Tuesday: “I Am Gentle and Lowly in Heart”
Gentleness is an underrated quality today. Humility is laughed at. Social media has taught us to pay attention to the loud, the noisy, the weird and wild, and the flamboyant. Truly so many of the world’s standards are so opposite of what God deems important and valuable.
“A knowledge of the truth depends not so much upon strength of intellect as upon pureness of purpose, the simplicity of an earnest, dependent faith. To those who in humility of heart seek for divine guidance, angels of God draw near. The Holy Spirit is given to open to them the rich treasures of the truth.” — Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 59.
Read Matthew 5:5, 1 Peter 3:4, and Isaiah 57:15. How would you define meekness and humility based on these texts?
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Paul refers to “the meekness and gentleness of Christ” in 2 Corinthians 10:1. Meekness and humility are not descriptions of a pushover, of people who cannot stand their own ground. Jesus Himself did not seek confrontation and often avoided it because His mission had not yet been fulfilled (John 4:1-3). When confrontation came to Him, however, He responded boldly. Yet at the same time, He spoke kindly. His laments over Jerusalem just prior to the cross, for example, were not shouted curses but tear-filled word pictures of a devastating future (Luke 19:41-44).
In the New Testament, Jesus is often portrayed as the second Moses. He speaks from a mountain when He lays out the principles of His kingdom (Matthew 5:1). He provides large crowds with miracle food (Matthew 14:13-21). Numbers 12:3 describes Moses as “meek,” which is echoed in Matthew 11:29. People witnessing the feeding of the 5,000 exclaim in wonder, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world” (John 6:14) — a reference to Deuteronomy 18:15 and Moses’ role as a prophet.
Jesus’ humility and meekness clearly supersede Moses’. After all, He is our divine Savior. While Moses offered to give himself to save his people (Exodus 32:32), his death would not have accomplished anything, for Moses was a sinner himself and in need of a Savior, a sin-bearer to pay for his sins. Though we can learn from Moses and the story of his life, we cannot find salvation in him.
Instead, we need a Savior who can stand in our stead, not just as an Intercessor but as our Substitute. Intercession is important, but it is only God hanging on the cross as our Sin-bearer, as the One who paid in Himself the penalty for our sin, who can save us from the legal consequences that our sins would, justly, bring to us. This is why, however great the example Jesus was for us, it would all be for nothing without the Cross and the resurrection.
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If we back up a little and go to the first part of Matthew 11, we find that John the Baptist is in prison. He has not been rescued by the Messiah, and he is having doubts about Jesus. He probably had the expectation than Jesus would be a powerful political figure leading the Jews to victory over the Romans, and on to becoming a dominating world force. He got a message though to Jesus, "Have I really backed the right person, or do we look for someone else.
Jesus told the messengers to wait a while and watch. He healed the sick, cleansed the lepers and encouraged the poor. Then he told them to back and tell John what they had seen.
Perhaps that report was a moment of truth for John. The gospel was not about confrontation and rebellion but about loving and supporting one another.
And at the end of Matthew 11, Jesus says the words that we are contemplating this week:
Proactive Christianity is not about confrontation, power and dominance, It is about support and encouragement and humility.
A few seconds ago my computer pinged and a message popped up on my screen from my sister. She told me she loved how this verse reminded her of our mum:
Mum was the sort of Christian that never looked for an argument, was gentle and kind, and lived the meek yet effective life of a saved Christian, modelling that for her three children.
Jesus invites us to come and rest, but he challenges us to live the values of the Gospel. A quote I overheard the other day: "We are not here to save, but to serve, because it is by serving we save!"
Thank you so much for enlightenment message for today. God bless.
My Mom, too, was that Christian, we always had someone living with us. Sometimes these people were not so nice took advantage of my mother. She baked and cooked for everyone, if you needed help, she gave it.
Many times she was rewarded with unkindness. Why am I writing this? Because I became her protector, I became the rough one because I’d seen what kindness got her. A few things I left out...we never went hungry, although people stole from her, we always had clothes to wear, we had a place to live and a vehicle to get around in.
As a child my view was skewed. I was not protecting my mom, God was.
My mother has gone to sleep in the Lord and I look forward to seeing her again, God willing. And now I understand why she was so meek. She trusted God more than the uncharitable responses that she received for being gentle and kind.
