Character Traits: Meekness and Humility

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Previous lesson on Character by Keeley

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Overview 

• 1. Introduction to Humility and Meekness
• 2. Meekness in the Bible
  • 2.1 Dictionary Definition
  • 2.2 Definition of Meek in the Bible
    • 2.2.1 Examples of Meekness in the Bible from 2 Corinthians 10:1-8, 17-18
    • 2.2.2 Examples of Being Meek in the Bible from 1 Peter 2:23
• 3. Humility in the Bible
  • 3.1 Dictionary Definition
  • 3.2 Biblical Definition
    • 3.2.1 Example of Humility from Luke 18:9-14, the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
• 4. Application of Meekness and Humility to Our Lives
• 5. Conclusion
• 6. Questions for Discussion and Application

1.  Introduction to Humility and Meekness

We’re going to look at the character traits of meekness and humility.  So far in the last 3 lessons, we have been talking about developing godly character (or excellence of life) through learning to recognize and cultivate and grow in different virtues.  We must realize our dependence on God and his instruction in order to learn how to live a life in obedience to Christ.  We’ve looked at wisdom, integrity and love, some overarching themes and ideas in studying character.  We’ve pointed out the differences in the world’s view of character and these virtues from God’s view. 

We’re looking at two ideas that carry much different connotations in the Bible from in the culture. In fact, the culture doesn’t really esteem either of them. These traits are meekness and humility. We will explore the meek and humble meaning in the culture and in the Bible.

2.  MEEKNESS IN THE BIBLE

Illustration. Our culture exalts a hero who conquers, who refuses to submit to others, and who challenges anyone who comes against his interests.  He saves the day or he solves the crime; he’s good at what he does and they need him—and he knows it.  Most of our cultural heroes don’t have an ounce of meekness or humility in them. And that’s why people like them. 

What is meekness? What do you think of when you hear the word meekness? 

Meekness is a great example where our cultural definition is not at all the same as the biblical.  It’s barely a desirable trait in our culture. (It’s hard to find in any of the books—especially not the psychological book that put together what character is). 

Like last week’s lesson on Character Traits: Integrity and Love, I’m going to look first at the dictionary’s definition. I’ll critique it where necessary, then give you a biblical definition and biblical examples that demonstrate it.

2.1  Dictionary Definition

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines meekness, meek definition Webster, as:

1. enduring injury with patience and without resentment ([a synonym for meekness is:] mild).  It’s like just putting up with other people’s junk, taking it, and not holding it against them, maybe like a doormat.
2. Deficient in spirit and courage ([a synonym for meekness is:] submissive).  Our culture sees the meek as deficient in spirit and courage, or submissive (that “bad” word).

This part of the definition flies in the face of Jesus’ teaching and godly character.  Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:5) “blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The meek are extremely important in God’s kingdom—they’re not considered deficient in spirit.  Jesus is quoting Ps 37:11, “the meek shall inherit the land [God’s kingdom]” and the meek shall “delight themselves in abundant peace.” He doesn’t see them as deficient at all, only repressed by the strong.

3.  Not violent or strong ([a synonym for meekness is:] moderate).

2.2  Definition of Meek in the Bible

Let’s define meekness in the Bible. I did some research in the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (which is Christian).  They pointed out that the key to understanding biblical meekness is that it’s not the same as weakness.  So, whereas Merriam-Webster says it means “not strong,” someone who has been pushed down by the “elite,” the meek in the Bible are not at all characterized by weakness of character.  We’ll see that in the Bible, meekness is strength.

Let’s look at the biblical definition of meekness and the characteristics of a meek person.

Then what are characteristics of the Biblical word “meekness”?  What are the characteristics of a meek person?

1. The biblical definition of meekness is: It’s not the same as weakness, but it’s strength; the word involves the idea of self-control. Aristotle said it’s “strength under control,” a form of self-control.  Some things that it’s not: cowardice, being timid, or having a lack of self-confidence.
2. The biblical definition of meekness (from the Greek dictionary) is “the quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance.” It’s not being too impressed with yourself. Not seeing yourself as overly important. Or not being really impressed at how wise you are. Or how much integrity you have or how loving you are. (I’m getting at how all these qualities that make up “character” come together. We want to develop all of them. So while you might grow in wisdom, you don’t want to grow a big head about it in the process. This is where meekness comes in).
3. A synonym for meekness is gentleness (used most predominantly). We see that there is no difference between gentleness and meekness.
4. Another synonym for meekness is humility.  The following examples show that the word “humble” is used in some translations and meek in others.  Keep that in mind as we read and think about meekness right now. In summary, biblical meekness is strength under control. It’s not being overly impressed by your own self-importance. And it can also be described as “gentleness” or humility.
5. Examples of meekness in the Bible are found in these key meek scriptures:
   1. 2 Corinthians 10, where Paul describes his ministry,
   2. 1 Peter 2:23, where we see the meekness of Christ. See the following sections for a full description of these examples of meekness in the Bible and how they are examples of being meek.

