The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way—Psa. 25:9.
Such a disposition is essential to those who would receive the wisdom which comes from above. They must have a humble appreciation of their own deficiencies and lack of wisdom, else they cannot receive freely, heartily, the wisdom which God is pleased to grant in the present time only to those who are in the attitude of heart to receive it. And it will be seen also that this humility of mind is essential as a basis for the spirit of a sound mind, for who is in a proper condition to think justly, reasonably, impartially, except first of all he have a humble disposition? Hence we must agree that humility is a primary element in the disposition or mind of Christ—Z '00, 68 (R 2585).
To be teachable, one must be humble. To be taught of God, humility is indispensable: Only those emptied of self can be filled with God; but so emptied, they are prepared to receive knowledge that far transcends the greatest heights of human wisdom, since God Himself will be their great Teacher and His wisdom embraces all things—P '34, 189.
Parallel passages: Psa. 22:26; 37:11; 76:8, 9; 147:6; 149:4; Eccles. 10:4; Isa. 11:4; 29:19; Zeph. 2:3; Matt. 5:5, 38-42; 11:29; 1 Cor. 6:7; 2 Cor. 10:1; Gal. 6:1; Eph. 4:1, 2; Col. 3:12, 13; 2 Tim. 2:24, 25; 1 Pet. 3:4.
Hymns: 71, 136, 145, 315, 128, 160, 154.
Poems of Dawn, 69: How Strong and Sweet My Father's Care!
Tower Reading: Z '13, 381 (R 5370).
Questions: What have been this week's experiences in line with this text? How were they met? In what did they result?
1 PETER 5:7.
HOW strong and sweet my Father's care!
The words, like music in the air,
Come answering to my whispered prayer—
He cares for thee.
The thought great wonder with it brings—
My cares are all such little things;
But to this truth my glad faith clings,
He cares for me.
Yea, keep me ever in Thy love,
Dear Father, watching from above,
And let me still Thy mercy prove,
And care for me.
Cast me not off because of sin,
But make me pure and true within,
And teach me how Thy smile to win,
Who cares for me.
O still, in summer's golden glow,
Or wintry storms of wind and snow,
Love me, my Father: let me know
Thy care for me.
And I will learn to cast the care
Which like a heavy load I bear
Down at Thy feet in lowly prayer,
And trust in Thee.
For naught can hurt me, shade or shine,
Nor evil thing touch me, nor mine,
Since Thou with tenderness Divine
Dost care for me.
"The meek will He guide in judgment; and the meek will He teach His way." —Psalm 25:9.
EVEN a perfect man would need Divine guidance in respect to his judgment of matters, in respect to his decisions, in respect to his course, in respect to his ways. And if a perfect man would need Divine guidance and oversight, in order to make no mistake from his limited degree of knowledge, because of not knowing fully the Father's will respecting Him, much more would an imperfect man need this! The good and the bad, the wise and the foolish—all classes of mankind—need such instruction. But there is only one class now in the proper attitude of mind to receive it, and that class is Scripturally called the meek.
We cannot say that the meek are those who feel themselves inferior and that there are superiors to be looked up to, necessarily. Adam in that event could not have been meek; Jesus could not have been meek; the Heavenly Father could not be meek. While it is not Scripturally stated that the Heavenly Father is meek, yet Jesus was meek, and He was the express image of the Father's person in the flesh. Hence we would assume that the Heavenly Father possesses meekness, in distinction from haughtiness.
GOD RESISTS THE PROUD
Our Lord said, "I am meek and lowly of heart." Our Lord was meek in that He was teachable. He realized that even in His perfection there were things to be learned; and He learned obedience through the things which He suffered. It was because He had this quality of meekness or teachableness that the offer was made to Him to be our Savior. Without this He never would have been our Redeemer, we may assume. Without this quality He would have been self-assertive and proud, not ready to do the Father's will. And as with the Master, so with the Church.
Even small talents that are rightly directed are more valuable than larger talents that are misdirected. The pathway of life shows much large talent misdirected for lack of proper knowledge and guidance. And this lack of guidance, we may assume, has resulted from the lack of the spirit of teachableness—the lack of desire to know the best way, the Father's way. We can see that even a heathen man, if he were meek, would have much more opportunity to learn about the Lord's will than would one who thinks that he is above instruction. Whoever knows it all to begin with, is not apt to be in a condition to receive any instruction.
The Lord declares that He resists the proud. Even if they become His children they would be kept at a distance. If the proud were permitted to come nearer to the Lord, it would make them more proud; whereas, if they are kept at a distance, they may become meek and teachable and humble. We see then that all need instruction. But the only ones who are in a position to receive it are those who recognize their need and who are in the attitude to avail themselves of the Lord's offer of guidance of their judgment, of their way, of their course in life. Such as avail themselves of the privilege get a proper estimate of everything—of the things of the life present, and also of the things of the life to come.
These are the ones whom the Lord is pleased to instruct and guide in the knowledge of His Son, and into all His blessings. If they continue to be meek, He is able to make of them heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ their Lord. We read in the Scriptures that the meek shall inherit the earth. They will inherit it under the terms of the primary and original Covenant. These will be the Seed of Abraham. From these the blessing will go to all mankind who will be obedient during the Millennial Reign. After the final test at the end of the Millennial Age, the whole world will be teachable. They will have learned the great lesson that God is the Fountain of all Wisdom; and they will have profited by this instruction.