Sermon Tone Analysis

Believe: Gentleness

When fast food is not fast food it tests our patience - but really it tests our character and what happens when our expectations are not met.

"Am I understanding or am I demanding?"

(Rick Warren)

This is the same thing that occurs at home when you're "having a bad day" or someone doesn't do what you think they should they way you think they should or when you think they should.

Believe me, this is a regular demonstration of how far I have to grow in this particular area.

If there's two characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit I'm really weak in (not that they come in separate giftings bc we should have all of them), but as I've told you previously joy is one of them and probably gentleness is my second worst one.

Gentleness Defined

The word occurs more than 20x in the Bible but is often paired with other words that indicate the term is more complex and maybe broader than we might think.

Like most biblical words, when you hear the word gentleness you probably don't think of the same thing that Mose, Jesus or Paul would have thought.

In our culture being gentle is often thought of as being weak, a sissy, not being a man, etc.

However, since both Moses and Jesus are called meek and gentle in Scripture this cannot be the case, so what do the words mean?

The idea of gentleness has to do with several images but one of them, prominent in the time period of the OT is that of a ruler who gives mercy or leniency instead of the full sentence that should be imposed.

Contrary to the idea that the God of the OT is blood thirsty and full of vengeance, we find that this aspect of gentleness is also associated with him.

This is where the idea of clemency comes from.

The constitution actually states, "executive clemency may take several forms, including pardon, commutation of sentence, remission of fine or restitution, and reprieve."

A pardon is an executive order granting clemency for a past conviction, the sentence of which has already been completed.

Its practical effect is the restoration of civil rights and statutory disabilities (i.e.; firearm rights, occupational licensing) associated with a past criminal conviction.[2]

A commutation is the mitigation of the sentence of someone currently serving a sentence for a crime pursuant to a conviction, without vacating the conviction itself.[2] (Wikipedia)

Last month Pres.

Obama gave 46 people a new lease on life by releasing them from prison.

Obama has given 562 sentence commutations since taking office.

He also has rejected 10,968 clemency requests during that time.

In 2014 Obama drafted a 6 part clemency test that is used to determine who receives clemency.

Some people have criticized this stating that Obama’s technocratic approach has largely stripped the process of moral judgments based on fairness, humanity and common sense.

But formulas aren’t enough.

Mercy is a judgment call.

(See my Washington Post article, “Mr.

President, You’re doing clemency wrong.

It’s not about the law, it’s about mercy.”)

Alexander Hamilton put it in the Federalist Papers, clemency exists for reasons of “humanity and good policy” and to provide “easy access to exceptions.”

“Humanity and good policy” is not a legal concept.

But it is why George Washington pardoned Whiskey Rebellion participants.

It is why Franklin Roosevelt gave clemency to people convicted of alcohol offenses during Prohibition and why John Kennedy commuted the mandatory minimum sentences of many drug offenders.

It is why various presidents gave pirates, bank robbers, polygamists and others second chances.

Thus while legally you might deserve to be punished or in prison, the idea behind gentleness as a ruler is that mercy allows the ruler to give you less than you deserve.

This is at the heart of the Gospel and God's justice/mercy combination.

In the case of Jesus, He satisfied the justice while we got the mercy.

Gentleness is an image of God’s ultimate subversive power that undercuts the power structures of this world.

This is seen when Jesus describes himself as "gentle and humble in heart," his "yoke is easy" and his "burden is light" in Mt 11:29.

James, in much the same vein, speaks of wisdom “from above” as “gentle” as well as “peacable,” “willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits” (Jas 3:17 NRSV).

Ryken, Leland et al.

Dictionary of biblical imagery 2000 : 325.

Print.

This idea is also seen in the parable of the unmerciful or unforgiving servant in Mt 18:21-35.

As regularly happens with words, the use and applications of the word gentleness change over time.

The word, though in its origian may have been primarily related to rulers demonstrating kindness and mercy to people who deserved punishment came to mean much more, especially, as Jesus as God in the Flesh make the concept a real life action and lifestyle instead of just an issue of legal matters and punishment.

