The Lord lifteth up the meek
The lowly and humble souls, such as are made so by the Spirit of
God; he shows them their sinfulness, and want of righteousness;
the insufficiency of their own, and need of Christ's; blowing a
blast upon all their goodliness, so bringing down their natural
pride and haughtiness, and causing them to submit to Christ, that
he alone might be exalted; such as learn of him, who is meek and
lowly, and become the followers of the humble Jesus; who being
partakers of his grace, have low thoughts of themselves, as if
the least of saints and chief of sinners; and higher thoughts of
others; who ascribe all they have and are to the grace of God;
and who make no boast of nor place any trust in anything they do;
who quietly submit to every adversity; patiently bear all the
injuries, affronts, and reproaches of men; and are silent under
every afflictive dispensation of Providence: these humble ones
the Lord exalts in due time; he lifts up their spirits, he cheers
and refreshes their souls; raises them to a high estate of grace,
sets them among princes, gives them honour here, and a crown and
kingdom hereafter; these shall inherit the new earth, in which
will dwell righteousness; see ( Matthew 5:5 ) ;
he casteth the wicked down to the ground;
or "humbles them to the ground" F16; he abases the proud and
brings them into a low estate, sometimes in this world; however
in the next he casts them down to hell, even into the lowest
hell, which is the portion of all wicked men, of all proud and
haughty sinners; see ( Isaiah 26:5 ) ; compare
with these expressions ( Luke 1:51 Luke 1:52 ) ( 14:11 ) ( 18:14 ) . Aben Ezra by
the "meek" understands the outcasts of Israel, and by the
"wicked" the kings of the Gentiles, subject to Israel.