The First Beatitude

The First Beatitude

(No. 3156)

A SERMON PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1909.

DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, IN THE YEAR 1873.

"Blessed aire the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."
Matthew 5:3.

[In the year 1873, Mr. Spurgeon delivered what he called "a series of
sententious homilies" on the Beatitudes. After an introductory
discourse upon the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes as a whole,
he intended to preach upon each one separately, but either illness or
some other special reason prevented him from fully carrying out this
purpose. There are, however, five Sermons upon the Beatitudes, four
ofwhich have already been published–See Sermons #422, Volume 7– THE
PEACEMAKER; #2103, Volume 35–THE HUNGER AND THIRST WHICH ARE BLESSED;
#3155, Volume 55–THE BEATITUDES– #3065, Volume 53–THE THIRD
BEATITUDE–and this one.]

BEARING in mind the objective of our Savior's discourse, which was to
describe the saved, and not to declare the plan of salvation, we now
come to consider the first of the Beatitudes–

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."

A ladder, if it is to be of any use, must have its first step near the
ground, or feeble climbers will never be able to mount. It would have
been a grievous discouragement to struggling faith if the first
blessing had been given to the pure in heart–to that excellence the
young beginner makes no claim–while to poverty of spirit he can reach
without going beyond his line! Had the Savior said, "Blessed are the
rich in Divine Grace," he would have spoken a great Truth of God, but
very few of us could have derived consolation from there. Our Divine
Instructor begins at the beginning–with the very A B C of
experience–and so enables the babes in Grace to learn of Him. Had He
commenced with higher attainments, He would have had to leave the
little ones behind. A gigantic step at the bottom of these sacred
stairs would have effectually prevented many from beginning to
ascend–but tempted by the lowly step, which bears the inscription,
"Blessed are the poor in spirit," thousands are encouraged to attempt
the heavenly way!

It is worthy of grateful note that this Gospel blessing reaches down to
the exact spot where the Law leaves us when it has done for us the very
best within its power or design. The utmost the Law can accomplish for
our fallen humanity is to lay bare our spiritual poverty and convince
us of it. It cannot by any possibility enrich a man–its greatest
service is to tear him away from his fancied wealth of
self-righteousness, show him his overwhelming indebtedness to God and
bow him to the earth in self-despair. Like Moses, it leads away from
Goshen, conducts into the wilderness and brings to the verge of an
impassable stream–but it can do no more! Joshua Jesus is needed to
divide the Jordan and conduct into the promised land. The Law rends the
goodly Babylonian garment of our imaginary merits into ten pieces and
proves our wedge of gold to be mere dross. And thus it leaves us,
"naked, and poor, and miserable." To this point Jesus descends– His
full line of blessing comes up to the verge of destruction, rescues the
lost and enriches the poor! The Gospel is as full as it is free!

This first Beatitude, though thus placed at a suitably low point where
it may be reached by those who are in the earliest stages of Grace is,
however, none the less rich in blessing. The same word is used in the
same sense at the beginning as at the end of the chain of
Beatitudes–the poor in spirit are as truly and emphatically blessed as
the meek, or the peacemakers. No hint is given as to lower degree, or
inferior measure, but on the contrary, the very highest benison, which
is used in the 10th verse as the gathering up of all the seven
Beatitudes, is ascribed to the first and lowest order of the
blessed–"theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." What more is said even of
the co-heirs with Prophets and martyrs? What more, indeed, could be
said than this? The poor in spirit are lifted from the dunghill and
set, not among hired servants in the field, but among princes in the
Kingdom of God! Blessed is that soul-poverty of which the Lord Himself
utters such good things! He sets much store by that which the world
holds in small esteem, for His judgment is the reverse of the foo-

lish verdict of the proud. As Watson well observes, "How poor are they
that think themselves rich! How rich are they that see themselves to be
poor! I call it the jewel of poverty. There are some paradoxes in
religion which the world cannot understand–for a man to become a fool
that he may be wise, to save his life by losing it, and to be made rich
by being poor. Yet this poverty is to be strived for more than
riches–under these rags is hid cloth of gold and out of this carcass
came honey."

