Meekness does not mean timidity (2 Tim. i. 7); not the craven spirit
of the coward, but the quiet power of the strong man (Prov.
xxviii. 1). It does not mean the absence of courage, but the absence
of that ignorant and arrogant self-sufficiency which Peter showed
when he said, "Though all men forsake Thee, yet will not I." It is
that calmness of spirit which grows not out of reliance on self, but
out of reliance on God. It is recorded of one whose courage at times
had flashed up like a consuming fire, "Now the man Moses was very
meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth." His
meekness was not feebleness, but a calm strength; quiet endurance in
the doing of duty under difficulties. He was not provoked by the
wrong-headedness or irritated by the ingratitude of the nation he
wished to serve, but he quietly bore their stubbornness, and
persisted in doing them good against their will. Hence a quiet doing
and a quiet bearing of the will of God is one consistent in this
quality of the mind "meekness." It does not mean that equableness of
disposition which comes from nature, so much as that calmness of
spirit which comes from grace. It is one of the fruits of the Spirit
(Gal. v. 23). This quality of mind in God's people is shown: 1. _In
their intercourse with God._ In His presence they manifest "a humble,
lowly, and contrite heart." Theirs is not the spirit of the Pharisee,
but the lowly contrition of the publican. Not "Stand by, for I am
holier than thou," but "I am not worthy," &c. In a ready acceptance
of the doctrines of grace and salvation through a Saviour crucified.
Not like the Pharisees, who scorned the Saviour "as a root out of a
dry ground," but like those few elect souls, just and devout, who
"were waiting for the consolation of Israel." Christianity is a
discipline of humility. In making men Christ-like it makes them meek.
Jesus was meek and lowly, and He promises to those like Himself rest
of soul. 2. _In their submission to the allotments of Providence_
(Job xiv. 14, xiii. 15; Micah vii. 9; Lev. x. 3; 1 Sam. iii. 18;
H. E. I. 157, 158, &c.) 3. _In their deportment before their
fellow-men._ They do not arrogate to themselves that superiority
which despises and neglects others, but obey the apostolic
injunctions (1 Pet. ii. 17, iii. 8).