The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
God himself guides the meek in right judgment when they must decide, and teaches them his way and path to walk. The meek are those who are humble and contrite in heart, teachable and willing to be instructed, sincerely desiring to know and do his will rather than clinging to their own way. Humility before him is the condition for receiving this guidance, shown in fearing him, trusting him with all the heart, committing the way to him, and learning through trusting and obeying until he brings them home. His leading must be distinguished from human impulse and natural inclination, for people may mistake their own way for his direction, so the meek watch unto prayer, look to Jesus, and counsel with brethren rather than following personal impressions. To those who humbly seek him he gives judgment, counsel, wisdom and strength to discern truth from falsehood and duty amid trial, and he directs his workers in gospel labor instead of leaving them to human wisdom and human rulers.
Promise and Its Words
The promise is that God himself guides the meek in right judgment in making decisions and teaches them his way and the path they should walk. Meekness for this guidance means not letting personal impulses, ideas, or natural inclinations rule, but watching carefully, seeking counsel, and remaining willing to receive direction so his leading can be recognized. In gospel labor this means inquiring of him as the fountain of wisdom, following the Holy Spirit, listening to his voice, and trusting him to move upon the mind, guide decisions, and work with the worker, rather than being made amenable to fellow men and looking to human rulers for permission and direction.
Because he is good and upright he teaches even sinners his way, so the verse is a prayer for mercy and guidance. Its promise gives hope to those who turn to him humbly and may be held to when tempted to despair over past sins. It is a promise for the helpless soul to plead when facing doubts and seeking to regain faith.
Those he thus guides fear him, trust him with all the heart rather than their own understanding, delight in him, commit their way to him, and rest in him and wait patiently for him while doing good. To them he reveals his covenant, directs their paths, teaches them to profit, and leads them in the way they should go. All his paths toward those who keep his covenant, testimonies, and statutes are mercy and truth, belonging to the humble, obedient, and faithful. His law is thereby a sure guide for forming character and living faithfully, including in family life.
He himself is leader and gives success to those who look to him instead of following their own wisdom, which is foolishness beside his unerring wisdom. His wisdom directs those who submit to him and are humble rather than relying on human plans. The meek are those who so submit to him, and he guides them to right decisions and instructs them in his path.
Who the Meek Are
The meek are teachable, willing to be instructed, and sincerely desire to know and do his will. Their humility is developed through years of toil and waiting, as with Moses, whose humility prepared him to bear accusation patiently and to receive divine wisdom and guidance. God does not force the will, so he cannot lead those who are too proud to be taught or determined to have their own way.
Meekness makes the heart teachable, so that the understanding receives divine truth and the will submits to his commands and precepts without doubt, complaint, or murmuring. It softens and subdues the heart, prepares the mind to receive his word, opens the heart to Scripture, and brings thoughts into obedience to Christ. Those who are meek wait upon him and submit their will to him in order to receive and obey.
The meek are humble and contrite in heart, not self-righteous, self-conceited, self-willed, proud, or self-sufficient. They do not trust in self but connect with heaven, being free from self-exaltation, devoted in piety, and unselfish in spirit, willing to be led and ready to receive instruction and direction. They seek the Lord instead of being occupied with business, submit to close self-examination, and walk under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and for principals, teachers, and students this is the condition for walking safely and receiving every religious and spiritual advantage offered. He leads each one who comes with humility and a contrite, unselfish heart seeking to know his will in the path he wants that person to walk.
Like Solomon, who acknowledged his need as a little child and humbly sought wisdom, they are not left without it when they humbly seek. Those who come humbly and willingly to learn, rather than sitting in judgment or clinging to prejudice and preconceived opinions, can receive his instruction. Seeking truth with right motive requires surrendering pride and preconceived opinions, and God answers such humility. The meek do not depend on human judgment but seek the wisdom he gives with a constant sense of weakness. They move with caution, watchfulness, prayer, humility, and contrition, praying much and talking little, placing themselves at the feet of the great Teacher imploring his help and confiding in his wisdom, keeping the soul open heavenward and closed earthward, for the Saviour is wise in counsel. He who understands the situation and alone knows the right place directs such humble seekers to right decisions and shows them his path, including where his work should be placed.
