The Gentleness of God (Psalm 18:34)

David says in one of his psalms that the gentleness of God had made great. The psalm is one in which David describes life through a series of military illustrations and how God had prepared him for each stage of the battle. So we might find his description of God surprising when he says that God was gentle. Maybe David is using gentleness to describe the contrast between how God treated him and how others treated him. Remember how his brothers treated him with disdain, how Saul tried to kill him, how friends turned against him, how family members conspired to remove. Yet David remained ‘great’ in that he retained his position as king despite his own sins and the opposition of others. How did that happen? He tells us in this verse - the gentleness of God made him great. That was how David regarded the Lord’s dealings with him. 

Think of the description of God as Creator in Genesis 1 and 2. How would we describe his way of working? There is no sound mentioned apart from his own cry of delight, although there would have been sounds after he created the birds and the animals. Is the message of Genesis 1 not one of calm and serenity, of gentleness? Then we turn to chapter 2 and read the account of the creation of Adam as God makes him from the dust of the ground, is the message not one of him being like a gentle sculptor or potter? Similarly, when he makes Eve, Adam is asleep and wakes up with no pain despite losing a rib. God the Creator is gentle. 

There are other descriptions in the Bible of God as gentle. Recall the wonderful description of God the powerful Creator in Isaiah 40:11: ‘He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.’ He carries them and walks slowly. Sometimes we wonder why God takes so long to do something spectacular. Perhaps the answer is in this verse.

Then there is the prophecy about Jesus in Isaiah 42:2-3: ‘He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.’ It describes the gentleness of his voice and of his hands.

Perhaps we think of Elijah as a very direct, perhaps abrasive character. He certainly was very blunt. How did God deal with the prophet when he found himself in a state of turmoil? The answer is given in 1 Kings 19:11-12: ‘And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.’ God spoke with a still, small voice.

The Protestant Reformer John Calvin is known as a profound teacher about God and many other doctrines. He is regarded as the author of a hymn entitled ‘I greet thee who my sure Redeemer art,’ which was included in a compilation of worship material used in a congregation he served. Among its verses are these lines: ‘Thou hast the true and perfect gentleness, No harshness hast Thou, and no bitterness.’ Clearly, for him, the gentleness of God was very important while not forgetting the other attributes of God.

I suppose gentleness is a response to others. After all, if no one else was near you, you would not have to show gentleness, although you would need to have a gentle heart. Gentleness at one level is how a strong person uses his power. What do you do when you hold a butterfly in your hand? Gentleness is an expression of compassion for the weak, of kindness to the needy, and of encouraging words to the downcast. Gentleness is love in action, although it is not the only way that love acts.

The feature of gentleness is that it cannot be shown from a distance. In whatever way, it shows itself, it is sensed by the other person. A nurse is gentle all the time, but she shows gentleness when she acts. A father is gentle towards his children, but he shows gentleness when he acts. In a far higher sense, that distinction is true of God, that he is gentle although powerful, but he shows gentleness when he acts.

The gentleness of the Father

The psalmist rejoiced in the fact that the Lord is gracious, long-suffering and slow to wrath, and plenteous in mercy. Those attributes are connected to gentleness. Think of how the Lord responds when he forgives us. I suppose an example of forgiveness in this manner is the penitent criminal who died beside Jesus. If ever a man was unlikely to be received in this way, it was him. Maybe the soldiers who crucified Jesus were similar, but how gently they received the blessings of the gospel. The Philippian jailor was very agitated before his conversion, but see how calm he became upon believing. Even Saul of Tarsus, despite being overpowered by Jesus in a dramatic way, was given assurance of forgiveness of all his sins when Ananias went to see him. In the parable of the prodigal son, how gentle was he treated. It is true that we come to the Lawgiver, but he is also the Father welcoming children into his family.

The gentleness of Jesus

There are many examples of the gentleness of Jesus with those who came to him for his grace. It is also the case that he was not gentle with those who came to him with a haughty attitude, with the aim of assessing him despite all the evidence they had that he was the promised Messiah. The Pharisees and the Sadducees and the corrupt temple rulers did not experience his gentleness because they were not honest in their seeking of grace from him.

There is the example of the leper who asked Jesus to heal him. Jesus could have healed him without doing anything else, but we are told in the account that Jesus also touched him. This was not so much the touch of identification, but the touch of sympathy, of kindness, and it would have been a gentle touch. It was also a significant touch because normally to have done this action would have rendered the toucher unclean in a ceremonial sense and in danger of contracting the disease in a physical sense. So the gentle touch of Jesus would have spoken volumes to the leper.

