse might sound off a bit to some, and we might even question God. But this is who God is.  His love and wrath has the same intensity. So, yes He will find pleasure in destroying them. The pleasure comes from the fact that He simply has no tolerance for wickedness and His Holiness demands it. For us Christian our wickedness comes from the fact that we want to butt heads with Him at any cost, because we have His promises and He cannot lie.

This kind of Christianity is drilled into us day in day out. Most Churches today, along with social media, and everywhere on the internet we find joy in claiming verses we like, that speak of His promises. In reality, these verses do not stand by themselves as they are not complete. We learned to cultivate that mentality where we think He owes us something and we can get away with murder.  God has no tolerance for this kind of self-serving Salvation. The hearts of the Israelites were not right with Him, just as us today. When we insist on having our way instead of His, well, we share in the same symptoms and diseases as the Israelites. Like God showed me, there is a big difference between those who love Him and will be losing some rewards, and those who do not love Him at all as if Salvation never touched their hearts.

Moses example is one that shows Moses love for God, but his disobedience caused him not to see the Promised Land. VS God, destroying the Israelites because of their lack of love for Him, they could not follow at all.  God does not expect us to be perfect until we die because perfection belongs to Him. But, we have to learn to examine ourselves, not through our eyes, but His.

ON ANOTHER NOTE….

I shared with you in yesterday’s post. God touched my heart and I understand that I made it all sound so bad, as if God has not done anything good for me while I am waiting on Him, upon Him and for Him. The reality is that He showered blessings on me through my two sons. The past three months have been incredible. Each news I received from them is earth shattering.  There has been a lot as if God has opened a flow of blessings from heaven.

Last week I was praying and asking God how long will I have to wait? I even told Him whenever He tells me to do something, I do it, and then it is like He uses my obedience to humble me in a way that things always turn sort of sour for me. In His defense, I have to say, even though my life is truly rough and my soul could use a break from this divine training, I still pray for Him to keep me where I am. My relentless prayer goes along this line: “Teach me and train me to be like Paul so that I, too, have no aim, no end and no purpose but you my Lord.” Yes, it seems crazy that after such a long period of time I am still spending long hours with God asking Him to make me this person.

I have to be honest, there was a time I stopped praying this way because I realized God was giving me the desires of my heart, in a painful way. After a few months of not praying this kind of prayer,  God showed me how my heart was letting Him go slowly as my first love. The only thing that had changed was the way I prayed on purpose I avoided this kind of prayer.  Because God has given me the ability to touch His heart, I am able to feel His pain and joy, (only when He wants to) which is both a blessing and a curse as far as I am concerned. I had no choice but to stop the pain that I was causing Him and go back to praying Him to keep me like Paul with no aim, no end and no purpose but Him. Since then, I never deviated from the path.

So during my prayer time last week while I was talking to God as if He had forgotten me in the waiting process, I felt suddenly a flow of peace all over me. This awesome, still, peaceful and comforting voice told me “it has to be this way for now my child, but have you noticed that you are not forgotten because all the blessings that should come to you is happening to your children?” I was speechless for a moment. Then, I realized it is true; God has blessed my two boys so much. Yet, even in the midst of all these news I had received, I saw these things as “my children’s own lives” and did not associate them with me at all.

Right after that, I went to my laptop I found an email that my son sent to us his parents and wife together to announce another major news in his life. I checked the time to see when the email came in; it was less than a minute. I grabbed the phone to call him. He told me he was about to call his wife when he saw my number, needless to say he was surprised with the speed of my phone call. As I talked to him all I could see was how everything my boy touches turns into blessings in his life. It is unreal how God lined up people on his path to accomplish His will in his life.

I did not stay on the phone because I wanted him to call his wife and rejoice in the news together. As I hung up the phone God confirmed in my heart how my son’s life is about me and my walk with Him. Something inside of me could not take it anymore and I wept from the depth of my soul for about half an hour. My tears were tears of joy, couple with how real God is and how awesome my God is. If I were to list all that has happened in my two boys lives, it would look like I am bragging. Even today as I am writing this post today, I still cannot believe someone like me would have ever had the blessings that I received through them.

My point is, it is not all that bad while someone could look at my life and ask where is my God, but I know He has not abandoned me. No matter how hard things are for me, I would not have it any other way because it brings joy to my Savior.

When you read Deuteronomy 29: 24-29 I rejoice in the way He ends it. These verses tell us what people will say about the Israelites. Notice while these people will say those things in verses 24 28, they will not understand why God is doing all that He is doing in the Israelites lives because they are not privy to the whole story. So, in verse 29 He says: Deut.29:29 "The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.”