Seeking His Guidance
Humility before God is the condition for receiving His guidance and learning His way. A humble heart settled and at peace with God, seeking His favor and keeping His fear continually before the heart, is prepared for Him to open a way. He guides the meek in making right judgments and teaches them the way they should walk.
The meek learn His way by trusting and obeying Him and by diligently learning the lessons of His providence until He brings them to their heavenly home. They learn His lessons cheerfully and diligently through His providence and walk in obedience to His will. The promise applies to seeking God to learn duty and following the guidance of His providence, and His teaching is joined to a willing and obedient heart.
Seeking a personal experience of obedience to His plain word allows the meek to claim the promise. The meek are those with a continual spirit of submission to His will and requirements, who seek a personal experience in submitting to His plain Word. Prayerful study of the Word with an obedient heart brings the help of the Holy Spirit to make the correct application upon the mind. That guidance honors Jesus Christ, and it is a privilege the world cannot receive or understand.
Those who humbly seek His counsel and present their requests through their Mediator receive grace and guidance. The unbelieving and rebellious do not share in the blessings given to humble receivers. His guidance helps them judge matters rightly and make decisions, so they should ask Him in faith, weigh choices carefully, and follow the light He gives.
The verse is a word to engrave upon the heart, calling for being meek and lowly and pursuing a right course. Watching unto prayer allows a trying experience to become the means of saving the soul. Keeping the soul free in the Lord is joined with His leading. The prayer for God to guide in judgment and lead by unfailing wisdom applies this promise to daily direction.
When a person commits the way to Him and seeks counsel, He guides decisions about duty. Each person should seek that guidance directly rather than making another person the conscience.
Testing True Leading
God's leading must be distinguished from human impulse, ideas and natural inclinations, which press to make a person believe God is guiding when in fact only a personal way is being followed. Personal impressions and impulse are not a safe and sure guide to duty, and a person's own way is easily mistaken for divine direction. The safeguard is careful watchfulness, never permitting human ideas and natural inclinations to gain the supremacy.
The meek do not go on in their own way while supposing God is leading them, but watch carefully and watch unto prayer. They draw near to God, look to Jesus, and follow the convictions of the Spirit of God in harmony with their brethren. In that posture they trust the Lord to keep what is committed to Him against the enemy who seeks to spoil the life.
Knowing His will depends on humbling the heart before Him, and careful watchfulness with counsel from fellow believers helps the humble recognize His leading and understand His will. The meek therefore do their duty to counsel with brethren and seek their counsel, rather than letting human ideas rule. They do not withdraw from brethren who disagree with their ideas, but heed their advice instead of casting it away as though it came from enemies.
Gifts of His Leading
Those who seek God with humility and contrition of heart are able to tell what is true from what is false. Amid opposition and trials he guides their course and gives them strength and wisdom. Meekness is humility of heart and willingness to follow his counsel rather than human ideas or natural inclinations, and the promise of guidance in judgment enables the meek to discern their duty, with careful watchfulness and counsel with others helping to distinguish his leading from human impulse.
The meek and lowly receive wisdom through Christ that enables them to discern truth and to understand the causes and results of actions. The Holy Spirit teaches students of Scripture to judge by righteousness, truth and justice, and divine revelation supplies the knowledge they need.
He gives judgment and counsel to those who depend on him, obey him wholeheartedly and devote themselves to him rather than trusting in human strength. He guides in judgment those who make him their only dependence and cling to him. He understands all things and understands the situation they are in, is good and a stronghold to them, never leaves them, sustains them with his power in their work, and guides them to meet unbelief, infidelity and falsehood.
This guidance is given to be thankful for and brings lightness of heart in removing burdens from other hearts and in cultivating peace and unity. It keeps prayer effective by not letting a fellow worker misapprehend, by making an explanation to remove misunderstanding when not to blame, and by laying obligation, when to blame, to relieve suffering by doing all possible to remove a wrong impression left on another mind.
