Meekness, Part 7

In our last meditation we began dealing with the reward of meekness. I wish to conclude this series by considering the reward of meekness announced by our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Did you know this is also found in Psalm 37:11?

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

In Psalm 37 the meek are variously described as “those that wait upon the Lord” (v. 9), “the just” (v. 12), “the poor and needy” (v. 14), “the righteous” (v. 17), “the upright” (v. 18), “such as be blessed of him” (v. 22), “his saints” (v. 28), and “the perfect man” (v. 37). Now the inheritance of these godly souls is spoken of several times in Psalm 37. Putting these verses together will shed some light on the inheritance of the meek.

Psalms 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

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

Psalms 37:18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

Psalms 37:22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.

Psalms 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

Psalms 37:34 Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

It is said three times that these godly souls shall inherit the earth. Twice it is affirmed that they shall inherit the land. Then in verse 18 we are told that this “inheritance shall be forever” while in verse 29 it is said that they shall “dwell therein (the land they inherit) forever.”

Now we know that this present heavens and earth in which we dwell shall pass away.

Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Revelation 20:11 ¶And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

Therefore, the meek will not inherit the present earth forever since it will not be forever. But there is an earth that the meek shall inherit forever. It is spoken of in the following verses.

2 Peter 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Revelation 21:1 ¶And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Revelation 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

A meek person can be described as one “that overcometh,” because he has overcome himself, which is the greatest obstacle of all. Now it is the overcoming meek who shall inherit this new earth. Unlike this present earth, which shall pass away, the new earth shall remain.

Isaiah 66:22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.

Whatever of this earth that God’s humble, self-denying meek may have missed will be more than made up to them in the new earth which they will inherit forever. This is the land that the righteous shall dwell in forever. The meek can let go of this world with its charms because they have something so much better and durable awaiting them.

Hebrews 10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.

As far as this world is concerned, the meek are strangers and pilgrims.

Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

Consider the definitions of stranger and pilgrim.

Stranger – One who belongs to another country; a foreigner.

Pilgrim – One who travels from place to place; a person on a journey; a wayfarer; a traveler; a wanderer; a sojourner.

This present world is not the home of the meek. They do not belong here. They are just passing through this world to the country God has prepared for them. Life in this world for them is a journey to another place. Their sentiments are well expressed in the words of the old song: “This world is not my home; I’m just a passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.” The proud and self-serving of this earth may persecute the meek and scorn their humility and self-denial, but in the end it is the proud who shall be cut off whilst the meek shall inherit the earth.

And so I would say to the meek, do not be alarmed when you see your investments and property values in this world threatened as they are nowadays. These are not your everlasting inheritance. Sooner or later you must quit them. Your lasting inheritance is in “the land that is very afar off” (Isaiah 33:17). Remember the words spoken by our Lord:

Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

And between now and your arrival in that blessed country, you have the following assurances given to the meek in that same Psalm 37:

Psalms 37:19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

Psalms 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Considering the great rewards of meekness, it makes sense to heed the call of this verse:

Zephaniah 2:3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.

Meekness, Part 6

We are not yet done considering the subject of meekness. Recall that meekness is characterized by humility, lowliness, gentleness, and submissiveness to authority. A meek person is not proud. He is not occupied with self. Meekness is marked by the absence of self-assertion or self-exaltation. And, yet, meekness is not weakness. It certainly takes strength of character to bring the self and its passions into subjection. Solomon said it well:

Proverbs 16:32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

We think of those who conquer cities as mighty. A meek man who controls his passions is mightier. A meek man is not a weak man!

Today I wish to consider the reward of meekness. Although you might be tempted to think you are losing a lot by not being self-serving, in reality you gain far more being meek and lowly. The arrogant, self-loving men of this world will consider you foolish for your meekness. But God says that wisdom belongs to you, not to them.

PRO 11:2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.

Although you may not gain the esteem of this world by being meek, you have the respect of God, the Most High.

PSA 138:6 Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.

Imagine! The Highest in power, wisdom, and goodness regards you, pays attention to you, and takes you and your little life into consideration, all of which is implied in that word respect. By contrast, the Lord knows the proud afar off. They are not near in His thoughts and consideration as you are. They may command the respect of this world, but not of God.

Proud, self-absorbed sinners think that the path to happiness and greater joy is found in the pursuit of self-fulfillment. “It’s all about what you want, whatever makes you happy,” is their philosophy. On the other hand, meekness is the emptying of self in the service of God and of others. This is the true path to happiness and greater joy.

