Jan. 12, 2022

“HOW TO BE HAPPY ACCORDING TO JESUS”

“HAPPY ARE THE MEEK”

MATTHEW 5:5

What is the true meaning of “meekness?”

Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they  shall inherit the earth.”

The Old Testament and New Testament differ slightly in their portrayal of meekness, and so we will look at both to get the complete picture:

1.   The Meaning of Meekness In The Old Testament:

Psalm 37:9 “For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.”

Psalm 37:11 “But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”

Psalm 37:22 “For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.” 

Psalm 37:29 “The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever.”

Psalm 37:34 “Wait on the Lord, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.”

The meek person is the one who obediently accepts God’s guidance, receives what God sends his way, and is compliant to the will of God.

Psalm 37 is a Psalm you can turn to in times of discouragement. David had times of discouragement in his life just like we do, and Psalm 37 is an expression of how he handled those times in his life. Look at David’s advice for the discouraged:

*vs.1,7,8- “Do not fret…” (Don’t worry.)

*vs.3- “Trust in the Lord…”

*vs.4- “Delight…in the Lord…”

*vs.5- “Commit your way to the Lord…”

*vs.7- “Rest in the Lord…”

The way not to worry is to rest, trust, commit, and delight in the Lord. That is a definition of meekness.

Job 1:21 “And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Job 13:15 “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.”

Luke 1:38 “Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”

*Jesus- His attitude

Luke 22:42 “Saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”

Matthew 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Jesus was saying, “I am waiting on the Lord, committing Myself to Him. God is in control of My life.

2.   The Meaning of Meekness In The New Testament:

Here’s the basic idea: In the Old Testament, meekness meant to live under the control of God, to be God-controlled. In the New Testament, the circle tightens and the word refers more to self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

Matthew 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

He personified a perfect definition of the New Testament meekness: power under control.

Once when Jesus healed a man with a withered hand, and the Pharisees criticized Him for healing on the Sabbath:

Mark 3:5 “And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.”

Another time, when the disciples tried to keep little children from getting close to Jesus:

Mark 10:14 “But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.”

Meekness never gets angry at what happens to itself. It only gets angry at what happens to others. Jesus never reacted in anger when He was personally abused at His trial and crucifixion:

1 Peter 2:23 “Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

Thomas Brown said, “Meekness is taking injuries like we take pills- not chewing them, but swallowing them whole.”

3.   The Meaning of Meekness In Our Lives Today:

*We Need Meekness To Receive God’s Word

James 1:21 “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” 

*We Need Meekness To Restore Fallen Christians

Galatians 6:1 “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.”

*We Need Meekness To Reach Others With The Gospel

1 Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”

*We Need Meekness To Remain Unified In Our Church

Ephesians 4:2-3 “With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Jesus said the meek will inherit the earth, which in the Old Testament referred to the Promise land of Canaan. In the New Testament, it refers to the blessings of all the promises of God- which include a new heaven and a new earth. The meek are not weak. They are happy (blessed) now and will be happy for eternity.