As I study the topic of meekness, I keep remembering a recent conversation with a friend of mine. My friend thinks that it isn’t a good idea to be a submissive, meek person. Why? Because “a meek person doesn’t think for themselves, but lets someone else think for them. A meek person is too weak to stand up for themselves and therefore will be pushed around and used as a doormat. A meek person doesn’t know what they want in life, so they just go along with what someone else wants.”
But “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness...” According to Galatians 5:22,23, meekness is a production of the Holy Spirit. It is a characteristic that God would like to create in us.
Meek: quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive
Why does God want us to be “quiet, gentle, and easily imposed upon; submissive”? And does that mean that we are not to think for ourselves, stand up for ourselves, or have a will of our own?
Look at this example in the life of Moses. (Numbers 12:1-15) Miriam and Aaron, his siblings, were rising in mutiny against Moses, claiming that the Lord had spoken through them as well as Moses and that he should not have all the authority for himself. Somehow his choice of an Ethiopian wife was evidence to Miriam that Moses should not have his leadership position.
Apparently Moses did not stand up for himself at all. Moses said of himself: “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.”
In being meek, was Moses letting Miriam and Aaron think for him? No, he didn’t divorce his wife because they didn’t happen to like her. He didn’t follow their thinking at all. But he didn’t retort angry words either. He apparently stayed quiet.
In being meek, was Moses actually too weak to stand up to his sister? Earlier in his life he killed an Egyptian with his bare hands! I imagine he could have “taken out” his elderly sister quite easily! But Moses remained gentle with her.
In being meek, did Moses just go along with his siblings and let them push him around? No, there is no indication that Moses stepped down because of Miriam’s words. But he also did not climb up on a pedestal and defend himself or denounce his sister. He knew what he wanted in life - he wanted to follow God’s plan for his life, and submit to His will.
Moses didn’t need to stand up for himself, God took care of the situation!
God called the three together and made it clear that Miriam and Aaron were the ones out of line. God declared that He Himself had chosen Moses to lead the people of Israel; He had not chosen them. Miriam became a leper for 7 days...
“Meekness... is the result of a person’s conscious choice to trust in God and lean on Him, as opposed to pushing for one’s own ways.”
“Meekness is the absolute ceasing to fight for our agenda and believing that God will fight on our behalf for His.”
My friend is right about one thing. If I were quiet, gentle, easily imposed on, and submissive without a God to depend on, I would lose my identity, freedom, and freewill! There are plenty of people in the world who could run me over!
But if I am trusting in my Creator and Savior to lead me along - and I actually follow Him! - then whatever opposition rises up along the way is not my concern. God will take care of the slander, the roadblocks, and the despots. I can be meek toward others and let God be responsible for protecting me. What a relief to know that I don’t have to be on the defense around everyone!
Meekness is not weakness; it’s letting our superior Creator be our Defender.
“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly of heart. And ye shall find rest for your souls.” ~ Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30)
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