ISA 29:19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD.

For Paul and the saints at Philippi, it was self-sacrifice and service that led to joy.

Philippians 2:17 Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.

If you would truly be happy, think of someone besides yourself and, most importantly, think of God and what pleases Him.

Then consider this promise:

PSA 147:6 The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.

You may be down today. But if you are among the meek, you will not stay down. The wicked may be riding high today, but it will not last. They will be brought low while the lowly will be lifted up. So if today finds you in heaviness through manifold temptations, do not react by envying the men of this world who are prospering and getting ahead. Consider their end. Humble yourself under God’s mighty hand and He will lift you up in due time.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

Lamentations 3:31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever:

32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.

The proud and self-serving of this earth are always trying to beautify themselves and their surroundings. They lay out huge sums of money to achieve beauty. Proud man is in love with himself. He makes himself beautiful so that he can admire himself more. We call a person like this a narcissist. Mike Pyatt has been quoted as saying: "A narcissist, once falling in love with self, would never find his equal." He will always see others as less than himself. A narcissist is definitely not meek. But, as we saw above in Psalm 147:6, these proud, self-serving, and self-loving souls will be “cast down to the ground.” Being thrown into the dirt is not exactly where a hunk or a beauty queen expects to end up. On the other hand, the meek can look forward to God beautifying them.

PSA 149:4 For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

God’s work of salvation will make the meek beautiful. God compares His saved people to a crown (Isaiah 62:3) and to jewels (Malachi 3:7). He says they are as fair as the moon and as clear as the sun (Song of Solomon 6:10). In the end when their salvation is complete, they will be presented in glory “without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27).

Then there is this promise proclaimed by our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

I have several things to say about this reward of meekness. But you will have to meekly wait for it.

Meekness, Part 5

In this week’s meditation we continue considering the subject of meekness. Be reminded that meekness is characterized by humility, submissiveness to authority, and gentleness toward others. The meek person is not self-absorbed or self-assertive. Now on reading this, some may get the idea that the meek person is weak and passive, that he is one who just lies down and lets others trample over him, that he never stands up for what he believes is right. Such is far from the truth.

Our Lord Jesus Christ characterized Himself as “meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). And yet this same meek and lowly Jesus drove the moneychangers out of the temple with a scourge and overthrew their tables (John 2:13-17). The meek and lowly Jesus also issued a scathing denunciation of the folly and hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, the religious leaders of His day (Matthew 23).

Or take another example. Of Moses it is said:

Numbers 12:3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

This is that Moses who boldly confronted Pharaoh and demanded that he let Israel go. When Pharaoh refused, the very meek Moses called forth plagues upon Egypt. We also read of a time when Moses’ anger waxed hot against the idolatrous worshippers of the golden calf and he called for their execution (Exodus 32:19-29). This is anything but the picture of a passive weakling. This is rather a man who boldly stood up for truth and righteousness whether against the court of the most powerful nation on earth or against the majority of his own people.

The prophet Zephaniah gives the following call to the meek:

Zephaniah 2:3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.

In this call Zephaniah describes the meek as those “which have wrought his (God’s) judgment.” Meek people do what God commands. If God calls upon them to execute judgment upon others, they meekly submit to God’s righteousness and execute that judgment. A meek parent will execute God’s judgment in disciplining a foolish child. A meek pastor will boldly denounce sin. A meek church will withdraw from those who walk disorderly. A meek judge will condemn to death those worthy of capital punishment. Meekness will never turn away from obeying the call of God even if it is unpopular or personally painful to do so, because a meek person is not governed by self-interest. His foremost goal is the glory of God, not the preservation and ease of himself. And when a meek person has done his duty toward God, he will not brag about his accomplishment; for a meek person is not proud. He is not prone to self-exaltation. He will rather humbly thank God for the favour of serving his Lord.

If one is meek, does that mean that he has to let people take unfair advantage of him? For example, if one has set a fair price for his product or service, is he being self-assertive if he does not allow someone to talk him out of his price? Does meekness require him to let a greedy man take unfair advantage of him? Remember that a meek person executes God’s judgment. Now God’s judgment calls for equity and fairness in economic transactions. God Himself is the Author of the judicial system in which men can plead their cause when they have been dealt with unfairly. One is not failing to be meek by insisting on that which is just. Note in the passage from Zephaniah quoted above, the meek are called upon to seek righteousness, that which is just. Now to be sure, a meek man will consider the needs of another in hardship. That is one thing. But to cater to someone’s greed is another.

