1. FRUIT OF THE SPIRITFRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
“GENTLENESS”
2. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, kindness,peace, longsuffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulnessgoodness, faithfulness,,
GENTLENESSGENTLENESS,, self-control. Againstself-control. Against
such there is no law.such there is no law.
““Meekness” (KJV)Meekness” (KJV)
3. Blessed MeeknessBlessed Meekness
• ““Blessed are the MEEK, For theyBlessed are the MEEK, For they
shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5)shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5)
– NOTNOT
“Blessed are the WEAK, For they“Blessed are the WEAK, For they
shall inherit the earth.”shall inherit the earth.”
– NOTNOT
“Blessed are the STRONG, For“Blessed are the STRONG, For
they can hold their own on thethey can hold their own on the
earth.”earth.”
4. “Those who are strongly—
almost fiercely—competitive,
aggressive and assertive are
the ones who receive
recognition, admiration and
reward. Do they not seem to
end up on top of the pile,
possessing the most and best
despite other obvious and
perhaps even offensive flaws in
their character?”
(BibleTools.Org)
5. Meekness is so important that it is the third
characteristic Jesus mentions in His
foundational teaching, the Sermon on the
Mount:
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (
Matt. 5:5).
Obviously, the world's ideal of the perfect man is
very different from His. The meek are among those
so favored that they will share in Jesus' inheritance
of the earth.
6. DefiningDefining
“Gentleness/Meeknes“Gentleness/Meeknes
s”s”
Gk. praotes (4236, Online Bible Greek
Lexicon)
1) gentleness, mildness, meekness
“. . . is founded upon this idea, [of thinking little of
your self, sjw] and goes beyond it. It is the attitude of
mind and behavior which, arising from humility,
disposes one to receive with gentleness and
meekness whatever may come”
(5898, Online Bible Greek Lexicon)
7. “Prautes, according to Aristotle, is the middle
standing between two extremes, getting
angry without reason, and not getting angry
at all. Therefore, prautes is getting angry at
the right time, in the right measure, and for
the right reason. . . . [I]t is a condition of mind
and heart which demonstrates gentleness,
not in weakness, but in power. It is a balance
born in strength of character. (p. 1209-1210)”
(BibleTools.Org)
DefiningDefining
“Gentleness/Meeknes“Gentleness/Meeknes
s”s”
8. “Meekness is patience in the
reception of injuries. It is neither
meanness, nor a surrender of our
rights, nor cowardice; but it is the
opposite of sudden anger, of malice,
of long-harboured vengeance. . .
DefiningDefining
“Gentleness/Meeknes“Gentleness/Meeknes
s”s”
9. . . .Meekness produces peace. It is proof of true
greatness of soul. It comes from a heart too great
to be moved by little insults. It looks upon those
who offer them with pity. He that is constantly
ruffled, that suffers every little insult or injury to
throw him off his guard, and to raise a storm of
passion within, is at the mercy of every mortal
that chooses to disturb him. He is like the
troubled sea that cannot rest, whose waters cast
up mire and dirt.”
(Barnes On the New Testament, Vol. 1, p. 41)
DefiningDefining
“Gentleness/Meeknes“Gentleness/Meeknes
s”s”
10. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn
of me; for I am meek and lowly in
heart: and ye shall find rest unto your
souls. For my yoke is easy, and my
burden is light”
(Matthew 11:29, 30, KJV)
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,
beseech you that ye walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith ye are called, with
all lowliness and meekness, with
longsuffering, forbearing one another
in love; endeavouring to keep the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
(Ephesians 4:1-3, KJV)
11. Meekness Requires AbasementMeekness Requires Abasement
• it is obvious if we have an inflated
assessment of self, we are not
“spiritual” and will not be “gentle/meek”
– Rom. 12:3 “For I say, through the grace
given to me, to everyone who is among
you, not to think of himself more highly
than he ought to think, but to think soberly,
as God has dealt to each one a measure of
faith” (NKJV)
– Gal. 6:1
12. Meekness Requires AbasementMeekness Requires Abasement
• 1 Peter 5:6 “Therefore humble
yourselves under the mighty hand of
God, that He may exalt you in due time”
(NKJV)
13. DAVIDDAVID
• when persecuted by Saul
– 1 Samuel 24:14, “After whom has the king of
Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A
dead dog? A flea?”
