Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5
This is beatitude number three as outlined by our Lord Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount.
Meekness is defined by Noah Webster who lived back in 1828, as mild of temper, soft, gentle, not easily provoked or irritated, yielding, and given to forbearance under injuries. In the evangelical sense, it means humble, not proud, or self-sufficient, opposed to pride and arrogance.
Dictionaries today do not always publish such eloquent “Christian” definitions, but Noah Webster has a reputation for both his Christian faith and his clear concise definitions of words. “Meekness” both then in Webster’s time, as now, is biblical and while the world may have no use for it, meekness is something to be esteemed by Christians. As Webster tells us, meekness is a grace, an attribute of humility before God.
The problem is, we misunderstand this term. We don’t really know what meekness is. In fact, we often confuse it with another term that sounds like it: “Meek” sounds like “weak.” Nobody wants to be weak, so nobody wants to be meek. But the truth is that meekness and weakness are at the opposite ends of the spectrum.
Meekness is often not seen in the light of the Scripture, and worldly-minded people often equate “meek” with weak. The word meek that Jesus used in Matthew referred to a powerful horse that had been made ready for war. It had been trained to use his great strength to serve the commands of his rider. A warhorse had no usefulness if he was not powerful.
Jesus Himself provided the ultimate demonstration of meekness. Though He is the Son of God, He willingly surrendered Himself to His enemies to save humanity from its own destruction. The irony is heavy; His tormentors mocked Him for lacking the power to come down from the cross. (Mark 15:30), but Jesus showed infinitely more strength by remaining in the cross rather than crying out to His Father to rescue Him from its horror.
He existed on this earth in a godly meek and mild fashion in the face of stark spiritual storms, temptations, and persecution. He chose to dwell on this earth as a lamb rather than a lion, even when facing gross hatred, physical harm, and harsh physical death, at the bloody hands of His accusers. That’s meekness.
To be meek is to harness one’s strength and use it in a righteous and godly way. Or to say it differently, to put our might under the control of the Holy Spirit. Meekness is in no way a weakness. To be meek is not to be weak. God doesn’t want us to be weak, but He wants us to be meek.