However, our blessed Lord taught us that in the case of relatively minor inequities, it is best just to endure them.

Matthew 5:38 ¶Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

We have better things to do than to quibble over every little piece of injustice that comes our way. Let us save our energy for the big ones. And if we encounter injustice over which we have no control, then meekness would dictate that we humbly submit the matter to the righteous judgment of God.

Ecclesiastes 5:8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.

We cannot rid this world of every injustice. Only God can do that!

I would like to close this meditation with another quote from Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. This is taken from his book Walk With God. He had this to write about meekness:

The Greek word which is used in the Gospel, “praotes,” is not a gentleness which has its source in weakness, but rather a gentleness which has its source in strength. It is that of a giant who wrestles with a child without hurting him, or of a powerful monarch who uses only enough strength to put down opposition, or a God Incarnate Who could have smitten His enemies in the Temple who were buying and selling, but contented Himself to opening a few cages and driving the traders out with ropes. Meekness is disciplined strength, not cowardly weakness…. Meekness which belongs to the natural or psychological order is allied with timidity or insensibility, but this meekness which is born of the Spirit is a Divine product and requires great self-control. As Browning said: “The meek man is the one who knows well what it is to have a giant’s strength, but he also knows that it is tyrannous to use it as a giant.”

Bishop Sheen has captured a point well worth our consideration.

Meekness, Part 4

In this week’s meditation on meekness, I would like to focus on how meekness affects our relationship to other people. Let’s begin by recalling a quote I have already given you from Arthur W. Pink:

Meekness is the opposite of self-will toward God, and of ill-will toward men.

Meekness is defined as gentleness of spirit. A man of a gentle spirit is not so prone to harbour ill-will toward others. This agrees with the following instructions of Paul:

Titus 3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

I have highlighted the words I want you to focus on. Observe that if we are showing “all meekness unto all men,” we will be gentle, which is placed in contrast to speaking evil of men and being brawlers. A brawler is a quarrelsome fellow. A gentle person, who shows meekness unto all men, is not going to be so quick to say bad things about other people or to put the worst construction on their actions. Neither is he going to be so quick to quarrel with other people. Now let’s define gentle and the terms related to it.

Gentle - Of persons: Well-born, belonging to a family of position; having the character appropriate to one of good birth; noble, generous, courteous.

Courteous – Having such manners as befit the court of a prince; having the bearing of a courtly gentleman in intercourse with others; graciously polite and respectful of the position and feelings of others; kind and complaisant in conduct to others.

Kind - Of persons: Naturally well-disposed; having a gentle, sympathetic, or benevolent nature; ready to assist, or show consideration for others; generous, liberal, courteous.

The meek person is gentle, courteous to other men, considerate of them, and ready to assist them. He is not so quick to condemn others for their faults and failures or to put them down. He will not always be complaining about what other people do or don’t do and saying harsh things about them. He is more prone to be merciful to the weaknesses and sins of others, more prone to forgive and to restore. The meek person will more readily do as Paul instructs in these verses:

Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Now we will miss an important motive for meekness toward all men if we overlook Paul’s reason for giving this instruction in Titus 3:1-2. Just look at the next verse.

Titus 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

If you find yourself quick to condemn others for their faults, to speak evil of them, and to quarrel with them, then just remember how foolish you have been in the past. Remember your own faults and this just might make you a little more sympathetic toward the faults of others. Francois Fenelon wrote:

So long as we are full of SELF, we are shocked at the faults of others. Let us think often of our own sin, and we shall be lenient to the sins of others.

Considering meekness as it pertains to our relationship with others, it is any wonder then that meekness is an important ingredient in effective witnessing and teaching?

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

2 Timothy 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

The self-absorbed, self-righteous, Pharisee makes a very ineffective witness and teacher for Christ. He has little patience with poor sinners who are struggling to learn and grow. He thinks himself so above them that all he does is criticize them, complain about them, and quarrel with them. Oh, I am not meaning by all this that a meek person takes an indifferent or soft attitude toward sin. No, sin must be abhorred and rebuked. But at the same time a meek person has compassion for the sinner who acknowledges his weakness and struggles to be free. A meek person remembers his own struggles with sin and shows the same mercy and compassion to others that he needed and still needs for himself. If the sinless Christ could show meekness and gentleness to sinners, how ought we, who are sinners ourselves, to show the same!