This is a series on the Lord's "Beatitudes" (Mt. 5.3-12). Click on the following links to explore the various installments (part one, "Spiritual Beggars," contains an introduction to the Beatitudes).
Harnessing the Power of Meekness — Mt. 5.5
“Congratulations to the meek-ones, for they shall inherit the earth!” (Mt. 5.5)
The Condition: Meekness
You’ve probably heard someone say: “Meekness is not weakness.” While true, this remark is so vague one is left to wonder how the speaker defines “weakness.” In a society where assertiveness and dominance are frequently celebrated, perhaps meekness is a characteristic some regard as weak.
The Greek term employed in Matthew 5.5 is praus, which loosely means: “gentle, mild” (Vine, p. 401; Thayer, “praos,” p. 534).
Secular writers in the ancient world
“did not rank [meekness] as a virtue. It was a mild equanimity that was sometimes negative and sometimes positively kind. But Jesus lifted the word to a nobility never attained before” (Robertson, p. 41).
Indeed, biblical meekness is more complex than mere gentleness or mildness. One illustration likens the trait to a horse tamed by a harness. As strong as the horse is, it accepts its master’s blows without bucking and responds with gentleness and submissiveness.
Equally so, the meek person will accept God’s dealings with us without complaining or resistance and will “do what he commands” (Zeph. 2.3). Meekness (prautes) is the complete stripping of self-pride to the point of a lack of self-concern (Leivestad, pp. 156-164), which therefore willingly accepts suffering with patience — for it loathes to resist or “quarrel” — and it responds with “gentleness” (2 Tim. 2.24).
Meekness can also be compared to an air conditioner, which absorbs heat (i.e., maintains composure during an attack) and vents cool air (i.e., exudes gentleness).
A little boy in Jamaica was asked who he thought the meek were. He answered:
“Those who give soft answers to rough questions.”
Indeed, the meek are
“not harsh and implacable. The meek are those who suffer in love, or love in patience; they are those who in the strength of love…bear injustice, and thereby conquer” (Boles, p. 122).
Such acceptance of wrongful suffering is not the same as being a spineless pushover who lets others walk all over them due to timidity. Rather, when a meek individual “suffers wrongfully” and “takes it patiently” (as Peter put it, 1 Pet. 2.19-20), it is due to an inward discipline that has selflessly committed to suffering injury without inflicting it. Jack P. Lewis put it like this:
“Rather than being those of no backbone, the meek are those who, having been tamed by God, are the masters of their spirits. They contrast with the arrogant” (Lewis, p. 81).
In his Concise Bible Dictionary, Don Fleming writes that meekness is
“closely linked with humility, gentleness and kindness…There is nothing weak or colorless about meekness. It is the very opposite of all that is self-centered, and therefore is a quality of strength. It enables a person not merely to be patient when suffering unjust criticism or persecution, but to be positively forgiving (Col. 3.12-13; Titus 3.2). The meek person does not demand revenge, but leaves the matter in God’s hands (Num. 12.1-3; 16.4-5; 1 Peter 2.20-23). He does not insist upon his rights, but when circumstances arise where he is forced either to defend himself [non-violently, Isa. 53.9; Mt. 5.39; 26.52, AP] or correct an opponent, he does so with gentleness (2 Tim. 2.25; 1 Peter 3.15)” (Fleming, p. 286).
Hence, meekness is at variance with machismo, bravado, and the “don’t-tread-on-me” spirit [1]. On the contrary, meekness is not easily outraged; it takes abuse with poise and self-control (cf. Prov. 16.32; 19.11). Vine notes that it is
“the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest; it is equanimity of spirit [i.e., mental calmness; composure, evenness of temper in difficulty] that is neither elated nor cast down, simply because it is not occupied with self at all” (Vine, p. 401).
When Moses was personally attacked, though he must have been wounded emotionally, he took the abuse patiently without complaint or reprisal (Num 12.1-3). Instead, he pled to the Lord for the benefit of his attackers (Num 12.13). Thus, Moses had the strength
(1) to accept an attack without attacking in turn; and
(2) to respond with selfless kindness.
