The Beatitudes – The Meek (Part 3)

Our relationship with God has a profound impact on our relationship with others. Those who are meek toward God, will also be meek in their relationships with others. We know what meekness toward God looks like. It means submitting to God’s providence and obeying his Word. What does meekness toward others look like?

This is an important question, and one that we must answer if we are to live spiritually fruitful lives. Consider Moses, who led the people of Israel out of Egypt. He put up with their constant complaining, frequent rebellion, and even their rejection. Numbers 12:3 gives us a remarkable description of his character: “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” There is no doubt that much of his impact can be traced back to this trait.

Consider Christ, who dealt so gently with the broken and endured so much hostility from his enemies. He described himself as “gentle and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:29). Paul would later appeal to the Corinthian believers “by the meekness and gentleness of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:1). Jesus exemplified what he commended in the third beatitude.
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When we consider their example, we learn that meekness toward man means bearing injuries. A meek spirit is not easily provoked. Thomas Watson likened it to wet tinder which does not easily catch fire. In Psalm 38:12-13 David writes about the traps that were set for him and the treachery of his enemies. He, however, was “like a deaf man; I do not hear, like a mute man who does not open his mouth.” A meek man knows how to take a proverbial punch and not punch back.

Meekness means not being hasty or short-tempered. Eccl. 7:9 warns us not to be “quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.” A fool is like gunpower which lights at the slightest spark and explodes to the hurt and harm of all around. The meek are not prone to anger or resentment. This does not mean that they cannot experience anger, or that they don’t experience holy anger. The meek know that even our righteous anger quickly turns into sinful rage when we let it run riot.

Meekness toward man means we aren’t malicious. Malice is mental murder (1 John 3:15: “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”). Jesus taught his disciples to pray: “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matt. 6:12).

Meekness toward man means letting go of revenge. If malice is the scum of anger, revenge is what happens when malice boils over. When this happens, malice seeks to harm and ruin another. We want to hurt them. We want them to suffer. This is so foreign to the character of Christ that those who pursue revenge have reason to doubt their faith. The meek trust in a righteous God; they know God will deal righteously with those who harm his people (see Rom. 12:19). 

Meekness is also opposed to gossip. This is one of the most destructive forms of character assassination and one that has only gotten worse with the advent of social media. Eph. 4:31 is clear: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” Notice how slander is linked to malice. Our words reveal what is in our heart (Matt. 12:34). James 3:6 warned that the tongue (and we should add the keyboard) can be a terribly destructive force. 

We need to grow in meekness, but how? If we would grow in meekness, we must meditate on the gospel daily. We ought to look to Jesus. He is the perfect example of meekness. One of the ways in which Christ exemplified meekness, was in his readiness to forgive. He taught his disciples the importance of forgiveness: “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Matt. 11:25). Being forgiven means that we ought to forgive as well (Eph. 4:32).

Another way in which Jesus exemplified meekness, was in returning good for evil (see Matt. 5:43-48). When we feed our enemies or give them something to drink (Rom. 12:20), we are following the example of Christ. I’ve been reading 1 & 2 Samuel in my quiet-time and I’ve been amazed at the meekness of David even as Saul pursued him. He constantly gave Saul what he did not deserve, and ultimately his meekness won the day, not Saul’s anger.

Which brings us to the blessing associated with meekness: “they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5). The victory is not achieved through power, oppression, or might. Christ conquered through the cross. In a similar way, our inheritance is secured by the strength of meekness – the same meekness we see in our Saviour.

Because of Christ,
Pieter