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74. Meekness? What is That?


Matthew 5:5, Psalm 37:1-11
Key Verse: But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. 
Psalm 37:11

Meekness, along with the word "submit,” are probably two of the most misunderstood words in our society today.  The word meek, often conjures up a mousy figure who is weak and quiet.  A door mat may come to mind when we use this word.  We think of a meek person who goes with the flow and doesn't want to cause any trouble.  How a person like this could inherit the earth would be a real mystery indeed.  In fact, would we even want a person like that to inherit the earth?  What would a person like that do with the earth once he or she got it? 

Perhaps, if we change our description of "meek,” we will understand better what Jesus is talking about here.  The best definition of meekness that I've ever heard, and perhaps it is the easiest one for me to understand, is, "power under control.” 

Think of a horse.  A horse is powerful.  In fact, a raging stallion is a force to be reckoned with and it is best not to get in his way when he is angered.  Yet, we have used horses for centuries for transportation, work and pleasure.  Horses can be tamed and the relationship between horses and humans has been a successful one throughout the ages.  What is the secret to this success?  Humans respect the power of the horse and horses respect the wisdom of the humans.  Yes, there are some cruel masters, but a good horse person knows that respect works much better in training and understanding a horse, than fear and intimidation. A good horse is meek, allowing all that power in his muscles to be guided by submitting to the human commands. The horse serves as a visual picture of "power under control.” 

The Psalmist describes what this can look like in man when he says, "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret.  It leads only to evil.”  (Psalm 37:8) When we can submit to the Lord's control, as the horse submits to the rider, trusting that the rider sees what the horse doesn't and knows a better plan than the horse could even imagine on his own, when we can trust the Lord like that, then, we become worthy of the inheritance of His earth.  We are listening to His instructions. 

Perhaps our best example of meekness or “power under control” is Christ on the cross.  Is there any better example of submission and meekness than that?  The creator hanging on His creation, crucified by His created, trusting the Father for the plan of redemption that none of creation could have even imagined was possible and may not have wanted even though the cost would be little to them.  With this as our example, let us remember that we too have been crucified with Him.  "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  (Galatians 2:20) We can submit to God's plans, trusting Him for the outcome.  Then we are ready to inherit eternal life and the new heaven and earth to come. 

Hymn: He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels

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