Learning from the Lord Jesus Christ as the great Teacher is a precious privilege, for he guides meek people in right judgment and teaches them his way so that character is formed according to his example. Humility means not trusting in self but connecting with heaven, and he answers by giving wisdom and power and teaching. That divine teaching enables his stewards to use time, ability and strength to his glory in work done for eternity, to be thorough and not careless in all that is undertaken, and he blesses such humble faithful work. The meek are fit for his service because he can teach them his way, place his words in their lips, and enable them to represent him.
The Holy Spirit makes hearts tender and soft by grace, and then the Lord guides and teaches the meek his way. This is a promise given by Christ both to the sick seeking soundness of body and mind and to those helping them in the work of healing.
He will surely make himself known to those who give themselves into his care and will direct humble people in right judgment, so they need not worry about practical matters such as property transactions and moving to the country. He himself is their hope and joyful reward, and receiving his direction requires following his way.
Leading in God's Work
In gospel labor ministers and workers are to inquire of God as the fountain of wisdom, follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and listen to His voice. They are to trust Him to move upon their minds, to guide their decisions, and to work with them, instead of being made amenable to fellow men and looking to human rulers for permission and direction.
He directs humble seekers to right decisions and shows them His path, including where His work should be placed, because He understands the situation and alone knows the right place. Each messenger serving in a distant field must seek His instruction rather than have others dictate when to come or go. An open heart to the Holy Spirit makes it possible to receive the light needed to understand the situation. The meek who receive this direction do not depend on human judgment and cherish no proud, self-sufficient spirit, but seek the wisdom God gives with a constant sense of weakness. They move with caution, watchfulness, prayer, humility and contrition, praying much and talking little, placing themselves at the feet of the great Teacher imploring His help and confiding in His wisdom, keeping the soul open heavenward and closed earthward.
The promise belongs to men in positions of responsibility at the head of His work who walk softly before Him. Meekness means having received His compassion and mercy and love and then showing compassion toward fellow workers even when they have erred and gone out of the way. It refuses to hinder His servants or to destroy or lessen the influence of their work, and in return He becomes guide and strength.
The living reigning Lord has promised to guide His people with judgment if they will walk humbly with Him. This applies to men acting a leading part in the various branches of the work, who must have a large degree of the Holy Spirit resting upon them so the work may be carried to completion in His own way before it is soon accomplished. That guided judgment governs the use of means, requiring it to be considered in a Bible light and not a selfish light. Christian benevolence studies the needs of every branch of the work and determines that each shall have its proper part.
He accepts humble men and teaches them His way, and such men are better fitted for conference leadership than one who thinks he can be experience for another. The unfit leader supposes he is to define the duty of fellow workers and requires unquestioning obedience to his word. That dictatorial course proves unworthiness for responsible office, failure to form a correct estimate of the character to be developed, and ignorance of his own heart. God has given to every man his own work, and that responsibility will not be taken from any soul nor given to another to tell him what it is.
Those who bear His truth must work in the same meek, courteous and pleasant spirit in which Christ taught. They present the rich fruit of His word without harsh, fierce, forbidding and condemnatory words and attitudes that turn people away. This calls for a clean, converted heart and tongue filled with converting grace, so that those who bear the vessels of the Lord offer truth in a way people can accept. The worker is himself blessed in believing the truth, and God is glorified.
He will guide servants unselfishly engaged in saving souls in judgment and teach them His will, so they can trust Him to direct His work. He surely makes Himself known to those who give themselves into His care and directs humble people in right judgment, so they need not worry about practical matters such as property transactions and moving to the country. He Himself is their hope and joyful reward, and receiving His direction requires following His way. Asking Him to guide in judgment applies to decisions about expenses and the progress of the work. It also applies to responding to concerns about a fellow worker, where one should not act on small matters or reports from others without first becoming thoroughly convinced and hearing both sides.