The cause for placing this Beatitude first is found in the fact that it
is first as a matter of experience. It is essential to the succeeding
characters. It underlies each one of them and is the soil in which
alone they can be produced. No man ever mourns before God until he is
poor in spirit! Neither does he become meek towards others till he has
humble views of himself. Hungering and thirsting after righteousness
are not possible to those who have high views of their own
excellence–and mercy to those who offend is also a Grace, difficult
for those who are unconscious of their own spiritual need. Poverty in
spirit is the porch of the temple of blessedness. As a wise man never
thinks of building up the walls of his house till he has first dug out
the foundation, so no person skillful in Divine things will hope to see
any of the higher virtues where poverty of spirit is absent. Till we
are emptied of self we cannot be filled with God. Stripping must be
worked upon us before we can be clothed with the righteousness which is
from Heaven. Christ is never precious till we are poor in spirit–we
must see our own needs before we can perceive His wealth. Pride blinds
the eyes and sincere humility must open them or the beauties of Jesus
will be forever hidden from us. The strait gate is not wide enough to
allow that man to enter who is great in his own esteem. It is easier
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a man conceited
of his own spiritual riches to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Hence
it is clear that the character described in connection with the first
Beatitude is essential to the production of those which follow–and
unless a man possesses it, he may look in vain for favor at the hands
of the Lord! The proud are cursed, their pride alone secures them the
curse and shuts them out from Divine regard! "The proud He knows afar
off." The lowly in heart are blessed, for to them and to their prayers
Jehovah always has a tender regard.

It is worthy of double mention that this first blessing is given rather
to the absence than to thepresence ofpraisewor-thy qualities–it is a
blessing not upon the man who is distinguished for this virtue or
remarkable for that excellence– but upon him whose chief
characteristic is that he confesses his own sad deficiencies! This is
intentional, in order that Grace may be all the more manifestly seen to
be Grace, indeed, casting its eyes first, not upon purity, but upon
poverty. Not upon showers of mercy, but upon those who need mercy. Not
upon those who are called the children of God, but upon those who cry,
"We are not worthy to be called Your sons." God wants nothing of us
except our needs and these furnish Him with room to display His bounty
when He freely supplies them! It is from the worse and not from the
better side of fallen man that the Lord wins glory for Himself. Not
what I have, but what I have not, is the first point of contact between
my soul and God. The good may bring their goodness, but He declares
that "there is none righteous, no, not one." The pious may offer their
ceremonies, but He takes no delight in all their oblations. The wise
may present their inventions, but He counts their wisdom to be folly.
But when the poor in spirit come to Him with their utter destitution
and distress, He accepts them at once! Yes, He bows the heavens to
bless them and opens the storehouses of the Covenant to satisfy them.
As the surgeon seeks for the sick and as the alms-giver looks after the
poor, even so the Savior seeks out such as need Him–and upon them He
exercises His Divine office. Let every needy sinner drink comfort from
this well!

Nor ought we to forget that this lowest note upon the octave of
Beatitude, this keynote of the whole music gives forth a certain sound
as to the spirituality of the Christian dispensation. Its first
blessing is allotted to a characteristic, not of the outer, but of the
inner man–to a state of soul and not to a posture of body–to the poor
in spirit and not to the exact in ritual. That word, spirit, is one of
the watchwords of the Gospel dispensation. Garments, genuflections,
rituals, oblations and the like are ignored–the Lord's eyes of favor
rest only upon broken hearts and humbled spirits before Him. Even
mental endowments are left in the cold shade and the spirit is made to
lead the van–the soul, the true man, is regarded and all besides left
as of comparatively little worth! This teaches us to mind, above all
things, those matters which concern our spirits. We must not be
satisfied with external religion. If, in any ordinance, our spirit does
not come into contact with the great Father of Spirits, we must not
rest satisfied. Everything about our religion which is not heart work
must be unsatisfactory to us. As men cannot live upon the chaff and the
bran, but need the flour of the wheat, so do we need something more
than the form of godliness and the letter of truth–we require the
secret meaning, the

grafting in of the Word into our spirit, the bringing of the Truth of
God into our inmost soul–all short of this is short of the blessing!

