The Beggarly Poor

Matthew 5:3 (NIV) - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mention poor in spirit and the mind’s eye begins to sift through familiar pictures to define the word. Does it mean something of no worth? That which holds no value? Certainly not! God does not require us to think of ourselves as losers, zeros, or insignificant nothings. We are highly valued of the Lord! Worth redeeming at all costs! Does it mean that we are shy? Introverted? Spiritually anemic? No, I know many people that are shy and would never get in front of a crowd but they are extremely proud.
      To fully understand what Jesus was saying to us we have to understand the use of the world translated poor in the history of Christ’s time. Jesus was telling us to be “ptochos” which comes from a verb that paints a picture of one that cowers and cringes like a beggar. In classical Greek “ptochos” came to mean a person who crouches about, wretchedly begging. It denotes poverty so deep that one must obtain their living by being fully dependent on the generosity of others. It describes one that cannot survive without help from the outside. It literally means “beggarly poor”.
      Jesus wasn’t talking about our flesh that day but he made clear that we must be “beggarly poor in spirit”. When we are so desperately poor in spiritual resources that we realize our daily survival comes from God then the kingdom of Heaven is ours. Peter tells us that our adversary the devil is like a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour. We are like young David running out on the field of battle against Goliath, the enemy laughing at our lack of weapons, our nonexistent strength and our small stature. Unless the Lord is with us we our “beggarly poor” and there is nothing in us that offers hope for victory. But if the Lord is for us then who can be against us? I love what David told that giant that day on the field of battle, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands." 1 Samuel 17:45-47 (NIV)
David didn’t sound unsure of the victory. He didn’t sound down in the dumps and he certainly didn’t hang his head in feigned humility. David did what every Child of God should do, he boasted in the Lord. “I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty!” “The Lord will hand you over to me and I’ll strike you down.” “The whole earth will know that there is a God in Israel.” “The battle is the Lords!” Knowing that we face certain death without God’s help we rely on Him. Aware of the emptiness of our reasoning and wisdom we trust in the Lord and lean not to our own understanding.
      Being “beggarly poor in spirit” is to be aware of our own spiritual bankruptcy. To know that we are sinful and inadequate, destitute and poor, that we have nothing to offer and that we are in desperate need of God. It is there on our knees, with our hands reaching out to God, that we finally lay hold on truth and we stand before the enemy not in our own power but in the power of Christ.