Additional Series
Prepare Messiah’s Bride: Meekness-- The Quiet Power of Mature Authority
Barbara L. Klika, MSW, Undershepherd, Life Coach
January 2019
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5 KJV
But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Psalm 37: 11 KJV
Our Messiah gave us a very specific thing to be concerned about in this reference: to be meek. He said that being meek would lead to inheriting the earth. When going back to learn that He was not making a new reference but quoting from the Psalmist, we further learn that the meek who inherit the earth will also delight in an abundance of peace. Does it seem too far a stretch to think that those who inherit the earth would be those counted among His Bride?
In this little reference, we are taken back to before Messiah’s time on earth, and to His time on earth, and forward to the time when those who are considered meek inherit the earth.
When reading Scripture in English, or any other language than the original, translations often provide challenges, not to mention the passage of time and semantic shift (changes in meaning.) When most people hear “meek” today, they think “weak” so are we to understand that Messiah promised that weak people will inherit the earth?
What does it really mean to be meek? Seems to me that it would behoove us to know as clearly as possible since there are apparently great rewards involved, not to mention it being one clear specific thing that Messiah thought important to affirm.
One basic study method is to consider other references within Scripture to better understand a term or phrase. If we start at the simple level of considering previous mentions of being meek, we are brought to Moshe/Moses.
(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
Numbers 12:3 KJV
Moshe wrote of One that God would raise up that would be like him, which would include being very meek. We were told to listen to this One!
The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren,
like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
Deuteronomy 18:15 KJV
When Yeshua Messiah was called upon to read, it was this first verse He read and proclaimed that it had been fulfilled in their hearing, causing the elders to rise against Him.
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good tidings unto the meek (anav); he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and
the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the
day of vengeance of our G-d; to comfort all who mourn;
Isaiah 61:1, 2
So the One who was like Moshe, very meek, Yeshua, was appointed to proclaim the good news to those who are meek, like Him.
How do we identify those who are meek? They need to be like Moshe and like Yeshua. When we know who the people like them are, we need to know how they are blessed because they will inherit the earth and abundant peace. Our understanding, today, of meek is to be weak. Is He calling us to be weak?
According to Freedictionary.com it means: “Showing patience and humility; gentle;” and “easily imposed on; submissive.” The Collins Dictionary of the English Language indicates nearly the same plus “spineless and spiritless.” (1) As noted above, we need to remember that the meanings of words drift over time since these modern definitions match our own thoughts but not necessarily what was intended by the writers. Could you consider Moshe or Yeshua to be spineless and spiritless?
Then we have some difficulty just comparing Scripture references in English because translations do not agree!
But the poor will inherit the earth, will delight in great prosperity.
Psalm 37:11 NASB
And then there is this reference in Revelation about who inherits all things:
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Revelation 21:7 KJV
As we apply our current definitions then, we have our Messiah telling us that weak and poor people will overcome and inherit all things, including the earth, and this will cement the Father God and son relationship. Is this consistent with the full message of the Scriptures? I hope it is obvious to you that it is not!
Let us begin again but this time starting with contextually appropriate definitions of what it means to be meek.
In the first reference to Yeshua’s statement, we find the underlying Greek word for “meek” is Strong’s G 4235 - πρᾶος (prah'-os). (As you may already know, the choice of Greek words to represent Hebraic concepts is often guided by what was used when the Torah was first translated into Greek in the Septuagint.) This is one of two Greek words used that are equivalent to the Hebrew for “meek.” It refers to mildness, gentleness of spirit and humility.
Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings
with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting. In the OT, the meek are
those wholly relying on God rather than their own strength to defend against
injustice. Thus, meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the
injuries they inflict, that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver
His elect in His time (Isa 41:17, Luk 18:1-8). Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to
self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God's goodness and control
over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is a work of
the Holy Spirit, not of the human will (Gal 5:23). (2)
The word “meek” used to describe Moshe is anav in Hebrew, Strong’s H6035, translated 13 times as “meek,” and less frequently as “humble, poor, lowly, and very meek.” It is from a root word, anah, Strong’s H6031, which is translated most often as” afflict,” and less often as “humble, force, exercised, sing, leaneth, troubled, weakened” and other miscellaneous terms. And a primitive root of anah, is ana, Strong’s H6030, which is predominantly translated as “answered, hear or testify.” (3) The nature of the Hebrew language briefly stated is such that parent, child and adopted root forms found in the shared consonants of words indicate a relationship between them. So, meek is primarily understood as humble, poor, and lowly, with the root words supporting the sense of humility and weakness as well as an underlying meaning of testifying.