There is also the example of the woman caught in the act of adultery and dragged into the presence of Jesus by those who found her. It is puzzling that they knew where to find her, but in what way they knew about her it is obvious that she was just a pawn in their plan to demean Jesus in the public eye. We know that Jesus wrote something on the ground that caused the accusers to withdraw from his presence, so what he wrote must have condemned them, even if he did not shout out their sins in the way that those condemning the woman did. Then when he spoke to the woman, he spoke gently to her, informing her that she was not condemned by him, and telling her not to resume her sinful lifestyle. Instead of humiliation, Jesus have her hope. Instead of crushing her, she experienced grace. He knew how to speak a word in season to those who are weary and downtrodden by the cruelty of others.

A third example of the gentleness of Jesus is the way he interacted with Mary Magdalene on the morning of his resurrection. It is obvious from her attitude that she had not expected him to rise from the dead, despite the number of times that she would have heard him say that is what would happen. As we know, they engaged in a dialogue in which Jesus drew out her love for him. In the end, all he had to say was her name in a very gentle manner and she recognised him at once by the familiar sound of his voice. She received great blessings from her gentle Saviour as he engaged her in his service and used her to convey good news to his disciples. While her lack of faith was wrong, yet he responded to her expressions of love for him and he revealed the gentleness of his heart and brought her great joy. 

Jesus gives a self-description of himself in Matthew 11:28-30: ‘Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ We can see that he highlights his gentleness and assures his listeners that those who take his yoke will find rest for their souls.

We can understand how that would have been the case when Jesus was on earth. The incidents we have thought about could have been added to if we had gone through the gospel accounts. But we should not think that because Jesus has gone to heaven that we cannot have experiences of his gentleness. The fact is that he has sent another Comforter, one like him exactly, who will convey to us what our great High Priest in heaven wants us to experience. And even as Jesus would interact gently with his disciples back then, so he will interact gently with them now by the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The gentleness of the Holy Spirit

One of the symbols of the Holy Spirit is that of a dove. It has become a symbol because of the way he descended on Jesus at his baptism. Sometimes, the symbol is linked to peace; but it is also a sign of gentleness. Obviously, the Spirit would have rested on Jesus, but he also works in the hearts of his people. How does he work in them?

Take, for example, how he works in their lives at the time of their conversions. He convinces them of their sin. How much conviction do they deserve? Much more than they usually get. There may be strong fears and doubts, but they may not be the work of the Spirit. Rather he has come in love to draw them to the Saviour. He gradually brings them to Jesus, instructs them in who he is and what he did on the cross, and opens their hearts to embrace them, often very gently.

How does the Spirit transform his people into the likeness of Jesus? Sometimes, in his providence, difficult things take place. But usually they find life in a spiritual way to be gentle. It is like what is said in the Book of Proverbs about how the path of the just is like the shining light that shines more and more until the perfect day. Light is gentle — we don’t hear it arrive and we don’t hear it leave.

How does the Spirit react when we fail? Of course, we will be chastised if we persist in sin. But does the Spirit not bring to our minds the promises of restoration? When the devil tempts us, the Spirit strengthens us without us even realising it. When we find the truths of the Bible hard to understand, the Spirit helps us gradually and gently.

In the verse we are thinking about, the Lord’s gentleness makes his people great. In what ways does he do this? The Spirit is in our hearts as the Spirit of adoption. How gently he encourages us to use the privileges connected to this status! He reminds us that we have access into the presence of the King, to speak to him at all times. Often, he points us to the descriptions of our inheritance found in the Bible, that all believers are joint-heirs with Jesus.

Sometimes we wonder how we will cross the river at the end. Sure, there may be difficulties before the crossing such as illness and things like that, but what will the actual crossing be like when we leave the world? As we leave here and arrive there, we will realise that it was actually a gentle crossing. Thomas Boston said that ‘to a saint, death is a friend’s wound, a stroke from the hand of a father, proceeding against his children in the way of the covenant of grace, for their complete happiness.’ 

As we close, we can think of a verse from Hosea that reminds us of the gentleness of God when the prophet says that the Lord will be like the dew unto Israel. Israel was in a backslidden state and they deserved a flood of wrath. Instead they were promised that God would come gently. Have you ever heard the dew descend? You can see it after it arrives. That is how God restores his church, how God refreshes his church, how God enriches his church, by his gentle dealings with them.