Now I want to move to some biblical examples of meekness.
Let’s start with Moses
I think sometimes when we think of Moses we think of a harsh judge. That’s, in one sense, a right way to think of Moses because Moses received and communicated the law of God to the people of Israel, and we know there’s no saving efficacy in the law itself. So, to speak of Moses is to speak of the man through whom God delivered His condemning standard of holiness. However, Moses, though not perfect, is a shining example of meekness. Numbers 11:1-3 says:
Now when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the LORD burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the LORD, the fire was quenched. So he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the LORD had burned among them.
When the people cried out, what did Moses do? Imagine the situation. Moses is a faithful man. He’s seen what God has done in the past and he grasps the magnitude of grace shown to the people of Israel. Can you imagine coming through the red sea—walls of water on either side (who knows how tall)? Can you fathom watching the destruction of Egypt’s army after the Jews finished crossing. And these same people—the people who witnessed all these wonders—now come before Moses grumbling. They’re complaining. What would you do? What did Moses do?
Moses prayed. The people complained, the Lords wrath was burning hot, and before the Lord’s fire spilled forth in holy anger, Moses—as a faithful intercessor—prayed. He prayed! He didn’t return the people’s complaints with insults. He didn’t return the people’s complaints with snarky impotence. He prayed. What is this but exemplary meekness toward God and neighbor? Moses is trusting in God for the sustenance of the people, and he’s loving the people by interceding for them.
The second example is Solomon, son of David
Solomon was known for many, many sins. Among them were adultery, covetousness, and idolatry. Yet, Solomon managed to demonstrate meekness. In Ecclesiastes 7:9, writing in his older years, he says, “Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools.” What’s the elder Solomon’s advice? It’s meekness. It’s the humility which, like a firehose, dousts the flames of unrighteous anger. To be meek is to imitate God in humble long-suffering. Nahum 1:3 says, “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked.”
The third and most primal example is that of the Lord Jesus Christ
Matthew 12:14-15 says:
Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.
Here was Jesus—He had just healed a man on the Sabbath, and it was witnessed by the religious elite. This point in the text represents a tipping point in the tension between Jesus and the surrounding religious leaders. We need to notice two things about this situation. First, at this juncture, the Pharisees began plotting against Jesus, how they might destroy Him. Second, Jesus found out about the scheme. Now Jesus had two routes available to Him. He could’ve taken an offensive posture and reviled the Pharisees, inciting all kinds of violence against them. Or, He could’ve retreated, without retaliation. And in fact, that’s exactly what He did; and Matthew makes it clear to us that this was the fulfillment of a prophecy in Isaiah 42:1-4, when it says:
“Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory…
This is the example for the Christian. Christ perfectly defines what it means to be meek in His interaction with the Pharisees. He does not recompense evil for evil, and when He does sharply respond to the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes, it’s in the interest of the sheep, so that they would no true religion from false religion, true faith from false faith, authoritative teaching from man-made teaching. Jesus is the very perfection of meekness.