The Beatitudes, Week 3
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5
As we go through the Beatitudes, it's important to note that Jesus isn't instructing us to pursue these qualities for our own sake. The purpose and passion of Jesus was to glorify the Father, and that should be our passion as we follow him. So what is meekness and how does it glorify God? Let's look at other references to meekness in Scripture to find out.
"But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace." Psalm 37:11
If we look ahead in Psalm 37 to verse 9, we also see that "those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land," so it's safe to conclude that the meek are those who wait for the Lord. We see a picture of what this looks like in verses 5-8:
"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries our evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil."
The meek trust in God, commit their way to him, are quiet before him, and wait for him. They have confidence that the Lord intends good for them, and they wait patiently for the outcome.
"Know this my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." James 1:19-21
James tells us to be slow to speak and quick to listen, to be slow to anger and approach God's Word with meekness. This means that meekness is having a teachable heart that isn't resistant or hostile. It's submitting to God and allowing him to change our hearts to line up with his Word.
"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of meekness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted." Galatians 6:1
The meek have a deep awareness that they are fallible. When they approach someone with correction, they admit that they also need God's mercy. This also points back to the verse we just looked at in James, where the meek are quick to listen and slow to anger.
Ultimately, meekness begins with putting our trust in God. As we put our faith in Him, we commit our way to him - our fears, our plans, our relationships - and we wait patiently for his timing, knowing that he will work things out for his glory and our good. We aren't quick to anger because we've relinquished control to God and trust him for vindication from evil. We're slow to speak and reasonable because our hearts are teachable and we know our own faults and fallibility. And we have confidence in knowing that Jesus has already won the battle, making us heirs to a glorious inheritance.
I'm praying that meekness is evident in each one of us this week, not for our own benefit, but for the glory of our faithful Father.
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Each week I design a new iPhone background with a different verse and share it on the blog. Seeing Scripture several times throughout my day reminds me of truth, strengthens my faith, and helps me me memorize God's Word so I can accurately share it with others. Feel free to download, pin, and share these backgrounds as many times as you would like!