2.2.1  Examples of meekness in the Bible from 2 Corinthians 10:1-8, 17-18.

I want to look at how does boasting relate to being meek or humble.  In 2 Corinthians 10:1 Paul is humble. (Your translation might say meek, making this a meekness Bible verse.) Paul is humble when face to face with the Corinthians, but he’s more bold when away from them.  In 2 Corinthianss 10:2, he begs not to have to be overly bold when he’s in person with them.  However, in 2 Corinthians 10:8, he does boast of his authority, and some say a little too much so. But his authority is used to build them up, to bring good to them, to teach them about God—so he’s not ashamed for it.  In 2 Corinthians 10:13, he doesn’t boast beyond limits though, just to the area of influence God gave him—to reach the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 10:17 says, “‘let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’”

This verse is quoting Jeremiah 9:24, “but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,”

In summarizing here the characteristics of a meek person: Paul is boasting in his knowledge of and close relationship with God; he wants to share the joy of it with them and with us, so that we too can know God’s faithfulness, his justice, and his righteousness.  So boasting in the Lord to share his good news is a form of meekness. 

Then in 2 Corinthians 10:18, he says, “For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” Paul’s point is that his authority comes directly from God. God has commended Paul, so when Paul is accused of boasting, he’s boasting, not in himself, but in the Lord. What is the significance of Paul urging them (in 2 Corinthians 10:1) by the “meekness and gentleness of Christ”?

2.2.2  Examples of meekness in the Bible or being meek in the Bible from 1 Peter 2:23.

The 1 Peter 2:23 meaning is, here, that Christ shows us what it means to be meek. This is a Christ-centered meekness Bible verse saying:

“when he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”

Why didn’t Christ fight back when reviled or threaten people when he suffered?   Christ shows us that what the world might see as weakness (not fighting back) is really strength—it’s a different kind of strength than the world is looking for.  The true meaning of meek in the Bible is strength under control. 

And because he entrusted himself to God alone, we see that Christ was also meek in not being overly impressed with his importance. And if anyone had reason to boast, isn’t it certainly the savior of the world?

Yet, he shows us what it means to be meek, and to act in a meek manner. He shows us how to trust in him, even if we begin to suffer in our work, or we’re put down by others for taking a stance for our faith.  It’s Christ’s strength that enables us, through his Holy Spirit to likewise learn to be meek.

So in 2 Corinthian 10:1 he says he’s appealing to them “by the meekness and gentleness of Christ.” He says this because it’s Christ’s authority that gives Paul his own authority. And it’s in Christ that he boasts, not in himself.  Christ commends him, so he is bold in his faith, and bold in Christ. But Paul’s goal is to do so out of a posture of meekness and gentleness—that which comes directly from knowing Christ.  Paul takes on Christ’s own meekness and gentleness when he talks to them. He knows that he must be dependent on Christ in order to be meek at all. (And this is how he keeps from being overly impressed with his own position in the church).

3. HUMILITY IN THE BIBLE

The second overarching theme or aspect of character we’re looking at is humility.  We already saw that it is closely related to meekness and can sometimes be used as a synonym for it in the Bible. 

What do you think of when you hear the word humility? 

What does the culture means by humility? 

Can you think of some negative associations that come with the word humility? 

Perhaps you think of someone who is weak or passive, or you think of humiliation, like shame and embarrassment.

3.1 Dictionary Definition

Before we jump into humility in the Bible, let’s look again at what the culture and the dictionary say about humility.  Humility is just the quality or state of being humble.  “Humble” is used as an adjective to describe a person who possesses humility or a verb to make someone humble.  So what does the dictionary say is being humble?

First, as an adjective, it means:

1. not proud or haughty, not arrogant or assertive. 

2. Someone who reflects, expresses, or offers a spirit of deference or submission. 

3. A synonym for humble is unpretentious.

I also looked up unpretentious, which basically means being free from excessive display, rich ornamentation or design, and free from taking on or displaying an attitude or mode of behavior not natural to oneself. (So to be unpretentious is to not have a lot of excess and to be genuine).  So being humble would take on this idea of being genuine and not being excessive, these are good.

Second, as a verb then, humble can also mean:

“to make humble in spirit or manner” or

“to destroy the power, independence, or prestige of.” 

In this sense there’s the idea of knocking someone down a notch, or maybe breaking them of a free spirit.

