OUR SPIRITUAL WEAPONS -- Tomorrow:
"Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you: But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Cor 10:1-6)
Devotion 10 of 44
" . . . by the . . . gentleness of Christ . . . "
Paul is pleading with the Corinthians – appealing to their "new man," or that which is "born of God." He is calling upon them to consider the character of Jesus Himself, knowing that once the Savior is seen with some degree of clarity, it will break the stubborn will and make the people supple in the hands of the Lord.
The various ways in which this verse appears in other versions sheds some light on the subject. Other versions read, "gentle behavior" (BBE), "mildness" (DOUAY), "clemency" (NAB), "forbearance" (NJB), "kindness" (NLT), "softness" (TNT), and "consideration" (AMPLIFIED).
The word "gentleness" is closely related to "meekness," yet is slightly different. Lexically, it means, "mildness, fairness (sweet reasonableness)" (THAYER), "gentle, kind, forbearing" (FRIBERG), "kindness, forbearance, graciousness" (UBS), "the quality of gracious forbearing" (LOUW-NIDA), and "reasonableness, fairness, equity" (LIDDELL-SCOTT).
Whereas "meekness" implies a voluntary subduing of one's full power, coupled with a personal submission to the will of God, "gentleness" emphasizes the consideration of the people for whom the person was "meek." It is a picture of power being devoted to saving rather than destroying. It is refreshing to recall that Divine power can be used to save or to destroy, to justify or to condemn. "Gentleness" accents the part of the Divine character that is disposed to save, rescue, lift, and deliver.
THE GENTLENESS OF GOD TO MOSES
We see this kind of "gentleness" in God's reaction to Moses' request, "Show me Thy glory." Behold the "gentleness" in the Lord's reply. "And He said, I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. And He said, Thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see Me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand while I pass by: and I will take away Mine hand, and thou shalt see My back parts: but My face shall not be seen" (Ex 33:19- 23).
A single momentary glace at the full glory of God would have utterly destroyed Moses. But God was gentle with him, placing him in a place that was beside him, then covering him with His hand. In addition, He shielded Moses from the full and sudden blast of His glory, removing His hand from covering Moses only after the strength of His glory had passed. Then He graciously exposed Moses to the afterglow of His glory – and even that caused the skin of Moses' face to shine like the sun. Gentle, indeed!
THE GENTLENESS OF CHRIST
Being God "manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim 3:16), Jesus lived out this kind of "gentleness" among men. During His prodigious ministry, the disciples often grew very weary. Once He said to them, "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat" (Mark 6:31). How gentle He was!
His "gentleness" is seen in His considerate words to the disciples, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now" (John 16:12). Again, when He was agonizing in the garden prior to His betrayal, when finding the disciples asleep, it is said, "And He cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Mat 26:41). How gentle He was!
Now Paul, in the same spirit of "gentleness," and calling upon the Corinthians to behold that aspect of the Divine nature, reasons with them. He is seeking to avoid having to be harsh with them.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the gentleness You have shown toward me. Now, grant me grace to respond with a hearty faith and firmly committed will.