Hearing from the Master
Blessed Are the Meek
Matthew 5:5; 6:1-8; 1 Peter 2:21-23
Turn to Matthew 5. Our beatitude this morning is Blessed are the Lowly. Many of your Bibles will say blessed are the meek.
“Blessed are the lowly, for they shall inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5 (LSB)
A state of meekness follows the beatitudes we have studied, being poor in spirit and that of mourning. Meekness is not weakness, indecisiveness, lack of confidence, or just being nice, but it is gentleness and self-control and a strong sense of contentment with confidence. It is not what we might describe as easy-going. D. A. Carson wrote:
“Some people are just naturally nice and easy-going, but then again, so are some dogs. Meekness goes much deeper than that … as meekness is a controlled desire to see the other’s interests advance ahead of one’s own.”
- A. Carson, Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the World 24
Gentleness, self-control, and contentment with confidence. Boy, it would seem that in our high-stress society, the world could use a dose of meekness. When we consider others, we realize that God created all men and women; however, we do tend to place the greatest value on ourselves, don’t we? Yet there is something within us that knows this is not right or not best. And when we see meekness in others, we certainly admire that character quality. And though meekness is admirable, it is hard, as we desire it when we look at life in the big picture, yet in the moment we do not always pursue it. We see meekness in the Bible and admire such acts of kindness. Think of Abraham allowing Lot to choose the best land. This was not giving someone a token gift. No, Abraham was a leader, wise, rich, and important, yet he was willing to allow his nephew to choose where he would live over himself. Think of Joseph’s reaction toward his brothers or David’s refusal to take the life of Saul. And sometimes in ministry we may get frustrated with people, but think of Moses’ patience and humble leadership over rebellious Israel.
So, as I considered this whole quality of meekness or lowliness, I believe we could say that beatitude number one, poor in spirit, is the true condition of a person because of his humanness and his sin, whereas meekness is the acting out of that reality. Poor in spirit is an understanding of who we are before God, while meekness or lowliness is an understanding of our life before God and man. Andrew Murray taught that meekness is a form of humility that must be apparent in the everyday interactions of the believer. He wrote:
“Humility before God is nothing if not proved in humility before men.”
Andrew Murray, Humility 46
Martyn Lloyd-Jones adds, saying that it can be compatible with authority and leadership. He said meekness is the absence of pride; it is not defensive, it does not feel sorry for self, it is patient and long-suffering, it is ready to listen, and it is ready to leave things in God’s hands. And the promise for those who are meek and lowly is that they will inherit the earth. James Montgomery Boice wrote:
“Yet there is a sense in which the meek shall inherit the earth now. For the meek man is the man who is satisfied and is therefore content.”
James Montgomery Boice, The Sermon on the Mount 36
Jesus often would associate with those whom others ignored. And Jesus taught this meekness in His sermon when He said not to do works before others proudly, but to be discreet in giving to the poor, and when praying to the Father. And His whole purpose in coming was the greatest demonstration really of His meekness. Paul wrote:
“Have this way of thinking in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men.”
Philippians 2:5-7 (LSB)
Let’s pray. Lord, as we come to another beatitude this morning, as we are reminded again of another perfection of Christ, we can only stand speechless before You. The God of the universe demonstrated such meekness and lowliness, a quality that we as sinful humans struggle with. So, help us, Lord, as we study this part of the sermon this morning, that the truth of Your Word would continue to mould us and change us. For we ask this in Your name, amen. When we think of the words “meek” and “lowly,” it does not seem to jibe with our culture. I love what Kent Hughes called this. He said this is not our culture’s “survival of the fittest” but “the survival of the meekest.” Yet we do not usually think in those terms. Kent Hughes summarizes this character quality well. He said that the one who is meek: He has a gentle spirit because he trusts God. He possesses great strength and self-control. He extends love to others rather than retaliation. He stands up fearlessly in the defence of others who are harmed. He declares the truth when needed (R. Kent Hughes, The Sermon on the Mount: The Message of the Kingdom 36).
