“Meekness Is Not Weakness”
Matthew 5:5
“Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.”
In verse one of Chapter five Jesus begins to set forth what a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven is to look like. The listeners to this sermon have come with the expectation that Jesus is the Messiah, but they have also come with their own expectations of what the Messiah will do and what His Kingdom will look like.
The Kingdom that Jesus is proclaiming is not at all like what the people were anticipating. The Messiah’s kingdom was not to be characterized by military strength. In fact His kingdom is not for the arrogant, the proud, the strong and the confident. They were looking for a Messiah to overthrow the Romans and they could not identify with a Messiah who proclaimed, “Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.” The idea of a meek Messiah leading a group of meek people was far from any of the concepts of the average Jews concerning the Messiah. In fact the people as a whole will reject Jesus for the very reason that He failed to live up to their expectations for the Messiah.
In the Beatitudes He gives the definition of how one becomes a part of the Kingdom of Heaven. With eight statements Jesus set off the characteristics that set apart a Christian from the rest of the World. These are still literally counter-cultural and separate us from the world in which we live. These characteristics point to the fact that we are not Christian because of what we are on the outside but because of what you are on the inside.
We now are in our third message on the Beat-itudes. We can see the logical sequence and progression in the Beatitudes. The first, “Broken in spirit” (5:3) is negative and results in the second, “mourning” (5:4). And now the third, “Meekness” (5:5) is positive and will result in the fourth “seeking righteousness” (5:6). Being poor in spirit causes us to turn away from ourselves in mourning, and meekness causes us to turn toward God in seeking his righteousness. It seems important to note in the Beatitudes “meekness” comes between those who mourn over sin and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
So look with me as we seek the answers to five questions about meekness.
First, What is Meekness?
Our uneasiness about meekness may spring from its meaning in English. The Bible definition of meekness and the dictionary definition of meekness represent two entirely different concepts. The dictionary defines meekness as "deficient in courage," so we think it means to be weak. It is hard to imagine Jesus or anyone else for that matter saying, “Blessed are the weak.” But that is not what He said and that is not the Biblical concept of meekness.
Meekness is not, passive submission, not coward-ice, not indecisiveness, nor is it shyness. The Greek word translated meekness (praus) and is used to describe a soothing medicine, a gentle breeze, colt that has been broken and domesticated and a mild or soft word (Proverbs 15:1). A soothing medicine brings comfort; the wrong medicine can bring death. A gentle breeze cools and soothes; a tornado kills. An unbroken colt is destructive; a broken colt is useful. A soft answer brings calm; an angry answer leads to more anger.
Tied up in the word meek is the concept of power under control, the idea of being submissive to someone greater than ourselves. Perhaps the idea of power under control is best translated by the English word "gentleness."
Meekness is power under control.
Second, What Does Meekness Look Like?
As we have already seen meekness is not weak-ness, it is power under control. Moreover, meekness is power completely surrendered to the will of God.
There are a number of Biblical characters who are described as being meek but who were by no means weak. I will only take the time this morning to name a few.
• Abraham
First I want to look at Abraham. Abraham was living in the pagan city of Ur of the Chaldeans. God said to Abraham, “Abraham, I want you to get up and get out of this city, and go to a land that I'm going to show you.” In Genesis chapter 12, God gave Abraham a tremendous promise. God said, “You're going to have seed like the stars of heaven and the sand of the sea. Abraham, I'm going to give you a land. Abra-ham, out of your heritage I am going to bring forth a nation, of my chosen people.”
In Genesis 13 we are told that Abraham had a nephew named was Lot who went with him. Look at verse seven, “And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock.” So there is an argument between Lot’s herdsmen and Abraham’s herdsmen over who had the rights to certain pastures. And it would have been normal for Abraham to say, “Look nephew I am the one God made the promises too, You’re just along for the ride.” Abraham could have pulled rank! Abra-ham had the right. He was God's man. But Abraham had the choice.
Abraham chose meekness, for Genesis 13:8-9 we read, “So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. (9) Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left." Abraham says to Lot, “Look we are family, you choose which portion you want and I will take what is left.” On the surface that sounds kind of nuts.
Did Abraham have the power to claim whatever land he wanted? He had power, but he never used to his own advantage. It is a beautiful picture of submis-sion to God. Abraham knew in his heart that God was in control, and if Lot took the left side, God would work that out. If Lot took the right side, God would work it out. His meekness is seen in that he had the right and the power, but he never used it for his own benefit. That's meekness.
• Joseph
Then there is Joseph, he was one of seven brothers and because he was his father’s favorite, his brothers hated him and given the opportunity sold him into slavery? And he was taken down there to Egypt. They thought they had gotten rid of him. And then a little later there was a famine in Israel and in desper-ation they had to go to Egypt in an attempt to get grain.
They appear before the Prime Minister of Egypt who is none other than, Joseph; the brother they had sold into slavery. So here are these same brothers who sold him into slavery begging him for grain. He could have blamed him if he said, “Let me tell you guys a little story before I say no.” But he didn't do that. He had the power, but it was under control. You know what he did? He looked at them and he loved them. And he gave them everything they needed. Joseph was no coward, he exercised great power in Egypt. Meekness is not cowardice, it's power under control.
