OPEN: At one time, a man named Upton Dickson began a club called:
“Dependent
Order
Of
Really
Meek
And
Timid
Souls”
When you make an acrostic of the first letters of its name, you have the word "Doormats."
Dickson founded the society after he wrote a pamphlet called "Cower Power."
The Doormats have an official insignia - a yellow caution light.
Their official motto is: "The meek shall inherit the earth, if that’s OK with everybody else!"
(Martin Field on Sermoncentral.com)
APPLY: When Jesus said - “The Meek shall inherit the earth” I’m pretty sure that’s not the kind organization He had in mind. But when most people think someone is “meek” that is pretty much what they envision:
• Doormats
• Prey for bullies
• Quiet, unassuming, and easily pushed around kind of folks.
In the Bible tells we’re told about two individuals who were described as being meek.
The first is described in Numbers 12:3
“… Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” KJV
Now Moses is not someone I generally think of as being a “doormat”.
When I think of Moses - I think of Charlton Heston coming down off the Mountain of God carrying the 10 commandments. When he heard the people partying in the camp below he became overwhelmed with righteous anger and took those tablets of stone and broke them to pieces. Then he went down into the camp and ground the golden calf they’d been worshipping into dust and mixed it in the drinking water of the camp and commanded: “DRINK!”
No… Moses isn’t someone I’d ordinarily visualize as being meek.
I picture him more as someone you wouldn’t want to “mess around with”
Then there’s Jesus.
Jesus spoke of Himself saying “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart..” Mt 11:29 KJV
Despite the tendency of Hollywood to paint Jesus as some kind of effeminate individual, I just can’t see Jesus as a doormat. For the better part of his life, He was a carpenter, used to working with saws and hammers for hours and forming wood to his liking.
He was a powerful speaker who commanded the attention of 100s of people
And when He walked into the Temple and found the moneychangers turning God’s House into marketplace, He reached down and took some cords, knotted them into a whip – and then He cleaned house.
That’s not the kind of behavior I’d attribute to someone who is Meek.
But Moses was meek
And Jesus was meek
So, maybe my idea of what meekness is different than Scripture’s!
One man observed that the Greek term for meek is extremely colorful. It wais used several ways in extra-biblical literature, one of which describes
“a wild stallion that has been tamed, brought under control”
(Charles Swindoll "Improving Your Serve”)
That leads me to believe that meekness is when you take something powerful (like a stallion)
and you tame it. You bring it under control of something or someone.
Biblically, a meek person is someone who under the control of God. They may have powerful emotions, but those emotions have been tamed and brought under control of God’s will. Like a wild Stallion, the power is still there, but it’s held in check by God’s power.
ILLUS: Years ago, I was part of the Purdue Glee Club and the director had a unique hand signal for when the men’s choir was supposed to sing a quiet section of music. The tendency in amateur singing groups was to sing soft sections limply and relaxed. This director despised that way of singing, and so he’d hold his left hand in a fist, and shake it just a little. At the same time he placed his right hand as if covering the fist.
What he was saying was this: “I want intensity… I want excitement… I want power! But I want all this to come across in a soft controlled tone.
That’s meekness.
Intensity, power, excitement all in the mind and heart of someone who has allowed themselves to be brought under the control of a powerful and loving God. This kind of meekness is very important to God. That’s why in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said: “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the Earth”
There are several men and women throughout Scripture that exhibit this kind of “meekness” (emotions held in control by a powerful God), but the one we’re looking at today is Joseph.
Joseph was a man who allowed his emotions and his passions to be under God’s control.
We see it several times in his story in Genesis
1. We see him as a young man of 17 to whom God gives a vision of greatness. He wanted to share this experience with his family… but they rejected his dreams, they belittled his vision for the future. And his brothers turn on him in hatred him.
But in spite of that rejection - Joseph trusts in God, and waits on His timing
2. And then we see him as a slave in Egypt. Though he’s lost everyone and everything he once considered important there was an intensity about him, a refusal to surrender, a power born of his faith in his God. And as a result – God worked in his life and he became successful in all he did.
3. Then we see him as a prisoner, unjustly accused and imprisoned, left to die in a dungeon where very few ever saw the light of day again. And yet, there is a refusal to give up. A purposefulness in his actions and his behavior. A power born of his faith in his God. And once again – God worked in his life and he became successful in all he did.
4. And lastly, in Genesis 40, we find that he interprets the dreams of 2 of Pharaoh’s officials and he makes one of them promise - he’ll remember him when he gets out of prison. But that official forgets him and he Joseph stays behind prison walls for another 2 years.
That’s not fair! That’s not right!
And how does Joseph respond to this? He unbowed. He’s unbroken. He refuses to surrender. He lives his life for God. And he waits in faith for his God to deliver him.
Joseph is a meek man.
He’s a man who has his passions under control.
He doesn’t allow his anger to get the best of him.
He doesn’t allow his emotions to rule his life.
He is a man who is under the leadership and control of his God.
