Blessed—Happy—Are the Meek

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5, NKJV)

Jesus was using Psalm 37:11 for the idea in this third Beatitude: “But the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Jesus wanted His disciples (and us) to learn that meekness—the quality of being submissive, gentle, patient and longsuffering—will prove a greater asset than pride. Meekness carries with it the idea of strength under control. Think of a powerful stallion with all its strength that has been trained to do his master’s bidding. The strength and potential are there; they have been brought under control. Without humility and meekness, one cannot learn, for the student must first realize that he does not know it all and therefore becomes “teachable.”

And what about the meek, subservient person inheriting the earth? Is this a paradox—a seeming contradiction—that the meek can inherit the earth? Meekness is a greater power than pride. The Jews were very proud of their race and heritage, the Romans of their military might and imperialism, the Greeks of their culture and learning. On the other hand, the meek, subservient person is often thought of as weak. How can such a person “inherit the earth”? Jesus had reference to the “new heaven and the new earth” spoken of in Revelation 21:1 and in 2 Peter 3:13. For the person who with meekness has a right relationship with God and is God-controlled, he can handle the things of this earth and look forward to an eternal dwelling with God. Theologian William Barclay in his Daily Study Bible (Westminster, 1956, p. 93) says this Beatitude in its fullest Greek meaning and translation must read: “O the bliss of the man who is always angry at the right time and never angry at the wrong time; who has every instinct and impulse and passion under control because he himself is God-controlled; who has the humility to realize his own ignorance and his own weakness, for such a man is a king among men!” And Rev. J. R. Dummelow in his commentary on the verse states: “A meek man is not one who is easily provoked or irritated, and is forbearing under injury or annoyance” (Commentary on the Whole Bible, Macmillan, 1958, p. 640). Meekness is not weakness but shows that the Christian has taken on a characteristic of inner strength and submission that Jesus Himself modeled in His life and taught us to emulate. “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he who rules his spirit than he that takes a city” (Proverbs 16;32, NKJV). The meek person trusts in God, and has his life under God’s control.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Wednesday, September 15, 2010