In similar vein, Moses meekly wore himself out when he began resolving the disputes among the people “from morning until evening” (Ex. 18.13). Though his father-in-law gave him a better way to handle these disputes (Ex. 18.14-27), Moses had taken no thought of the toll such service took upon himself. Instead, he bore the burden without complaint, focusing only on the service of God and the wellbeing of others. This was not merely letting people push him around; rather, it was a disciplined spirit of conviction that put God and others ahead of himself.
In his scholarly work, Synonyms of the New Testament, R. C. Trench (1807-1886) writes that meekness
“is an inwrought grace of the soul that is exercised primarily toward God (Mt. 11.29; Jm. 1.21). It is a quality of spirit that accepts God’s dealings with us as good, without disputing or resisting…[it] is only the humble heart that is also meek, that does not fight against God or struggle with him. This meekness exists first of all before God, but it is also to be exercised before men — even evil men — knowing that the insults and injuries they inflict are permitted and employed by God to chasten and purify his elect” (Trench, p. 166).
Thus,
“meekness is not cowardice or emotional flabbiness. It is not lack of conviction nor mere human niceness. But its courage, its strength, its conviction, and its pleasantness come from God, not from self…Meekness is the opposite of violence and vengeance. The meek person, for example, accepts joyfully the seizing of his property, knowing that he has infinitely better and more permanent possessions awaiting him in heaven (Heb. 10:34). The meek person has died to self, and he therefore does not worry about injury to himself, or about loss, insult, or abuse” (MacArthur, p. 171).
The meekness of Jesus (cf. Mt. 11.29) illustrates this courageous mindset. Peter noted that when others “insulted” Jesus, he “never insulted back;” and when others made him suffer, he “made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Pt. 2.23). Jesus did these things — not merely to save the world — but also to leave us an “example,” that we “should follow his steps” (1 Pt. 2.21).
This does not mean the meek compromise on principles of justice, nor that they remain passive, non-confrontational, or that they never get angry. On the contrary, Jesus frequently confronted those who sinned against God and others. Most often, these confrontations took the form of fiery rebukes, where he exposed error and warned of spiritual condemnation (cf. Mt. 16.23; 22.29; 23.1ff; Lk. 9.55).
Likewise, Moses, the meekest man on earth (Num. 12.3), became “hot” with anger when the idolatrous Israelites disgraced God at the base of Mount Sinai — so much so that he “cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them” (Ex. 32.19). To be clear, this was no mere temper-tantrum (which occurs when one is personally invested in justifying oneself, or when one’s own needs or desires are not met); rather, it was a principled anger rooted in love of God and hatred of evil (cf. Rm. 12.9). Jesus exhibited the same spirit of holy anger when his contemporaries defiled the temple of God (cf. Jn. 2.14-17; Mt. 21.12-13).
Since biblical meekness chiefly lets God control our spirits — where we submissively and kindly comply without complaint or resistance — then when God commands us to be angry when people wrong him or others, the meek will be angry and will confront evil in the ways God has instructed them to do it. This anger is not merely to satisfy one’s own emotional needs, but to honor God, convict the oppressor, and rescue the innocent from oppression. It advocates for both justice and mercy for others while leaving vengeance in God's hands. And when we are personally challenged — whether by hardship, pressure, or assault — the meek will bravely absorb the blow thinking nothing of themselves, and will respond in the best interest of those who oppress them. Aristotle put it like this:
“[Meekness] is the ability to bear reproaches and slights with moderation, and not to embark on revenge quickly, and not to be easily provoked to anger, but be free from bitterness and contentiousness, having tranquility and stability in the spirit” (Virtues and Vices, Chapter 4.4; see Rackham).
In short, Jesus congratulates those who, tamed by God (cf. 1 Pt. 2.19), can respond to assaults (whether physical or verbal) with spiritual strength, combining composure of spirit and gentleness of action. However, the meek individual will never allow evil to triumph — let alone to be “overcome by evil” — but has learned to “overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12.21).
The Blessing: Inherit The Earth
To “inherit the earth” suggests ownership of the earth — to receive it by divine allotment. There are two possible applications to this blessing.
The Present Earth
First, perhaps Jesus means that the present world we inhabit is dedicated to our benefit. The world goes around for us!
This does not necessarily mean the meek will become materially wealthy and powerful. Indeed, the wicked are often financially more prosperous in this world than the righteous. But that is not necessarily a blessing. The wicked, despite their wealth, will come to nothing (Ps. 37.1-2). And, as Solomon noted, too much physical prosperity can be a curse rather than a blessing (Ecc. 5.10-14).
