Matthew 5:5 – BLESSED ARE THE MEEK
Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
According to Webster’s 1828 dictionary, the primary meaning of the word meek is: Mild of temper; soft; gentle; not easily provoked or irritated; yielding; given to forbearance under injuries.
In this passage, Jesus is teaching us that there are rewards for learning to control ourselves. By controlling our emotions and by controlling our actions, God is willing to bless us in ways that we never would have imagined. It is easy to get angry at someone when they do something that hurts you; it is much harder to yield your rights and to overlook a transgression. It is easy to be irritated at others when they do something that annoys you; it is much harder to be not easily provoked or irritated.
God desires that you learn to control yourself and not allow the trials of this world to upset you. You serve a living God who knows everything that is going to happen to you long before you were ever born. When someone hurts you; God knew that it was going to happen. You have a choice, you can get angry at them and allow bitterness to dwell inside your heart, or you can forgive them and learn the lessons that God has for you as a result.
You can never be meek in your own strength. In order to be meek, you must understand that God is in control of everything and that HE has a perfect plan for your life. If you insist on being in charge over your life, you will never be meek.
Christ told us that HE is meek and lowly of heart and that we are to follow HIS example. Christ demonstrated his meekness when HE yielded his right to send a 1,000 angels to destroy all those who tried to kill him. Christ prayed that God would remove the trial from his life but resolved that it was not HIS will but the will of the Father that must be done.
Scripture tells us that Moses was a meek man. Moses demonstrated his meekness on numerous occasions when people tried to usurp his authority of leading the nation of Israel. Moses simply stepped back and he allowed God to demonstrate to the people who HE desired to lead the nation of Israel. Moses simply yielded his right to be the leader and God continued to bless him by allowing him to lead.
Nonetheless, Moses made a major mistake one day and it ended up costing him the right to enter the Promise Land. One day, Moses allowed himself to be irritated with the constant nagging of the people. Rather than listen to God and do what God desired him to do, Moses chose to do his own thing and he ended up disobeying God.
It takes great self-control to demonstrate meekness. You must really change your attitude so as to not allow your temper to get the better of you. People are people and they will always do things that provoke and irritate you. The choice is yours how you are going to respond to them. You can choose to have your own way or you can chose to yield your rights and trust God.
As long as you are insisting that you are in control over your own life, you will never be able to obey God and be a meek individual. You must learn to add temperance to your life so that you can yield your rights and learn to fully trust God the way that HE desires. God is in control, it is time that you start living your life in accordance with your belief.