And the person who is meek is also amazed that God would treat us the way in which He does. And he is also amazed at God’s love for us because the meek person has a true estimate of his own weakness and sinfulness as a human. The word we hear a lot today is “entitlement,” and that is not on the radar when considering meekness or lowliness. Boice calls this beatitude a very difficult statement by Christ for us. He said it would have shocked the culture of Jesus’ day, but no less for us today even as Christians, especially as it is tied to its promise that the lowly shall inherit the earth. When we think of inheriting, we think of gaining something through hard work, human strength, self-effort and assurance. We sometimes might even think of the word “conquest.” But D. A. Carson wrote that mankind is so upside down in his thinking in connection with this character quality. He wrote:
“Individually, each man tends to assume without thinking, that he is at the center of the universe; therefore he relates poorly to the billions of others who are laboring under a similar delusion. But the meek man sees himself and all others under God.”
- A. Carson, Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the World 25-26
So, here is our problem as human beings. We are self-willed, and we do find it very difficult to have others in authority over us and even God over us. We, by nature, do not like that. That someone else is going to determine certain aspects of our life. This even becomes a problem in marriage when a husband and wife are to be in unity with each other. Yet our tendency for control disrupts that unity. A wife is supposed to follow the leadership of her husband, but she balks at that because she wants control. And what does the husband do? Well, he usually does one of two things. He will either become angry and more demanding, or he will give up his responsibility to lead altogether. So, the lack of meekness is a problem at the core of marriage. But it is also a problem at the core of parent-child relationships. The parent asks a child to do something, and the child does not want to do it. So, what does the parent do? Well, the parent will often do the same thing as the husband. The parent will become very angry and become more demanding, or the parent will just give up their responsibility to lead and allow the child to do whatever he wants at times. So, the lack of meekness is a problem at the core of family relationships. And this happens in the workplace as well, when employees are not meek toward their boss. And the boss becomes angry and more demanding, or the business just loses all its organizational effectiveness, and employees then become ineffective and lazy.
Can it happen in the church? Well, yes. The lack of respect for leadership. Demanding elders and leaders with no meekness often on either side. And there ought to be meekness between believers, brothers and sisters in Christ. The Bible even says that though we might have freedom to do something, yet if it offends another believer or causes him or her to stumble (Rom 13), the meek believer will forgo that freedom for the spiritual sake of the other. One of the things that I have always enjoyed at Elim since we came here amazingly over five years ago is a unity among us. And after doing this study, I would have to say that a great deal of the unity we enjoy is because of a meekness between us as brothers and sisters. It is just like a family who enjoy each other greatly. They have a wonderful respect for one another. They are careful that they do not offend each other.
Thinking back to the statement by Kent Hughes. Think of these words he used to describe meekness and consider a family at home or a church family here at Elim. He said that the one who is meek: He has a gentle spirit because he trusts God; He possesses great strength and self-control; He extends love to others rather than retaliation; He stands up fearlessly in the defence of others who are harmed; and He declares the truth when needed. We can easily see why this is a great character quality to teach our children through our actions. And we can see why this is such a blessing among a church family. John MacArthur asks the question: Why is meekness necessary?
- It is required for salvation, as only the meek will inherit the earth.
- It is commanded.
- It is a vital part of our witness, as Christianity looks ugly without meekness.
- It brings God glory.
John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Matthew 1—7 175-76
Sometimes we use the term “accountability.” And the difficulty we have with that term is that we don’t mind critiquing ourselves, as we are pretty gentle with ourselves and can be quite forgiving to ourselves. But being accountable to someone else can be very humbling and humiliating. As we would allow someone else—as Lloyd-Jones said to put the searchlight on me instead of doing it myself. This does take us back to the first beatitude, blessed are the poor in spirit, as it ties in so much with an attitude of self-emptying and self-humiliation, as it requires a broken will and a receptive heart before God. A. W. Pink calls meekness “the taming of the lion” in the human heart. Or he said it is the willingness of the wolf to lay down quietly. I love how those old guys are not afraid to convict the human heart. And we would have to agree, as we all know, of the natural aggressiveness of ourselves.
Remember Eli, who lacked meekness and therefore was unwilling to take responsibility for the actions of his boys. Remember the story of Jehoshaphat, who we are introduced to as a good king, so the assumption in the Bible is that he had faith in God. Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah, and he allied with King Ahab of Israel, who was an evil king. And to make a long story short, King Jehoshaphat, though he seemingly followed the Lord. He eventually ignored the advice of the Lord’s prophet and really did what he wanted to do in the first place.
