Highly Exalted. . . or Meek

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth"   

(Matthew 5:5)

Meekness is so important that it is listed in the top three characteristics Jesus mentions in His foundational teaching; the Sermon on the Mount: 

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5)

Beloved, you should know that Godly meekness is impossible unless we first learn a just and lowly estimate of ourselves. We must become poor in spirit. We do this by coming before God in deep penitence and with a clear knowledge of the vast difference between ourselves and what He is and what He means us to be.   In other words brethren, we can not be full of ourselves; thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought.  Apostle Paul says, 

"For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith."  Romans 12:3

While pride destroys self and others, humility serves and builds.  Grace is given to the humble while pride is resisted by God.

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.  James 4:6

It is obvious the world's ideal of the perfect man is very different from Jesus. The meek are among those so favored that they will share in Jesus' inheritance of the earth.

Jesus was not the first to state the importance of meekness, but He was the first to collect, in what we call the Beatitudes, a God-authored, organized list of the characteristics of the perfected man. Others have made lists of outstanding virtues, but Jesus' list is unique in that He relates them to the Kingdom of God and how they relate back to the kingdom.

How can this be, though; given how modern man considers those who are meek? His statement about meekness is almost incomprehensible. The world would word this, "Blessed are the strong, who can hold their own." The world favors the obviously more conspicuous and "so-called heroic" virtues. Those who are strongly—almost detrimentally —competitive, aggressive and assertive are the ones who receive recognition, admiration and reward. Do they not seem to end up on top of the pile, possessing the most and best despite other obvious and perhaps even offensive flaws in their character?  Do we not see this in our world today?  Yes we do and we don't have to search for them, we don't have to look far for they are right in front of our eyes!

On the surface, this beatitude seems to have little meaning, and what there is seems to contradict the plain facts of everyday life. No sensible person, looking about the world or studying history, could sincerely accept it at face value. Unfortunately, many Christians have ignored it in practice, pondering perhaps that it should be true, but that it certainly is not so in the real world. Rather than taking God at His Word, they remain conformed to the world's standard of practice, missing the benefits meekness will produce in their lives. Remember, Jesus Himself says this: Blessed—happy, favored—are the meek.

Jesus either meant what he said, or He did not; 

He either knew what He was talking about, or He did not. 

Jesus is either a reliable guide or He is not. 

We must either take Jesus seriously or not, 

and if we do not, we should drop His teachings altogether. 

He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.   Matthew 12:30

If we decide to straddle the fence and strive for some characteristics but not others, we become hypocrites. Of course, the believer; the true disciple will accept the teachings, learn from them and grow in it.

What Jesus says is a very practical doctrine. It may at first seem impractical, foolish and even wild, but He was no sentimental dreamer who dealt in empty platitudes. He was an unflinching realist who has given us a great key to prosperity and dominion within God's purpose.

Meekness is a virtue that God has determined those who will have dominion in His family must possess. Without it, will we even be there?  According to scripture, no.

The best way to understand meekness is to see the words and contexts the Bible associates it with, how the Bible uses it, and perhaps most importantly, how those who have it act in relation to God and men.

When Jesus presents meekness in Matthew 5:5 as a highly desirable quality, He prefaces it with: 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit:  for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (verse 3) and 
"Blessed are those who mourn: for they shall be comforted." (verse 4). 

He places it within a context that contains qualities that are similar to meekness. Meekness is thus described as the conduct and disposition towards God and man that results from the inward experience outlined in the two preceding beatitudes, which have relation only to ourselves. In other words, meekness is the active fruit of the other two, but whereas being poor in spirit and mourning are both internal in operation, meekness is both internal and external in its execution in one's life.

Within the context with which Jesus was speaking, mourning is derived from a sense of sin, from a tender conscience, from a broken heart. It is a godly sorrow over our rebellion against God and hostility to His will. It is the agonizing realization that it was not just sin in general but our own sins that nailed Christ to the cross. Notice that Matthew 5:4 is in the present tense, meaning that mourning is not confined to our initial repentance.  It is a continuous, ongoing process.   As followers of Christ, we have much for which to mourn. If we are truly honest before God and with ourselves we become aware of the ever-deepening discovery of human nature's depravity, our sins—both of omission and commission—and find that they are a sense of daily grief. Apostle Paul writes,

"We ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body."  Romans 8:23

"O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"  Romans 7:24

This does not mean we live this life with a hang-dog expression and attitude, or that we live this life feeling that we are a failure or a loser who is still mucking around in an amoral world. We are also forgiven, cleansed and justified by the blood of Jesus Christ. We have access to God the Father, we are the apple of His eye and have an awesome hope before us. In God we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are children of the great Creator and look forward to being resurrected and inheriting God's Kingdom. Christ died for us, and this creation exists for our perfection.  As believers, we have many reasons to feel a sense of exultation for what has been provided for us. An awareness of sin—as long as it is not allowed to become obsessive—will help us continue in a humble frame of mind by keeping pride in check, tempering our judgments and allowing us to accept the events of life in a spirit that produces great contentment.

These qualities are produced when, with God's help, we rightly measure ourselves against the right standards—God and His law —

rather than each other, and discover how much we owe to God's merciful grace. 

For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. 2 Corinthian 10:12

Anyone thus convicted and then forgiven and cleansed by Christ's blood is in the position to produce godly meekness.

Jesus links meekness with lowliness: 

"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."   Matthew 11:29

Apostle Paul states:

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.   Ephesians 4:1-3

Jesus explains why we should embrace His way of life. As our Lord and Master, He is not harsh, overbearing and oppressive, but gentle in His deportment. His laws are also reasonable and easy to obey; neither He nor they enslave. He emphasizes the gentle aspect of meekness toward others. 

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.   Matthew 11:29

From this, we begin to see why meekness must be a virtue of those who will receive the Kingdom and govern. Because God governs in meekness, His children must also.

Ephesians 4 teaches how to build and maintain unity within a more social context, and here, meekness appears with humility, patience, forbearance and love. Apostle Paul demands that, for unity to be built and maintained, we should receive offenses without retaliation, bearing them patiently without a desire for revenge. We are, in short, to have a forgiving spirit. Without it, we will surely promote divisiveness.

The association of humility and meekness is natural, and is yet another facet of meekness. Whereas humility deals with a correct assessment of its merits, meekness covers a correct assessment of personal rights. This does not in any way mean a lowering of the standards of justice or of right and wrong. Meekness can be accompanied by a war to the death against evil, but the meek disciple directs this warfare first against the evil in his own heart. We are to be a repentant sinner, and our recognition of this state radically alters our relations with our fellow man. 

A sinner forgiven must have a forgiving attitude.

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