BLESSED ARE THE MEEK

Proclamation:

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

Explanation:

These are the words of our Lord and savior Jesus, The Christ, which He spoke to His disciples and to the surrounding crowd during His Sermon on the Mount as recorded by the Apostle Matthew.  The meek are the ones who quietly submit to The Lord.  They are silent or return a soft word when they are insulted or attacked.  The meek are happy in this life and in the life to come because they exercised self-control, the fruit of The Holy Spirit of God, and did not return evil for evil.

Application:

A lot of people mistake “meekness” for “weakness”.  The meek have the power to rise up and defeat others, but they choose not to use their power or strength.  Imagine a professional boxer who was hit by an average guy and the boxer just looked at him and walked away.  The boxer could have fought back and won but chose not to do so.  The meek are blessed of God.  They have an unseen source of power and strength.  The believer who is meek has not only his own physical strength, but he also has the power of God within him.  Their power is much greater than their physical strength.  That power is available to us as believers but if we exhibit the fruit of The Holy Spirit we will not have to use the power of God.   

The Meek Are Humble And Exercise Self Control

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."  Matthew 5:5 (NIV)

The Apostle Matthew recorded these words of Jesus as He taught His disciples, and the surrounding crowd, the beatitudes in His Sermon on The Mount.  This verse, the third of the beatitudes, states that the believers who are meek are blessed, and they will inherit the earth.

People often mistake meekness for weakness.  The meek are not weak, they are humble.  They would rather suffer a wrong than do wrong, and therefore they enjoy God's favor.  They have the ability and power to respond as most humans would respond when they have been wronged.  However, they choose to act in a Christ-like manner and thereby please The Lord.  The meek are exhibiting the fruit of The Holy Spirit and they are actually demonstrating supreme self-control through the power of The Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:23)  They have chosen to submit themselves unto The Lord and to follow His directions.  In keeping with The Word of God, they show a gentleness towards all men. (Titus 3:2)   They can bear provocation without being upset by it.  They can disagree with others without being disagreeable.  The Lord will guide and teach the meek (Psalms 25:9)  The meek enjoy the favor of God because they are like Christ.  Jesus said that He was meek. (Matthew 11:29)  These are the people who will inherit the new earth.  The fact that the meek shall inherit the earth is not only stated here, but it was also stated by King David in the Psalms. (Psalms 37:11)  

Meekness

"But the fruit of The Spirit is ...Meekness ..." Galatians 5:22-23

Meekness if often mistaken for weakness. Meekness is having the power and choosing not to use it. Just because you can, does not mean that you should.

"Meekness is a humble and gentle attitude that is patiently submissive in every offence, while having no desire for revenge or retribution." (MacArthur)

It is gentleness. "It is having the ability to govern our passions and resentments, so as not to be easily provoked." (Nelson)

Meekness is "the disposition to be gentle, kind, indulgent, even balanced in tempers and passions, and patient in suffering injuries without feeling a spirit of revenge." (Dake)

It is hard to be meek when our natural inclination is to get even or to pay someone back for the wrong done to us. Meekness requires much prayer on our part.