Meekness is not Weakness

I received this in an e-mail from my good friend Brad recently and thought I would share it with you. It may be a little hard to follow, but as Brad says, please just read it slowly and I venture to say that you will be encouraged and challenged. He wrote

I was reading in Ps. 149:4:For the LORD taketh pleasure (8802) in his people: he will beautify (8762) the meek with salvation.

I was struck with the idea that Jehovah would beautify the meek with salvation.

So I journeyed to Vine's Expository Dictionary on line and typed in "meekness". Please ponder these notions of meekness slowly and meditatively. If you read them too fast you will miss the beauty of this quality:

2prautes praotes (Noun)

1.) Vine: "In its use in Scripture, in which it has a fuller, deeper significance than in nonscriptural Greek writings, it consists not in a person's "outward behaviour only; nor yet in his relations to his fellow-men; as little in his mere natural disposition. Rather it is an inwrought grace of the soul; and the exercises of it are first and chiefly towards God.

Comment: Only God can grant this quality. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. I pray for this to be wrought in us. Gritting my teeth and clenching my fists; resolving with my great spiritual will power will not bring this about. Only God the Holy Spirit grants this.

2.) Vine: "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. 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."

Comment: Meekness inwrought by God's grace does not argue with God about why they are in the circumstances they are in! Well that about convicts me!

3.) Vine: "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. xlii).

Comment: Meekness looks at all those guys who are insulting us as blessings from God to make us better! Well that about convicts me!

4.) Vine: "It must be clearly understood, therefore, that the meekness manifested by the Lord and commended to the believer is the fruit of power. The common assumption is that when a man is meek it is because he cannot help himself; but the Lord was 'meek' because he had the infinite resources of God at His command."

Comment: Pastor Curtis McClain quoted something similar to this years ago in the Grand Haven Assembly of God (on the corner of Beechtree and Robbins Road) on a Wednesday evening service: "Meekness is not weakness but power under perfect control." It stuck, but again I am convicted that I have regarded meekness as "wimpy". It is not! It is indeed the fruit of power and self-control. Please forgive me God.

5.) Vine: "Described negatively, meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest; It is equanimity of spirit that is neither elated nor cast down, simply because it is not occupied with self at all.

Comment: Not occupied with self? Is Vine serious? That about convicts me! Most of my waking thoughts are about me!!!

6.) Vine: "[A Christian] in his service, and more especially in his dealings with the 'ignorant and erring,' he is to exhibit 'a spirit of meekness,' 1Co. 4:21; Ga. 6:1; even 'they that oppose themselves' are to be corrected in meekness, 2Ti. 2:25. James exhorts his 'beloved brethren' to 'receive with the meekness the implanted word,' 1:21. Peter enjoins 'meekness' in setting forth the grounds of the Christian hope, 3:15.

Comment: Where is this beauty called meekness in our lives?!?! If I do correct anyone (which is rare) it generally is not in the spirit of meekness.

May our lives become meek so as to be beautified with salvation. Only the meek are free! The rest are imprisoned in themselves.