The highest grade of outward religiousness is not blessed, but the very
lowest form of spiritual Grace is endowed with the Kingdom of Heaven!
Better to be spiritual, even though our highest attainment is to be
poor in spirit, than to remain carnal, even though in that carnality we
should brag of perfection in the flesh. The least in Grace is higher
than the greatest in Nature! Poverty of spirit in the publican was
better than fullness of external excellence in the Pharisee. As the
weakest and poorest man is nobler than the strongest of all the beasts
of the field, so is the meanest spiritual man more precious in the
sight of the Lord than the most eminent of the self-sufficient children
of men. The smallest diamond is worth more than the largest pebble, the
lowest degree of Grace excels the loftiest attainment of Nature! What
do you say to this, beloved Friend? Are you spiritual? At least, are
you enough so to be poor in spirit? Does there exist for you a
spiritual realm, or are you locked up in the narrow region of things
seen and heard? If the Holy Spirit has broken a door for you into the
spiritual and unseen, then you are blessed even though your only
perception as yet is the painful discovery that you are poor in spirit!
Jesus on the mountain blesses you, and blessed you are!

Drawing still nearer to our text, we observe, first, that THE PERSON
DESCRIBED HAS DISCOVERED A

FACT–he has ascertained his own spiritual poverty. And secondly, BY A
FACT HE IS COMFORTED–for he possesses "the Kingdom of Heaven."

I. The fact which he has ascertained is an old Truth of God, for the
man was always spiritually poor. From his birth he was a pauper and at
his best estate he is only a mendicant. "Naked, and poor, and
miserable" is a fair summary of man's condition by nature. He lies
covered with sores at the gates of Mercy, having nothing of his own but
sin, unable to dig and unwilling to beg–and therefore perishing in a
penury of the direst kind.

This Truth is also universal, for all men are by nature thus poor. In a
clan, or a family, there will usually be at least one person of
substance. And in the poorest nation there will be some few possessors
of wealth. But alas for our humanity! Its whole store of excellence is
spent and its riches are utterly gone. Among us all there remains no
remnant of good! The oil is spent from the cruse and the meal is
exhausted from the barrel–a famine is upon us, direr than that which
desolated Samaria of old! We owe ten thousand talents and have nothing
with which to pay–even so much as a single penny of goodness we cannot
find in all the treasuries of the nations!

This fact is deeply humiliating. A man may have no money and yet it may
involve no fault and, therefore, no shame. But our estate of poverty
has this sting in it–it is moral and spiritual–and sinks us in blame
and sin. To be poor in holiness, truth, faith and love to God is
disgraceful to us. Often does the poor man hide his face as one greatly
ashamed, but far more cause have we to do so who have spent our living
riotously, wasted our Father's substance and brought ourselves to want
and dishonor. Descriptions of our state which describe us as miserable
are not complete unless they also declare us to be guilty! True, we are
objects of pity, but much more of censure. A poor man may be none the
less worthy of esteem because of the meanness of his apparel and the
scantiness of his provision, but spiritual poverty means fault,
blameworthiness, shame and sin. He who is poor in spirit is therefore a
humbled man and is on the way to be numbered with those that mourn, of
whom the second benediction says that, "they shall be comforted."

The fact discovered by the blessed one in the text is but little known.
The mass of mankind are utterly ignorant upon the matter. Though the
Truth as to man's lost condition is daily taught in our streets, yet
few understand it. They are not anxious to know the meaning of a
statement so uncomfortable, so alarming–and the bulk of those who are
aware of the Doctrine and acknowledge that it is Scriptural, yet do not
believe it, but put it out of their thoughts and practically ignore it!
"We see," is the universal boast of the world's blind men! So far from
realizing that they are destitute, the sons of men are, in their own
esteem, so richly endowed that they thank God that they are not as
other men! No slavery is so degrading as that which makes a man content
with his servility. The poverty which never aspires, but is content to
continue in its rags and filth, is poverty of the deepest dye–and such
is the spiritual condition of mankind.