When David promised that “the meek shall inherit the earth,” he further explained that they “shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” (Ps. 37.11).
Thus, God uses the earth to bless his people with exactly what is best for us physically and spiritually (Ecc. 2.26; Mt. 6.33; Ps. 37.1-11). And because the meek have trained themselves to accept all of God’s dealings with us as good, then whether we have much or little, and whether we are in peaceful times or times of turbulence, we can remain grateful for everything, with a cornucopia of blessings in our hearts while we inhabit this world (cf. Phil. 4.11-13). The items and the events of this earth are here to help us (whether spiritually or materially), not the wicked. Hence, in a very real sense, those who have tamed their spirits under the chastening bridle of God (with acceptance and submission) have become “heirs of the world” (Rom. 4.13). H. Leo Boles put it like this:
“Selfish people may possess the earth, but it is the meek alone who inherit the real blessings of this earth and of the spiritual kingdom. The meek will enjoy the temporal blessings more than others and finally will triumph over the earth in the kingdom of God” (Boles, p. 122).
The New Earth
A second possibility is this: If we are meek, we will inherit the “pristine heavens and earth” that is yet to come, “in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pt. 3.13).
As I point out in my article, “Will the Earth Be Renovated?,” “new heavens and a new earth” refers to God’s dwelling place. Heaven is our “inheritance incorruptible” (1 Pt. 1.4). Indeed, our “hope” “is laid up for [us] in heaven” (Col. 1.5). Jesus promised his disciples that they would “sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 8.11). The Hebrews author wrote that Christians “have a better and an enduring possession for [ourselves] in heaven” (Heb. 10.34).
In short, the meek shall inherit the endless bliss of heaven!
Conclusion
Meekness involves taming the spirit to accept adversity selflessly, responding to such with gentleness and/or submission. Principally, we are to be meek before God. But since God uses evil people to chasten us, we are to be meek before them as well.
When we are meek, we are allowing ourselves to be at peace with ourselves, for meekness enables us to relinquish concerns over our own glory, reputation, losses, or injuries. Since we are no longer occupied with ourselves, stress and anxiety dissipate. Difficult circumstances become easier to handle with poise — and even gratitude.
To be clear, when others are attacked — whether God or man — that will merit a fiercer response. The Lord and his disciples were bold and spiritually assertive when God’s honor was at stake, or when people wronged others (cf. Jn. 2.13ff; Mt. 23.1ff; Gal. 2.11ff; etc.).
However, when they were the recipients of adversity (whether physical or verbal), they maintained their composure, joyfully accepted the hardship (refusing to be occupied with themselves), and responded with kindly forbearance, putting the best interest of others first. Perhaps to some, that is weak. But it takes a great deal of strength to control the spirit, to let God inflict just vengeance on evil-doers in his own time and way, and to submit to heaven’s commands with gentleness.
The next time someone insults you or wrongs you in some way, try meekness. Be the Lord’s workhorse, as it were. Let go of self-justification; take no thought of self at all. Instead, compose your spirit; remind yourself that your oppressor is hurting themselves, and work for their benefit. If punishment is due, leave it in God’s hands (Rm. 12.19f), knowing that the Lord is using their evil against you for your benefit — whether to chasten or to test you. Submit to his chastening without bucking and work what is good even toward your enemies (Lk. 6.35).
Likewise, if someone asks you to do something — or rudely demands it — take no thought of the inconvenience or the insult. Divorce yourself from yourself. Focus instead on the favor you can do and do it (provided it is legal and moral). In fact, the Lord instructs us to go the extra mile (Mt. 5.41-42).
And when others are wronged, meekness does not protect itself by ignoring the wrong altogether (for meekness is not occupied with self at all); rather, it will let the bridle of God’s holiness steer it into spiritual battle against the wrong-doer; it will “fight the good fight” (2 Tim. 4.7) with the spiritual weapons of truth, love, gentleness, benevolence, prayer, and even with the holy anger of rebuke.
In short, no one who is meek in the biblical sense will ever overlook evil or sweep it under the rug. However, their reaction to evil will be measured, composed, and submissive to the manner in which God instructs us to respond. And if we respond to adversity meekly, we will inherit the blessings of God’s creation — both of this world and that which is to come (1 Tim. 4.8).