So, this is often the downfall of men and women, even Christians. That unless they are submissive to the Holy Spirit to curb their tempers. To stop them from being resentful. To stop them from using strong language and yelling. To stop them from becoming quiet and angry. To stop them from making concessions for their wrong actions. And to stop them from making excuses for their wrong behaviour. As their lack of meekness will haunt them until the day, they die. Matthew Henry wrote:
“The meek are those who quietly submit themselves before God, to His Word, to His rod [His discipline], who follow His directions and comply with His designs, and are gentle toward men”
Henry went on to teach these things about meekness or lowliness.
- Submission to God: Meek individuals quietly yield to God’s authority, accept His written Word, and endure His discipline (“His rod”) without bitterness.
- Obedience to Guidance: They actively follow divine directions and align their lives with God’s plans and designs rather than their own selfish ambitions.
- Gentleness Toward Others: They treat all people with kindness.
- Patience Under Provocation: They can handle insults, anger, or unfair treatment without losing control, choosing to remain silent, offer a soft answer, or forgive rather than retaliate.
- Self-Mastery: They maintain calm self-control even when circumstances or other people are difficult.
A person who has a meek spirit is soft toward the leading of God. He or she is—and this is key—willing to wait upon the Lord and is receptive to the truth of God’s Word. And this meekness is first of all: Godward. Shown by a willingness to follow God’s leading even in areas where we ourselves might fear. And secondly, it is manward. As we sometimes believe that we are going to be meek towards God but are too proud to be meek before others or we may sort of pick and choose who we will be meek toward. Pink wrote:
“Meekness enables the Christian to endure provocations without being inflamed by them: he remains cool when others get heated.”
- W. Pink, An Exposition on the Sermon on the Mount 14
It made me think of a hockey term when hockey players have a minor altercation but do not begin fighting. The announcer will often say that cooler heads prevailed. Paul wrote:
“Brothers, even if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, each of you looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”
Galatians 6:1 (LSB)
Some of your Bibles will say here in a spirit of meekness. The restorer does not come with a domineering attitude. He does not come with harsh words or with a temper. He is not trying to find fault or with a desire to inflict church discipline, but with gentleness, humility, and patience. Yet this does not mean that the offence or sin is ignored; as in proper church discipline, it is dealt with, but always with the hope of reconciliation and restoring a brother or sister. As it is meekness that would motivate the leader under God to confront sin. I have mentioned before that if we have an offence, we need to bring it to someone: don’t write them a letter; don’t send them an email; don’t randomly blast someone on the Internet who you may not even know. Why? one, it is cowardly. But secondly, the intent of coming alongside someone is to restore them. The intent of bringing a problem to someone is that you may be reconciled with them. Yet our culture today loves to sit in a chair and criticize others. But nobody is going to read a blasting comment on a post and be won over. But if you truly come to someone in love and concern for them so that they not only hear your words, but they see your face, and they hear from your caring heart, giving a far greater opportunity to win over a brother or sister.
Now, if you want to praise someone, do it however you want. Thank them in person, send them an email, write them a card. But to bring a concern or critique, it should be done in person. Brother, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness. Psalm 37:11 says that the meek shall inherit the earth. For the one who is meek is content with what he has, whether much or little. Those who are meek are not haunted by greed but are satisfied.
“Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many wicked.
Psalms 37:16 (LSB)
Contentment of mind seems to be one of the fruits of meekness. Such a blessing to be humble and content with what we have. You know, in our prosperity gospel circles, it is interesting that the Apostle Paul had such a different view. He wrote:
“So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you.”
1 Corinthians 3:21-22 (LSB)
It would seem that because we have Christ, the Christian already possesses all things, at least all things that have eternal value. But Paul takes this so far that it is like he possesses all things even now, for he later says (2 Cor 6:10) though having nothing, yet possessing all things. The key with all this seems to be a redirect of our affections. (Zech 2:3) “Seek the Lord, all the meek of the earth … seek righteousness, seek meekness.” (Ps 21:26) “The meek shall eat and be satisfied.” (Ps 147:6) “The Lord lifts up the meek.” (Is 29:19) “The meek also will increase their joy in the Lord.” A. W. Pink reminds us that since Adam lost all his rights to the earth, all things now belong to Christ, so that until a person has a part with Christ, they own nothing, but with Christ we have all things now and have a full inheritance through Him.