Wherever the truth as to our condition is truly known, it has been
spiritually revealed. We may say of everyone who knows his soul
poverty, "Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonas, for flesh and blood has
not revealed this to you." To be spiritually poor is the condition of
all men–to be poor in spirit, or to know our spiritual poverty is an
attainment especially granted to the called and chosen! An Omnipotent
hand created us out of nothing and the same Omnipotence is needed to
bring us to feel that we are nothing! We can never be saved unless we
are made alive by Infinite Power, nor can we be made alive at all
unless that same Power shall first slay us. It is amazing how much is
needed to strip a man and lay him in his true place! One would think
that so penniless a beggar must be aware of his penury, but he is not
and never will be unless the eternal God shall convince him of it! Our
imaginary goodness is more difficult to conquer than our actual sin.
Man can sooner be cured of his sicknesses than be made to forego his
bouts of health. Human weakness is a small obstacle to salvation
compared with human strength–there lies the work and the difficulty!
Hence it is a sign of Grace to know one's need of Grace. He has some
Light of God in his soul who knows and feels that he is in darkness.
The Lord Himself has worked a work of Grace upon the spirit which is
poor and needy, and trembles at His Word. And it is such a work that it
bears within it the promise, yes, the assurance of salvation–for the
poor in spirit already possess the Kingdom of Heaven–and none have
that but those who have eternal life!

One thing is certainly true of the man whose spirit knows its own
poverty–he is in possession of at least one Truth of God, whereas
before he breathed the atmosphere of falsehood and knew nothing which
he ought to know. However painful the result of poverty of spirit may
be, it is the result of the Truth of God–and a foundation of Truth
being laid, other Truths will be added and the man will abide in the
Truth. All that others think they know concerning their own spiritual
excellence is but a lie–and to be rich in lies is to be awfully poor.
Carnal security, natural merit and self-confidence–however much of
false peace they may produce–are only forms of falsehood, deceiving
the soul. But when a man finds out that he is by nature and practice,
"lost," he is no longer utterly a pauper as to the Truth of God–he
possesses one precious thing at any rate–one coin minted by Truth is
in his hand! For my own part, my constant prayer is that I may know the
worst of my case, whatever the knowledge may cost me. I know that an
accurate estimate of my own heart can never be otherwise than lowering
to my self-esteem, but God forbid that I should be spared the
humiliation which springs from His Truth! The sweet apples of
self-esteem are deadly poison–who would wish to be destroyed by them?
The bitter fruits of self-knowledge are always healthful, especially if
washed down with the waters of repentance and sweetened with a draught
from the wells of salvation! He who loves his own soul will not despise
them. Blessed, according to our text, is the poor cast-down one who
knows his lost condition and is suitably impressed thereby–he is but a
beginner in Wisdom's school, yet he is a disciple and his Master
encourages him with a benediction, yes, He pronounces him one of those
to whom the Kingdom of Heaven is given!

The position into which a clear knowledge of this one Truth has brought
the soul is one peculiarly advantageous for obtaining every Gospel
blessing. Poverty of spirit empties a man and so makes him ready to be
filled! It exposes his wounds to the oil and wine of the Good
Physician. It lays the guilty sinner at the gate of Mercy or among
those dying ones around the pool of Bethesda to whom Jesus is known to
come. Such a man opens his mouth and the Lord fills it–he hungers and
the Lord satisfies him with good things! Above all other evils we have
most cause to dread our own fullness! The greatest unfitness for Christ
is our own imaginary fitness! When we are utterly undone, we are near
to being enriched with the riches of Divine Grace. Out of ourselves is
next door to being in Christ. Where we end, mercy begins, or rather,
mercy has begun and mercy has already done much for us when we are at
the end of our merit, our power, our wisdom and our hope! The deeper
the destitution the better–

"'Tis perfect poverty alone That sets the soul at large– While we can
call one mite our own We get no full discharge."

