Blessed Are the Meek

OT Lesson: Numbers 12:1-16 (KJV)

And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath He not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it. (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, “Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation.” And they three came out. And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. And He said, Hear now My words: 

If there be a prophet among you, 
I the Lord will make Myself known unto him in a vision, 
and will speak unto him in a dream.
My servant Moses is not so, 
who is faithful in all Mine house.
With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; 
and the similitude of the Lord shall He behold: 

Wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against My servant Moses? And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and He departed.

And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said unto Moses, “Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb.” And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, “Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.” And the Lord said unto Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.” And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again. And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.

NT Lesson: Matthew 5:5 (NRSV)

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Sermon

Introduction

Good morning, everyone. It’s been a while since I last saw you, and I hope you have all been doing well these past four weeks. I am sure Ben Piper delivered some wonderful sermons in my absence. As you know, I spent the last month in Korea. The weather was quite challenging—it felt like it rained for nine days straight with just one day of relief in between. Everyday I received on my cellphone the national warning like ten times concerning either severe rainfall and flood, or extreme heat. One day several people died of flood. The next day another several people died of heat. It was either a heavy downpour or intense heat, a clear sign that the climate has changed since I lived there twenty years ago. I am glad that the weather in Indiana is not that extreme.

The main reason for my trip to Korea was to visit my mother, whose dementia has significantly worsened in last a few months. When I first saw her after arriving in Korea, she was not very responsive. She sat there with a blank expression, not recognising me at all, and repeatedly addressed me as “sir.” However, she somehow remembered who Samuel was and called him by his Korean name, Jejun. Whenever she saw Samuel, her emotionless face immediately lit up.

Samuel and I stayed with my third sister in Seoul, while my mother lives with my fifth sister in a different city. So, Samuel and I made the commute almost every day. Thankfully, Samuel was thrilled to see his grandmother, viewing each visit as a reward. The bond between them grew stronger with each visit. After a week or so, my mother became much more responsive, talked way more, and smiled quite a lot.

One day, during the third week, Samuel was playing behind me while I sat facing my mother, trying to remind her of my name and our relationship. Suddenly, she raised her hand and placed it on my cheek. For a moment, I thought she finally recognised me. But then she pushed my head away—hard—because I was blocking her view of Samuel. It became clear that she simply wanted to see him. And I have never expected that a ninety-three years old lady can be that strong.

This trip was a bittersweet experience for me. It was painful that my own mother did not recognise me, yet sweet to see the deep love she still has for her grandson, even as her dementia worsens. It is amazing how the love of a grandparent can differ from that of a parent. For Samuel, the trip to Korea was a joy. His Korean language skills improved significantly, he cherished seeing his grandmother every day, and he turned six, celebrating with four separate birthday parties. Who wouldn’t love that?

Who Are Meek

Today, we return to our series on the Sermon on the Mount, focusing on the Beatitudes. Our New Testament lesson today is short, simple, and well-known: Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” While many of the statements in the Beatitudes are original to Jesus, this particular verse, Matthew 5:5, echoes an earlier declaration by King David in Psalm 37:11: “But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight in abundant prosperity.”1 Whether these words originated with Jesus or are rooted in the wisdom of the Old Testament, they hold the same divine authority and convey the same powerful message.

In Matthew 5:5, Jesus uses the Greek word πραΰς (praus) for “meek.” This word encompasses a range of meanings, including gentle, kind, forgiving, mild, benevolent, and humane. Speaking of kind, recently I saw this joke on the internet: No matter how kind you are, German kids are kinder. Interestingly, the same Greek word appears in the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, in our Old Testament reading today from Numbers 12:3: “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than anyone else on the face of the earth.”2 If we consider that Moses is traditionally credited with writing the book of Numbers, then it seems he boldly claimed himself to be the meekest person alive. He may have been meek, but I guess he was not that humble.

Let’s explore what it means to be meek, as illustrated in today’s Old Testament lesson. Numbers 12 is a unique and, in some ways, controversial chapter. Here, we see something unusual—Moses breaking the law. We do not often see this in Scripture. Additionally, Moses’ own co-workers, his siblings, stood against him. While the people of Israel frequently rebelled against Moses, this is the only instance where his close co-workers do so. Even though Moses broke the law, it was his siblings who drew God’s anger when they pointed it out. Although both Aaron and Miriam were involved, only Miriam was punished. These are intriguing points, but I will not delve into the debates surrounding them today.

