Humble and Meek

“But I will leave among you a humbled and poor people, who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord.” Zephaniah 3:12

Humility and meekness (the intent behind the word “poor” in this passage) have rarely been seen as desirable character qualities, and understandably so. If a person’s world-view includes getting the most out of life, making the most money, advancing yourself to the highest possible pinnacle, humility simply isn’t the way to get there. Qualities that appear much more active are required; such as perseverance, courage or confidence. But meekness? No, that is for monks and nuns. Humility? Forget marrying it with a career in big business.

And perhaps that is as it should, given one’s preconception about life. But, what if the preconception is wrong. What if chasing fortune and opportunity are not the groundwork for a fulfilled life? What if our world-view is based on something other than personal achievement? And, what if there are ways to attain personal or corporate goals that are less about self-assertion and more about a healthy sense of self-limitation?

I am halfway through Richard Attenborough’s marvelous 1982 film, “Gandhi”. (Netflix, you are such a bother, sending out part one and two separately!). Mohandas Gandhi achieved more for India’s independence than myriads of military people. He never sought power, but identified with the poorer castes, living in their makeshift villages, wearing the traditional dress of the peasant class. If there is an example within our generation’s memory of humility and meekness put to practice, it is Gandhi.

Though never publicly professing Christianity, he had an incredible deal of respect for Jesus Christ, and his best friend throughout his adulthood was a Christian missionary. He understood, perhaps better than some evangelicals, the power of a life that eschewed violence and trusted that peace could be obtained without force.

The one difference between the non-violence espoused by Gandhi and many others and what Christ calls us to, is that non-violence is not an end in itself, nor is it a philosophy on its own. Meekness and humility, for the Christian, are direct outgrowths of a personal trust in God.

Jesus’ humility that allowed Him to stay silent as Pilate, Herod and the crowds rebuked and accused Him, was born of a personal knowledge that good would come of the suffering He would endure. Jesus modeled for us a way of life that sets aside personal gain as our goals and the use of force (psychological or physical) as our method and trusts God for the outcome.

It would be good if the church were known as a humble and meek organization. Not because that will get us written up in the papers, but because that is exactly what Christ asks us to be. Whether the United States ever was a “Christian nation”, we are not now, and I believe that is a good thing. The church, extension of Jesus into this world, was always to be a counter-culture of people who believed differently, behaved differently, and were known by attributes different from the community around them.

Chief among those is the beautiful adornment of Christ-like humility. As the church learns to love first, meekly admit her own human weaknesses, and humbly trust that God will fulfill His plan through us, we may see the world actually taking notice. People tire, after a time, from chasing the “American dream”. It is, after all, a ladder without a top rung. No matter how high you get, there is always something else taunting you to go even higher, make even more money, or take over just one more competing business.

What if the church, identifying deeply with Christ, offered a respite from the exhaustion that this sort of dream-chasing engenders? What if work actually became fulfilling because it was done out of humble concern to do a job well? What if God’s people were less shrill and more certain that the putting aside of force was as high a value as any other of the issues we now campaign for?

God said He would leave behind a humble and poor (i.e. “meek”) people who took refuge in the name of the Lord. Didn’t Jesus have something to say about the blessings for the poor in spirit? I believe the kingdom of God belongs to them? And didn’t He attach another blessing to those who are meek? They shall inherit the earth. Neither the kingdom of God nor the earth are taken by force or violence, but are inherited by those who learn the value of humility and meekness. For them, indeed, the name of the Lord is a refuge.