No doubt when Jesus spoke the words, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth", more than a few eyebrows were raised by those who heard Him. His statement ran against the current mood of the religious leaders of the day. To their way of thinking, the only way to inherit the land was to overthrow the Roman government, and that certainly could never be done by being meek. It would take a massive show of force and a great deal of aggression to accomplish such a monumental task.
When’s the last time you heard someone say, "If you really want to get ahead in life, try being meek."? Or, "If you want to rise to the top and be someone and get somewhere, exhibit a little meekness along the way."? Meekness is not a characteristic that is promoted much in our society today. As a matter of fact, the world’s philosophy is just the opposite. The world tells us that the more we assert and express ourselves, the more we organize and manifest our powers and abilities, the more likely we are to succeed.
We should not be surprised to find that once again the Lord shatters the conventional of wisdom both of His day and ours with this third beatitude.
I. MEEKNESS EXPLICATED
A. Meekness according to the World
Like most other spiritual issues, the world is profoundly mistaken when it comes to meekness.
1. According to the world, meekness is to be equated with weakness. The world views one who is timid, fearful, shy, or lacking in self-confidence as being meek.
2. According to the world, meekness is simply being nice. However, meekness is not something that we obtain biologically. Some people are just naturally nice people. But then again, some dogs are naturally nicer than other dogs and some cats are naturally nicer than other cats. Being nice and easy to get along with does not mean that a person is meek.
3. According to the world, meekness is displayed by those who are willing to promote "peace at any price." The person who readily compromises on issues that would otherwise divide is considered to be meek. But that is not meekness at all. Meekness is compatible with great strength, power, and authority.
B. Meekness according to the Word
1. Meekness is closely related to humility and is first and foremost a divine work of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is allowing the One who is meek and lowly at heart to rule our lives, our emotions, and our behavior. Meekness, like all the fruit of the Spirit, is simply Jesus living in us.
2. Meekness is a by-product of being "poor in spirit" and mourning over our sinful condition.
a. Our poverty of spirit causes us to see our own unworthiness and nothingness before God. By being "poor in spirit" we are able to see that we are totally dependent upon God and His grace for salvation.
b. Next, we begin to mourn over our lost condition. This mourning is godly sorrow which leads us to repentance.
c. The recognition of our spiritual poverty and the mourning that results leads to a broken will and receptive heart before God.
II. MEEKNESS DEMONSTRATED
"True meekness is ever manifested by a yieldedness to God’s will, yet it will not yield a principle of righteousness or compromise with evil. 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." (Arthur W. Pink) Meekness if perhaps best understood when we see it demonstrated by various individuals in the Word of God.
A. Old Testament Examples
1. Abraham was truly a meek man.
a. In the story of Abraham and Lot (Genesis 13), Abraham took his wife and all that he had and left Egypt and Lot followed him. Because both Abraham and Lot had a considerable amount of possessions, "the land was not able to bear them." It wasn’t long before "there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle." Because of the strife, Abraham and Lot were forced to part ways. In the parting of ways, Abraham gave Lot the first choice as to where he wanted to settle and Abraham would be satisfied with what was left over.
b. In his actions, Abraham demonstrates genuine meekness. It was to Abraham that God had made the promise of blessing, not Lot. Abraham could have easily insisted on having his way and choosing the best of the land and letting Lot be satisfied with the leftovers. But he chose rather to forego is "rights" without murmuring and without complaining.
2. Another aspect of meekness is demonstrated by Moses who was "very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth" (Numbers 12:3).
a. Moses went, by God’s command, into Egypt and demanded that Pharaoh let the people of God go free. He eventually led the children of Israel out of Egypt into the wilderness to the foot of Mount Sinai where he ascended the mount to spend some time with God. While there, Moses received the very words of God in the form of the Ten Commandments.
b. After receiving the words of God, Moses descended the mountain only to find the people of God dancing around and worshiping a golden calf. Needless to say, he was greatly angered. Moses threw the tablets down, had the calf ground into powder, put it in the water, and made the people drink it.
c. Moses demonstrates a very important principle of Biblical meekness. Bible-based meekness is principally toward God. Moses was sensitive to the will of God, not the will of the people. Moses was unwilling to yield a principle of righteousness or to compromise with evil.