Illustration of Humility

Now the character strength of humility is an aspect that actually does turn up as a valuable characteristic in the secular psychologists’ handbook on Character Strengths and Virtues (unlike meekness). 

They note how pride used to be a bad thing, but in today’s age, we’ve started encouraging pride through the new movement to improve self-esteem.  They note that people now think that if we just improve the way we feel about ourselves, then people will be happier and will get along better in society. 

But they note that this is dangerous in that it leads to building up pride, often to the detriment of humility.  So they are encouraging humility, as a character strength, in reaction to the self-esteem movement.

When looking for an example of a humble person, they expressed the difficulty in finding a good example because a truly humble person wouldn’t seek fame for fame’s sake. 

Humility of Bill Wilson, founder of Alcoholics Anonymous

But they came up with an example in Bill Wilson, cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous.  He battled alcoholism, had a religious conversion, reordered his priorities, and became abstinent.  He used his life lessons to start the 12-step approach that placed an emphasis on humility themes, like admitting limitations, making amends, and relying on a higher power. 

But, in his life, he still struggled between having low self-esteem on one hand and arrogance on the other, which was compounded by his coming to near-celebrity status in AA, an organization which was meant to be “anonymous.”  He understood humility, but he also understood also how hard it was to “attain” this virtue. And he wrestled to put it into practice in his lifetime. 

Bill Wilson was a man who was made humble by alcoholism.  He didn’t start with humility, but he had it forced on him in his struggle.

3.2  Biblical Definition

What is humility in the Bible definition or the biblical definition of humility?

1. In Proverbs, it’s a virtue that comes from a proper reverence for (or fear of) the Lord.  Humility is an opposite of pride.
2. There’s an aspect of someone being afflicted by God and tested (e.g. the proud are humbled), or also seeing someone lose prestige or status (like a reversal of status—either from exalted to humble, or from humble to exalted).
3. There’s also the idea that someone can humble him- or herself (e.g. Bible characters who struggled with pride: Hezekiah humbled the pride of his heart, and Jesus says in Mt 18:4, “whoever humbles himself as this child, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”).  This means to become humble in attitude (in a favorable sense).
4. There’s the aspect, like meekness, of being unpretentious (or free from excess and being truly genuine).  This is someone who doesn’t let success or her position in life go to her head. (Like moving up the corporate ladder, making a lot of money, or being a mother blessed with many children. We can’t let any of these go to our heads).

Let’s look at Jesus’ parable (which is a story meant to teach a lesson) of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the temple.

3.2.1  Example of humility from Luke 18:9-14, the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector.

Luke 18:9-14 has a Bible verse about humility in the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector.

In this parable, we see two men: first, a Pharisee (a religious ruler of the day) and second, a tax collector (a wealthy Roman businessman who would make his living off of charging exorbitant taxes to the Jews).  Right off we should expect the religious ruler to be the humble one and the extortionist to be the one thinking highly of himself. But, after much reading of the New Testament, we learn that the Pharisees are never really painted in a good light by Jesus. So we come to expect this Pharisee too to be the object of Jesus’ lesson.  

Luke 18:9 meaning is that this parable is for those people who trust in themselves for their own righteousness and who treated others with contempt. (Or it’s for people who made it a practice of humbling others.  Again, we might think this would be the tax collector who humbled others, or destroyed their power because of his job of charging exorbitant taxes).  

Notice that both men pray to God.  Just because the Pharisee trusted in himself doesn’t mean he skipped the act of going to the temple and putting himself before God.  He had the proper external acts of being a religious leader. Or in today’s vocabulary he was “a good Christian.” But as we saw last week, “his heart was far away from God.”

What are the differences in the two men’s postures of prayer before God? 

The Pharisee stands by himself, while the tax collector stands far off. The tax collector wouldn’t lift his eyes to heaven (he didn’t feel worthy). And he beat his breast (an Old Testament sign of extreme sorrow).

What are the differences in the two men’s prayers? 

The Pharisee thanked God he wasn’t like others, listed how good he was and what actions he did to be considered good—his tithing and his fasting.  The tax collector, on the other hand, just prayed, “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” He called God by name, spoke of his dependence on God and prayed for mercy for his sins.

Luke 18:14 meaning is when he says, “this man[the tax collector] went down to his house justified [made right before God], rather than the [Pharisee].  For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” See how this ties in with Luke 18:9 about how this was told to those who treated others with contempt?  He’s saying that if you treat others with contempt (exalting yourself in the process), you will be humbled (or made low); but the one who already humbles himself (alone), this one will be exalted in God’s kingdom.

Two Different Uses of the Word Humble

The word humble is being used in two ways.