Meekness is not weakness; meekness makes Joseph look beyond the murderous intentions of his brothers to the sovereign control of His God. Meekness does not show up when you are wrong. Meekness shows up when you are right and you have the power to wrong someone who has wronged you.
• Moses
The Bible states that Moses was the meekest man who ever lived (Numbers 12:3), yet Moses was certainly not a weak man. I don’t know what words you would use to describe Moses but the word “meek” is not usually the word that comes to mind.
Moses always had power but he did not always have it under control, in fact at one time it was so out of control that in a fit of anger He killed an Egyptian task-master and hid his body in the sand. (Exodus 2:12) For forty years God put Moses on the “backside of the desert” (Exodus 3:1) in Midian refining the character of Moses (Exodus 2:15-23, Acts 7:40), training him on how to get that power under control. It was Moses who confronted the Pharaoh of Egypt, the most powerful world leader of that day, and demanded in the name of God that He set the Israelites free.
But the best demonstrations of the meekness of Moses is found in the context of the passage in Numbers 12 where he is declared the meekness man on Earth. The story concerns a rebellion led against Moses by Miriam, his own sister and Aaron, his brother.
While Moses was in Midian he married a woman named Zipporah, but sometime during his leading the Israelites through the wilderness, she has apparently died. So Moses remarries, but this time it to a Cushite, a name given to the inhabitants of Ethiopia. The issue seems to be that she is black and that those closest to Moses were displeased with the marriage.
While it is true that later the Israelites were forbidden to marry the inhabitants of Canaan, it is not true at this point. I think the point of contention is race. The Bible says, “Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. (2) So they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?" And the LORD heard it.” (Numbers 12:1-2)
The whole point it seems to me is how Moses reacts to this rebellion led by his brother and sister.
Moses does not defend himself, it is God who defends him and issues punishment on the leaders of the rebellion (Numbers 12:4-10).
As James Montgomery Boice notes in his comm.-entary, the punishment meted out by the Lord to Miriam seems “frighteningly appropriate.” God reprim-anded them for their disobedience asking, “Why were you not afraid to speak against my servant, Moses.” (Numbers 12:8) And in punishment Miriam, who must have been the real instigator, was struck down with leprosy. “In other words, God said to Miriam, “You’re brown, this girl is black, and you think white is better. All right, have more of it!” [James Montgomery Boice. “The Sermon on the Mount: An Exposition.” (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1972) p. 40]
But the point of telling the story is to note how Moses reacted and how it demonstrated that he was the meekest man who ever lived. He did not fight back. He did not defend himself against his accusers. He submit-ted himself to God and was vindicated.
• Jesus
Of course the supreme example of true meekness is seen in the life of Jesus. He was the most powerful man who ever lived and yet His power was always under His Father’s control. He got angry when He chased the money-changers out of the Temple … but I submit that He never lost His temper. He rebuked the Pharisees … but ate with prostitutes and tax collectors. He welcomed children, spoke to large crowds, but felt the touch of a woman whose fingers brushed the hem of His garment. And even after being spit on, reviled, slapped, and nailed to a cross, how did Jesus react? In meekness. He said, “Father forgive them, for the do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
Third, How is Meekness Acquired?
Because the quality of meekness is not natural but supernatural, it is not produced by self-effort but by submission to the control of the Holy Spirit. The “natural” response to adversity or criticism is either anger or despair. But the meek man responds differ-ently because the Lord is in control of his life.
Meekness is self-control which manifests itself in a gentle spirit based on an unshakable confidence in God. It is self-control based on God’s control. Thus, it is truly a supernatural virtue produced by the Holy Spirit. Meekness comes because you have so surrendered your life to God that he is free to demonstrate his power in you in the most difficult moments of life.
There is a wonderful story concerning Jonathan Edwards, considered by many to be the greatest theo-logian America has ever produced. At one point in his career, he was dismissed from the church he pastored by a vote of 222-32. He was voted out because he insist-ed that only saved people should take communion. Many men would be destroyed by such a calamity, but one of his friends explained that “his joy in God was beyond the reach of his enemies.” That’s what meekness does for a man.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains how one can know when he or she is truly meek. Here is his test... "The man who is truly meek is the man who is amazed that God and man can think of him as well as they do and treat him as well as they do." (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. “Studies in the Sermon on the Mount” (Grand Rapids; Eerdmans, 1993) p. 69]
Fourth, What Is The Test Of Meekness?
The best test of meekness is found in the word attitude. I want to suggest to you that a test of three areas in which our attitude will reveal the degree of our meekness.
• Attitude Toward The Circumstances Of Our Lives
Too many face the difficulties of life by fretting. The Psalmist speaks to that problem in Psalm 37 say-ing, “Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity... (11) But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abund-ance of peace... (22) For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off. .. (34) Wait on the LORD, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.” (Psalm 37:1, 11, 22, 34)
The point the Psalmist is making is that the meek person is the one who does not fret over circumstances in their lives but rather by faith cast all their burden on the Lord trusting that He will take care of them. Peter invites the believer in 1 Peter 5:7, “cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
• Attitude Toward A Brother Who Sins.