If the heart is distressed because it cannot sufficiently feel its own
need, so much the better–the poverty of spirit is just so much the
greater and the appeal to Free Grace all the more powerful! If the need
of a broken heart is felt, we may come to Jesus for a broken heart if
we cannot come with a broken heart. If no kind or degree of good is
perceptible, this also is but a clear proof of utter poverty–and in
that condition we may dare to believe in the Lord Jesus! Though we are
nothing, Christ is All. All that we need to begin with we must find in
Him, just as surely as we must look for our ultimate perfecting to the
same Source!

A man may be so misled as to make a merit out of his sense of sin and
may dream of coming to Jesus clothed in a fitness of despair and
unbelief! This is, however, the very reverse of the conduct of one who
is poor in spirit, for he is poor in feelings as well as in everything
else and dares no more commend himself on account of his humility and
despair than on account of his sins. He thinks himself to be a
hard-hearted sinner as he acknowledges the deep repentance which his
offenses call for. He fears that he is a stranger to that saved
quickening which makes the conscience tender and he dreads

lest he should, in any measure, be a hypocrite in the desires which he
perceives to be in his soul. In fact, he does not dare to think himself
to be any other than poor, grievously poor, in whatever light he may be
viewed in his relation to God and His righteous Law. He hears of the
humiliations of true penitents and wishes he had them. He reads the
descriptions of repentance given in the Word of God and prays that he
may realize them, but he sees nothing in himself upon which he can put
his finger and say, "This, at least, is good. In me there dwells at
least some one good thing." He is poor in spirit and from him all
boasting is cut off, once and for all. It is better to be in this
condition than falsely to account one's self a saint and sit in the
chief places of the synagogue. Yes, it is so sweetly safe a position to
occupy, that he who is fullest of faith in God and joy in the Holy
Spirit finds it adds to his peace to retain a full consciousness of the
poverty of his natural state and to let it run parallel with his
persuasion of security and blessedness in Christ Jesus! Lord, keep me
low! Empty me more and more! Lay me in the dust! Let me be dead and
buried as to all that is of self–then shall Jesus live in me, reign in
me and be truly my All-in-All!

It may seem to some to be a small matter to be poor in spirit. Let such
persons remember that our Lord so places this gracious condition of
heart that it is the foundation stone of the celestial ascent of the
Beatitudes–and who can deny that the steps which rise from it are
sublime beyond measure? It is something inexpressibly desirable to be
poor in spirit if this is the road to purity of heart and to the
godlike character of the peacemaker! Who would not lay his head on
Jacob's stone to enjoy Jacobs dream? Who would scorn the staff with
which in poverty he crossed the Jordan if he might but see the Kingdom
of Heaven opened as the Patriarch did? Welcome the poverty of Israel if
it is a part of the conditions upon which we shall receive the blessing
of Israel's God! Instead of despising the poor in spirit, we shall do
well to regard them as possessing the dawn of spiritual life, the germ
of all the Graces, the initiative of perfection, the evidence of
blessedness!

II. Having spoken thus much upon the character of those who are poor in
spirit as being formed by the knowledge of a fact, we have now to note
that IT IS BY A FACT THAT THEY ARE CHEERED AND RENDERED BLESSED– "For
theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."