God himself guides the meek in right judgment when they must decide, and teaches them his way and path to walk. The meek are those who are humble and contrite in heart, teachable and willing to be instructed, sincerely desiring to know and do his will rather than clinging to their own way. Humility before him is the condition for receiving this guidance, shown in fearing him, trusting him with all the heart, committing the way to him, and learning through trusting and obeying until he brings them home. His leading must be distinguished from human impulse and natural inclination, for people may mistake their own way for his direction, so the meek watch unto prayer, look to Jesus, and counsel with brethren rather than following personal impressions. To those who humbly seek him he gives judgment, counsel, wisdom and strength to discern truth from falsehood and duty amid trial, and he directs his workers in gospel labor instead of leaving them to human wisdom and human rulers.
Promise and Its Words
The promise is that God himself guides the meek in right judgment in making decisions and teaches them his way and the path they should walk. Meekness for this guidance means not letting personal impulses, ideas, or natural inclinations rule, but watching carefully, seeking counsel, and remaining willing to receive direction so his leading can be recognized. In gospel labor this means inquiring of him as the fountain of wisdom, following the Holy Spirit, listening to his voice, and trusting him to move upon the mind, guide decisions, and work with the worker, rather than being made amenable to fellow men and looking to human rulers for permission and direction.
Because he is good and upright he teaches even sinners his way, so the verse is a prayer for mercy and guidance. Its promise gives hope to those who turn to him humbly and may be held to when tempted to despair over past sins. It is a promise for the helpless soul to plead when facing doubts and seeking to regain faith.
Those he thus guides fear him, trust him with all the heart rather than their own understanding, delight in him, commit their way to him, and rest in him and wait patiently for him while doing good. To them he reveals his covenant, directs their paths, teaches them to profit, and leads them in the way they should go. All his paths toward those who keep his covenant, testimonies, and statutes are mercy and truth, belonging to the humble, obedient, and faithful. His law is thereby a sure guide for forming character and living faithfully, including in family life.
He himself is leader and gives success to those who look to him instead of following their own wisdom, which is foolishness beside his unerring wisdom. His wisdom directs those who submit to him and are humble rather than relying on human plans. The meek are those who so submit to him, and he guides them to right decisions and instructs them in his path.
Who the Meek Are
The meek are teachable, willing to be instructed, and sincerely desire to know and do his will. Their humility is developed through years of toil and waiting, as with Moses, whose humility prepared him to bear accusation patiently and to receive divine wisdom and guidance. God does not force the will, so he cannot lead those who are too proud to be taught or determined to have their own way.
Meekness makes the heart teachable, so that the understanding receives divine truth and the will submits to his commands and precepts without doubt, complaint, or murmuring. It softens and subdues the heart, prepares the mind to receive his word, opens the heart to Scripture, and brings thoughts into obedience to Christ. Those who are meek wait upon him and submit their will to him in order to receive and obey.
The meek are humble and contrite in heart, not self-righteous, self-conceited, self-willed, proud, or self-sufficient. They do not trust in self but connect with heaven, being free from self-exaltation, devoted in piety, and unselfish in spirit, willing to be led and ready to receive instruction and direction. They seek the Lord instead of being occupied with business, submit to close self-examination, and walk under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and for principals, teachers, and students this is the condition for walking safely and receiving every religious and spiritual advantage offered. He leads each one who comes with humility and a contrite, unselfish heart seeking to know his will in the path he wants that person to walk.
Like Solomon, who acknowledged his need as a little child and humbly sought wisdom, they are not left without it when they humbly seek. Those who come humbly and willingly to learn, rather than sitting in judgment or clinging to prejudice and preconceived opinions, can receive his instruction. Seeking truth with right motive requires surrendering pride and preconceived opinions, and God answers such humility. The meek do not depend on human judgment but seek the wisdom he gives with a constant sense of weakness. They move with caution, watchfulness, prayer, humility, and contrition, praying much and talking little, placing themselves at the feet of the great Teacher imploring his help and confiding in his wisdom, keeping the soul open heavenward and closed earthward, for the Saviour is wise in counsel. He who understands the situation and alone knows the right place directs such humble seekers to right decisions and shows them his path, including where his work should be placed.
