Meek is not weak. . .

Recently our Sunday Bible class studied an unpopular word—meekness. Most newer translations recognize that most people think doormat or wimpy when they hear this word, so they changed it to ‘gentleness’ to accommodate modern misconceptions.

I say misconceptions because meekness is a great word. Moses was meek; Jesus was meek. God values those who are meek, and in His dictionary, meekness is not at all weak, wimpy or doormatish! In fact, meekness is a powerful attribute of God Himself, and much to be desired, but indeed rare in these days of assertive independence.

The Bible definition of a meek person is someone who trusts God so much that they never feel as if they have to defend themselves or fight back. Since my class is all women, we first had to clear the idea of how this fits for someone who is being abused. Abused women are fearful and allow themselves to be walked on, not out of meekness but because they are afraid. If they were meek, they would have the power to do what is best, not settle for the worst nor enable their spouse to keep on sinning. Meekness is not fearful weakness.

That being said, meekness is the ability given by the Holy Spirit to stop demanding my own way. It is being set free from the tyranny of always wanting what I want, and right now. It is knowing that God is taking care of me and being deeply contented and serene about what He is doing.

In our study, we looked at many Scripture passages and examples, but the one that prompted the most discussion was a section of 1 Peter that talks about the meekness of Jesus, in that “when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously . . . .” Jesus went to the cross trusting God for the horror of it, and for the outcome. Because He was meek, we have eternal life!

As we read that, we saw the value of meekness and the total trust that accompanies it. But I asked the ladies to keep reading. The next few verses talk about the role of wives. We are to be, and this is another loaded word, submissive to our husbands, especially those who are not obeying God. This word means much the same as meekness. In fact, a few verses later, we are told not to focus on outward beauty, but on “the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a meek and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”

I’m thinking of all these things this morning as I read Ephesians 5. It repeats this directive to wives, then tells husbands their role. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of the water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

If married women chafe at their responsibility to stop demanding their own way, married men chafe also at their responsibility to sacrificially love their wives in the same way Jesus loves them. Jesus wants me pure, clean, lovely in the sight of God. My husband is supposed to help Him with that task.

I can’t demand any of this. My responsibility is to trust God so much, that I don’t live a life of fear (which is also spelled out in 1 Peter 3 and becomes the bottom line of having a submissive spirit).

My husband was not a Christian when I married him, and I was very new at it, far from meek and quiet. Over the years, God is teaching me the great value of these qualities and showing me how impossible they are on my own. My sinful flesh wants just the opposite, but if I allow His Spirit to fill and control me, meekness is possible.

I asked God this morning to clarify His goals for my life, and this is what He gave me. My conclusion is that He wants me holy and without blemish, that He will use my husband to help accomplish this, and I’m supposed to drop my feistiness and cooperate.