What Does The Word Meekness Mean In Hebrew
anvah- mildness, oppressed.
This term only occurs five times. It describes the two characteristics gained from affliction: humility and gentleness. When its applied to God, it represents His submission to His own nature.
And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.
Psalms 45:4
They Dont Fret Over The Wicked
And so the fourth thing about them is that they dont fret themselves over the wicked who prosper in their way. Or, as verse 8 says, they refrain from anger. Their family and work and life are in Gods sovereign hands they trust him they wait patiently and quietly to see how his power and goodness will work things out and so the setbacks and obstacles and opponents of life do not produce the kind of bitterness and anger and fretfulness that is so common among men.
So the portrait we have of meekness so far, based on the closest biblical parallel to the third beatitude, is that it begins by trusting God. Then it commits its way to the Lord in the confidence that he will use his power and mercy to do good for us. Then it waits patiently and quietly for the outcome. And, finally, it does not give way to anger and fretfulness when faced with opposition and setbacks.
So it is clear already, in this preliminary sketch from Psalm 37, that meekness has very much to do with God. It consists in a peaceful freedom from fretful anger and is based on trusting God and rolling all our ways onto God and waiting patiently for God. Meekness has very much to do with God.
What Does It Mean When It Says That A Person Is Meek
The word meek is one of the most misunderstood and misconstrued words in the Bible. Most people ascribe its English meaning to it when they see it used in the Bible. However, the meaning of the word meek as used in the Bible far differs from its everyday English meaning. To say somebody is meek is not to imply a person is quiet, gentle and not willing to state his opinions in a forceful way. If this were the case, Moses whom Bible describes in Numbers 12:3, as the meekest of all men on the face of the earth would not have been described as meek. Let us examine Moses life briefly. The man described as meek burst out in rage in several accounts recorded in scripture. Leviticus 10:16-17 recounts, And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burnt: and he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron which were left alive, saying, Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD? The Hebrew word for angry used in the verse above means to be wroth and burst out in rage. Many other times in scripture, Moses is seen livid with rage. .
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What Is The Difference Between Meek And Humble
In a basic sense, meekness refers to the quality of being quiet, mild, righteous, and obedient. On the other hand, humility refers to the high quality of being humble. … Meekness is a high quality that an individual presentations towards others, but humility is something that one presentations to 1’s self.
Meekness Cares About The Truth
So let me say it again: the meekness of wisdom is open to reason it is quick to listen to the reasons given by others for their opinions, and it is willing to give reasons for its own opinions. It cares about truth and whether others agree. And therefore it may become passionate and forceful. But it is always a servant. It is always submissive to a higher standard of truth. It is always willing to change to bring its opinions into line with truth. Meekness knows its own fallibility. But for that reason it takes debate and argument so seriously. It wants to discern its own errors and forsake them.
But the soft-spoken conversation in which two modern people defer to each others opposite opinions, not feeling the need to submit his opinion to a standard of truth higher than himself, and thus not exposing himself to the possibility of error and repentance that is not the spirit of meekness.
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How Can I Be Humble Before God
Confess your sins to the Lord, give up whatever is burdening you, and be willing to leave it at the cross. Much too often, we give something up to God and try to take it right back when we get stressed about it. Once you take it to the cross, leave it there. It’s not easy to humble yourself but it is freeing.
Blessed Are The Meek For They Will Inherit The Earth
Matthew 5:5
This well known statement of our Lord is taken from the Sermon on the Mount when expressing the Beatitudes. However, what does the attribute of meekness truly mean? Although this original proclamation by Jesus Christ took place approximately two thousand years ago, the term and its virtue has been referenced throughout the Bible all the way back to the life of Moses.1 In todays culture, does this term still have the same meaning and application for leaders and organizations?
This article will explore this crucial issue as it relates to values and ethics in order to demonstrate the significant impact it can have on greatly improving strategic leadership within organizations. More over, it will illustrate the assertive aspect of meekness in action by emphasizing that it does not represent a general distain for business but an example of business bereft of meekness. 2 To that end, this manuscript will examine how meekness could be instilled in modern organizations and what the nature of leadership might be if meekness was a required part of the job description.