Seeking His Guidance
Humility before God is the condition for receiving His guidance and learning His way. A humble heart settled and at peace with God, seeking His favor and keeping His fear continually before the heart, is prepared for Him to open a way. He guides the meek in making right judgments and teaches them the way they should walk.
The meek learn His way by trusting and obeying Him and by diligently learning the lessons of His providence until He brings them to their heavenly home. They learn His lessons cheerfully and diligently through His providence and walk in obedience to His will. The promise applies to seeking God to learn duty and following the guidance of His providence, and His teaching is joined to a willing and obedient heart.
Seeking a personal experience of obedience to His plain word allows the meek to claim the promise. The meek are those with a continual spirit of submission to His will and requirements, who seek a personal experience in submitting to His plain Word. Prayerful study of the Word with an obedient heart brings the help of the Holy Spirit to make the correct application upon the mind. That guidance honors Jesus Christ, and it is a privilege the world cannot receive or understand.
Those who humbly seek His counsel and present their requests through their Mediator receive grace and guidance. The unbelieving and rebellious do not share in the blessings given to humble receivers. His guidance helps them judge matters rightly and make decisions, so they should ask Him in faith, weigh choices carefully, and follow the light He gives.
The verse is a word to engrave upon the heart, calling for being meek and lowly and pursuing a right course. Watching unto prayer allows a trying experience to become the means of saving the soul. Keeping the soul free in the Lord is joined with His leading. The prayer for God to guide in judgment and lead by unfailing wisdom applies this promise to daily direction.
When a person commits the way to Him and seeks counsel, He guides decisions about duty. Each person should seek that guidance directly rather than making another person the conscience.
Testing True Leading
God's leading must be distinguished from human impulse, ideas and natural inclinations, which press to make a person believe God is guiding when in fact only a personal way is being followed. Personal impressions and impulse are not a safe and sure guide to duty, and a person's own way is easily mistaken for divine direction. The safeguard is careful watchfulness, never permitting human ideas and natural inclinations to gain the supremacy.
The meek do not go on in their own way while supposing God is leading them, but watch carefully and watch unto prayer. They draw near to God, look to Jesus, and follow the convictions of the Spirit of God in harmony with their brethren. In that posture they trust the Lord to keep what is committed to Him against the enemy who seeks to spoil the life.
Knowing His will depends on humbling the heart before Him, and careful watchfulness with counsel from fellow believers helps the humble recognize His leading and understand His will. The meek therefore do their duty to counsel with brethren and seek their counsel, rather than letting human ideas rule. They do not withdraw from brethren who disagree with their ideas, but heed their advice instead of casting it away as though it came from enemies.
Gifts of His Leading
Those who seek God with humility and contrition of heart are able to tell what is true from what is false. Amid opposition and trials he guides their course and gives them strength and wisdom. Meekness is humility of heart and willingness to follow his counsel rather than human ideas or natural inclinations, and the promise of guidance in judgment enables the meek to discern their duty, with careful watchfulness and counsel with others helping to distinguish his leading from human impulse.
The meek and lowly receive wisdom through Christ that enables them to discern truth and to understand the causes and results of actions. The Holy Spirit teaches students of Scripture to judge by righteousness, truth and justice, and divine revelation supplies the knowledge they need.
He gives judgment and counsel to those who depend on him, obey him wholeheartedly and devote themselves to him rather than trusting in human strength. He guides in judgment those who make him their only dependence and cling to him. He understands all things and understands the situation they are in, is good and a stronghold to them, never leaves them, sustains them with his power in their work, and guides them to meet unbelief, infidelity and falsehood.
This guidance is given to be thankful for and brings lightness of heart in removing burdens from other hearts and in cultivating peace and unity. It keeps prayer effective by not letting a fellow worker misapprehend, by making an explanation to remove misunderstanding when not to blame, and by laying obligation, when to blame, to relieve suffering by doing all possible to remove a wrong impression left on another mind.