Another area in which meekness is remarkably evident is in how one treats a fellow believer in sin. The Apostle Paul advises the believers in Galatia, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are to spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” (Gala-tians 6:1) The standard is, to seek to restore the individual through gentleness and concern. Church discipline is never about punishment and is always about restoration. How one reacts to the sin of a fellow Christian reveals volumes about their own spiritual condition.
• Attitude Toward Those People Who Disagree With Us
“And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, (25) in humility (meekness) correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth.” (2 Tim. 2:24-25)
Meekness is that quality which is best demon-strated when you are dealing with unreasonable people. It’s not hard to be gentle when you are feeling good and have no pressure. One writer put this way, “Meek-0ness is seen when you are under the gun, up against deadline, surrounded by problems, hip deep in alligators and no way to drain the swamp, and you feel yourself getting frustrated. If you don’t have it then, you just don’t have it at all.” [Ray Pritchard. “The Right Stuff.” Series on the Beatitudes - www.keepbelieving.com]
Kent Hughes in this book on the Sermon the Mount notes some practical benchmarks by which you can assess whether you are manifesting the meekness Christ's calls for...
• Harshness: If you are mean in your treatment of others, if there is an absence of gentleness in your treatment of others, take heed.
• Grasping: If you make sure you always get yours first, if being number one is the subtle driving force in your life, if you care little about how your actions affect others, beware.
• Vengeful: If you are known as someone never to cross, if you always get your "pound of flesh," be on your guard.
• Uncontrolled: If rage fills your soul so that life is a series of explosions occasioned by the "fools" in your life, watch out.
Again, this is not to suggest that you are not a Christian if you fall into these sins, but rather to point out that if they are part of your character, if you are a self-satisfied "Christian" who thinks that the lack of gentleness and meekness is "just you" and people will have to get used to it, if you are not repentant, you are probably not a Christian.” [R. Kent Hughes. “Sermon on the Mount: The Message of the Kingdom.” (Chicago: Crossway Books, xxxx) p. xx]
Fifth, What Is Promised To The Meek?
One final thing, this Beatitude like all the Beatitudes has a promise attached to it: “they shall inherit the earth.” What does this mean? Obviously it is not a promise that as Children of God we will own oil wells, blocks of downtown Manhattan or Orange groves in Florida.
The Lord says without hesitation that it is the meek who shall inherit the earth. Of course many of us struggle to really believe that. How can that be? In our world far too often it is the wicked that rule and the good just die young. But a better day is coming, a day when King Jesus will judge the wicked and believers we will be the only ones left.
This promise has both a present and a future aspect to it. First, it is really only the genuinely meek person who will be content: because their ego is not so inflated that they always think they deserve more. They are content to rest in what the Lord has allowed to be a part of their life. They realize that through Christ they already “possess all things” (2 Cor. 6:10).
But there is a future aspect to this promise as well. When Jesus says, “they shall inherit the earth.” We shall inherit the earth. He means it quite literally. Here the emphatic pronoun is used so it literally says, "Blessed are the meek for they only shall inherit the earth" Inherit in the Greek means "to receive an allotted portion." Inherit is a future tense verb. It is a millennial promise. In that day when the believer comes into the completeness of their inheritance it is then that the promise found in this beatitude will find complete fulfillment.
"The godless may boast and throw their weight around, yet real possession eludes their grasp. The meek, on the other hand, although they may be deprived and denied by men, yet because they know what it is to live and reign with Christ, can enjoy and even possess the earth, which belongs to Christ. Then on the day of regeneration there will be a new heaven and new earth for them to inherit." [John Stott - Essential Living: The Sermon the Mount p. 44]
Conclusion
The Lord invites us to join his meekness.
"Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me: for I am gentle (meek) and lowly in heart: and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29) A yoke is a wooden frame which was put on the back of animals and around their necks joining the two animals for a common task, such a plowing or pulling a wagon. If you are yoked with Jesus Christ, who do you think is pulling the load? Jesus can do the impossible and teach you meekness, and you will find rest in your soul.
“Meekness Is Not Weakness”
Matthew 5:5
First, What is _____________________?
Meekness is _________________ under control
Second, What Does Meekness _____________ Like?
Biblical examples
• _________________
• _________________
• _________________
• _________________
Third, How Is Meekness __________________?
Fourth, What Is The ________________ Of Meekness?
The best test of meekness is found in the word attitude.
• Attitude Toward The ________________________ Of Our Lives
Too many face the difficulties of life by ____________________. (Ps. 37:1, 11, 22, 34)
• Attitude Toward A Brother Who _____________ (Gal. 6:1)
• Attitude Toward Those People Who ______________ With Us (2 Tim. 2:24-25)
Fifth, What Is ________________ To The Meek? - “they shall inherit the earth.”
