The Beatitudes in Hebrew

I've always liked the Beatitudes. They lay the foundation and introduction to the Sermon on the Mount. It wasn't until very recently that I realized the very obvious fact that these are simply Jesus' teachings of the law and the prophets. I had made the connection with the main body of the sermon ("You have heard it said...") but I had to have the connection with the beatitudes poked right into my eye.

Here is Psalm 37:11 - "But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace." Sounds a whole lot like "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth", eh? That was when I realized that Jesus was taking a whole swath of the teaching of the prophets and encapsulating them for the average person in a very succinct sermon. Jesus was truly a brilliant teacher and it is no mystery why his followers called him "Rabbi" - despite his vocation of carpenter.

Much of the beatitudes can be found replayed in Isaiah who was, in my estimation, one of the most cogent, complete and far-reaching prophets in all of scripture. He was also prolific. He covered the specifics of his contemporary political and spiritual situation (early chapters and throughout), the birth of Christ (ch 7), the death of Christ (ch 55) and he pairs the judgment of God with His promise, often in the same chapter. It would be easy to spend a lifetime just studying Isaiah and never reach the bottom of its depth.

It is only in the past year or so that I have been able to really reach back through the Hebrew scriptures and very easily link them to the New Testament. The more I read the former, the more I see the stories, people and concepts reflected in the words of the latter. Jesus didn't change humanity's relationship with God, but he did change how we relate to Him. The Sermon on the Mount spells that out very clearly and Jesus connects the old with the new in brilliant fashion.