Meek True Power
by Kameel Majdali
By Kameel Majdali
Teach all Nations
It has been the goal of dictators and despots for millennia. Having
conquered their home base, they seek to go further afield. Whether
Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler or a cast of
others, these hyper-ambitious megalomaniacs try to extend their
imperial reach worldwide but overextend themselves. Then they fail and
fall, bringing their empire crashing down with them.
Even ‘the beast’ in the Book of Revelation, also known as the
antichrist, attempts to rule the entire world. At first glance, it
appears that he succeeds but if so, his success is short-lived. Not
only are there wars of rebellion against him in the tribulation
period, but antichrist will take one step too many and end up losing
his battle. His end is in the lake of fire.
Bible students should know that the earth - all of it - belongs to God
(Psalm 24:1). Yet He also makes an amazing offer. To people who
possess a certain character quality, they can also inherit the earth.
What is this quality? It is not ambition. It is not assertiveness. It
is definitely not arrogance. The dictators and despots mentioned above
have plenty of all these things, yet they failed every time. So what
is the key?
Psalm 37:11 and Matthew 5:5 tell us: The meek shall inherit the earth.
Meekness Defined:
Irony of ironies. Meekness is actually the key to acquisition. Yet,
before we acquire, we need to understand what it really is. In the
Bible, the Hebrew word translated meek is anav, meaning poor, weak,
afflicted. In Greek it is praos, meaning ‘meek, mild, gentle.’ None of
these adjectives sound like the ingredients of inheriting the earth.
Yet consider this: The man Moses was very meek, above all the men who
were upon the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3). Jesus Christ refers to
Himself as meek (Matthew 11:29). So since Moses and Jesus were meek,
did that mean they were also ‘weak?’
Not at all. Indeed, nowhere did two men demonstrate more anointing and
power than Jesus and Moses Somehow, meekness is the pathway to power,
a power that helps you inherit the earth.
Let’s then consider a description of true Biblical, earth-inheriting
meekness: When a person commits and submits to God, to the point that
their own personal traits and desires decrease and Christ-in-them, the
hope of glory, increases, then they begin to live by the power of God.
In short, the meek are willing to decrease so that Christ in them
increases - thereby releasing power, effectiveness and fruit.
If you are a ‘Great Commission Christian’ - and you should be -
committed to helping the gospel go worldwide and raising up disciples
of Jesus - then remember God’s way to inherit the earth. Biblical
meekness, possessing a sterling attitude, an empowering grace, and a
regal calm, will obtain for you that which has eluded the worldly
ambitious throughout human history. It truly is the ‘high road’ to
overcoming power, victory, and possessing your possession.
The meek do not ‘fight for their rights,’ actively seek vengeance or
vindication, strive in their own strength or live off man-made,
home-cooked ‘good ideas.’ They live and labour according to God’s
terms, timing, and territory. The meek simply keep single-minded and
focused on what God has called them to do.
ISAAC: MEEKNESS IN ACTION
A classic example of this principle, and how to inherit the earth, is
found in the patriarch Isaac in Genesis 26:16-22. God commanded Isaac
to remain in Canaan, a land he was destined to inherit. Amazingly,
this was during a time of intense famine. When food was scarce in
Canaan, the natural response was to travel to nearby Egypt, where the
Nile River and its alluvial rich overflow normally guaranteed a steady
food supply.
Certainly, Isaac’s father Abraham, and son Jacob, did go to Egypt when
famine hit in Canaan during their day. Yet when Isaac tried to make
the same move, God intervened and told him to stay put. He would bless
him in the land of promise, drought, famine, and all. Meekness meant
trusting God and committing all to him.
Ever energetic, Isaac was busy sowing in the land and reaping 100-fold
(Genesis 26:12). That was a miracle, considering that the Negev
wilderness is dry, even in normal times, let alone in a season of
dryness.
The neighbouring Philistines became jealous of his success and
expelled him from the city of Gerar. It was most unfair, but Isaac
decided not to fight for justice but to keep on labouring in his
inheritance. God’s justice towards Isaac would outstripped any
compensation this world can offer.
The patriarch began to dig wells or re-dig wells in the Negev, where
his father Abraham had dug. Wells not only brought water but served as
a stake to claim the land. At least twice the Philistines protested
that the wells belong to them, even though Isaac was the one who dug
them. He did not argue or stop fulfilling his call. He kept his powder
dry, relinquished the wells to his opponents, and kept digging
elsewhere. Isaac knew that the promise of God to inherit the land
would come in God’s timing and God’s way.
Isaac’s meekness netted him a wonderful reprieve called Rehoboth
(Genesis 26:22). Here was a ‘Philistine-free zone’ were there is room,
water, fruitfulness, and no strife. Every believer needs to visit
Rehoboth, periodically if not regularly.
What is remarkable is that Isaac’s spirit of meekness did not make him
look weak, but strong. Eventually, his enemies met with him and sued
for peace.
The reason was that the blessing of God appeared prominently on his
life. Wherever his plough laboured, there was a bumper crop. Wherever
his spade touched, a well of springing water resulted. When opposition
hit, he glided over it like a stream over a stubborn rock. To fight
such a God-blessed man like Isaac would mean to fight against God
Himself.
Then he came across Beersheba, well of seven, which became the
patriarchs winter capital. The land of Canaan was now within Isaac’s
reach and he never had to fire a shot.
MEEKNESS FOR TODAY
Isaac’s exemplary conduct contradicts our current culture, which
focuses on ‘rights,’ ‘entitlement,’ and ‘self-interest.’ The problem
with this attitude is that as soon as you drop your spade (shovel) and
pick up your boxing gloves to fight your enemy, they have already won.
The reason is that you are no longer doing what God has called you to,
but instead you are distracted by a battle that is best left with God.
Often, these battles can be lengthy and tiresome. So even if you win
the battle, you truly lose the war. Second, by taking up the fight
yourself, you are not demonstrating the power of faith and trust
whereby God can fight your battle and win your prize.
Except in rare situations, the Biblical meek don’t even bother
responding to their opponents. The work of God is simply too great
(remember Nehemiah: he did not want to stop building the walls of
Jerusalem in order to debate his enemies).
The meek reserve their focus on one thing: doing God’s will. All the
other issues they leave for God to sort out. Many take the lower road,
which leads to the barnyard. It can be messy, battling with the
chickens and other poultry who can’t even fly. Or, you can take the
‘higher way’ of Biblical meekness, where the eagles rule the skies.
Those who choose this way travel faster, farther, and truly inherit
the earth.
Meekness:
A spirit of empowerment, not entitlement;
overcoming, not overcome;
inheritance, not infirmity;
grace, not greed;
victory, not victimhood.
By meekness you interface with
Almighty God Himself
So that when He inherits the earth (Psalm 24:1);
You inherit it with Him
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