I think all of us are familiar with the words of Matthew 5:5 as given above. Throughout the Scriptures we are admonished to seek meekness (Zeph. 2:3), to put on meekness (Col. 3:12), and to follow after meekness (1 Tim. 6:11). And, yet, most of us have a hard time really defining or knowing what being “meek” is all about.
A fellow by the name of J. Upton Dickson has reportedly said that he was writing a book entitled “Cower Power.” And, he has founded a group of submissive people called “DOORMATS.” That is an acronym for “Dependent Organization of Really Meek And Timid Souls – if there are no objections.” Their motto is “The meek shall inherit the earth – if that is okay with everybody.” Hopefully this is done rather tongue in cheek but it seems that this is the opinion of many people regarding meekness.
Even many versions of the Bible replace the noun “meekness” by “gentleness” or “humility.” Many seem to equate “meek” with “weak.” Even though the words may rhyme that is their only similarity. Even Strong’s concordance isn’t of much help. He states that “meek,” number G4235, means “gentle, i.e. humble. It is a form of number G4239, a prime word meaning mild, i.e. (by implication) humble.”
The Greek word praus is translated “meek” in our text, but it is difficult to find an exact English word to match what it means. Ancient Greeks used this word to describe their war horses. One commentator has this to say about this word. “The word praus was borrowed from the military and relates to horse training. The Greek army would find the wildest horses in the mountains and bring them to be broken in. After months of training they sorted the horses by categories: some were discarded, some broken and made useful for bearing burdens, some were useful for ordinary duty and the fewest of all graduated as war horses. When a horse passed the conditioning required for a war horse, its state was described as ‘praus,’ [that is meek]. The war horse had ‘power under authority,’ ‘strength under control.’ A war horse never ceased to be determined, strong, passionate. However, it learned to bring its nature under discipline. It gave up being wild, unruly, out of control and rebellious. A war horse learned to bring that nature under control. It would now respond to the slightest touch of the rider, stand in the face of cannon fire, thunder into battle and stop at a whisper. It was now ‘meek’,”
A horse trainer from Texas was asked about the qualities of a meek horse. Her answers may be helpful to us in our walk and our relationship with God. She gave four qualities. Her comments corroborate the preceding definitions of meekness!
“First: Power under control. Once broken, a good horse doesn’t require much correction. He has learned to accept the reins of his master, and a gentle tug is all that is needed to urge him in the direction intended. The training process does not remove the strength and power that used to make the animal wild; rather it places the same energy under control. The phrase ‘channel their spirit’ is commonly used to describe this process. Properly channeled, the horse is able to jump higher, run faster, and work harder than an uncontrolled animal.
“Second: Learning the Masters’ mind. A special relationship develops between horse and master. After years of working together, they develop a rapport that becomes second nature to both of them. Thus trained, a good horse can sense a bad rider and will resist false guidance. An intimate kinship evolves, and it is not long before the horse acts according to what it knows the master would do, even if the master does not give explicit instructions.
“Third: Partnership. Teamwork is crucial. A rider may leave his horse temporarily. He is not there beside the horse telling it what to do and personally directing every move. The horse knows its job and is capable of working even when it doesn’t feel the immediate presence of its master. They work as a unit even when physically apart.
“Fourth: Loyalty. The meek horse has an elevated sense of loyalty and commitment. In the days of the wild west and the pony express, the lives of the mail carriers depended upon the horses they rode. They needed to be swift and hardy, with a measure of grit that enabled them to keep going, no matter what. Those horses would die in the running if that is what it took. They were bent upon completing the course. And despite the heat, the parching thirst, raging storms, Indian attacks and injury, horses of that caliber never whined in protest.
“These are the qualities of a meek horse. It has learned the secret of submitting to the control of it’s master. It trusts the rider enough to follow uncomplainingly wherever he leads.”
The trainer also added: “Perseverance is very important to the meek horse. A horse doesn’t become that way overnight. It takes a long, hard period of training. Horses must be taken in, trained, and made accustomed to the instruments used to harness their potential and lead them to productivity. It takes patience, sweat, and a view toward the promising future. But with these vital ingredients, the effort pays rich dividends.”
I believe that to truly be meek we must come to the point of totally trusting the Father. We can have no fear, no doubts, no hesitation to respond to His leading through His Spirit. It isn’t just being “gentle,” “humble,” and it isn’t being “weak.” We must be “mighty men (and women) of valor.” Moses and Jesus were described as being “meek.” Both were forceful and determined. Both were obedient to God’s commands. Both had absolute trust in Him. Neither could be described as “weak” or as a “pushover.” We all need to put aside our old rebellious way of life and come under the total control of God. Our strength, power and authority must be under the perfect control of Him. We need to be strong men and women who know how to be aggressive and assertive when necessary and at all times totally trust Him. He wants to make us war horses that through His Spirit He can lead us into any battle, at any time, knowing that we won’t go by our emotions, our past experiences, or our opinions, but only by His direction and prompting. It is to individuals like that who will inherit the earth.
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