• places whatever injuries come in God’s
hands
– 1 Samuel 24:15, "Therefore let the LORD be
judge, and judge between you and me, and see
and plead my case, and deliver me out of your
hand."
15. • William Barclay adds that meekness is
"the most untranslatable of words in the
New Testament" (p. 51).
16. MOSESMOSES
• Number 12:3, (NKJV) “Now the man
Moses was very meek, above all the men
which were upon the face of the earth.”
– Yet he required the Levites
to take their sword to their
disobedient brethren where
3000 died (Ex. 32:25-28)
17. PAULPAUL
• “What will ye? Shall I come unto you
with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of
meekness?” (1 Cor. 4:21, KJV)
– two essentials in preaching
– meekness doesn’t forbid one the use of a
rod
– Related passages: 2 Cor. 12:21 – 13:2, 10
18. JESUSJESUS
• Jesus is meek (Matt. 11:29)
– Yet. . .“When He had made a
whip of cords, He drove them
all out of the temple, with the
sheep and the oxen, and poured out the
changers’ money and overturned the
tables” (John 2:15, NKJV)
– Yet . . .He openly challenged and
destroyed the religious error of the day
(Luke 13:10-17)
19. JESUSJESUS
• OUR LORD’S MEEKNESS ALLOWED HIM
TO DO ALL THESE THINGS WITHOUT SIN
• 1 PETER 2:21-23:
21
For to this you were called, because Christ
also suffered for us, leaving us an example,
that you should follow His steps: 22
"Who
committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His
mouth";23
who, when He was reviled, did not
revile in return; when He suffered, He did not
threaten, but committed Himself to Him who
judges righteously;
20. A MEEK PERSONA MEEK PERSON
• doesn’t excuse sin/doctrinal infractions
• doesn’t get carried away by personal
success
• can sense and feel the wrong directed
towards him by man
– forebears and endures such
– doesn’t seek revenge for personal wrongs
– may pity the broken and defective character
of those who resist him (e.g., Lk. 23:34)
21. A MEEK PERSONA MEEK PERSON
• is gentle to God when chastened by God
– Aaron (Lev. 10:1-3)
– David (Ps. 39)
– Jesus, “. . . Shall I not drink the cup which My
Father has given Me?” (Jn. 18:11, NKJV; cf.
Acts 8:32)
• understands sin, its effects, its desire, its
hold, its control
22. 2 Timothy 2:24-26 (NKJV)2 Timothy 2:24-26 (NKJV)
24 And a servant of the Lord must not24 And a servant of the Lord must not
quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach,quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach,
patient,patient,
25 in humility [meekness, KJV] correcting25 in humility [meekness, KJV] correcting
those who are in opposition, if Godthose who are in opposition, if God
perhaps will grant them repentance, soperhaps will grant them repentance, so
that they may know the truth,that they may know the truth,
26 and that they may come to their senses26 and that they may come to their senses
and escape the snare of the devil, havingand escape the snare of the devil, having
been taken captive by him to do his will.been taken captive by him to do his will.
23. A meek person will feel the wrongA meek person will feel the wrong
done against him and feel it bitterlydone against him and feel it bitterly
But because he is not thinking of himself,
his meekness does not allow his spirit to
give vent to a hateful, savage and
vindictive anger that seeks to "get even."
24. He will instead be full of pity for the
damaged character, attitudes and
blindness of the perpetrator.
From the stake Jesus uttered,
"Father, forgive them, for they do not
know what they do" (Luke 23:34).
25. A Valuable Virtue
This much misunderstood and maligned
virtue is the antidote for most of the
nervous anxiety that is greatly intensifying
the normal day-to-day stresses of life. God
commands us in Zephaniah 2:3:
Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth,
who have upheld His justice. Seek
righteousness, seek humility [meekness,
KJV]. It may be that you will be hidden in
the day of the Lord's anger.
26. How valuable is that blessing?How valuable is that blessing?
The poor [meek, KJV] shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your
heart live forever! (Psalm 22:26)
Further, "The Lord lifts up the humble (meek,
KJV); He casts the wicked down to the ground"
(Psalm 147:6).