For further understanding, we consider insight from other Hebrew lexicon sources. Brown-Driver-Briggs confirms anav as the sense of being poor, afflicted, humble and meek. This source adds the sense of being afflicted by the rich and powerful, and of Israel as being oppressed, poor, weak and afflicted. (4) The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT) suggests that the related word is anaw, 1652a, and that it represents the idea of “to force” or “to try to force submission” and “to punish or inflict pain upon.” It further notes that God uses affliction to prompt repentance, thus His people thank Him for it. It is also noted that a frequent theme is “self-inflicted inner pain, expressing contrition.” Finally, the notes indicate it may be used to denote humbling. (5) Humility is a frequent component of these understandings. In humility, we overcome the self-sufficiency and pride of the flesh, one of our biggest enemies within.
But there is more to the story. We go now to the description of the meek as being blessed! This is the Hebrew word, barak, Strong’s H1288 which essentially means to kneel or bow down. (6) As in the case of the meaning of “holy” which is essentially to be “set apart” (7) it matters what one is bowing down or set apart to! Those who set themselves apart for YHWH’s purposes are those who, in meekness, kneel and bow down before Him, submitting themselves to His Hand and His authority. In so doing, they testify to Who He is! In this manner, they are blessed, by making themselves vulnerable before Him, trusting Him to do what is right.
Being meek, then, has to do with humility, recognizing authority beyond ourselves when in reference to our God. No matter how privileged we may be as a human being, we are wise to submit to His authority in trust.
How do we know to trust Him? Messiah Yeshua, the fullness of God, bodily, was meek, in fact, very meek, because He, too, blessed His Father’s Name and humbled Himself before Him, doing only what the Father did. It was not weakness that caused this behavior, but humility, a right understanding and obedience. Clearly, He was not weak in His ongoing teaching that ruffled more than a few proverbial feathers.
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Philippians 2:8 KJV
For He was indeed crucified in weakness, yet He lives by God's power.
And though we are weak in Him, yet by God's power we will live with Him to serve you.
2 Corinthians 13:4 KJV
Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words does not address the Hebrew underlying definitions but does consider the Greek and adds this note on “meekness:” “It is the fruit of power.” Essentially, it is the laying down of one’s power, authority or rights for the benefit of others. (8)
We see meekness, then, in our correct understanding of our relationship to our God, kneeling before Him in submission to His authority, overcoming our self-sufficiency. We can also see meekness in how we choose to relate to others, especially those we would perceive to be of lesser authority than ourselves.
Some years ago, in prayer, I was given the phrase, “the quiet power of mature authority.” It was in relation to my studies on the subject of the two becoming one. I will explore that phrase and how it comes about in another article but wanted to acknowledge here that the Biblical name for this is most likely meekness. One who is mature in their authority is not easily threatened by others in their growing authority. Those who look to the world system or the flesh for their wisdom will likely use the modern definition of being meek, as being weak. They will not see the underlying humility and sacrificial aspect of choosing to defer one’s authority or power for the well being of another or if they do, they will deride it.
Going back to the Psalms, we learn that our God does not expect us to already know how to be meek, because He knows all about what is in mankind when left to ourselves. When we submit to Him, He will teach us how to be more like Messiah Yeshua in how we relate to others.
The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
Psalm 25:9 KJV
Messiah; our Saviour, Redeemer, Advocate, Teacher, soon coming King and Bridegroom! He is the Living Word and the Written Word, the same from Age to Age, Alef and Tav (Hebrew) more often stated in Greek as the Alpha and Omega! He showed us His meekness and how to walk after our Father. Not only did He show us, but together with the Ruach haKodesh/Holy Spirit He is well able to teach and save us. In the Quiet Power of His Authority, He is not afraid or offended to call us up to share His place at the Right Hand of the Father to rule and reign with Him!
The Disciples did not hesitate to affirm the call to meekness as they call us all to grow and mature in Messiah. NIV even puts this heading on the Ephesians 4 chapter: Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ.
Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the
engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
James 1:21 KJV
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you?
let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
James 3:13 KJV
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are
called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Ephesians 4:1-2 KJV
As we walk after Messiah, learning in and through Him how to be meek, we will indeed be prepared to inherit the earth and be blessed in Him! When we can quietly defer our own power for the well-being of others, without fear or resentment-- but maybe not until that new heaven and earth--we will see an abundance of peace. Now that takes strength!
Footnotes
1 American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014 All listed on www.FreeDictionary.com Accessed 12/26/2018.
2 https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G4239&t=KJV Taken from “The Outline of Biblical Usage.” Accessed 1/4/2019.
3 https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=H6031&t=KJV Accessed 1/1/2019.
4 https://www.studylight.org/lexicons/hebrew/6035.html Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon,
Unabridged, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc.
5 Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament; Harris, R. Laird, Archer, Gleason L. and Waltke, Bruce; Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL; 1980.
6 https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H1288&t=KJV Accessed 1/1/2019.
7 https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H6944&t=KJV Accessed 1/1/2019.
8 Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words; Vine, W.E.; et al, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN; 1984 and 1996.
Preparing_Messiah_s_Bride_Meekness_and_Quiet_Power_Draft.pdf