“Blessed are the meek.” Matthew 5:5
What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘meekness’? A person who is soft spoken? Maybe has a limp handshake? A pushover?
Matthew Henry points out that in Latin, a meek man was called mansuetus, which means ‘used to the hand.’ So meekness, Henry concludes, “alludes to the taming of creatures wild by nature.”
God says His own people are like a wild donkey and a restless camel (Jer. 2:23-24). Matthew Henry says, “Man’s corrupt nature has made him like a wild donkey…but the grace of meekness, when that gets dominion in the soul, alters the temper of it, brings it to hand, and submits it to management.”
Meekness is all about taming the temper, subduing the assertive self, calming the passions, bringing order out of chaos in the soul. Meekness, Spurgeon observes, is humble, gentle, patient, forgiving, and contented; and it delivers us from pride, harshness, anger, vengeance, and ambition.
One of your coworkers is self-opinionated and overbearing. He throws his weight around. He is short tempered and demanding. He always insists on his own way. The frustration inside him spills out onto the people around him. If this man learns meekness, it will change his temper and bring it under control.
Think about a horse that has not been broken: it bucks and kicks, it resists the bit and bridle. But when it gets used to the hand, the horse has dignity and poise. The animal is at peace, and it is altogether different. It is still a powerful creature, but it is power under control.
By nature, we are all like unbroken horses. We resist God’s hand and kick against Him. As long as we are fighting God, we cannot be at peace. And as long as we are at war within ourselves, the turmoil will spill over onto other people.
Where do you see some of these impulsive, stubborn, wild donkey characteristics in yourself?
