The Meek

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”

(Matthew 5:3)

What do you think of when you hear someone described as meek? Do you envision someone with a mousey personality, easily led, indecisive, or weak? That is how society tends to view meekness, but what is it really?

 The Greek word used here means mild or humble. It is essentially the same Greek word Jesus uses to describe Himself in Matthew 11:29 when He says,

“Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

 Meekness, then, is an attribute of God Himself. Matthew Henry puts it this way:

“They are the meek, who would rather forgive twenty injuries than revenge one.”*

And isn’t that just what Jesus did? On the cross, He looked at His torturers and said,

“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us,

“For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”

 God had every right to heap upon us the eternal punishment our sin so justly deserves, but instead, He chose to suffer Himself in order that we might be offered forgiveness.

John Wesley describes the meek as “They that hold all their passions and affections evenly balanced.”**

This, too, is a hallmark of the attributes of God: they are always perfectly in balance. Never does God’s justice overrun His mercy, nor His love overpower His holiness. All these things work together in perfect harmony. That is meekness.

 Another way to understand meekness is as “power under control,” which, according to Warren Wiersbe, is how the Greeks would have understood the word used in Matthew 5:3. It was often used to describe a horse that had been broken: still as powerful as ever, only now brought under the control of the rider. ***

 When we are meek, we are brought under the control of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is, of course the best example of this, being God Himself, but also having submitted Himself to the authority of God the Father. As He says in John 8:29,

“And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.”

Paul urges us to set our focus on pleasing God in 2 Timothy 2:4.

“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”

 Just as a good soldier will bring his physical, mental, and emotional strength under the control of his commanding officer, so we bring all our strength, —and our weaknesses too— under the control of the Holy Spirit.

That God values meekness is evident from a quick glance through the verses containing the word in both the Old and New Testaments. Here is just a sampling from the Old Testament verses:

“The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek Him: your heart shall live for ever.” Psalm 22:26

“The meek will He guide in judgement: and the meek will He teach His way.” Psalm 25:9

“But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Psalm 37:11

“The Lord lifteth up the meek: He casteth down the wicked down to the ground.” Psalm 76:9

“For the Lord taketh pleasure in His people: He will beautify the meek with salvation.” Psalm 149:4

“The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 29:19

There are a few things that stand out to me from these verses. The first is that the meek will have a trusting contentment in all that God allows. They “shall eat and be satisfied,” (Psalm 22:26) they will rejoice in God, (Isaiah 29:19) characterized by joy that increases more and more as they continue to seek God.

The second thing that I noticed about the meek in these verses is that God is their Defender. Our society often likes to portray the meek as victims, and champions those who demand, defend, and make themselves obnoxious as they agitate for what they perceive to be their “rights.” These are the ones our society looks up to and strives to emulate, but for the Christian, a life of meekness is not a life of being victimized: our Defender is all-knowing, all-powerful, and loves us deeply.

The heart that chooses to respond to life in meekness is something that God both values and protects. A good example of this is found in 1 Peter 3:4, which tells us that women should be adorned with “the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price”

I don’t know about you, but to think that anything pertaining to me could be “of great price” in the eyes of God is absolutely stunning.

It is a sad commentary on modern Christianity that Christian women don’t strive after or even value a meek and quiet spirit as we should. In our feminist culture, the mere mention of the words “meek” and “quiet” is sure to offend, even in Christian circles. Yet, if God so values meekness and quietness in us, should we not value it also?

Meekness and quietness go hand-in-hand with contentment. When our hearts are trusting in God, we will be secure in His Person and provision, and we will live our lives in simple contentment. And Christian contentment does not clamor over offenses, small or great, nor does it demand its due: it has the faith to let God defend.

This runs against our nature, and the lies of the world may have crept far enough into our minds that this idea of meekness as a virtue seems foreign. Push that reaction aside, however, and look at Christ, who is our standard of what is good and true.

“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously: Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye are healed.” (1 Peter 2:21-24)

Inheriting the Earth

Jesus says that the meek shall inherit the earth. This is almost a direct quote of Psalm 37:11, which says, “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”

The thought of Israel possessing and passing on their God-given land is a thread that runs throughout the Bible. These words, spoken to a Jewish audience languishing under Roman rule, may have been a radical blow to their idea of what the Messiah would accomplish, and how it would be done.

The Jewish people had expected that the Messiah would kick out the Romans, defeating them with military might, but Jesus said that the earth, or land, would be inherited by the meek, not the warrior.

From the context, it is difficult to tell whether Christ is referring to the land of Israel, the whole present earth, or the new earth to come. In fact, the Greek word used for earth is used both in the context of the land of Israel, the world at large, and the new earth to come.

But regardless of whether Jesus is referring to the present earth or the new earth, I am certain that the meek will delight in their inheritance, for they will be fully content to enjoy whatever God’s goodness bestows upon them.

We could easily get bogged down in speculations about the details of who and what and when, but we must be careful not to miss the truth being expressed.

The point Christ is making is that the kingdom of God is not to be won or defended with military might or physical strength, but rather soul by soul, through the power of the Gospel at work through the meekness of its messengers.

*Matthew Henry: Commentary on the Bible 1220

**John Wesley: Parallel Commentary 14

***Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary 21