In Numbers 12:3, the Bible describes Moses as a man who was “very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” (KJV) Typically, when we think of someone today as “meek,” we attribute that to someone who is not very aggressive or is considered weak or timid. Nothing could be further from an accurate description of who Moses was as a man. When God described Moses as meek, He was describing a man who was humble, gentle, saintly, and lowly. Yet this meek man stood up to the most powerful ruler in the world at the time. He challenged Pharaoh on every level until Pharaoh let the Israelites leave Egypt. This meek leader led the Israelites out of Egypt into the wilderness and wandered with them for 40 years. He was their leader, their judge, and God’s messenger to the Israelites throughout their journey in the wilderness. He received the law from God’s own finger (Ex 31:18) and delivered it to the Israelites. Nothing Moses ever did could be described as “weak” or “timid!”
Moses was a man who not only revered and respected God, but had the same love for his own brethren. At one point, when God was ready to destroy all the Israelites, Moses begged God to take his life in place of destroying the people. (Ex 32:31-34; Deut 9:9-29)
It should come as no surprise, then, that Jesus was self-described as meek. (Matt 11:29; 21:5) On the great sermon He delivered, which is recorded in Matthew, He taught, “blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt 5:5) Jesus was quoting Psa 37:11. He was emphasizing how important this trait was for God’s children. This would carry forward the theme of the Psalmist and the Old Testament Prophets extolling the virtues and the rewards of the meek.
The meek will delight themselves in the abundance of peace. (Psa 37:11) The Lord lifts up the meek (Psa 147:6) and the meek will be satisfied as they praise the Lord. (Ps 22:26) Isaiah wrote that the Lord would provide equity for the meek (Is 11:4) and that they would find increased joy in their pursuit of the Lord. (Is 29:19) Ultimately, salvation awaits the meek of the earth. (Ps 149:4; 76:7-9)
Peter described the good Christian woman and wife as one who possessed a meek and quiet spirit of a person who had an incorruptible heart. (1 Pet 3:4) Peter says this spirit is “very precious in the sight of God.” If meekness is a quality that is precious in the sight of God, would it not be an attribute that all His children would strive daily to obtain and embrace?
Therefore, let us all strive in meekness (Zeph 2:3) to forebear “one another in love” (Eph 5:2), to embody the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:23), to exemplify the elect of God (Col 3:2), and to emulate the meekness and gentleness of Christ (2 Cor 10:1). In all of these things we can truly receive the blessings of the meek.
Randy Reagan