The best way to know the meaning of a word is to study passages where it is used. As we do, we will see meekness is an attitude or quality of heart [1 Peter 3:4] whereby a person willingly accepts and submits without resistance to the will and desires of someone else. The meek person is not self-willed - not continually concerned with self, his own ways, ideas, and wishes. He is willing to put himself in second place and submit himself to achieve what is good for others. Meekness is the opposite of self-will, self-interest, and self-assertiveness.
This is a sign, not of weakness of character (as some think), but of strength. It requires great self-control to submit to others.
A preacher once preached a sermon on this story and afterward a man prayed, "Lord, we thank thee that we are not proud like that Pharisee"! He was doing the very thing he was saying he was not doing! We are all sinners. We have no right to look down on anyone as if we deserve salvation because we are so good, and they don't deserve it. We can be more righteous than the Pharisee, but only by humbling ourselves like the publican and calling on God to forgive us.
1 John 1:8,10
If we say we have not sinned, we are liars. We are all sinners, and often need forgiveness. We all deserve to be punished for our sins. We have hope of salvation only by God's gracious willingness to forgive. We are no better than the Pharisee or publican, in the sense we are all sinners.
Though it’s not talked about much in the West, meekness should be the foundation of every Christian’s character. The Bible has much to say about this virtue. It’s one of the “beatitudes” in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:5) and it’s the only virtue Jesus described about Himself in the Gospels – “Come to Me all you who are weary…for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matt 11:28-29). Meekness, in my opinion, is also the hardest and rarest thing to walk in. We are born into a world where the very air we breathe is selfish ambition and self-centeredness. The more I try to be humble the more I realize how prideful I really am. But for those who embrace it, meekness will transform our heart and conform us into the image of Jesus like nothing else.
Two of the greatest characters in the Bible possessed in common the qualities we want to study in this lesson.
Numbers 12:3 - Moses was very meek, above all men on face of the earth.
Matthew 11:29,30 - Jesus said, "I am meek and lowly in heart."
These men were two of the greatest characters who ever lived. Both were chosen by God to be givers of His law. Jesus was the Divine Son of God. Surely we should seek to be like these men.
Other verses emphasize the importance of these qualities
Matthew 5:5 - Blessed are the meek (gentle - NKJV), for they shall inherit the earth. Jesus declares a "blessing" (happiness) on those who are meek.
Galatians 5:22,23 - Meekness is one of the fruits of the Spirit - qualities that we must possess if we are led by the Spirit.
Proverbs 16:18,19 - Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly.
If we seek to be happy, to be led by the Spirit, to avoid destruction, and to be like great people such as Moses and Jesus, we need to possess meekness and humility.
James 1:21-25 - Meekness toward God's word requires putting away filth and wickedness. Be doers of the word, not just hearers.
James 4:6-10 - God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves in the sight of God and He will exalt you. Therefore be subject to God, draw nigh to Him, cleanse your hands, purify your hearts, be afflicted, mourn, and weep. This is the true effect of humility in our lives, just as in Jesus' life (cf. 1 Peter 1:22).
When we are truly humble, and hold ourselves in low esteem compared to God's exalted greatness, we will submit to His will. This is why Scripture so often associates repentance with humbling oneself. [1 Kings 21:27ff; 2 Chronicles 7:13f; Isaiah 57:15; 1 Peter 5:5-9; Proverbs 15:31-33]
Matthew 16:24 - Here is an excellent definition of "meekness," without using the word. To be meek is to deny self.
The selfish person says "I want this, I want that...." True meekness says, "So what! What does God want?" Is this really best according to God's way? God's ways are so much better than ours that we will submit.
Someone says, "Well, don't we ever get to consider what we want?" Yes, but be careful. When it doesn't matter according to God's will, then we may consider our own will. But the meek person carefully considers God's will first, then his own will last. It is very easy to sub-consciously desire to please ourselves, so we conclude an act doesn't matter to God, when really it does matter to Him. We must question every act, word, thought as to what effect it will have on our service to God. Then we do only what we are sure will please God.
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