I have to admit that whenever I read this, I’m always having to look up the word meek. What exactly does it mean to be meek?
I suppose it would be good to say what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean weak. When you look at Moses and Jesus himself, both were described as meek, but you could hardly call either of them weak. They were both very strong men.
The word meek comes from the idea of an animal that has been tamed. A tamed animal has not lost any of its strength, but is submitted to its master, and is willing to be used for his purposes.
Defined this way, Moses and Jesus can definitely be called meek.
Moses, after originally trying to fight for the Israelites on his own strength, and then giving up completely when he was essentially exiled, put himself under God’s authority and went on to accomplish great things.
Jesus, of course, while never ceasing to be God, nevertheless submitted himself to his Father’s will, going to the cross, and accomplishing the purpose for which the Father sent him, our salvation.
Both went through trying times. Both went through times of weakness. But both persevered through those trials, and kept on going until they fulfilled the purpose the Father had for them.
That’s what it means to be meek.
How about you? Are you meek? Have you submitted yourself to the Father?
When times get hard, do you complain, and ask, “Why is this happening to me? I thought I was doing what You told me?”
Or do you humble yourself before him, and continue to do his will?
It is to those people that Jesus says, “They shall inherit the earth.”
We will not go unrewarded if we submit to the Father and follow his will every day.
The question is: Will we?
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 