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The Meek Serve Others
When Jesus and His disciples were gathered for the Passover, Jesus took a moment to wash His disciplesâ feet. He then told them, âThe servant is not greater than his lord neither he that is sent greater than he that sent himâ .
The meek consider it a privilege to serve others. King Benjamin was a ruler over his people, but he took time to serve them. He said, âWhen ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your Godâ .
Modern Cultures Dislocation Of Humility
Sixty years ago G.K. Chesterton spoke about the dislocation of humility. He said,
What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place. Modesty has moved from the organ of ambition. Modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction where it was never meant to be. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth this has been exactly reversed. Nowadays the part of a man that a man does assert is exactly the part he ought not to assert himself. The part he doubts is exactly the part he ought not to doubt the Divine Reason . . . We are on the road to producing a race of men too mentally modest to believe in the multiplication table.
Wisdom in the Bible is never a merely intellectual affair.
We are no longer on the road. We have arrived. The most seminal thinkers of our day would call the multiplication table a way of using language to help us get what we want. Thats all. You know that the secular world in which we live is populated by people who do not make their choices on the basis of an ultimate standard of truth. All truth has become relative.
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The Effect Jesus Wants This Promise To Have
What effect does Jesus want this promise to have on the disciples? I think the answer is that he wants the promise to give them strength to continue in their meekness. This is the way the promise works in verse 12: Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you. In other words, the promise of great reward gives the disciples strength to endure persecution with joy.
So I think the promise that the meek shall inherit the earth is intended by the Lord to give us the strength to endure in meekness when the natural inclination would be to defend ourselves or retaliate or give way to fretful anger.
Meekness And Timidity Are Opposites
Being meek must never be confused with being timid. A timid spirit is the exact opposite of a meek spirit! The quietness which accompanies meekness is the result of one’s trust in the Lord, whereas the quietness of timidity is the result of one’s lack of trust.
Neither must we be led to think that a meek person is always quiet. He is quiet when he should be quiet: when he is reviled or treated unjustly when others lose their temper when they chatter about this and that when they fight for their own gain and advantage, etc. But not when he is to press into God with vehement cries for help not when he is to cry out to God both day and night, or when he is to raise his voice like a trumpet to declare to God’s people their transgressions or when he has to defend the truths of the gospel openly or tear the lamb out of the lion’s mouth.
Divine nature is two-sided. It is quiet when it is fitting to be quiet, and it can boom like the sound of thunder and lightning when it is fitting to do so. Sinful nature also has two sides. It is boisterous when it ought to be quiet, and it is quiet and timid when it ought to cry out with all its might.
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The Meekness Of Wisdom
This becomes even clearer in James 3:13, 17. Verse 13 says, Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good life let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. This is a very beautiful phrase, the meekness of wisdom. The truly wise people are also the truly meek people. Why?
Look at verse 17: But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason. . . . Notice that the reason the truly wise person is also the truly meek person is that true wisdom is peaceable, gentle, and open to reason. But these are the marks of meekness! Isnt it remarkable that the marks of biblical wisdom and biblical meekness are the same?
Wisdom in the Bible is never a merely intellectual affair. It is a disposition of the heart as well as ideas in the head. And therefore, in a sense, meekness and wisdom are one thing. They are both peaceable, gentle, and open to reason.
You can see how that ties back into James 1:1921. Back there we saw that meekness meant being quick to listen and slow to criticize and condemn. Here meekness is open to reason. What a beautiful thing it is to sit on a board of deacons where, when a man speaks, the others listen and then deal reasonably with what was said instead of just blurting out something irrelevant or making a quick judgment without thinking through the reasons for it.