It is not a promise as to the future, but a declaration as to the
present–not theirs shall be, but "theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."
This Truth is clearly revealed in many Scriptures by necessary
inference, for first, the King of the heavenly kingdom is constantly
represented as reigning over the poor David says in the 72nd Psalm, "He
shall judge the poor of the people, He shall save the children of the
needy…He shall spare the poor and needy and shall save the souls of
the needy." As His virgin mother sang, "He has put down the mighty from
their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He has filled the hungry
with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty." Those who
enlist beneath the banner of the Son of David are like those who of old
came to the son of Jesse in the cave of Adullam–"Everyone that was in
distress, and everyone that was in debt, and everyone that was
discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain
over them." "This Man receives sinners and eats with them." His title
was "A Friend of Publicans and Sinners." "Though He was rich, yet for
our sakes He became poor," and it is therefore right that the poor
should be gathered unto Him. Since Jesus has chosen the poor in spirit
to be His subjects and said, "Fear not, little flock, for it is your
Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom," we see how true it is
that they are blessed.

The rule of the Kingdom is such as only the poor in spirit will endure.
To them it is an easy yoke from which they have no wish to be released.
To give God all the glory is no burden to them. To cease from self is
no hard command. The place of lowliness suits them, the service of
humiliation they count an honor! They can say with the Psalmist (Psalm
131:2), "Surely I have behaved and quieted myself as a child that is
weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child." Self-denial
and humility, which are main duties of Christ's Kingdom, are easy only
to those who are poor in spirit. A humble mind loves humble duties and
is willing to kiss the least flower which grows in the Valley of
Humiliation. But to others, a fair show in the flesh is a great
attraction and self-exaltation the main object of life. Our Savior's
declaration, "Except you are converted, and become as little children,
you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven," is an iron rule which
shuts out all but the poor in spirit! But, at the same time it is a
gate of pearl which admits all who are of that character.

The privileges of the Kingdom are such as only the spiritually poor
will value. To others, they are as pearls cast before swine. The
self-righteous care nothing for pardon, though it cost the Redeemer His
life's blood. They have no care for regeneration, though it is the
greatest work of the Holy Spirit. And they set no store by
sanctification, though it is the Father, Himself, who has made us meet
to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light! Evidently
the blessings

of the Covenant were meant for the poor in spirit–there is not one of
them which would be valued by the Pharisee. A robe of righteousness
implies our nakedness. Manna from Heaven implies the lack of earthly
bread. Salvation is vanity if men are in no danger. Mercy is a mockery
if they are not sinful. The charter of the Church is written upon the
supposition that it is formed of the poor and needy and is without
meaning if it is not so. Poverty of spirit opens the eyes to see the
preciousness of Covenant blessings. As an old Puritan said, "He that is
poor in spirit is a Christ-admirer. He has high thoughts of Christ, he
sets a high value and appreciation upon Christ, he hides himself in
Christ's wounds, he bathes himself in His blood, he wraps himself in
His robe. He sees a spiritual dearth and famine at home, but he looks
out to Christ and cries, 'Lord, show me Yourself, and it suffices.'"
Now, inasmuch as the Lord has made nothing in vain and since we find
that the privileges of the Gospel Kingdom are only suitable to the poor
in spirit, we may rest assured that for such they were prepared and to
such they belong!

Moreover, it is clear that only those who are poor in spirit do
actually reign as kings unto God. The crown of this Kingdom will not
fit every head. In fact, it fits the brow of none but the poor in
spirit! No proud man reigns–he is the slave of his boastings, the serf
of his own loftiness. The ambitious worldling grasps after a kingdom,
but he does not possess one. The humble in heart are content and in
that contentment they are made to reign! High spirits have no rest–
only the lowly heart has peace. To know one's self is the way to
self-conquest–and self-conquest is the grandest of all victories! The
world looks out for a lofty, ambitious, stern, self-sufficient man and
says he bears himself like a king and yet, in very truth, the real
kings among their fellows are meek and lowly like the Lord of All–and
in their unconsciousness of self lies the secret of their power! The
kings among mankind, the happiest, the most powerful, the most
honorable, will one day be seen to be not the Alexanders, Caesars and
Napoleons, but the men akin to Him who washed the disciples'
feet–those who in quietness lived for God and their fellow men,
unostentatious because conscious of their failures, unselfish because
self was held in low esteem, humble and devout because their own
spiritual poverty drove them out of themselves and led them to rest
alone upon the Lord! The time shall come when glitter and gewgaw will
go for what they are worth and then shall the poor in spirit be seen to
have had the Kingdom!