Instead, let us briefly revisit the basic storyline of this chapter. Moses made a mistake, breaking a law, and his siblings criticised him—likely harshly—provoking God’s anger. God then punished them. This is the simplest version of the story. Setting aside all the controversies, let us focus on Moses’ meekness. Verse 3 explicitly states that Moses was the meekest man on earth. But what did Moses do to earn this title? The answer is—nothing. He did nothing, and that is precisely why he is described as meek. Moses neither acted nor spoke out in his own defence. The Oxford English Dictionary defines “meek” as being quiet and gentle—exactly what Moses exemplified.

Meek Is to Listen

The world around us is incredibly loud. No one wants to be seen as a loser, and we often believe that the one who gets the final word is the winner. Many assume that whoever yells the loudest wins the argument. We see this behaviour in those commonly referred to as “Karens”—people with whom it is nearly impossible to have a logical discussion or a reasonable conversation.

As we approach the upcoming election in November, which is just three months away, political debates and arguments are everywhere—on TV, Facebook, websites, YouTube, newspaper comment sections, and even on the streets. In my opinion, many politicians have abandoned reasoned discourse in favour of simply making claims, often without evidence. Enthusiastic supporters of these politicians frequently refuse to listen to the other side, instead resorting to shouting their opinions angrily. None of this aligns with the biblical concept of meekness, but listening is. In Korea, we say this common expression when the other person’s argument and logic do not make any sense: “Is it your talking or your farting? I heard something from you but it so makes no sense that it cannot be human talking. It must be your farting sound.” So whenever someone is trying to drag you into a useless and pointless argument without reason nor logic, you don’t have to respond to it. Instead, just say this Korean expression internally, not out loud. If you say it out loud, that will turn the verbal argument into a fist fight. So even if the other person is nothing but farting with their mouth, you’d better not respond. No response will eventually make them quiet as well, and you can gain peace again.

When Aaron and Miriam verbally attacked Moses and humiliated him in front of the people, Moses could have responded in anger or at least defended himself. But he did not. He simply listened and remained silent. This is what it means to be meek. In Psalm 37, where King David teaches us that the meek shall inherit the land, he describes meekness as being still before the Lord and waiting patiently for Him. Being still is meek. Waiting patiently is meek. Keeping calm is meek. Being silent is meek. Not striking back is meek. David goes further, urging us to refrain from anger and forsake wrath. So even when we believe something is unfair, not giving in to anger is an expression of meekness.

Jesus Is Meek

Who else in the Bible is described as meek? Of course, Jesus is the ultimate example of meekness. In Matthew 11, Jesus invites us, saying, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”3 The Greek word for “gentle” here is πραΰς (praus), which was used for meek in today’s both Scripture readings. In Matthew 21, it is written, “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Look, your King is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”4 Again, the word for “humble” here in Greek is πραΰς (praus), which was again used for meek in today’s both Scripture readings. Let us take a closer look at how Jesus exemplified meekness in the Bible.

Isaiah 53 is not only a beautiful poem but also an extraordinary prophecy, especially poignant when read on Good Friday. It is so powerful and profound that I’d like to share some of its well-known verses: “Surely He has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the punishment that made us whole, and by His bruises we are healed.”5 This is one of my most cherished chapters in the Bible.

Isaiah continues to prophesy, and later in the chapter, he describes how Jesus would embody meekness: “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.”6

Just as Isaiah prophesied, and just as Moses did before Him, Jesus chose not to respond. What was done to Him was far from fair—He was falsely accused and unjustly executed. People mocked and humiliated Him. As the Almighty God, Jesus could have come down from the cross at any moment. He could have summoned twelve legions of heavenly armies in an instant. But He did not. Why? Because He was meek. Moses did not react hastily when faced with unfair treatment, and neither did Jesus.

Conclusion

King David proclaims that the meek shall inherit the land, and Jesus teaches us today that “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Both Jesus and Moses exemplified meekness. While Moses was unique among the prophets, making it challenging to be exactly like him, and Jesus, being God, is someone we cannot fully emulate, we can still learn from their example.

Friends, when the world treats us unfairly or when those around us push us to our limits, let us take a moment before responding. Breathe deeply, pause, and consider our actions. By doing so, we can cultivate more peace in our lives and gradually become more like Jesus. In this way, we can inherit not only the land on earth but also our place in heaven. Amen.