Anchor My Faith

Those Who Are Meek

Scripture: Matthew 5:5

The poor in spirit inherit the kingdom, those who mourn are comforted and now we come to the third beatitude: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). This beatitude is similar to Psalm 27:11 (ESV): “But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.” In a way this points to the meek inheriting the promise land. It took 40 years of wandering in the wilderness to understand this, but even once in the land, peace seems to allude them.

A meek person is one who is gentle or soft, one who does not assert themselves over others in order to get ahead in their own strength. They exhibit self-control and are free from malice and a condescending spirit. In Numbers 12:3, Moses is described as being “very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” (ESV) The NKJV and NLT replace “very meek” with “very humble.” Being meek or humble does not imply weakness or an ineffective life, as we tend to think here in the west.

As “land” in Psalm 27:11 probably points back to the promise land, “earth” in Matthew 5:5 has in view the new heaven and the new earth. The promise land was constantly invaded and on the earth today there is always war and violence someplace. With the second coming of Jesus, the Messiah, there will be a new heaven and a new earth and the promise made here will be fulfilled in glorious ways beyond our imagination. That new creation will be free of powerful despots, ruthless tyrants, and manipulative schemers. It will be possessed by the meek, by those humble in heart.

If meekness is so important, then how does one obtain it? In Matthew 11:29, Jesus said that we are to learn from him, because he was humble and gentle at heart. First, we need to desire to be like Jesus; to be meek, humble and gentle at heart. Second, we need to spend time with Jesus, because the old saying is that “you become like those you spend time with.”

As we walk the gospel path together with Jesus over the next several years and honestly absorb into hour hearts what Jesus teaches, and model how he lives, we will gradually become meek and humble like him. We need to keep before us Romans 8:29a (ESV): “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” My prayer has been that my Father will conform me into the image of Jesus and as a result I will become more meek and humble. It is not something I can do on my own; I need God to change my heart.

Prayer

Father, prepare me by developing within me a meek and gentle spirit that I would be fit to inherit the new earth. Father, I am like a house under construction. After much work and finishing touches, it will be a sight to behold. We are sown a physical body, but raised a spiritual body. What that body will be like is beyond the grasp of our minds.