The dominion awarded by this Beatitude to the poor in spirit is no
common one. It is the Kingdom of Heaven, a heavenly dominion far
excelling anything which can be obtained this side of the stars. An
ungodly world may reckon the poor in spirit to be contemptible, but God
writes them down among His peers and princes. And His judgment is true
and far more to be esteemed than the opinions of men or even of angels!
Only as we are poor in spirit have we any evidence that Heaven is ours.
But having that mark of blessedness, all things are ours, whether
things present or things to come. To the poor in spirit belong all the
security, honor and happiness which the Gospel Kingdom is calculated to
give upon earth! Even here below they may eat of its dainties without
question and revel in its delights without fear. Theirs are also the
things not seen as yet, reserved for future Revelation. Theirs the
Second Advent, theirs the Glory, theirs the fifth great monarchy,
theirs the Resurrection, theirs the Beatific Vision, theirs the eternal
ecstasy!

"Poor in spirit." The words sound as if they described the owners of
nothing, and yet they describe the inheritors of all things! Happy
poverty! Millionaires sink into insignificance! The treasures of the
Indies evaporate in smoke while to the poor in spirit remains a
boundless, endless, faultless Kingdom which renders them blessed in the
esteem of Him who is God over all, blessed forever! And all this is for
the present life in which they mourn and need to be comforted, hunger
and thirst and need to be filled. All this is for them while yet they
are persecuted for righteousness' sake. What, then, must be their
blessedness when they shall shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of
their Father and in them shall be fulfilled the promise of their Master
and Lord, "to him that overcomes will I grant to sit with Me on My
Throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father on His
throne"?

EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: MATTHEW5:31-42.

[Continued from Sermon #3155, Volume 55.]

31, 32. It has been said, Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give
her a writing of divorcement: but I say unto

you, That whoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of
fornication, causes her to commit adultery: and whoever shall marry her
that is divorced commits adulter). This time our King quotes and
condemns a permissive enactment of the Jewish State. Men were known to
bid their wives, "begone," and a hasty word was thought sufficient as
an act of di-

vorce. Moses insisted upon "a writing of divorcement," that angry
passions might have time to cool and that the separation, if it must
come, might be performed with deliberation and legal formality. The
requirement of a writing was to a certain degree a check upon an evil
habit which was so engrained in the people that to refuse it altogether
would have been useless–and would only have created another crime. The
law of Moses went as far as it could practically be enforced. It was
because of the hardness of their hearts that divorce was tolerated–it
was never approved.

But our Lord is more heroic in his legislation. He forbids divorce
except for the one crime of infidelity to the marriage vow. She who
commits adultery does, by that act and deed, in effect break the
marriage bond–and it ought then to be formally recognized by the State
as being broken. But for nothing else should a man be divorced from his
wife. Marriage is for life and cannot be loosed except by the one great
crime which severs its bond, whichever of the two is guilty of it. Our
Lord would never have tolerated the wicked laws of certain of the
American States which allow married men and women to separate on the
merest pretext. A woman divorced for any cause but adultery, and
marrying again, is committing adultery before God, whatever the laws of
man may call it! This is very plain and positive–and thus a sanctity
is given to marriage which human legislation ought not to violate. Let
us not be among those who take up novel ideas of wedlock and seek to
deform the marriage laws under the pretense of reforming them. Our Lord
knows better than our modern social reformers. We had better let the
Laws of God alone, for we shall never discover any better.

