Joyful are the Lowly, Gentle, and Pliant (Matt 5:5) part 2
Let me ask you a question. How do you respond when others don’t treat you as you feel you deserve to be treated? This is a
trick question. Considering our sinfulness what do we deserve? We deserve hell. Any goodness we receive from God is by
unadulterated grace. So let’s go back to my original question, “How do you respond when others don’t treat you as you feel you
deserve to be treated?”

Let me tell you how a meek person, a gentle person responds. First, if a meek person is verbally accosted he answers with
gentleness. “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare” (Prov 15:1). If a meek person is treated
unjustly what does he do? He obeys the words of the Apostle Paul, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to
wrath; for it is written, ‘VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,’ says the Lord. Therefore ‘IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM;
IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP COALS OF FIRE ON HIS HEAD.’ Do not be
overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom 12:19-21).

The meek person always follows the example of his Lord when wronged. Peter wrote, “For this is commendable, if because of
conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you
take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were
called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: ‘WHO COMMITTED NO SIN,
NOR WAS DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH’; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not
threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:19-23).

The meek treat others with gentleness. They don’t avenge wrongs committed against them. They speak gently to those who
revile them. They look outwardly at others and consider them more worthy of respect than they are.

       C.        Upward (Titus 2:11-14; Psalm 25:7-9)

The final look of the meek is the upward look. He looks up to God as a broken sinner, readily accepting God’s Word and God’s
dominion over his life. Remember that a farmer used the word “meek” to describe an animal that had been broken, an animal
that could be controlled by the reins.

The man or woman that is poor in spirit and mournful understands all that they receive from God is underserved grace. They are
broken and now take God on His own terms. Christ becomes Lord of their life. Grace becomes their teacher. Paul puts it like this,
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we
should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great
God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself
His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:11-14).

The meek are pliant in the hands of their Lord. They understand He is the potter and they are the clay. David sang, “Do not
remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness' sake, O
LORD. Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, and the
humble He teaches His way” (Psalm 25:7-9).

Are you a meek person? Let’s take a moment and examine ourselves. How do you view yourself? Do you feel you are entitled to
any goodness? Do you demand your rights? How do you view others? Do they deserve more respect than you do? How do you
respond when wronged? Are you pliant in the hands of God? Does He control your life? Are you like a broken horse, turned by
the reins of God’s Word? Remember, “Blessed are the meek.”

II.        The might

Meekness is often misunderstood. Most often we think of meek people as lacking confidence and very timid. For many people
meekness is synonymous with weakness. But this is not the biblical concept of meekness. If you remember back, farmers used
this Greek word to describe a spirited animal that had been broken. Meekness is not weakness; meekness is power under
control. The meek, in the biblical sense, will never stand up for their own rights; however they are dedicated to God’s glory and
are determined to fulfill the will of God.

       A.        Dedicated (John 2:14-17; Exod 32:7-9, 19-20, 26-28)

The meek are dedicated to the glory of God. This characteristic of meekness is best seen in the life of our Lord. Twice in the
gospels it is recorded that Jesus cleansed the Temple. This violent action was not to protect Himself or to avenge a wrong others
did to Him but to protect the glory of God. John records that Jesus, “Found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and
doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with
the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves,
‘Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!’ Then His disciples remembered that it was
written, ‘ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE HAS EATEN ME UP” (John 2:14-17).

Moses is also an example of how meekness is dedicated to God’s glory. Aaron creates an idol for the Israelites to worship while
Moses and Joshua were on the mountain communing with God. “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Go, get down! For your people whom
you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I
commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, 'This is your god,
O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt” (Exod 32:7-9)!

Moses returns to the people with a dedication to the glory of God. Moses, according to Numbers 12:3, “Was very meek, more
than all people who were on the face of the earth” (ESV). Yet this very meek man, “As he came near the camp, that he saw the
calf and the dancing. So Moses' anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the
mountain. Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the
water and made the children of Israel drink it” (Exod 32:19-20). But this wasn’t all. This meek man then, “Stood in the entrance of
the camp, and said, ‘Whoever is on the Lord's side—come to me!’ And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.
And he said to them, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel: Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from
entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his
neighbor.’ So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day”
(Exod 32:26-28).

Now we would never emulate the actions of Moses today, or the actions of our Lord in the cleansing of the temple in a physical
manner. We must examine our own lives and drive out all sinfulness. We, as a church, must practice church discipline. The meek
are dedicated to the glory of God.

       B.        Determined (Luke 22:39-44)

The meek are dedicated to the glory of God and they are determined to obey the will of God no matter the personal cost. Again
our Lord is the example. Do you remember His struggle in the garden? “Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was
accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, ‘Pray that you may not enter into
temptation.’ And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if it is Your
will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.’ Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven,
strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down
to the ground” (Luke 22:39-44). Are you this determined to fulfill the will of God in your life? Our Lord humbled Himself and
became obedient even to death on the cross!

III.        The miracle

We have seen the meek look inward, outward and upward. Further we have demonstrated that the meek are not week. The
meek are dedicated to the glory of God and they are determined to fulfill the will of God no matter the personal cost. Finally let’s
look at the miracle of this beatitude, the meek inherit the earth. Both Pink and Lloyd-Jones list three ideas of how the meek
inherit the earth. Let’s look at two of their ideas.

       A.         Contentment (Psalm 37:11; 37:16; Prov 15:16)

“This promise is taken from Psalm 37:11, and may be understood in a threefold way. First, spiritually, as the second half of that
verse intimates: ‘The meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.’ The spirit of
meekness is what enables its possessor to get so much enjoyment out of his earthly portion, be it small or large. Delivered from
a greedy and grasping disposition he is satisfied with such things as he has: ‘A little that a righteous man hath is better than the
riches of many wicked’ (Ps. 37:16). Contentment of mind is one of the fruits of meekness. The haughty and covetous do not
‘inherit the earth,’ though they may own many acres of it. The humble Christian is far happier in a cottage than the wicked in a
palace: ‘Better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and trouble therewith (Prov. 15:16)” (Arthur Pink).

       B.        Custody (Rom 8:16-17; Rev 22:3-5)

In Romans, Paul tells us, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Rom 8:16-17). In
Christ we are given all things; one of these would be the new heavens and earth. Throughout all eternity the Church will reign
with Christ. “And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve
Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor
light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever” (Rev 22:3-5).

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
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"Joyful are the Lowly, Gentle, and
Pliant (Matt 5:5) part 2"