Finally:
The humble [meek, KJV] also shall increase their
joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall
rejoice in the Holy One of Israel" (Isaiah 29:19).
27. This is not a virtue to ignore because
carnal men consider it weakness. It
may appear to them as weakness,
but the spiritual reality is that it is
great strength, an attribute of
Almighty God and a fruit of His Spirit
we greatly need.
Editor's Notes
Meekness is a characteristic that is lost in our self-centered and overly aggressive world. People associate “meekness” with “weakness” and therefore want nothing to do with it. Even dictionaries attribute false definitions for it. Encarta 1) mild, showing mildness or quietness of nature 2) cowed, showing submissiveness and lack of initiative or will Cowed is hardly a fit definition. Neither Jesus, Paul, David nor Moses (cf. Num. 12:3) were cowed individuals with “lack of initiative or will” yet they were meek. Likewise, being MEEK is not WEAK as Jesus was MEEK yet could have called 12 legions of angels (Matt. 26:53)
prah-ot’-ace Such is an adequate definition. . .it seems to include the concept of gentleness in our actions and humility in our mind. But I think it somewhat lacks in that this definition is only passive. Yet MEEKNESS, doesn’t just accept whatever may come and it doesn’t just accept it with a humble mind, but it also deals with it in an appropriate way. Defining Praotes is difficult. Meekness is not really something that can be described in one word. It seems to take two primary aspects of humility of mind and gentleness of action towards circumstances from God or man.
Albert Barnes
Jesus and Paul link “MEEKNESS” with “LOWLINESS” Jesus is explaining why we should become his disciples (i.e., “learn of me”). It is because He is “meek” and “lowly in heart,” that is, he is not harsh and overbearing. He truly cares about those who are under his control The second reason is that you might find rest for your souls. There is a pause from the cares and concerns and ambitions for in this life for those who follow Christ. Yet I think that the main rest that Christ will give comes in the hereafter. It is clearly stated that those who are not saved will at that time have no rest: Re 14:11 "And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest <372> day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.“ 3. The third reason is that His yoke is easy. There is a yoke for Christians. There is yet a rule or law that we are to follow, but it is easy and light compared to the law of Moses which brought condemnation and was unbearable (Acts 15:10). Christ’s government is gentle and His laws are easy to obey. That doesn’t mean that this statement contradicts Matthew 7:13, 14. There it is only difficultly for two fundamental reasons. One is in finding the road to life because there are so many false teachers that confuse and confound the simplicity of Christ (Matt. 7:15ff). Two , because if we live for the flesh, our carnal mind will not submit to the law of God (Rom. 8:7) In Ephesians 4, Paul exhorts us walk worthy with lowliness and meekness. These are grouped with other such essential characteristics such as “longsuffering” and “forbearance.” We see a point here as we compare the two passages: Because Jesus appeals to others and governs His kingdom in meekness and lowliness, His children must also behave with such towards each other. This is how to build and maintain unity within the church. It depends on our individual ability to receive offenses without being retaliatory, without desiring revenge and forgiving each other. A church where her members lack in these qualities will excel in divisiveness.
Ga 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness <4236>, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
David could have easily had an overweight and exceedingly plump ego. He had previously been selected and anointed to be king by the well revered Samuel (1 Sam. 16) He had conquered Goliath the 9 – 10 feet tall Philistine champion warrior (1 Sam. 17) He was such a heroic and fearsome warrior that women from the cities of Israel flooded the streets chanting, “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands” (cf. 1 Sam. 18:6, 7). But David was meek and would handle the good things that came as well as the injury in an approved way; he was respectful to King Saul when Saul was not respectable and he would not lift a hand against his person while referring to himself as a dead dog (which is double repulsive to a Jew because dogs were considered unclean alive, but then double unclean as a rotting carcass). The flea. . .what a small yet pesky and contemptible insect that takes a lot of work to kill but is hardly any prize when terminated.
EXODUS 32:25-28 (THIS WAS NOT TAKING PERSONAL VENGEANCE) 25 Now -when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, "Whoever is on the LORD’S side—come to me." And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. 27 And he said to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’" 28 So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day.
Meekness doesn’t forbid one to have righteous indignation but rather approves of it. It should make us made when people, brethren, whoever turn the house of prayer into a house of merchandise!
