SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/19/2020
9:32 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-3 “The
Meaning of Meekness”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Matthew 5:5
Message of the
verse: “5 “Happy
are those who claim nothing, for the whole earth will belong to them!”
(Phillips).
We continue in this SD to look at
what the “nuts and bolts” of the meaning of meekness is all about. Remember that meekness is not weakness for Jesus
Christ was meek, but He surely was not weak.
Even though meekness is not weakness
meekness is the opposite of violence and vengeance as the meek person, for
example, accepts joyfully the seizing of his property, knowing that he has
infinitely better and more permanent possessions awaiting him in heaven as
Hebrews 10:34 states “For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted
joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a
better possession and a lasting one.”
The person who is meek as died to self, and therefore he does not have
to worry about injury to himself, nor about loss, insult or abuse. The meek person does not defend himself,
first of all because that is his Lord’s command and His example. Second because he knows that he does not
deserve defending. Being poor in spirit
and having mourned over his great sinfulness, the (meek) “gentle” person stands
humbly before God, knowing he has nothing to commend himself.
John MacArthur writes “Meekness is
not cowardice or emotional flabbiness.
It is not lack of conviction nor mere human niceness. But its courage, its strength, its
conviction, and its pleasantness comes from God, not from self. The spirit of meekness is the spirit of
Christ, who defended the glory of His Father, but gave Himself in a sacrifice
for others. Leaving an example for us to
follow, He ‘committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while
being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no
threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Pet.
2:21-23).
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ
was sinless so therefore He never deserved criticism or abuse, He did not
resist slander or did He repay injustice or even threaten His tormentors. Jesus, the only human being who
did no wrong, the One who always had a perfect defense, never defended Himself. This was not weakness, but surely meekness.
Now
we read that when His Father’s house was profaned by moneychangers and also
sacrifice sellers that “14 And He found in the temple those who were selling
oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers seated. 15 And He made a
scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and
the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the moneychangers, and overturned
their tables” (John 2:14-15). Jesus
would scathingly and also repeatedly denounce the hypocritical and wicked religious
leaders as He twice cleansed the Temple by force, and He fearlessly uttered
divine judgment on those who forsook and corrupted God’s Word. Again this shows
that meek people are not weak people as there was not a one who would try to stop
Jesus as He was cleansing His Father’s Temple as I have to believe that there
was a Holy Fear on those around Him as He did this two times, once at the
beginning of His ministry and once at the end of His ministry.
MacArthur
concludes this section of the meaning of meekness by writing “But Jesus did not
once raise a finger or give a single retort in His own defense. Though at any time He could have called
legions of angels to His side (Matt. 26:53), He refused to use either natural
or supernatural power for His own welfare.
Meekness is not weakness, but meekness does not use its power for its
own defense or selfish purposes.
Meekness is power completely surrendered to God’s control.”
4/19/2020 9:59 AM
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