Blessed are the Meek

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

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The following is taken from a commentary on the Sermon on the Mount called, "Re: Defined," that I started writing following a Bible study I taught in 2005. It's close to being completed but, then again, it's been close for years now...

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Meekness is a trait of spiritual strength and maturity. To be meek means to be in harmony with God, completely obedient, and wise in speech. It is usually good advice to pay close attention to the words of someone meek. One can usually trust them. Meekness flies in the face of pride, and humans have been full of pride since the Garden. We think of the proud and mighty as the great conquerors. Just look at Alexander, the Caesars, Napoleon, Nebuchadnezzar, Hitler, etc. But those people will not inherit the earth. It is the meek ones, the ones who mourn their sin and seek the righteousness of God (see Psalm 37).

This verse is tied in subject matter to the verse above it and the verse below it. In verse 4, those who mourn recognize that they are spiritually broken and empty apart from God. In verse 6, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are seeking to be filled. Meekness comes from mourning. It is very humbling to see one's own brokenness. Meekness is required to seek God's nourishment, for you must recognize that you have a need that you cannot fill. Just like mourning for sin or being poor, humility/meekness is seen as weakness. The meek get run over by the assertive ones. It's happened throughout history. But being constantly aggressive means being in constant danger of failure.

I liken this to a stoplight scene. The car of a meek driver sits next to that of an aggressive driver, who is constantly revving his engine, trying to get the meek driver to drive like him. As the light turns green, the meek driver slowly accelerates through the intersection, looking ahead for any obstacles. The aggressive driver steps on the gas and peels out of the intersection, hitting a car turning right from a side street.

Humble people are weak, though not for the same reasons as the world's reasons. Meek people recognize their weakness and seek the strength that God provides. So, even though they are weak, they are stronger than the proud. Paul praised God for his weakness in 2 Corinthians 13 and so should we.

There is no greater example of being meek and gentle than our Savior's trial and crucifixion. Isaiah 53, as elaborated on by Peter in 1 Peter 2:20-23, says, "But if when you do what is right and suffer [for it] you patiently endure it, this [finds] favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting [Himself] to Him who judges righteously;" Jesus did not ask for money or fame. He used the spotlight to teach, then often retreated to a place of solitude. His birth was not one of royal grandeur but of humble gentility. He was raised in Nazareth, a boondocks town in an oft-insulted region of Israel. Meekness also defined His very incarnation, as Paul laid out in Philippians 2:5-9.

I've known quite a few people who fit the description of a meek person, most of them in churches. I admire them because they have a self-control that I do not have. They bear with my boasts and still speak to me with love. I see a model of Christ in them that I want to emulate. Fretting comes from a lack of trust in God. Meekness is a total trust in God because a meek person has recognized their inability to provide for themselves. Let the proud man worry and the meek have peace. Do not fret because you are being overrun by the wicked and proud ones for you, not they, will prevail.

Blessed are the meek, who cannot be weak
For in their weakness they are strong
God will provide, and though cast aside
Their heart still sings a trusting song

So do not fret, nor harbor regret
When the proud ones pass you by
There is a place, far past time and space
An inheritance bigger than the sky

Be God's!