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Meekness


RETIREDFAN1

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 Meekness
 

If a little boy came up to and announced, “When I grow up, I want to be the meekest man on earth!” What would you thinkz? We know that meekness is a good thing. It is one of the fruits of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23

When we think of meekness, most of us have this image of a skinny, unassuming guy with a high pitched voice and a timid way of approaching people. You even see it in the definitions of meekness:

 

“Humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness” “Compliant: evidencing little spirit or courage; overly submissive or compliant.”

The problem is that this is our modern usage. It is not the biblical meaning of meekness.

Meekness in the Bible is a total lack of self-pride, to the point of a lack of self-concern. It is related to humility, but it is not the same thing. The poor and the oppressed are often called meek, not because they are cowed and timid, but because they have no pride in their current position and, therefore, they have little concern about themselves.
Depending on your translation the poor are equated to the meek, afflicted, or humble.

Isaiah 11:4

Meekness is a trait that all Christians are to have.

Titus 3:1-2

Depending on the translation it is rendered as gentleness, humility, meekness, or consideration.

In the Old Testament, a meek person is someone who is afflicted or bearing a heavy burden.

The best example of meekness in the OT is Moses. Moses is called the meekest man on earth.

Numbers 12:3

How can this be? After all wasn’t it Moses who in a fit of anger threw down the tablets of stone and broke them? Wasn’t it Moses who burnt the golden idol, ground it up, poured the powder into water and made the people drink it? Does this sound like a mild-mannered, unassuming guy? Yet he is called the meekest man on earth.
Numbers 12:1-3

 

Moses’ brother and sister were giving him grief because he chose to marry a woman from Ethiopia. They openly spoke against Moses and insinuated that since God has spoken through them in the past that there was no need for them to follow Moses if they didn’t want to do so. The statement in verse 3 about Moses’ meekness is an explanation about the circumstances. Moses never complained to God about the grief Miriam and Aaron were causing him. He chose to bear the burden. This being the case, we see in verse 2 that God chose to step in and do something about the matter, even though He wasn’t asked. Moses was not the type of person to bring his personal problems to God.

We can also see the meekness of Moses in other places.

Exodus 18:13-23

Moses was literally wearing himself out trying to help everyone solve their problems. He never complained or even gave thought to what this was doing to him both physically and mentally. He willingly bore the problems of everyone else on his own shoulders.  His father-in-law, however, saw the problem. He pointedly told Moses that what he was doing was no good. Notice especially verse 19, where we see that Moses needed to take this matter before God. Then he needed to start training men to assume some of the burden that he was bearing on behalf of the people.

The meekness of Moses wasn’t a character of timidity or letting other people run over him. Moses’ meekness was a demonstration of strength beyond what most men show. He carried burdens that would cause most of us to crumble and he never complained – not even to God.

Another example of meekness is seen in Jesus.  Jesus tells us that he is meek.

Matthew 11:29

He is not stating that he is timid or a coward. Remember that on two occasions, Jesus threw merchants and money changers out of the temple.

John 2:14-17

Matthew 21:12-13

Instead, he is telling us that he is willing to take up our heavy loads and bear them in our stead. In their place he will give us light loads to carry. Remember the prophecy of the suffering Servant?

Isaiah 53:4-7

 

 

This is the description of meekness: a willingness to bear the burdens of others with no thought of self without even a groan of complaint. Jesus bore so much on our behalf. That is meekness.  He did not revile or threaten His tormentors.
I Peter 2:21-25
 

Jesus wasn’t weak, timid, or cowardly. At any time Jesus had only to ask, and he could have stopped the violence.

Matthew 26:50-54

But Jesus wasn’t concerned about himself. There was work to be done, there was a burden to carry that no one else could.

Philippians 2:4-8

Then there is the meekness that Christians should show.  If we patiently suffer for what is right, then we have God’s commendation.

I Peter 2:19-21
Colossians 3:12-13

Meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another. Forgiving if anyone has a complaint.


 



Without a doubt you are going to have to put up with brethren who will irritate you and cause you all sorts of grief. Do the best you can and carry the load.
Galatians 6:1-2

Restore with the attitude of meekness. When people fall into sin, we who are spiritual should pick up their burden – not to the point of taking on their sin or being tempted to sin – but help them shoulder their burden so that they might have a chance to become stronger. We are to bear one another’s burdens, that is the law of Christ. The spirit of meekness is very precious in God’s sight.

I Peter 3:3-4
I Timothy 6:11-12

Have you thought how odd it is to mention meekness and then in the very next phrase say, “fight the good fight”? We are going to be opposed. Shoulder the burden. Give no thought for yourself, but battle for the Lord.

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