How Do I Practice The Virtue Of Meekness
We can practice meekness by being docile, being patient in accepting God’s will whole heartedly, by prayer, listening to the word of God, being focused on the good to be achieved despite the pain involved, by following the example of Jesus, by living a humble and simple life, by avoiding attaching oneself to excessive …
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‘the Meek Shall Inherit The Earth’ Why Why Is It True That ‘the Meek Shall Inherit The Earth’
As we continue to reference Matthew 5:5, the first question above might cause many to wonder the same. If being meek is, by definition, not a quality people want to brag about, then how could the person be seen as blessed? Well, therein lies the understanding: People dont brag about being meek, but it shows more strongly than people who only want the attention on them. They are blessed because they know what it means to live humbly and to be thankful for everything given to them. Those that revel in their accomplishments and gifts completely forget that it wasnt their efforts that brought those gifts but God. God instills in us the talents and abilities to achieve what we achieve each day, but some get caught up in the gift and forget to thank the giver.
Who Showed Meekness In The Bible
Jesus was once the ultimate instance of meek , and He’s the complete opposite of a pushover. Moses, too, used to be described as incomparably meek. We read about it in Numbers 12. Moses is main the country of Israel and his older siblings release a verbal assault against him, laced with envy, referring to his Cushite spouse.
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Should We Pursue Meekness
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in Gods sight. – 1 Peter 3:3-4
God calls us to follow Jesus in order to experience life to the full . The meek are content in this world, even though they are not striving according to its standards. I think sometimes cultivating traits like meekness and humility are trickier than learning boldness because we can easily tip the scales too far and become passive, wrote Sarah Phillips for crosswalk.com, Its a difficult balance, but a necessary one if we want to reflect Christ to a hurting world.
Christs preaching was radical, considering the Messiah was expected by most to be a powerful king by earthly standards. To further understand the benefits of a meek countenance, Matthew Henry wrote of meekness:
What Are Characteristics Of A Meek Person
Since the Bibles idea of meekness doesnt fit our own, we need to consider what makes a person meek by Biblical standards. Here are six traits that are:
Humility: the meek person recognizes that all have fallen short of the glory of God and is reliant on Gods grace, and therefore knows not to feel entitled.
Patience: the meek person knows that patience is better than pride and bears harsh circumstances and insults.
Gentleness: the meek person treats other people with love, even when those people dont deserve it.
Boldness: the meek person knows there are times to speak out against wrong behavior, and willingly does so when those times come.
Wisdom: the meek person learns that there is a time for everything , and therefore when to be bold and when to be gentle.
Trust: the meek person holds onto the fact that vengeance is the Lords , and he will work all things together for the good of people those who love God .
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Against Our Sinful Nature
The quietness and openness and vulnerability of meekness is a very beautiful and a very painful thing. It goes against all that we are by our sinful nature. It requires supernatural help. And that help is available, thank God!
If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, sitting at his feet on the mount this morning, that is, if you trust him and commit your way to him and wait patiently for him, God has already begun to help you and will help you more. And the primary way that he will help you is to assure your heart that you are a fellow heir of Jesus Christ and that the world and everything in it is yours. He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not freely give us all things with him? All things! No good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.
Meekness Between Opposition And Vindication
Now, what is the point of calling Moses meek right here in this context right between bitter opposition and Gods vindication? I think the point is that meekness means committing your cause to God and not needing to defend yourself. Just where we would expect the text to tell us what Moses said to justify himself against the charge of Miriam and Aaron, the text says he was the meekest man on the earth. Moses doesnt say a word. Instead, he waits patiently for the Lord. He frets not over these critical words. And God comes to his defense.
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The Ultimate Role Model
Throughout history, there have been many leaders that could be described as spiritually meek. However, the consummate role model that we can look to when aspiring towards this leadership virtue is Jesus Christ. Consequently, He told us that He was meek and demonstrated it through His willingness to take up our heavy burdens and bear them for us 30, which He had prophesized through His prophet Isaiah.31 In spite of His omniscient foresight of these events, He exhibited tremendous meekness by enduring this pain with no thought of self and without any complaint.
The ultimate expression of Jesus meekness was depicted when He had the power and ability to released twelve thousand angels at the snap of His finger before and during His crucifixion, yet refrained to atone and redeem mankind.32 This self-less act of power under control revealed His grace, compassion and agape love.33 The power under control that Jesus had rendered has two connected applications that are worth noting: