“But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant peace.” Psalm 37:11
One of the wonderful things about God’s Word is that in it He declares what is true whether we believe it or not. So it is here in Psalm 31:11. This beautiful promise is one I delight to read, and fully agree with, yet often, that is as far as it goes. In reality, it can be far easier to live in the familiar and very logical mindset that “I must take care of myself, for no one else will. I need to advocate, defend my rights, and ensure that everyone gives me the recognition I deserve”. Everything around us reinforces this belief, and we can spend our lives chasing the illusion, frustrated always by the injustice of everything. I find myself here from time to time. Maybe you do too. So what is this meekness that God speaks of? Who are the meek, and how do they inherit the land? The Lord has been using 1 Samuel 25 recently to illustrate this truth for me in a way I can understand.
The story is a familiar one: A very rich man named Nabal was shearing his sheep, a time of feasting and celebration. David, who was living on the run from King Saul, sent to Nabal to ask for a share of the feast, since he and his men had guarded Nabal’s shepherds and flocks while they were in the wilderness, and no sheep had gone missing while they were in David’s care. Yet instead of responding in thankfulness for all their time of diligent labour, Nabal mocked and scorned David’s men and sent them away empty-handed. In great anger at this injustice, David and his men set out to destroy Nabal and all that he had.
“Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have guarded all that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him; and he has returned me evil for good. May God do so to the enemies of David and more also, if by morning I leave as much as one male of any who belong to him.” verses 21-22
As they came, they were met on the way by Nabal’s prudent wife Abigail. She had quickly brought with her much food from the feast, and came and bowed down before David and begged him not to pay attention to what Nabal had said, for he was indeed a worthless and foolish man. And she said,
“Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, since the LORD has restrained you from shedding blood, and from saving with your own hand, now let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal. And when the LORD has done to my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince over Israel, my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord working salvation himself… And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand!” verses 26, 30-33
Here David had been insulted, cheated, and his work and character discredited. He had every right to be angry, and he felt justified in avenging this wrong. In light of this, it is intriguing how Abigail approaches David. She seems to have a very good understanding of God’s character when she puts the sin of saving with your own hand on the same level as murder. She believed that God, as the Good Father, could save His children and bring justice on their behalf, and in faith she came to David to remind him of the truth he also knew. David, in humility, accepted this reminder of God’s character and chose to trust Him. Here is meekness: David refused to work salvation with his own hand. God sent Abigail to warn David of the sin of becoming his own saviour, for that is setting yourself up in the place of God. Choosing to trust in God, instead of himself, for justice, David saw the Lord work salvation for Him in a way he could never have achieved himself. In fact, just days afterward, God Himself struck Nabal, and he died.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. The meek are those who refuse to work salvation for themselves but instead rely on God for justice and their reward. The meek cast themselves on the care of the One who is over everything, and they inherit the earth because they are dependent on their Heavenly Father. Seek a reward for your work, but seek the right reward. Look for justice – but from the right source. And it is here, when we lean on our Heavenly Father, that we move from the theory of the Christian life into the vibrant, joyful, powerful reality that He is our mighty protector and loving provider.
By: Sam Braun
