Meek Does Not Mean Weak

When I first read Jesus’s words “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” in Matthew 5:5, it didn’t make a lick of sense to me. Meek meant weak, and in my opinion, weak men were doormats.

I was raised to be tough, strong, independent, and a man other men could depend on no matter what they were up against. I was a street cop, a SWAT Operator, and a guy that took care of business. I thought that a man who wouldn’t speak up, wouldn’t stand firm, and wouldn’t fight didn’t deserve to be called a man.

But then I read my Bible, did a little digging around, and discovered what Jesus meant by meek.

The Greek word for meek, praus, describes a war horse broken to the bridle. It had the same muscle, speed, and fury in battle, but willfully and obediently answered its rider. That’s meekness. It isn’t the absence of strength. It’s tremendous strength under control.

Former Marine Shane Cunningham, in his book Meek Isn’t Weak, pictures it as a tamed lion: a warrior with real power who has willingly placed it under his King’s command. He doesn’t swing his sword at every insult or charge off on his own orders. Like any disciplined soldier, SF operator, or law enforcement officer, he waits for the word, then executes the mission with thoughtful precision and control.

Paul calls us to that same level of discipline: “endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:3-4).

Look at our King, Jesus Christ, who could summon legions of powerful angels and crush any opposition, said, “I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). And then there was Moses who stared down Pharaoh, yet Scripture calls him the most humble man on earth (Numbers 12:3).

Abigail Wallace, in her book Meek Not Weak, treats meekness as fruit of the Spirit that grows in you, the same fruit of the Spirit that Paul lists in Galatians 5:22-23, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The fruit comes from the Holy Spirit, as does any true strength, so it was never ours anyway. It all comes from God. “It is God who arms me with strength” (Psalm 18:32). “Blessed be the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle.” (Psalm 144:1).

So today, when the world pushes your buttons, or your wife or kids test your patience, pull back on the reins. Ask the Holy Spirit for help, for that self-control, that fruit of His Spirit, then respond with restraint. Don’t bite Satan’s hook and react with unbridled emotion leaving a trail of wreckage in your path..

Instead, let the King of Kings give you the order, the strength and the power to operate in His way on His terms. That kind of strength, the kind that willfully submits and answers to God, is the most powerful and dangerous to the enemy. A controlled weapon is always the most effective weapon, and that is meekness before God.

Scripture References (NKJV)