And the Meek shall…

Num 12:3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.

Psa 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

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

Definition of MEEK

1: enduring injury with patience and without resentment : mild

2: deficient in spirit and courage : submissive

3: not violent or strong : moderate

Meek, a Greek derivative, also refers to a war horse that is bridled and ready for battle.

Every time we see the words “meek” or “meekness” in the KJV New Testament they are translated from one of four Greek words; all of which have their origin in the Greek #4239 “praus.”

In the New Testament language of “Koine” Greek, the word “praus” was a military term, used to describe the training of horses. The Grecian army would capture the wildest horses roaming in the mountains and train them for use in the army.

Some horses were broken and made useful for ordinary duty and a few became war horses. When a horse passed the conditioning required to become a war horse, its state was described as “praus”. No longer wild and unmanageable, he was now trained to be under the control of his master.

The war horse hadn’t lost any of his power or strength, it was just harnessed and under the control of his master. It gave up being wild, unruly, out of control and rebellious; and, instead, learned to be submissive and responsive to the slightest touch of the rider.

A war horse was trained to stand in the face of combat, thunder into battle and then stop when his master tugged on the reins. It was now considered to be “meek.”

We shall start our story in Matthew Chapter 4.

Being led up by the Spirit, Jesus goes into the desert in order to fast for forty days and nights. The devil approaches him to tempt him three times. Jesus overcomes the temptations, sends the devil away and angels come and minister to him. Shortly after that time, he hears that John the Baptist has been arrested and he withdraws to Galilee.

He is spending time in a region of Zebulun and Naphtali, where the people are dwelling in darkness. These people are gentiles and have not heard the light of the word of god.

Mat 4:15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

Mat 4:16 the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned."

And his message is:

Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

The same message the John had be teaching. He must help the people to identify that all is not right with their lives.

Mat 4:18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

Mat 4:19 And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Mat 4:20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

Mat 4:21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.

Mat 4:22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Mat 4:23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

Mat 4:24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.

Mat 4:25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

Mat 5:1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

Mat 5:2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

Mat 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 5:4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

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

Mat 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Mat 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Mat 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Mat 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Mat 5:10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I believe that we are being introduced to characteristics of God. He just finished preaching that there is the need to repent, because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and now he is going into what they (we) have to look forward to. He is a comforter, merciful, compassionate, pure, a peacemaker, and a King.

But there is one that just seems to be out of place compared to the rest: Blessed are the Meek; for they shall inherit the earth. And I have always wondered why. Why was this one group given something when it does not appear that any of the other groups that are mentioned are?

The modern definition of the work meek means:

1: enduring injury with patience and without resentment : mild

2: deficient in spirit and courage : submissive

3: not violent or strong : moderate

That just doesn’t seem to match with - 2Timothy 1:7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Some translations use the term sound mind instead of self-control. It shows that we possess intelligence, have been empowered to do great things. For the disciples, it was the ability to heal the sick and weather trials. For us, it is the ability to withstand persecution for choosing to not be of this world.

But the Bible never gives us a question without an answer. It tells us who is meek.

The bible tells us that Moses was a meek man.

Num 12:3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.

Which is funny, because I don’t read the definition of meek and think of Moses.

I don’t recall seeing that Moses was a pushover when it came to standing before Pharaoh to command him that God wanted his people set free. In fact, Moses even tells God that he made a mistake is choosing him for this task.

Exo 4:10 But Moses said to the LORD, "Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue."

Exo 4:11 Then the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?

So what does the work meek mean?

Looking to the origin of the word, we can see that meek has roots in the Greek language.

The Grecian army would capture the wildest horses roaming in the mountains and train them for use in the army.
Some horses were broken and made useful for ordinary duty and a few became war horses. When a horse passed the conditioning required to become a war horse, its state was described as “praus”. No longer wild and unmanageable, he was now trained to be under the control of his master.

The war horse hadn’t lost any of his power or strength, it was just harnessed and under the control of his master. It gave up being wild, unruly, out of control and rebellious; and, instead, learned to be submissive and responsive to the slightest touch of the rider.

A war horse was trained to stand in the face of combat, thunder into battle and then stop when his master tugged on the reins. It was now considered to be “meek.”

I can see Moses in this light. He was a war horse. Trained by the best in Pharaoh’s household, he was strong and intelligent. But, he was wild and unruly, to the point that God had to keep him in the wilderness for about 40 years until he was meek enough to stand before Pharaoh and demand that he let the slaves go.

Out of the tutelage of Moses, we have Joshua.

One of only two people that were allowed to see the Promised Land.

Num 32:9 For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the people of Israel from going into the land that the LORD had given them.

Num 32:10 And the LORD's anger was kindled on that day, and he swore, saying,

Num 32:11 'Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me,

Num 32:12 none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the LORD.'

Num 32:13 And the LORD's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone.

So Joshua was molded to believe in the power of the Lord and not fear.

And we are told in Joshua:

Jos 1:5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.

Jos 1:6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.

And he encourages the people to take strength from the Lord and in verse 13.

Jos 1:13 "Remember the word that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, 'The LORD your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.'

Skipping to verse 15.

Jos 1:15 until the LORD gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise."

Jos 1:16 And they answered Joshua, "All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.

Jos 1:17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you, as he was with Moses!

It is interesting to see the word possess used here. Joshua is told by God that because of him, the people will inherit the land that was sworn to them. Joshua in turn tells the people that they must possess the land until God has given them rest.

So Moses, as meek man, teaches Joshua to also be a meek man. To be trained up in power and authority, and to not fear, but follow the leadings of God to possess their inheritance.

A possessor of land is a legal term for someone that has the duty to “reasonably inspect and maintain the premises in order to render them reasonably safe”. Being a possessor of land does not necessarily mean that you are the owner of the land. In this case, the possessor has been entrusted by the land owner (God) to make note of the dangers of the land, and to warn the people that are allowed to use the land as to what the dangers are. The possessor is only required to do this for the licensee, not for someone who is trespassing on the land.

Joshua knows that it is not going to be an easy or quick process to take that land that has been given to them. And he also knows that it not just for this generation that they must fight to possess the land.

So now we circle back around to Jesus, standing on the mountain saying “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”.

And the Christian churches say that if you are a timid and mild person, and allow yourself to be trampled for your beliefs in God, you will see an inheritance.

On the contrary, I see that God is telling us to take strength in his word, and be trained to stand in the face of adversity and not back down. For we are commanded to possess the land and make it safe for all that will be allowed to use it until we are given rest.

Psa 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

I look forward to being called meek, and I hope that you do the same.