Notes of Faith February 11, 2025
Meekness Is Not Weakness
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5
Caspar Milquetoast was a cartoon character created in 1924 by the comic strip writer H. T. Webster. The character was named after a bland food called milk toast which was eaten by people with weak stomachs. Caspar was portrayed as timid and ineffectual in his dealings with others. Since then, milquetoast has described a timid, insipid, bland, or feeble person.
Sadly, but understandably, the word meek came to be associated with weakness and timidity. This wasn’t helped by the King James Version’s translation of Numbers 12:3: “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” Moses was anything but weak and timid, and all modern translations of that verse use the word “humble” instead of “meek” to describe Moses. Humility is a positive trait of strength, not weakness. Humility means fearing the Lord and accepting His will for one’s life. Thus, Jesus praised the meek in the true sense of the word—those who live in submission to God and are blessed.
Meekness is not weakness; it takes spiritual strength to obey and serve God. And the blessing is to inherit His coming Kingdom on earth and for eternity.
Meekness is the mark of a man who has been mastered by God.
Geoffrey B. Wilson
If you believe and trust in the Word of God, that, “the meek shall inherit the earth,” this certainly does not sound like the weak, milquetoast person is going to be rewarded by God. Maybe submission is another one of those words that needs more careful study. We submit to the person and authority of God in meekness and awe. This allows us to live a life of power and authority in His name and will. Let us pursue a life and character of being “meek.” Then we are able to receive such a blessing and reward from God!
Ps 37:7-11
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace
Pastor Dale