To be gentle is the opposite of being “bold” (1 Cor.

10:1), “quarrelsome” (2 Tim.

2:24–25), “jealous,” and “ambitious” (James 3:13–14, with 1:19–20 and 1 Pet.

3:16).

As we'll see shortly, the people we encounter in Scripture have moments where they seem harsh - including Moses, Paul, and Jesus (remember he flipped the money changes tables in the Temple and drove them out with a whip he had made).

He was serious.

So gentle can't mean a "do nothing, sit by the wayside" attitude.

At least not all the time.

We find in Scripture that

We see, then, that the gentle can be assertive, but they do not assert themselves.

We can be strong and assertive, yet gentle if we leverage power not to assert self, but to promote the cause of God or the needy.

Jesus was forceful, even confrontational, yet gentle because he used his powers for others.

The same holds for us.

Gentleness is maintaining peace and patience in the midst of pelting provocations.

(Martin G. Collins)

Gentleness is a conscious decision to temper one's knowledge, skills, authority, or power with kindness and compassion.

Gentleness does not refer to what we do but how we do it.

- Mary Ann Froehlich

Gentleness does not refer to what we know but how we share that knowledge.

- Mary Ann Froehlich

The question is not how strong we are, but how we use our strength.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/are-you-gentle-like-jesus

Biblical Words & Their Meanings

To determine what words mean you have to analyze how they are used.

In his 443 page book on 2 Cor 10:1 Donald Walker explores the meaning, use, and way in which these two words are often used in tandem (particularly in chapters 10-13 of 2 Corinthians) and determines that

In a journal article entitled "The Meekness and Gentleness of Christ" [NTS 13 (1966): 156-64] specifically written about 2 Cor 10:1 Leivestad states

["Meekness"] signifies "a humble, patient steadfastness, which is able to submit to injustice, disgrace and maltreatment without hatred and malice, trusting God in spite of it all.

Gentleness Demonstrated

Demonstrated by God

Demonstrated by Moses

Other than Jesus, Moses is the only man explicitly called meek in the Bible.

What was it about Moses...

Further in 1 Peter 3:4 we read that those who are precious in God's sight are gentle/meek

So what about Moses demonstrates this idea of meekness or gentleness because we know that Moses got angry - in Exo 2:12 he got angry and killed an Egyptian, in Exo 32:19 he got angry when he came down from Mt Sinai with the 10 commandments and saw the people having a very bad party - he was so angry he broke the tablets the commandments were written on and had to go back and this time he had to write them, instead of God.

And for one last example of his anger, remember in Numbers 20:11 when Moses was supposed to speak to the rock to get water in the wilderness but instead he hit it with a stick - this caused him to not be able to go to the Promised Land.

Let's look at Num 12:1-15 as Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses, are reprimanded and judged by God and then Moses intercedes for Miriam (Num 12:14).

Notice the set-up in verses 1-2.

So what was it about Moses that he wins the title for "meekest man"?

It was his constant reliance on God, his humility to be taught by God and his patience with others - to the point that when they should be punished/judged he didn't want them to be.

Look at one more verse related to this situation with Moses.

Now recall this is just after Moses came down and in his anger broke the tablets with the ten commandments on them.

Moses is ready to put his life on the line for them!

This is after the 12 spies had returned and 10 of them and the people were too afraid to go into the Promised Land so God was angry and was going to send snakes to kill them.

So, we see

Moses does not vindicate himself.

Moses does not defend himself.

Moses does not reject his enemy.

Demonstrated by David (with Abigail)

Video: Believe Gentleness (3:04)

1 Sam 25 David was planning on repaying Nabal's lack of generosity (and recipricating David's previous gentleness to him) with vengenace...until Abigail intervened.

This seems to be a living example of Prov.

15:1

This stands in stark contrast to Rehoboam in 1 Kings 12:6-14 who refused to listen to wise teaching and seems to have no desire for being a gentle leader.

Now this attitude by Rehoboam is the exact attitude of everything else we've seen and it is the exact opposite of what we see...

Demonstrated by Jesus