The Meek
“Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).
Jesus Christ was characterised by lowliness. He was, as we saw yesterday, “a man of sorrows”, and He says of Himself “I am gentle (meek)” Matthew 11: 29. In Matthew 21, when the Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem as its rightful King, it was in fulfilment of the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9:
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly (meek), and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass (AV).
His righteousness and power to save were demonstrated in meekness.
Meekness is an outward expression of inward power. It is the joyful acceptance of the mind and will of God for our lives and demonstrates an implicit trust in His blessing in all circumstances. Meekness is living in the reality and power of Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
We tend to mistake meekness for timidity. The original sense of “a gentleman” was a man of rank possessing a gentle, generous, and courageous character. Today the world often confuses loudness and self-assertion with power. Micah describes what God requires:
To do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8).
Proverbs 31:10-31 describes the characteristics of godly women and lists the attributes which emerge from walking in the fear of the Lord (v. 30). They are not the actions of timid people, but of fruitful and energetic lives.
Paul writes in Philippians 2:
God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (vv. 9-11).
The Lord expressed His kingship through meekness as He entered Jerusalem. In a future day the same Jesus will be owned as Lord of lords and King of kings. Today, from the glory of His majesty in heaven, He invites us to learn to become like Him in meekness and humility. He empowers us to live useful lives for Him. The Lord spoke to His disciples about the meek inheriting the earth. This will be seen perfectly in the Person of Christ in a coming day. And our inheritance is in Him.
Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light (Colossians 1:10-12).
By seeing Christ’s majesty, the power of His meekness is revealed in us.
