Jesus said, "Blessed are the MEEK, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt 5:5). Notice he didn't say the WEAK shall inherit the earth. Since the words rhyme, people often treat them as synonyms. They aren’t. Both came into English from Old Norse, but from different roots with different meanings. So what's the difference? The Greek word for "meek" in Matthew 5:5 is praus, which was considered a virtue by ancient Greeks. Aristotle placed it as the mean between spinelessness and rage. In other words, meekness refers to strength under control. Strength to act with force when needed, but restrained. Scripture takes it further: strength restrained by humility and submission to God’s will. Think of it like a loaded weapon with the safety on. The best example of this kind of man in the OT is Moses. Earlier in his life, Moses failed in both directions. In Egypt, he murdered a man in a fit of rage. At the burning bush, he begged God to send someone else to Pharaoh. He was impulsive and timid, poor qualities for a leader. He needed to learn to trust God's power, channel his strength properly, and humbly submit himself to God's will. Later in his life, he became the MEEKEST man on the face of the earth (Num 12:3). Moses began WEAK but God made him MEEK. God made him strong, then chastened that strength with holiness. Jesus said that kind of man is blessed, and he shall inherit the earth. When we confuse MEEKNESS with WEAKNESS, we end up treating a vice as a virtue. Yes, there are times we are weak, either by nature or affliction. God uses those moments to remind us that we can do nothing apart from him and to teach us to rely more fully on his strength (John 15:5, 2 Cor 12:9). But we are not commanded to be weak. By faith, we are commanded to be strong. OT examples * "Be strong and courageous" (Deut 31:6) * "Be strong and very courageous" (Joshua 1:7) * "Be strong and courageous" (1 Chron 22:13) * "Be strong, and show yourself a man" (1 Kings 2:2) NT examples * "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." (1 Cor 16:13) * "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might." (Eph 6:10) * "You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus." (2 Tim 2:1) * "Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees." (Heb 12:12). I could go on, but you get the point. Weak men can't be meek men. They lack the strength meekness requires. As Jordan Peterson once said, "If you think tough men are dangerous, wait until you see what weak men are capable of." When King Hezekiah was warned by the prophet Isaiah that one day the Babylonians would plunder his house and castrate his sons to be eunuchs in the king's palace, he said "good," because at least "There will be peace and security in my days” (Isa. 39:8). Giving power to weak men is the last thing we need. They'll use their power to comfort and enrich themselves while throwing the rest of us to the wolves. The MEEK will indeed inherit the earth, as Jesus said. The strength of a meek man is a terror to the wicked. And his gentleness is a comfort to the righteous.

Last Tuesday a church member texted me asking if I’d pray at the President’s rally at NKU on Saturday. I said yes. Here’s what I prayed. And also what the President said about it. My latest for @BaptistLeaders centerforbaptistleadership.o…