God, help me. I do not start many of my writings with this prayer. I do so for particularly difficult topics. This topic looks so simple but it overwhelms my spirit. I opened my Bible in the morning and I had wanted to study the story how Caleb and Joshua became the only people in an entire generation of hundreds of thousands of people; the only people that entered the Promised Land. So I could get a rounder picture, I started from Numbers chapter 12; I got to the third verse and could go no further. It was the first time the word 'meek' appeared in the Scriptures; and it was as if I was hearing the word for the very first time. The way it appears in that story, it was as if God was seeing a meek man for the very first time – in all His creation. It had occupied my thoughts all day long and I just feel you should know.
I could attempt to define Meekness, but it is one word that exposed the deficiency of definition. Have you noticed Jesus would hardly define anything? He could tell a story- a parable of some sort, but would hardly confine a concept by defining it. For instance, someone asked Him a simple question; who is my neighbour? And Jesus answering said, 'A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho…'. (See Luke 10:29-30). Funny is it not? One reason is that God responds to the intent and motive of every man's heart more than the words of his mouth. As I proceeded to understand Meekness, I saw the weakness of human philosophy and psychology to comprehend it. Humble, gentle, quiet, modest … are some of the words that have been used overtime to describe Meekness. And I like Wikipedia; it does not pretend to know it all. There is more to Meekness than meets the eye.
Like my Lord, let's approach this with a story. Aaron the high priest and Miriam the women cum choir leader had a grouse with Moses. Moses married an African girl and they did not like it for some reasons. Then they said in their anger 'Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?'. Oh my, my! They would wish they could swallow those words. But too late, God heard them. I'm been careful not to overdramatize God; but check for yourself Numbers 12; in verse 2, Scriptures said '… the LORD heard it' and in verse 4 Scriptures said 'Suddenly the LORD said…' God's response (at the risk of calling it a reaction) was so sudden that verse 3 had to be in bracket. Can you relate to this? You heard or overheard something, and you are like 'What did I just hear? How dare you!' That was it. It is one of the few places you will see God shout. Or what does an exclamation mark signify? That verse said; Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam 'Come out you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!' Oh my! It was a drama I would prefer to watch from a split curtain. God was angry (again, I risk saying 'furious'). Verse 5 said God came down (in a pillar of cloud) and called Aaron and Miriam apart. He told them 'Whatever came upon you to speak like that about Moses? Do you have an idea who he is to Me?' (Numbers 12: 6-8). Now I'm acting drama, so read it yourself. And you don't even want to hear what He did to Miriam; leprosy. And I think Aaron was exempted to protect the sanctity of priesthood; but he got the message. So what was the big deal about Moses? He was meek. In fact, he was the meekest on the face of the earth at that time. If being meek could make God that passionate about any human, I want to know more. You see why I said 'God, help me'? Moses came a long way. The last time someone questioned his authority, he had to flee. (Exodus 2: 14-15). Now, God would leave all and deal with whoever dared. There is something about Meekness.
Who else could help expound Meekness? Jesus said '… learn of Me, for I am meek …' (Matthew 11:29). It takes meekness to be God and be man at the same time; to be the leader and be the servant at the same time; to be the highest and stoop the lowest at the same time; to be the best and take the worst at the same time. It's so difficult to grasp. I cannot explain it; but to be the meekest is to be the greatest. I cannot attain it, unless You help me, Lord. Paul said 'let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus…'
So, help me, LORD.
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