3. David, although he had his bouts with sin, demonstrated meekness in his dealing with Saul.
a. God had given David the kingdom. Samuel, the prophet, had told him it was his and had anointed him as king. At that point, "the spirit of the LORD came upon David...but the spirit of the LORD departed from Saul..." (1 Samuel 16:13-14). Needless to say, the strife between the two was great. On numerous occasions David was presented with the opportunity to kill Saul and take the kingdom for himself, but each time he refused.
b. David knew that God had promised him the kingdom and that God was able to deliver it into his hands in His own time. Although he suffered many injustices at the hand of Saul, David demonstrated extraordinary meekness in his refusal to seek revenge.
B. New Testament Examples
1. Among the New Testament men who demonstrated genuine meekness, the deacon Stephen and the Apostle Paul come to the forefront. Both men suffered wrongfully at the hands of others, yet neither sought revenge. But without a doubt, the greatest New Testament example of meekness is the Lord Jesus Himself.
2. Consider Matthew 11:29 and 2 Corinthians 10:1.
3. This same Jesus who said of Himself, "I am meek and lowly in heart" was also responsible for making a scourge and running the money-changers out of the temple (John 2:13-16). 4. How can we justify the statement of Jesus concerning Himself in Matthew 11:29 with what we read in John 2:13-16? The answer lies in the fact that like Moses, Jesus’ meekness was toward God. This same Jesus knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane and said, "not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). Jesus was unwilling to yield a principle of righteousness or to compromise with evil.
III. MEEKNESS NECESSITATED
Meekness is necessary for:
A. Receiving God’s Word
1. James 1:21; Psalm 25:9
2. Meekness, being the opposite of self-assertiveness and pride, is a much required characteristic on the part of those who are going to live by "thus saith the Lord."
3. When the Lord’s Word challenges our way, meekness will lead us to yield to the Lord’s Word.
B. Communicating God’s Message
1. 1 Peter 3:15; James 3:13
2. Witnessing to others demands a delicate mixture of both courage and humility.
3. It takes courage to communicate the message of the Lord without compromise, but at the same time it takes humility in order not to come across as arrogant and proud.
4. Meekness will allow us to be unyielding in our stand, yet humble in our presentation, knowing that it is only by the grace of God that we have come to know the truth in the first place.
C. Ministering to God’s People
1. Galatians 6:1; Colossians 3:12-13
2. A spirit of meekness will lead us to restore a fallen brother in a kind, forbearing, forgiving manner.
3. No one should attempt to restore a brother without first remembering where they were when the Lord found them, or without reviewing their own past failures.
D. Exhibiting God’s Character
1. Romans 12:19-21; 1 Peter 2:20-23
2. Meekness, as demonstrated by the Lord, will cause us to bear, with much patience and longsuffering, the unjust deeds done to us by others.
IV. MEEKNESS COMPENSATED
The Lord promises an inheritance to those who are genuinely meek. This inheritance is their’s:
A. Presently through Contentment
1. In setting forth this third beatitude, the Lord quotes from Psalm 37:11.
2. Meekness is what allows its possessor to be content with what he or she has whether it be great or small.
3. A spirit of meekness is what Paul exhibited when he said, "...for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:11-13)
B. Literally through Christ
1. Paul sets forth a wonderful truth in 1 Corinthians 6:2 when he speaks of the saints ruling the world. That of course will take place during the millennial reign of Christ upon the earth. It is at that time that we will inherit the earth because we are "heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17).
2. It was to Timothy that Paul said, "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him:" (2 Timothy 2:12). If with patience and meekness we suffer for the cause of Christ in the present, it will be with great joy and satisfaction that we reign with Him in the future.
