Blessed Are The Meek

Micah 6
Matthew 5

As you study the character traits described in the Beatitudes, you can't help but realize one thing; these qualities are by no means natural to the human spirit. They are very foreign. Poverty of spirit, true mourning over personal sins against God and meekness does not come to us naturally.

The greatest preacher of all time, Jesus Christ, proclaimed "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." The Greek word for "meek" means to be gentle; to be strong, very strong, yet be humble and tender. It is a person with all the emotions and ability to take and conquer, but he or she is able control themself in all ways. It is a state of being disciplined -- a person who is disciplined because they are God-controlled.

But many people tend to think of a meek person as being inherently weak. That is not true. Jesus Christ was a meek man, but he was not weak. His strength came from his trust in His Father in heaven and our strength also comes from God. Jesus was bold in his actions. He stood up for what he believed in. He stated the truth simply and powerfully and walked through angry mobs of people quite often. He deliberately allowed himself to be accused, beaten, and killed on the strength of his faith in God. These are not the actions of a weak man.

W. E. Vine writes: "Meekness is an inwrought grace of the soul; and the exercise of it are first and chiefly towards God. It is temper of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good and therefore without disputing and resisting."

True meekness is a submissive and trusting attitude toward God. It is an attitude which considers all things that come our way as being for God's good purpose in our life. Meekness looks beyond circumstances, no matter how upsetting and hurtful, and humbly bows the knee to the Sovereign God.
Jesus is the perfect picture of someone who was filled with the Holy Spirit, and lived a life of true meekness. He had all the power needed to prevent His arrest and crucifixion, yet He surrendered to God's will. He fully understood the sovereignty of God and the results of the free will of humanity. If meakness truly meant weakness, then Jesus as a meek person would have not had the strength to endure the things he dealt with on a daily basis.

People were constantly following him, constantly badgering him, constantly belittling him and his disciples. Jesus rarely had a moment to rest and relax in his three years of ministry. He was bombarded day in and day out with needy people and cocky, unlearned disciples, and his own desires. We sometimes forget that Jesus was fully human as well as fully divine which means he had the same desires and temptations as the rest of us.

Do you think he didn't want to yell at people that were mean to him? Do you think he didn't want to make fun of the person that asked him their 100th ignorant question? Do you think he never wanted to play hooky from work or that he never wanted to lie to make his life a little easier? He did. We know that because Jesus is just like us. He was human in all ways and therefore he suffered with the very same temptations we suffer with. Jesus relied on the strength of his Father in heaven to get him through each and every moment of temptation.

There is only one moment in the bible where Jesus allows his anger to overrule him and that is when he overturns the tables in the Synagogue. He was outraged on God's behalf that these people would take something pure and holy, and pervert it so evilly. Once again, Jesus was not being weak, but in his humble faith in God, he allowed his righteous anger to remove the offensive people from God's house.

Humanity has the strength to ignore God's will or to take God's gifts, talents, and abilities and use them for our sake, or we may choose to use God's good blessings to glorify the Lord. Without meekness, we will squander what is given to us by God to gain earthly wealth, self-satisfaction and fame (little or great). That is what happened to the moneychangers in the temple when Jesus comes in and becomes angry. They had taken the blessings God had given to them and perverted them for their own well-being rather than to glorify God.

What we need to remember is that being meek means finding a strength that does not rely on our self, but on God's goodness and grace. It is having faith that God loves us so much that everything that happens to us both good and bad, are for a greater purpose than we can ever fully comprehend. When Abraham and Sarah began on their faithful journey with merely a promise from God that their descendants would be as numerous as the stars, they had no idea what their actions would bring about.

Sarah had so many doubts and so much pain as she got older and continued to be barren! Abraham allowed Sarah's doubts to turn him from God's path and he had a child with his servant. They suffered and they had doubts and they had a lot of torment as they followed God's path for them. But because they stayed true to God through it all, because they continued to have faith, Isaac was born and from Isaac came Jacob and from Jacob came the 12 tribes of Israel and Jacob's son Joseph saved the Hebrews by bringing them to Egypt during the famine and eventually Moses was born who led them from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land of Israel. Then came King David and from David's line was born Joseph, and Mary his wife gave birth to a son named Jesus Christ.

All because an old couple dared to believe an outrageous promise from the voice of God. What is God creating from your life that you could never imagine at this point, but years in the future will bear great fruit? Stay faithful, humble, and meek. Trust in the Lord. Believe God's promises. We are not weak for having faith. We are strong and powerful, but gentle and caring because our convictions bring us closer to God and therefore we become more like Jesus Christ.

The Beatitude of meekness epitomizes the results of kneeling in total submission to God's will. It comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit and from allowing God to produce Christ-like character in us. Meekness says, "not my will, but Yours be done."

The Bible says, "...the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace." Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." The meek will rule and reign with Christ upon this earth someday.

True meekness is not a natural character trait. It can only be obtained by knowing Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. We need to invite Christ into our life today to discover the joyful surrender of true meekness.

Finally, the last thing I will leave you with is something I found on the internet titled the "Devil's Beatitudes" which is what happens to us when we forget to trust in God's promises and we go our own way, perverting our blessings by ignoring Jesus' voice for our own gain.

THE DEVIL'S BEATITUDES
1. Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend even an hour once a week with their fellow Christians – they are my best workers.
2. Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked -- I can use them.
3. Blessed are the touchy who stop going to church –for they are my missionaries.
4. Blessed are the trouble makers – for they shall be called my children.
5. Blessed are the complainers –for their complaints are music to my ears.
6. Blessed are those who keep a list of the preachers mistakes -- for they get nothing out of his sermons.
7. Blessed is the church member who expects to be invited to his own church – for he is a part of the problem instead of the solution.
8. Blessed are those who gossip -- for they shall cause strife and divisions that please me.
9. Blessed are those who are easily offended -- for they will soon get angry and quit.
10. Blessed are those who do not give an offering to carry on God’s work — for they are my helpers.
11.  Blessed is he who professes to love God but hates his brother and sister — for he shall be with me forever!
12.  Blessed are you who, when you read this think it is about other people and not yourself — I’ve got you too!

Amen.