Blessed Are the Meek

Jesus said, "the meek shall inherit the earth."  I have always puzzled over that phrase.  I mean, I get the inheritance thing.  I've never inherited anything (my parents died poor).  But I always thought it would be nice to inherit something.  I'm just not sure what it would mean for someone to inherit the earth.  How exactly does one do that?  What exactly does one get when one inherits the earth?  But I digress.  The bigger question revolves around this notion of meekness.

So, according to Jesus, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."  (Matthew 5:5)  Who exactly are these people?  I mean where did they come from?  How did they acquire their meeknesss?  If I look around the Bible, I see quite an emphasis on meekness.  I mean, Jesus wasn't the first to coin this term.  If I go back to the Old Testament, for example, there are at least a couple of passages about the meek. 

"Seek ye the Lord all ye meek of the earth ... seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger."  (Zephaniah 2:3) (KJV)  So the meek are to seek meekness?  Really?  How exactly do they do that?  Do they know they're supposed to do that?  And this particular passage of Scripture seems to reflect the privilege of the meek.  I mean it says they'll be hid from God's wrath when He judges the world.  So that would be good, of course.  I'd like to be hidden from the wrath of God when He judges the world for its sins.

The psalmist inferred an even deeper level of privilege for the meek.  Or maybe it was responsibility he was writing about.  "The meek will he guide in judgment; and the meek will he teach his way."  (Psalm 25:9) (KJV)  So God will guide those of us who are meek, and he will teach us his way.  We just have to join the meek.  So again I'm asking, "Who are these people?"  And maybe more importantly, the question is how I can join them.  How can I be counted among the meek, at least from the Lord's perspective?  Will He judge me as meek?

1 Peter 3:4 gives us an even broader perspective on the subject of meekness.  It says that meekness is an "ornament" and that it goes with a quiet spirit.  And it tells us God thinks these things are very valuable. 

The Bible talks about meekness as if we all know what it is, how it occurs and how we can pursue it and make it our own.  If you ask me, that's being a little presumptuous.  I mean, are humans that smart?

Another psalmist says that God "will beautify the meek with salvation."  (Psalm 149:4) (KJV)  But more modern translations seem to choose other words.  I mean they don't use the word meek.  Rather they use words like "humble" as if they are interchangeable with "meek."  But I'm not sure they are. 

The dictionary seems to have two different ways of thinking about "meek."  One definition seems positive.  It says the meek are "humbly patient or docile, as under provocation from others."  It further says that the meek are "patient and long-suffering."  Those seem like pretty strong virtues to me.  I wouldn't mind being considered meek in that context.  But the dictionary also provides another context, which is much less appealing.  It says the meek are "overly submissive and compliant, spineless and tame."  I don't know about you, but I doubt that's the Biblical meaning of meek.

One thing that I've learned to do over the years is to look at Jesus.  I find that He's been the perfect role model for lots of things that I'm trying to figure out.  People put those bumper stickers on their car that say "WWJD?"  They're asking, "What Would Jesus Do?"  I don't think it's a good bumper sticker.  But I do think it's good advice for living.  We need to be looking to find out what Jesus would do.  If we'll stop and consider it, I find that Jesus models just about everything I need to know about successful living.

So in this context of humility or meekness, I look at Jesus and I don't see a spineless door mat.  In fact, I see a man who could get angry at injustice and ungodliness.  But I also see a man who was quick to forgive, slow to anger, and who experienced ... and expressed deep emotion.  When Jesus was falsely accused and tried, I see several behaviors that I find curious. 

Jesus did nothing to defend himself.  He wasn't defensive.  He made no statements on His own behalf.  He didn't try to justify His behavior.  He asked no questions of His accusers.  He answered their questions with as few words as possible.  And of course He didn't accuse others, but rather ask His Father to forgive them because they didn't know what they were doing (i.e., accusing Him unfairly).  Let's face it, those are odd behaviors.  But they are strong clues about this character trait of meekness.  I think they show us how to be meek.

That meekness is not weakness has been made very clear to us in the Bible.  Numbers 12:3, for example, describes Moses as a man who was "very meek."  But of course Moses was strong and courageous.  Moses was deeply humble and self-sacrificing, a man of prayer who absolutely trusted God beyond measure.  Jesus was no wimp either.  He defined meekness in terms of His own character.  "...learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:"  (Matthew 11:29) (KJV)

A meek spirit enables a Christ-follower to maintain composure in the face of opposition.  It helps us to accept adversity without resorting to our sense of entitlement.  It produces a peace that "transcends understanding" (Philippians 4:7) (NIV).  So it seems that this meekness which the Lord speaks of, it is the "secret sauce" for all true Christ-followers.  Frankly, I think it is a gift from God.  He instills it in each of us as we seek Him and His ways.  Said differently, the Lord will work in us, as we seek Him, to change our perspective about everything.  Troubling things won't be as troubling.  Challenges won't be as intimidating.  Adversity won't steal our peace.  And of course pride will not be welcome in the hearts of those who are meek.

