“The king's son had betrayed his father, and gathered up an army loyal to himself, so as to take away the throne by lethal force. The king and his subjects left the royal palace and fled into the wilderness for safety. After regrouping, they began to fight back. King David told his generals to "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom" (2 Samuel 18:5 NKJV). One might expect a different reaction from David, but this scene gives us insight into how our heavenly Father chose to deal with us: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
God is kind to the unthankful and evil (Luke 6:35). When someone is hostile, it is hard to be gentle; but, that is when we must. It is easy to be gentle to those who are gentle with us, but Jesus calls us to be like our heavenly Father. He was gentle toward man when he justifiably could have destroyed the world. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
Gentleness is something that is learned, as I have noticed how little children play with dogs: they step on their tails, pat them forcefully, and pull their ears. Have you become a person who deals gently even though circumstances make it difficult to respond that way? We are surrounded by a competitive and combative culture. Drivers drive with rage. Executives threaten their sales teams. Movies glamorize violence. Shoppers argue over parking spots. Parents yell at umpires. In the midst of such an environment, a Christian ought to stick out like a sore thumb.
To help us deal gently, remember what is written in the book of Philippians: Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand (Philippians 4:4,5). Christians are to rejoice always, even when others are malicious toward us. We do not rejoice over the way we are being treated, but even in that circumstance, we can rejoice because we are in the Lord. We have hope and the assurance of living in heaven. This joy then ought to radiate outward in our dealing with others, so that we are known as gentle people. In addition to this joy being our incentive to show gentleness, Paul reminds us "the Lord is at hand." We ought to live with the mindset he could return at any moment. What should we be doing when he comes?
May we endeavor to deal gently with everyone. It will be behavior that gets noticed because it rises above the fussing and fighting which is widely practiced. Dealing gently is a good work, a light that shines in a dark place, which points men to their Creator. Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men... This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men (Titus 3:1,2,8).
Brotherly, Jamie
