We tend to misunderstand what it means to be meek as the Bible uses that word. Perhaps you’ve heard of the group founded by J. Upton Dickson called DOORMATS. That stands for “Dependent Organization Of Really Meek And Timid Souls.” Their motto was: “The meek shall inherit the earth — if that’s okay with everybody.” Their symbol is the yellow traffic light, whose message is, Slow down and prepare to yield the right of way to others.
That’s not what the Bible is talking about when it speaks of meekness. The biblical concept of meekness does not imply softness or weakness. It does not mean wimpy. We know this because of whom the Bible sets before us as the premier examples of meekness. The Old Testament model of meekness is Moses (Numbers 12:3), and the New Testament example is Jesus (Mt. 11:29). Whatever Biblical meekness is, it is not being a doormat. All we have to do is to think of Moses confronting Pharaoh or to think of Jesus with a scourge of cords driving the moneychangers out of the temple.
Meekness is this gentleness rooted in a devotion to God’s cause & a confidence in God’s strength.
One of the greatest athletes of all time illustrates meekness. Michael Jordan’s team was once down by 20 points in a game. The super-star pumped it up into over-drive, and began to contest every shot, scrapped for every rebound, swiped at every pass. He was aggressive, nearly ruthless. But in each play he was supremely talented and powerful. He seemed like a basketball juggernaut. He mowed over the other merely-human players. He was a scoring machine, and a defensive fortress. Overpowering is the word.
The next week, however, he was meek. He had all the same power that he’d shown in the previous game. It was just that he had the ball stolen several times in the next game. He was blocked out from collecting rebounds, he couldn’t hit a basket because of the tough defensive pressure, and he turned the ball over repeatedly. The difference? He was playing in a benefit game against disabled students. He let them steal the ball from him. He let them beat him. He was meek; he had all the power of the previous game, it was just governed, under control.
That is the kind of meekness God wants us to have.
David Hall | “The Virtue of Meekness” | June 11, 2025
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David Hall
Reverend David W. Hall is married to Ann, and they are parents of three grown children and grandparents of eight grandchildren. He has served as the Senior Pastor of Midway Presbyterian Church (PCA) since 2003. Previously, he served as Pastor of the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (1984–2003) and as Associate Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Rome, Georgia (1980–1984). He was ordained to pastoral ministry in 1980. He was educated at Covenant Theological Seminary and is the editor and author of several volumes.
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