33-37. Again, you have heard that it has been said by them of old time,
You shall not forswear yourself, but shall perform unto the Lord your
oaths: but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither of Heaven, for it
is God's Throne: nor by the earth, for it is His footstool: neither by
Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shall you
swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.
But let your communication be, Yes, yes; No, no: for whatever is more
than these comes of evil False swearing was forbidden of old, but every
kind of swearing is forbidden now by the word of our Lord Jesus. He
mentions several forms of oath and forbids them all–and then
prescribes simple forms of affirmation or denial as all that His
followers should employ. Notwithstanding much that may be advanced to
the contrary, there is no evading the plain sense of this passage–that
every sort of oath, however solemn or true, is forbidden to a follower
of Jesus! Whether in court of law, or out of it, the rule is, "Swear
not at all." Yet, in this Christian country we have swearing
everywhere–and especially among law-makers! Our legislators begin
their official existence by swearing. By those who obey the Law of the
Savior's Kingdom, all swearing is set aside so that the simple word of
affirmation or denial, calmly repeated, may remain as a sufficient bond
of truth. A bad man cannot be believed on his oath and a good man
speaks the truth without an oath–to what purpose is the superfluous
custom of legal swearing preserved? Christians should not yield to an
evil custom, however great the pressure put upon them! They should
abide by the plain and unmistakable command of their Lord and King.

38. You have heard that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a
tooth for a tooh. The law of an eye for an eye, as administered in the
proper courts of law was founded in justice and worked far more
equitably than the more modern system of fines, for that method allows
rich men to offend with comparative impunity. But when the lex talionis
came to be the rule of daily life, it fostered revenge–and our Savior
would not tolerate it as a principle carried out by individuals. Good
law in court may be very bad custom in common society. He spoke against
what had become a proverb and was heard and said among the people, "
You have heard that it has been said." Our loving King would have
private dealings ruled by the spirit of love and not by the rule of
law.

39. But I say unto you, That you resist not evil: but whoever shall
smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other als.
Non-resistance and forbearance are to be the rule among Christians.
They are to endure personal ill-usage without coming to blows. They are
to be as the anvil when bad men are the hammers, and thus they are to
overcome by patient forgiveness. The rule of the judgment seat is not
for common life, but the rule of the Cross and the all-enduring
Sufferer is for us all. Yet how many regard all this as fanatical,
utopian and even cowardly? The Lord, our King, would have us bear and
forbear, and conquer by mighty patience. Can we do it? How are we the
servants of Christ if we have not His spirit?

40. And if any man will sue you at the law, and take away your coat,
let him have your cloak, also. Let him have all he asks and more.
Better lose a suit of clothes than be drawn into a suit in law. The
courts of our Lord's day were vicious and His disciples were advised to
suffer wrong sooner than appeal to them. Our own courts often furnish
the surest method of solving a difficulty by authority, and we have
known them resorted to with the view of preventing strife. Yet even

in a country where justice can be had, we are not to resort to law for
every personal wrong. We should rather endure to be put upon than be
forever crying out, "I'll bring an action." At times this very rule of
self-sacrifice may require us to take steps in the way of legal appeal,
to stop injuries which would fall heavily upon others. But we ought
often to forego our own advantage, yes, always when the main motive
would be a proud desire for self-vindication. Lord, give me a patient
spirit, so that I may not seek to avenge myself, even when I might
righteously do so!

41. And whoever shall compel you to go a mile, go with him tw .
Governments in those days demanded forced service through their petty
officers. Christians were to be of a yielding temper and bear a double
exaction rather than provoke ill words and anger. We ought not to evade
taxation, but stand ready to render to Caesar his due. "Yield" is our
watchword! To stand up against force is not exactly our part–we may
leave that to others. How few believe the long-suffering, non-resistant
Doctrines of our King!

42. Give to him that asks you, and from him that would borrow of you
turn not you away.Be generous. A miser is no follower of Jesus.
Discretion is to be used in our giving, lest we encourage idleness and
beggary. But the general rule is, "Give to him that asks you."
Sometimes a loan may be more useful than a gift, do not refuse it to
those who will make right use of it. These precepts are not meant for
fools–they are set before us as our general rule–but each rule is
balanced by other Scriptural commands and there is the teaching of a
philanthropic commonsense to guide us. Our spirit is to be one of
readiness to help the needy by gift or loan–and we are not exceedingly
likely to err by excess in this direction–hence the boldness of the
command.