Articles
Blessed Are the Meek
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)
Meekness is best described by the phrase “power under control.” Typically though, meekness has been equated with bashfulness and powerlessness. This false idea runs completely contrary to the biblical use of the term.
Several individuals empowered by God are portrayed as meek. Moses was considered in his time to be the meekest man who lived (Num. 12:3). Jesus describes Himself as meek and lowly in “the Great Invitation” (Matt. 11:28-30). We know that this cannot be weakness, for Jesus possessed the full power of God, being able to cleanse lepers, resurrect the dead, and command twelve legions of angels. Meekness is not weakness; rather, it is power tamed by God’s will.
In this Beatitude, Jesus alludes to an OT passage and develops to an even greater extent that which God had promised to native Israel. “But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace” (Psalm 37:11). In place of the physical land of milk and honey, we have Heavenly Canaan waiting just across the foam as our inheritance. To inherit this blessing from the slain Christ, the exhibition of meekness must be primary in our lives.
