It is my impression that many do not know what meekness means. It seems that in most cases men attach meekness with fear and femininity. At times, they attach it with being soft-spoken and slipping around or being sneaky. But this is far from what meekness means in the Bible.
In the first place, Christ would not pronounce a blessing upon those who were guilty of such a disposition as mentioned above. If you will remember, He said, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5). Jesus did not believe in being sneaky or in being a sissy.
Christ was very much a man. All the things He did and the suffering through which He passed prove this to be the case. They beat Him, abused Him, and misused Him, but he stood up like a man should. At last they put a cross on Him and He carried it as far as He could, but due to the lack of energy, food, rest, and the beating before the cross, He was unable to carry it all the way. Does His life sound like one of softness and ease? Remember, He died on a cross with honor and dignity, even though death on the cross was the most cruel and low death that one could die. Again, does this sound like some baby ordeal? Jesus was a man in every way, and yet He says of Himself that He is “meek and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:28-29).
What is meekness? I would say that meekness is strength under divine control. Meekness is the opposite of fear and being a sissy. It is the opposite of slipping around and being sneaky. The noun form of it comes from the Greek word prautes. The meaning of prautes is “that temper of spirit in which we accept His (God’s) dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting; it is closely linked with the word humility.”
It is much easier to follow the flesh than the Spirit, in most cases. It is easier to retaliate than not. It is easier to talk back than say nothing. It is easier to follow the crowd to do evil than to take a stand alone. It is easier to say nothing when wrong is being done than to speak out and take a stand. Meekness demands that we always do what God wishes regardless of the cost or how well it may suit others.
Meekness means that we are under God’s control both within and without. It calls for different steps with each situation. Sometimes it is swift and outspoken and at other times it is still and quiet. It all depends on what the circumstances are over against the truth.
-Malcolm L. Hill, January 12, 1934 – June 26, 2012