First the Pharisee will be humbled, meaning that he will lose prestige and status.  He was in need of someone else to humble him. 

Second, whereas, the tax collector starts with an attitude that is humble (in a favorable sense).  He had much in life, but before God, he knew he had done nothing to deserve God’s favor.  The tax collector came before God, already humble.  He himself didn’t depend on his worldly status (his jobs, his friends, his relationships) and position. But he willingly gave that self-righteousness up in order to come before God.  He gave up his worldly position, knowing it didn’t mean anything before God.  (God didn’t care how hard he worked.)  His posture and his prayer before God both showed his humility of heart.  He didn’t let the success of his job go to his head.

Jesus gives this parable in Luke 18:9-14, to teach and instruct his people, but also to show the reversal of the world’s idea of exaltation and God’s idea of it.  In God’s world, only the one who is truly humble will be exalted.  And there’s no better example of this self-humbling than Jesus himself. 

Christ’s Humility

In Philippians 2:8, we see that Christ humbled himself (God himself became humble); Christ became obedient to death on a cross.  He gave up his status. (God on high—not that he lost it, just that he came down from heaven and took on humanity—as an act of humility.)  There’s a reversal of status even here.  He became man, something that he wasn’t previously, in order to redeem and save sinners.  Christ humbled himself, so he teaches us also how to be humble before God.  We can’t boast or brag in our accomplishments. (Just as Paul in 2 Corinthians 10 didn’t boast in himself, but in the Lord).

4.  Application of Meekness and Humility to Our Lives

How do we come before God in a posture of humility, then, and of meekness? (How do we apply these lessons to our lives?)

First, we have to recognize God for who he is.  He is God on high. Christ is seated at the right hand of God, he is exalted and worthy of praise.  And he is also humble and meek.  He took on humanity to save us: you and me.  It’s not just an abstract concept but a real event that took place 2,000 years ago.  Christ became man, he suffered death, and he was obedient to the cross.  He died so that we could have life and so that we could follow him and know how to follow him.  Having life doesn’t just mean going to heaven and being saved. He came so that we could truly LIVE, right now, in the joy of following God.

Second, we have to look to Jesus for the power to be meek and humble.  In Matthew 11:29, Jesus says to “take my yoke upon you and learn from me [we learn from Jesus], for I am gentle[this is the same word for meek] and humble in heart [Christ is meek and humble, he’s saying that right here], and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 meaning is that we find rest by trusting all the details of our lives to Jesus. 

Examples of humility in everyday life, and examples of meekness, is trusting Jesus to guide us through trouble at work, or difficulty in our marriage, or trouble relating to a friend.  We have to trust that he is sufficient enough to care for all our troubles.  His meekness and humility are why we take his yoke (which just means to bind ourselves to him).  We take Jesus’ yoke. Because otherwise, we’re just bound to the world. And the world is a much tougher way to go.  It may seem easier, but it’s not.  Jesus says “my burden is light.”

5. Conclusion

I want to close with two final verses found in the New Testament that show us how we learn to follow Jesus in this way.  In 1 Peter 5:5, Paul says “clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud [those who trust in their own success, their own value gained from living the “good life”], but [God] gives grace to the humble.”

1 Peter 5:5 meaning is that God gives his grace to the humble, so we come before God as humble.  We have to pray for his Holy Spirit to teach us how to be humble. And we have to look to Christ to see his example of being humble, and bind ourselves to him: to his meekness and humility, as a whole way of life.

Also, in Colossians 3:12, Paul says to believers: “Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another.”

Colossians 3:12 meaning here is that humility and meekness are character traits, that Christians are commanded to put on. 

So we need to learn about them, so we can learn to wear them, to put them on, to clothe ourselves in them.  When people look at us, they should see, not what clothes we are wearing (not our Tori Burch shoes or Gucci purse). But they should see our meekness, our humility.  And it’s God’s grace that helps us look this way.  So pray for God’s grace. Pray for his mercy. Pray to better understand Christ’s humility and meekness. And then make them your own.

Remember that you can’t just work harder to be more humble or meek, we need God’s grace.  You have to “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15), you have to “let [his] word dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16), and by “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Questions for Discussion and Application:

(Leave your thoughts in the comments below)

1. What do you find confusing about the virtues of meekness and humility?
2. How does the visual of “clothing yourself” or “putting on” meekness and humility help you understand building character?  Give examples of how you can do this.
3. How specifically do you struggle with being meek or humble in your life?  Give examples.

Next Bible Study lesson on Character by Keeley

For your reference, I used the following resources in the development of this meditation:

• A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Edition
• Novum Testamentum Graece: Nestle-Aland (Greek Edition)
• Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification

Resources Used