Article November 2, 1929 Issue

Meekness and Might

BLANCHE NELSON

At the beginning of that marvelous discourse called the Sermon on the Mount, as recorded by Matthew, are the pure declarations of the blessings which follow certain specified conditions of right thinking and living—the Beatitudes. One of these reads, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."

Why should the meek inherit the earth? Many mistake weakness for meekness; but in order to realize how far removed this is from the true meaning of the word, we need only consider some of the Old Testament characters. Of Moses it was said, "Now the man Moses was very meek;" and yet Moses was the great leader of one of the most stupendous undertakings on record—that of leading Israel from the bondage of Egypt to the freedom of the promised land. We have also the example of Joseph, who, when asked by Pharaoh to interpret to him his dream, humbly said, "It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace." Joseph knew that to God belongs all power and glory, and because he knew this he became ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Some dictionary definitions of the word "meek" are gentle, kind, mild of temper, unassuming; and to assume means to take upon one's self; to take for granted or without proof; to usurp, or to claim more than is due. Let us see where these modes of thought, if allowed to hold sway, would lead us. First, "to take upon one's self" would imply belief in a selfhood of our own capable of doing and being something apart from God, thus breaking the First Commandment. "To take for granted or without proof" might mean that we were lacking in reason, which Mrs. Eddy calls (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 327) "the most active human faculty." The only reliable proofs are those which come as the result of exercising this faculty, since whatever physical sense tells us is never true.

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