Morning At Last

Mat 5:5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Alright, unless we know what God means by meek, we will never understand this verse.   To our way of thinking, meek means gentleness but it generally denotes weakness or a sense of being cowed because there’s nothing else we can do.  That is not what this verse is talking about.

According to W.E.Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words,

Meekness is an inwrought grace of the soul; and the exercises of it are first and chiefly towards God. It is that temper of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting; it is closely linked with the word tapeinophrosune [humility], and follows directly upon it, Eph_4:2; Col_3:12; cf. the adjectives in the Sept. of Zep_3:12, “meek and lowly”;…it is only the humble heart which is also the meek, and which, as such, does not fight against God and more or less struggle and contend with Him. This meekness, however, being first of all a meekness before God, is also such in the face of men, even of evil men, out of a sense that these, with the insults and injuries which they may inflict, are permitted and employed by Him for the chastening and purifying of His elect” (Trench, Syn. Sec.xlii). In Gal_5:23 it is associated with enkrateia, “self-control.”

Think about a powerfully strong man refusing to take on a bully.  Bystanders might think he is a coward but he really holds back because he knows his own strength and has nothing to prove.

Moses was considered meek as was Jesus.  It denotes having power that is under control and submitted to God.  That is something that comes with overcoming trials and temptations in this life so it is an attribute of a mature son of God.  That is why the meek shall inheret the Earth.  They won’t misuse God’s power for their own elevation but will rather submit it for His purposes and glory.  They are the ones who have been proven trustworthy and can be counted on to rule with Christ in His will and not their own.