Series: The Sermon on the Mount
Title: Meekness, Not Weakness
Text: Matthew 5:5
Introduction: J. Upton Dickson was a Christian humorist.
He once said he wanted to found a group for submissive people based on a pamphlet he was working on entitled “Cower Power”.
The group was called DOORMATS. That stands for "Dependent Organization Of Really Meek And Timid Souls."
Their motto was: "The meek shall inherit the earth -- if that's okay with everybody else."
They symbol was the yellow traffic light, which of course stands for “Caution”.
Now, of course Dickson’s desire was to make light of the common misunderstanding of the biblical commendation of “meekness”.
Many people see meekness just as Dickson described, that is as a doormat.
But what we will see today is that our call to meekness is not a call to be devoid of strength and conviction, but rather it is a call to understand where our strength comes from.
READ: Matthew 5:5
It has been often said that the key to interpreting the Bible is context.
One commentator even made this statement: There are three rules for bible interpretation: (1) Context, (2) Context and (3) Context.
Context means that we not only understand what a passage means on its own, but we also understand how it relates to the passages around it, the book of the Bible it is in, and the overall Scripture as a whole.
That being said, there are two points of context which I want to note before we really dive into the meaning of today’s Beatitude.
FIRST, this is the third Beatitude which is listed in Matthew’s Gospel.
We have already studied the first two:
Blessed are the POOR IN SPIRIT, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
Blessed are those who MOURN, for they shall be comforted.
And what we have see so far is that the meanings of these beatitudes have often been misunderstood because people have only looked at the surface and not dug deeper in what they are saying.
We noted that poorness is not speaking of an economic destitution, but rather its a SPIRITUAL poorness.
This is the person who understands their plight before almighty God.
They understand their own sin and depravity, and the fact that they are devoid of righteousness when they face the King of the universe.
We also noted that the one who MOURNS is not simply one who experiences sorrow.
For there are many sorrows which are not blessed by God.
The sorrow of unbelief, the sorrow of being caught, and the normal grief of life are not in view here.
The blessed mourner is one who’s heart is broken over their own sin, the sins of others and the persecution of those who suffer in the name of Christ.
Now, what I want us to see is that there is a progression in the Beatitudes.
Poorness of Spirit is understanding one’s own lack of personal righteousness... which is the beginning of our understanding of a need for salvation.
Mourning is the natural consequence of recognizing our sin and its consequences... which also accompanies the beginning of our understanding of the need for Christ.
It would seem natural then that MEEKNESS, which is our subject of today’s Beatitude, would follow this progressions.
As we study today, we will see how spiritual meekness fits into the natural response to the Gospel of Christ.
SECOND, there is another point of context which we need to recognize.
Remember, context is not just how a passage fits into its surrounding passages.
Context is also how a passage fits into the overall text of Scripture.
And we would be remiss if we didn’t recognize that this Beatitude is very similar to a promise which is found in the Old Testament.
Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the Meek, for they shall inherit he earth”
Psalms 37:11 “But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.”
It seems obvious that Christ, in this beatitude, is hearkening back to this promise which is made to Israel in the Psalms.
But what does this passage mean in the Old Testament?
For a moment, lets examine the Psalm.
Psalm 37: 1-11 Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.
After verse 11, the Psalm begins to address the ways of the wicked, and how God laughs at their plots.
But what I want to show you in this passage is now it gives some definition to what it means to be the MEEK.
If you follow the progression of these verses you see the following descriptions emerge:
TRUST
DELIGHT
COMMITMENT
STILLNESS
PATIENCE
REFRAINING FROM ANGER
All of these then culminate in the reference to meekness.
But the reality is that all of these are, in a sense, a part of what it means to be meek before God.
- Meekness is TRUST in God, and not in self.
- Meekness is DELIGHT in God, and not in one’s own accomplishments.
- Meekness is COMMITMENT to God, and not to worldly pursuits.
- Meekness is STILLNESS and PATIENCE before God, and not an attempt to usurp his plan.
- Meekness is REFRAINING FROM ANGER even in the midst of difficulty.
In essence, this passage is painting for us a picture of what Jesus means when He says “Blessed are the Meek”
So, by examining this passage, we see how the context helps us in being able to interpret it properly, and not be taken away by a worldly misunderstanding.
And I think it is fair to say that this beatitude has been very misunderstood.
There are two areas in regard to this passage that I think we need to ensure we do not get confused about.
1. MEEKNESS IS NOT WEAKNESS
Unfortunately, our world has attached a very negative connotation to the word “meek”.
Meekness has become synonymous with shyness, and a lack of intestinal fortitude (guts).
Webster’s Dictionary has multiple definitions for Meek, and one of them is “too submissive; spineless; spiritless.”
Someone might ask, “Well, what does the word mean in the original language?”
The problem is that the word in Greek, much like its english translation, is multifaceted.
It has several connotations.
But one thing which we must understand is that what we mustn’t do when interpreting this passage is define MEEKNESS as WEAKNESS.
They are not the same thing.
Yet, in our day, meekness, love and humility are often equated with a lack of backbone.
QUOTE: John Stott “One would think that ‘meek’ people get nowhere because everybody ignores them or else rides roughshod over them and tramples them underfoot. It is the tough, the overbearing, who succeed in the struggle for existence; weaklings go the wall.”
This is what the world thinks when it hears the word meekness.
And it is one of the reasons why men have the tendency to shrink back from this command.
Men know that the cowardly and the weak are not respected and often are bullied and humiliated, and they feel this will rob them of their masculinity.
