Two Examples of Meekness

Matthew 5:5  Blessed are the meek,

For they shall inherit the earth.

   

We have two men in the Bible that were specifically referred to as meek – Moses and Jesus.  We can look at the lives they led and the examples they set. But for the purposes of our study,  I want to look at the circumstances that seemed to have provoked the description of meekness.  In Deuteronomy 12:3 we are told this about Moses:  Now the man Moses was very humble (Hebrew word translated also as meek), more than all men who were on the face of the earth.

When did God call Moses humble?  What would be your guess?  I know what mine would have been.  It would have been when God called him from the burning bush and Moses made all those excuses about why he wasn’t good enough for God to use him.  But, that wasn’t when Moses was described as meek.  It was when his sister, Miriam, and his brother, Aaron, challenged his leadership.  Verse 2 tells us they said “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?  Has He not spoken through us also? What did Moses do?  Did He strike them with His rod?  Did He verbally put them in their place?  How did Moses defend himself?  You know what Moses did?  Nothing.  Moses did nothing.  We are told that God heard what they said and God responded to what He heard.  He brought leprosy upon Miriam.  When Aaron pleaded to Moses to do something for his sister, Aaron changed his attitude and called Moses ‘my lord’.  Moses sought the Lord on Miriam’s behalf to heal her.  So, this is Moses’ example of meekness. He had the authority to put Miriam and Aaron in their place – but, instead, Moses submitted to God’s power and authority .  Then, rather than seeking retribution, he sought healing for his sister.

Now, let’s look at Jesus.  Matthew 21:5 "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you,   Lowly (same New Testament word translated as meek in the beatitudes), and sitting on a donkey,  a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "

This is probably the best example of meekness.  Here we have Jesus, knowing He is king, knowing all of His power and even popularity, but not asserting it.  Jesus submitted to the Father’s will for Him and even rode into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey - the king exhibiting not honor, but lowliness.  A meek person knows who they are and are therefore not threatened by what others say of them, think of them, or do to them.  They choose not to retaliate, and not to stuff it (just take it), but take it to the one who will take care of it all – and take care of it all perfectly.  Meekness trusts God.

What have you learned about meekness from the examples set by Moses and Jesus? Two men, not afraid to take charge, two men, not afraid to take authority.  Yet, one was referred to as the meekest man on earth; the other as meek and lowly.Take a moment and ask the Lord to work in you this same meekness that Moses and Jesus exemplified.