Meekness, Gentleness and the Storage Pit

Meekness, Gentleness and the Storage Pit, OT!

“In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome Psalm 45:4

This is a bit ironic but just the other day my wife, Kathy, had been telling me that while looking for something in our storage pit she came across a box titled, “The History of Christianity.” Initially, she thought it was a set of DVDs on the subject but something told me they weren’t. So into the pit I went and found them to be VHS tapes on the subject. I had received these from a Pastor friend of mine sometime ago and I guess I had forgotten about them. And even though I still have a VCR to watch these tapes, that is not why I am writing this; it is something else I found that caught my attention.

The last Freedom Fighter I wrote was based on someone else’s notes that fell into my lap while studying from a Matthew Henry commentary I had bought from the Keswick bookstore. Well, this one is based on my own notes on the subject of “gentleness and meekness.” Yikes!! When did I write these? Answer: during my time at the Colony. I found these notes on a day when I had to do just what was written. Since this was another one of those “Divine Moments,” I would like to share with you what I found out; that in my weakness, the strength of Jesus shines through. I began in the Old Testament and I started my notes off with a question.

So what’s a bull doing in a china shop? Browsing for gentleness and meekness in a Cruden’s Concordance, that’s what. Where do you find this in the good book? In 2 Samuel, I came upon a song spoken to God by David. The Lord had just delivered David from his enemies and from the hands of Saul. “You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great.” 2 Samuel 22:36 (ESV) Here the word gentleness is to refer to God’s strength. You can take a look at Psalm 18:35 (ESV) where David writes, “You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.”

Then as I read on I had something from Proverbs. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1. This is what God must have wanted me to see on the day I found these notes. I have to be as careful with my tone of voice as I have to be with the words I use in a sentence. It had been one of those days where, at a moment’s notice, someone could have been offended. And I was in the hot seat for a good part of the work day.

As I continued reading, I had a few verses and comments on meekness.
Divine intervention shall come for those of “an- a-wah” (this must be in the Hebrew). For out of long-suffering comes meekness. The glories of the Messiah and His bride come for the causes of truth, meekness and righteousness. “Seek you the Lord, all you meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be you shall be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger.” Zephaniah 2:3 (KJV)

“Yahweh” is the Lord of all the earth. We all are accountable to Him. Before the Old Testament finishes, it tells its readers that the Lord, our God, demands gentleness and meekness of His people. And from Adam to David, it seems that man cannot practice these two simple principles. He creates in love (agape) with gentleness and supplies us with a strength that should make all of us meek among each other. It is not until we get into the New Testament that God provides a Man that gives us an example of these two qualities.

Just a few thoughts from the Old Testament for your kind review today. Did I hit the mark today for you? Please Brothers let me know and praise Him for it. -- Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy

God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 23; Joshua 13-15; Luke 1:57-80

Great Quote: People cannot become perfect by dint of hearing or reading about perfection. The chief thing is not to listen to yourself, but silently to listen to God. Talk little and do much, without caring to be seen.God will teach you more than all the most experienced persons or the most spiritual books can do. You already know a great deal more than you practise. You do not need the acquirement of fresh knowledge half so much as to put in practice that which you already possess. Francois Fenelon