Meekness is not a word we understand well in the 21st century. Too often we think of meekness as weak and defenseless. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Jesus tells us in the sermon on the Mount: Matt. 5: 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Inheriting the earth is not for the weak! So what does it really mean?
The Biblical definition: “Meekness, according to the Bible, is being humble and gentle towards others and willingly being submissive and obedient to the Lord.” I think of it as going low in humility, counting others better than ourselves. But it does not stop there. We can safely be gentle towards others because we have confidence in who we are in our relationship with God and that God is big enough.
The promise of the meek inheriting the land is also sprinkled through David’s Psalm 37. Please take some time to look at the first eleven verses below. Better yet click on the link and pull up the full Psalm.
As you read through, please take some time to look for, and think about a few things: What consequences do you see for those who are not meek, but angry and worrying…? What are the results for the meek who trust God, waiting, dwelling…?
37:1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.
Like the plains are low before the mountains, our meekness grows like the strength of the mountains as we trust and delight in the One who made us.
Where do you want to fit in these promises? What is God inviting you to lay down; pick up; rest with?
Please let me know anything you are willing to share. I always love to hear what you think!