He’s a meek man.
And what does Jesus say God will do for the meek? (They’ll inherit the earth)
When a person is under the control of God, God ultimately gives him what he needs.
A little later on in His sermon on the Mt, Jesus said much the same thing in a different way
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33
That’s how Joseph lived his life.
He sought God’s will and God’s righteousness in his life.
Now he stands before Pharaoh himself.
He’s given the opportunity to interpret dreams no other prophet or priest could understand.
Here’s his chance to give his resume to the most powerful man on earth.
Here’s his opportunity to shine HIS OWN light.
Here’s his chance to show how much HE KNOWS.
Pharaoh asks him if he can interpret his dream for him and Joseph could have said
“Why sure I can do that… just you watch”
Is that what Joseph said?
No, Joseph said "I cannot do it…”
Whoa! Wait a minute Joseph – you’re losing your opportunity here!
You need to brag about yourself and tell Pharaoh how good you are!
But Joseph is a meek man.- he doesn’t do things like that.
It isn’t ABOUT HIM… it’s about his God.
Joseph isn’t seeking his own glory, he’s seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness.
Joseph isn’t there to get glory… he’s there to serve his God.
So he says I cannot do it but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." Genesis 41:16
I can’t do this (he says) but God can!
And what happens because Joseph lets God get the credit?
What happens when Joseph seeks God’s kingdom and His righteousness?
Why - everything Joseph could possibly want is given to him.
He becomes meek in the presence of the most powerful earthly ruler of the day and (by the leading of God) Joseph literally “inherits the earth.”
Look With Me at Genesis 41:39-44
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.
You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."
So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt."
Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, "Make way!" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt."
You see – the key to being meek, the key to being honored by God and receiving the blessings He wants to give you and I…
The key is this:
Always be ready to be used by God.
Always prepare your mind to be His servant in every and any situation you find yourself in.
Allow yourself in meekness to be under the control and guidance of the God who says He loves you.
And Joseph was ALWAYS ready to be used by God.
He was ready to be God’s man when he was a slave
He was ready to be God’s man when he was a prisoner
AND he was ready to be God’s man when he stood before Pharaoh.
In his meekness, Joseph was always ready to be used by God.
One person described it this way:
If people had the attitude (that they were might be used by God at any and every moment) they would wake up to each morning with an excitement: “God’s going to use me today”
* Teachers would get up in the morning and say, "Today God’s going to let me teach children! I get to help them understand English, teach Math, take students on a journey through History, introduce them to the marvels of Biology, or walk with them through the faith building stories of the Bible."
* Lawyers would go to their jobs with a smile on their faces and say, "Today God is going to let help people who have legal issues. Today He’s going to let me help bring justice to the world!"
* Construction workers would step on the job site and say to their coworkers, "Guys, today God’s going to let us build a building that He might use for His purposes!"
* Librarians would be going into the "Quiet please" world of books and say, "Today God’s going to let me help people expand their imaginations with a book! And maybe – in that book – they’ll see something about God”
* Business people would take delight in their day when they say, "Today God’s going to let me use my gifts and my talents in the business world to make the community a better place for all to live."
* Police officers and firefighters would approach their duties with a confident, "Today God is going to help me protect the citizens of my community." (Tom Norvell, Heartlight.org, 7/13/10)
A couple of years ago, Denzel Washington was interviewed by a major magazine and one of the questions was this:
“How do you deal with fame?”
And he replied: “It ain’t about me. The one thing for me, understanding how I understand God, is that it keeps me humble. Keeps the pronouns out of the picture. I’ve been given certain abilities, and I look at it this way: What are you going to do with what you have? Who are you going to live your life for? (Readers Digest 12/07, p. 94)
When we allow God to use us…
When we become meek to the point where it’s all about Him and His control of our lives…
Then God can give us “the earth”. He can add all these things to our lives.
That’s because a meek person works for God - and when they work for God - God promotes them… just like he did Joseph.
CLOSE: A man once told of the time he ducked into a busy restaurant for lunch. He just got sat down when a waiter rushed by with a tray filled with dirty dishes. He told the story this way:
He saw me and said “I’ll be right with you.”
He came back and said, “This isn’t my section, but I don’t want to keep you waiting.”
He took my order, which included a Diet Coke. “We don’t carry that, sir,” he said.
So I told him that a glass of water would be just fine.
Minutes later he appeared with my food, then rushed back to his section.
He showed up again with a surprise. An ice-cold bottle of Diet Coke!
“Where did this come from?” I asked.
“There’s grocery store around the corner,” he told me.
As you can imagine, this became the man’s favorite restaurant, but at one point he was unable to get back there for a couple of months. When he returned he asked for his favorite server.
“He doesn’t wait tables anymore,” he was told. “They promoted him to management.” (Guideposts 8/06 p. 57, John Miller)
In the same way, when we serve God in humility and meekness - seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness - then He can lift us up and give us the desires of our hearts. Bur first we must become His children (give invitation)