Martin Luther reminds us of two options: first, the value in owning what we have in Christ, or you take what the world offers and live with it in unrest. He also said that even things like sickness, poverty, enemies, and even death cannot take from the believer what he has in Christ. John Bunyan suffered greatly for his faith, and we will address this more when we look at the beatitude about persecution. But Bunyan said this:
“It is not what enemies will, nor what they are resolved upon, but what God will, and what God appoints, that shall be done.”
John Bunyan, Seasonable Counsel, 722
Luther said to choose what you will. One, live with meekness, contentment, and patience; or live with a desire for the things of the world and lose it all. Well, as we have been doing, I would like to use an illustration in Christ’s sermon on meekness, and then see a reference to it in the life of Christ Himself. First, His illustration in the Sermon on the Mount.
1 “Beware of doing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2“Therefore, when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be glorified by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
3“But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
5“And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
6“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
8“Therefore, do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”
Matthew 6:1-8 (LSB)
Now we may read this and be confused with another part of Jesus’ teaching and think that it contradicts with:
““Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 (LSB)
And if we were there listening to Christ at the Sermon on the Mount. At that point we might want to raise our hand and ask, Jesus, which is it? Do we show our good works before men so that they would glorify God or do them in secret so that we would not lose our reward? Which is right? I love what John Stott teaches on this. He says there are times when we act cowardly and do not want to live for Christ in front of others and there are other times when we act with human vanity and want to show off to others. Sometimes it depends upon what it is and who is watching. A. B. Bruce sums it up well, saying here:
“Show when tempted to hide and hide when tempted to show.”
- B. Bruce, Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels 116
Though we might at first see a contradiction, I believe we understand the difference. For I know with myself the temptation to be quiet when I should speak or the temptation to stand back when I should act. Yet I also know the temptation to speak when I should be quiet or the temptation to do an outward act when I should be discreet. I would say that there does need to be some discretion here, for Jesus says about praying in a closet. And yet we certainly get the idea in the Bible that when Daniel openly prayed. This was honourable before God. Again, our actions must be carefully thought out, and in each situation, we must ask, what would best glorify God and bring Him glory and not me? And (vs 2) seems to help us here, so do not sound the trumpet. That phrase seems to indicate the intent behind the action. And Jesus’ teaching this morning about meekness should temper all our actions, as we must understand that it is a human trait which John Calvin calls the disease of ambition. He wrote that man must correct this disease of ambition, because when we do not, even when we are doing right, we are seeking glory from men. Now, Jesus, of course, perfects every beatitude. And we see this in the words of Peter, which is our memory passage.
“For to this you have been called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps, who did no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; who being reviled, was not reviling in return; while suffering, He was uttering no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”
1 Peter 2:21-23 (LSB)
I suppose of all our definitions of being meek and lowly, they all must be embedded within the context of those words of Peter as “entrusting ourselves to God,” to His care, to His guidance, and to His reward. And I suppose after this study we might strive for meekness, but I believe that would be off the mark. In other words, we are not striving for the character quality itself, for we are striving for Christlikeness. The command is that we would be like our Heavenly Father, who demonstrated each of the beatitudes through the Person of Jesus Christ. And our goal is to be like Him. In other words, we do not strive after the character quality, but after the Christ. Therefore, we need to get to know Christ. We need to be quick to identify our weaknesses and shortcomings in Christlikeness and begin each day with the purpose of following Him. Why? Because Christ is Lord. This is why Jesus said to count the cost before following Him, as becoming like Him is part of our mandate as Christ-followers.
Let’s pray. Lord, forgive us for the times when we act in such disobedience to this command. So, might we learn from You. For You said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.” Lord, may we desire this beauty in Your character so that we would be meek and content and always trusting, that we might find rest for our souls. And may the Spirit of God control us and make us like You. And all God’s people said, amen.