As a result, when they hear this call to meekness, there is a natural tendency to turn their ear away from it.
Yet, the reality is that they are not turning their ear from this command, but rather from their own misunderstanding of the command.
Meekness is not weakness - even though that is how the world has interpreted it.
Meekness is not weakness, in fact it is quite the opposite.
QUOTE: A.W. Pink “Meekness must not be confounded with weakness. True meekness is ever manifested by yieldedness to God's will.... God-given meekness can also stand up for God-given rights: when God's glory is impeached, we must have a zeal which is as hot as fire.”
You see, the apostles were meek men - but they were not weak men.
When confronted by the Jews after the resurrection of Christ, they refused to be silenced in regard to their faith.
They stood boldly and proclaimed that given the choice they must obey God rather than men.
This is not weakness, it is great strength!
Likewise, in church history we see the Reformers.
These men were meek, but they were not weak.
They trusted God fully and committed themselves to Him.
Yet, they stood boldly before the world and the Roman Catholic officials and made their convictions known.
Illustration: Martin Luther, Diet of Worms. The great protestant reformer Martin Luther was pressed by the Roman Catholic Church to recant his teachings on Sola Fide and Sola Scriptura, and many other of his writings. A hearing was convened called the “Diet of Worms” wherein Luther would be able to state his case. He was told by the authorities to recant his teachings or he would face excommunication. Here are his words:
"Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen."
Now, some might say that Luther was filled with pride in regard to his unwillingness to accept rebuke.
Yet, his words demonstrate the meekness of his spirit.
He stated that his “Conscience was captive to the word of God.”
Oh, that we would all have a heart that was so in love with God’s word, that we would describe ourselves as its captive!
And in the end, how did he finish?
GOD... HELP... ME.
You see, Luther understood from where his strength came.
He knew it was not from within himself.
He knew that on his own, he was nothing.
But he also understood that God was his strength.
He understood that with God, he had the power to face the bishops, the royalty and even the Pope if necessary.
NOTE: Some may scoff that I have chosen Luther as my object lesson for meekness.
For he did have a way with words which was at times harsh, and he has been accused of great hubris, especially by his adversaries.
Yet, again I believe Luther had an understanding of his absolute dependency upon God - and in that sense, he had a meekness that was genuine.
NOT a weakness... but a true MEEKNESS.
Beloved... and men especially... hear my words: Meekness is not weakness. It is dependency upon God... and it is the source of true strength.
2. MEEKNESS IS NOT COMPROMISE
This goes along with the first point, but is a bit more focused.
A lie has infiltrated the church, and it needs to be exposed.
The lie is that the command to meekness demands that we accept any and all behavior and teaching within the church.
Anyone who is seen standing for the truth and drawing a line in the doctrinal sand is seen as being hard hearted, ego-driven, and least of all meek!
Consider how the preacher of sin is portrayed in the media.
He is arrogant... He is filled with pride... He is hateful...
He is a far cry from anything which might resemble anyone’s definition of meek.
Conversely, who is considered meek by the masses?
The spineless preacher who will not mention sin.
The theology-void pastor who tells his people that hell doesn’t exist.
The biblical illiterate preacher who tells his people that God is most concerned with their health and happiness, rather than their holiness.
These men are who the world considers “Meek”
They are the one’s who are lauded by Piers Morgan and Oprah Winfrey because they appear so humble.
Yet, in reality they are the most prideful of all, because they have rejected the truths of Scripture for their own vain philosophies.
Beloved, MEEKNESS IS NOT COMPROMISE.
I would argue that the men who have demonstrated the most profound meekness are the ones who have stood the mostly boldly for the Gospel.
Men like Billy Graham - who unflinchingly proclaims the realities of sin and the need for salvation; AND HIS DEPENDENCY UPON GOD.
Like John Macarthur - another who has an unwavering commitment to the truth; AND HIS DEPENDENCY UPON GOD.
And John Piper, and R.C. Sproul, and Al Mohler, and Steve Lawson, Ligon Duncon, and on, and on, and on.
These are men who have not given into the calls of ecumenicism.
They refuse to compromise the truth of the Word or the commandments of Christ.
And yet their hearts are captive to the Word of God, and they know that without Him, they would be nothing.
THAT is true meekness.
It is not weakness or compromise.
But a complete and utter dependency upon God.
CONCLUSION: The Bible says a lot about meekness, and our call to demonstrate this important virtue.
In all the Bible, there is one many who is called the most meek of all.
And in reality, it is not the man that most people think of automatically when it comes to meekness.
This is the man who killed a man for abusing his brethren.
This is a man who demanded that Pharoah let God’s people go.
This is a man who destroyed the ten commandments when he saw the idolatry of the people.
This is a man who melted down the golden calf and mixed the ashes with water and made the people drink it as a punishment.
This is a man put men to the sword and saw men stoned for their transgressions against the Law of God.
He is definitely NOT what the modern world would have called “MEEK”.
Yet, what does the Bible say of this man?
Numbers 12:3 “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.”
Moses was not just called meek, but the meekest of all his generation.
The meekest of all on the face of the earth.
This warrior, this leader, this prophet and priest...
Was called the meekest of all.
This proves to us the point of today...
Meekness is not weakness.
Meekness is not compromise.
Meekness is complete and utter dependency upon God.
Moses trusted God completely - and it was the source of his strength.
So too, when we humble ourselves before God, and are meek before Him, He will strengthen us to do great things in His name.
And we will indeed be the inheritors of the new earth.