So, as Jesus said, "the meek shall inherit the earth."  Now, who are these people?  They are you and me, my friend.  They are you and me.  May you find an extra measure of meekness in your soul today.  And may you grasp it like a precious gem, committing to never let go of even the tiniest morsel of meekness that you can find.  For therein lies our treasure ... and acquiring it makes us His treasure!

Dave Ramsey

Okay, I'm going to have to take a position here - and it's not going to be a popular one. Dave Ramsey, the Christian evangelist for financial accountability and fiscal responsibility has blown it - in my humble opinion.

Twice in the past week I've been driving down the road listening to Dave Ramsey's show on talk radio. Listeners are calling in with questions about their financial affairs. And Dave is discussing and giving answers and opinions to those questions. Often it's in the form of advice.

Now I don't know if you are familiar with who Dave Ramsey is. He runs a vast ministry (i.e., financial empire) where he sells books, kits, programs, courses, and other tools to help people get their financial house in order. One of the most popular is called "Financial Peace University." It's a program that's offered in churches all over the country.

Now Dave is astute financially, and already had his fiscal house in order. I'm pretty sure that the commercialization of his own stewardship has made him a wealthy man. Go Dave. And most of his advice is solid, grounded in Biblical principles. But we run into trouble when we see that recently Dave Ramsey seems to have picked up the modern-day mantra being embraced ... and even preached in our country. I'm talking about debts.

The first time it happened last week, this guy called into Dave's show and said he was buying a house, and putting about $9,000 down. He was ready to close, when the mortgage company notified him that they'd found an outstanding judgment against him --- for an unpaid bill. He wanted to know what he could do (so he could still get his house). Dave asked him if he had any money, and how much. The man said that in addition to the down payment on his house, he had about $13,000.

So Dave Ramsey proceeds to coach the caller on how to deal with the creditor. He first said to contact them directly, and don't tell them that you have a home purchase pending. (You don't want to let them know how much you need to settle this debt.) Dave told the caller to be sure and "have an attitude" with them. He coached the caller to offer them "maybe 50% of what you owe them," as a settlement in full. But Dave said to tell them that offer "would only be good for 72 hours ... and then it would drop to 40%." Finally, Dave told the caller to tell the creditor that if they didn't except that, he (the debtor) would just "fade away and good luck to you in finding me."

Really, Dave? Is this how Jesus would handle an outstanding judgment for an unpaid debt? Was it not material to ask the guy how much of the debt he might be able to repay? Does the fact that the guy owes all of the debt, 100% of it (plus interest and collection costs), not matter here?

Just a few days later, I'm again listening to Dave Ramsey's show on talk radio. And he does it again. The caller says his wife is bipolar and won't deal with her creditors. The guy has good credit himself and no debts. He wants his wife to deal with her bills --- or let him deal with it. He says the creditors will call, but they won't talk to him because he's not signed on the debts with his wife. He's asking Dave what he can do (to get control of hi wife's debts so he can deal with them.)

Dave totally misses the opportunity that the guy has ... to just pay his wife's debts. You don't need the cooperation of your wife's creditors to mail them a check. You can simply look at the last statement they've sent and mail that amount in. Dave Ramsey never suggests this to the caller. Moreover, in talking to the guy, Dave says that "bipolar people always have financial problems." And he refers to the creditors who are calling the deadbeat wife as "turkeys who behave badly," and says that's why you can't blame the wife for not wanting to talk to them.

Really, Dave? The creditors who are being screwed by the wife's irresponsibility are the turkeys here? You think so? And we make no mention of the wife's responsibilities in answering this caller? Does the fact that she owes the money not matter? Does the fact that the husband calling into your show wanting to pay these debts not matter?

So I made a call to the Dave Ramsey show myself. Of course after pressing a couple option buttons you get a recorded message that says something like, "... over 3 million listeners call us and we can't take all the questions. So leave your question at the sound of the tone and maybe we'll deal with it on the air." And I do.

What question did I leave for Dave Ramsey, the Christian financial guru who is getting rich selling his Biblical principles for financial management to America? After referencing these two callers to his show, I asked, "Dave, when did shirking your responsibilities and screwing your creditors become a Christian virtue?"

Let's see if Mr. Ramsey will answer me on his show.