Learning from the Lord Jesus Christ as the great Teacher is a precious privilege, for he guides meek people in right judgment and teaches them his way so that character is formed according to his example. Humility means not trusting in self but connecting with heaven, and he answers by giving wisdom and power and teaching. That divine teaching enables his stewards to use time, ability and strength to his glory in work done for eternity, to be thorough and not careless in all that is undertaken, and he blesses such humble faithful work. The meek are fit for his service because he can teach them his way, place his words in their lips, and enable them to represent him.
The Holy Spirit makes hearts tender and soft by grace, and then the Lord guides and teaches the meek his way. This is a promise given by Christ both to the sick seeking soundness of body and mind and to those helping them in the work of healing.
He will surely make himself known to those who give themselves into his care and will direct humble people in right judgment, so they need not worry about practical matters such as property transactions and moving to the country. He himself is their hope and joyful reward, and receiving his direction requires following his way.
Leading in God's Work
In gospel labor ministers and workers are to inquire of God as the fountain of wisdom, follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and listen to His voice. They are to trust Him to move upon their minds, to guide their decisions, and to work with them, instead of being made amenable to fellow men and looking to human rulers for permission and direction.
He directs humble seekers to right decisions and shows them His path, including where His work should be placed, because He understands the situation and alone knows the right place. Each messenger serving in a distant field must seek His instruction rather than have others dictate when to come or go. An open heart to the Holy Spirit makes it possible to receive the light needed to understand the situation. The meek who receive this direction do not depend on human judgment and cherish no proud, self-sufficient spirit, but seek the wisdom God gives with a constant sense of weakness. They move with caution, watchfulness, prayer, humility and contrition, praying much and talking little, placing themselves at the feet of the great Teacher imploring His help and confiding in His wisdom, keeping the soul open heavenward and closed earthward.
The promise belongs to men in positions of responsibility at the head of His work who walk softly before Him. Meekness means having received His compassion and mercy and love and then showing compassion toward fellow workers even when they have erred and gone out of the way. It refuses to hinder His servants or to destroy or lessen the influence of their work, and in return He becomes guide and strength.
The living reigning Lord has promised to guide His people with judgment if they will walk humbly with Him. This applies to men acting a leading part in the various branches of the work, who must have a large degree of the Holy Spirit resting upon them so the work may be carried to completion in His own way before it is soon accomplished. That guided judgment governs the use of means, requiring it to be considered in a Bible light and not a selfish light. Christian benevolence studies the needs of every branch of the work and determines that each shall have its proper part.
He accepts humble men and teaches them His way, and such men are better fitted for conference leadership than one who thinks he can be experience for another. The unfit leader supposes he is to define the duty of fellow workers and requires unquestioning obedience to his word. That dictatorial course proves unworthiness for responsible office, failure to form a correct estimate of the character to be developed, and ignorance of his own heart. God has given to every man his own work, and that responsibility will not be taken from any soul nor given to another to tell him what it is.
Those who bear His truth must work in the same meek, courteous and pleasant spirit in which Christ taught. They present the rich fruit of His word without harsh, fierce, forbidding and condemnatory words and attitudes that turn people away. This calls for a clean, converted heart and tongue filled with converting grace, so that those who bear the vessels of the Lord offer truth in a way people can accept. The worker is himself blessed in believing the truth, and God is glorified.
He will guide servants unselfishly engaged in saving souls in judgment and teach them His will, so they can trust Him to direct His work. He surely makes Himself known to those who give themselves into His care and directs humble people in right judgment, so they need not worry about practical matters such as property transactions and moving to the country. He Himself is their hope and joyful reward, and receiving His direction requires following His way. Asking Him to guide in judgment applies to decisions about expenses and the progress of the work. It also applies to responding to concerns about a fellow worker, where one should not act on small matters or reports from others without first becoming thoroughly convinced and hearing both sides.