When I read this lesson and Matthew 5:5 about meekness I remember a little story that is a little humorous to me now but still makes a good illustration. A family and I took three kids from another family go-cart racing. The three kids had just lost their mother and we wanted to befriend them. As we got to the go-carts the youngest girl about 9, got in a car with two seats and asked if someone would ride with her. I knew or at least thought the two seaters were slower than the one seat cars so I passed on her invitation. I wanted to win! So an older girl from the other family gladly accepted the offer. I thought that was nice of her to take the slower car in order to help this young girl. Well about the third time they lapped me it was as if I felt God tap me on the shoulder and say, "I take care of people who put others first!"
Lesson learnt William!
Once I asked a friend of mine here in Ghana this question : Henry, who should be more humble, a rich man or a poor man ? His answer marveled me and this is it : Both of them should be more humble particularly a rich man. Do we agree with Henry or not? Henry is rich, learned, popular, he has a printing press with workers he pays every month. Besides, he has sponsored hundreds for schooling and keeps sponsoring many. He uses his own money to hold evangelistic endeavors and plant Churches. Let's switch from Henry to Jesus. Who was Jesus before He came to this World and what did He do as divine and human? He says : " I am gentle and lowly in heart "
Gentleness and meekness is what Jesus simply means He is. And gentleness and meekness is the fruit of the Holy Spirit as found in Galatians 5: 22 , 23.
Rank, Position, Race, Color though very important cannot save anyone. Jesus says when we are gentle and lowly in heart we shall find rest unto our souls. Jesus wants us to exemplify gentleness and meekness in our daily lives. I like this quotation : " Now that Jesus has ascended to heaven, His disciples are His representatives among men , and one of the most effective ways of winning souls to Him is in exemplifying His character in our daily life. Our influence upon others depends not so much upon what we say as upon what we are. Men may combat and defy our logic , they may resist our appeals ; but a life of disinterested love is an argument they cannot gainsay" Desire of Ages p, 141, 142.
May God help us.
Meekness as spoken of in scripture, was demonstrated in the lives of Moses and Christ, and all those who are sealed with the seal of God will also “sing that song”(Rev 15:2,3). Both willingly subjected themselves to the Word and will of God above their own will, and “making [themselves] of no reputation”, served their fellow man faithfully with meekness, patience and many prayers.
Those who sing this song on the sea of glass will be those who have learned to sing it here.
Something to ponder for those who are interested.
Today's lesson states "...it is only God hanging on the cross as our Sin-bearer, as the One who paid in Himself the penalty for our sin, who can save us from the legal consequences that our sins would, justly, bring to us."
If I find myself out of harmony with a law of physics such as friction due to stepping on an icy path and consequently falling and breaking my leg, is my violation of a law of physics a legal issue? Does my leg need a legal solution?
If I find myself out of harmony with the laws of health when I eat food that has become contaminated, do I have a legal problem that requires a legal solution?
What if, like Adam and Eve, I too find myself out of harmony with the most foundational Law of Life - the law of self-giving beneficence (Agape love) - the law that all other functional laws/principles associated with abundant life are derived from and share their beneficent (life-benefiting) nature with? Do I now have a legal problem that requires a legal solution?
Or do I perhaps need a Saviour/Redeemer/Restorer who can actually make a way for my heart to be renewed so that it becomes more gentle and lowly instead of more self-interested/self-seeking?
Thanks for your thought-provoking questions, Phil. Indeed, there's more to it than a "legal solution," yet we cannot escape the legal aspect without taking a good chunk out of our Bibles.
The way I see it, when we violate any of God's laws, we naturally experience the consequences, unless God intervenes and allows us to experience only a foretaste of the real consequences so that we may understand that His laws are only for our good. If we injure ourselves by our folly we need help to heal. If we violate God's moral law, we need forgiveness and the restoration of a clean heart and right spirit - as David so eloquently expressed. In other words, we need a Savior.
We need a Savior because we are law breakers, and one of the definitions of sin is law breaking. Another definition is lack of faith - a more relational definition. For us, the Law is a mirror that shows us our true condition and helps us see our need.
God is the One who has a major legal problem. He has put Himself on trial before the universe. And He has to justify bringing law breakers back to heaven. (See Romans 3:4 for a little hint of that scenario.) Bringing lawbreakers to heaven would risk the harmony of heaven, and God has to demonstrate that the people He has redeemed will live in harmony with His law of self-renouncing love.
Thank you Brother Phil for raising these questions.
methew5vs5 , great blessing belongs to those are humble.so we must be humble God.God will bless us if we obey him.
Amen.
Thank you Brother Phil for your insights here!
I Am Gentle and Lowly in Heart
When we look at the fruit of the spirit in some translations of the bible we saw gentle/ness being used interchangeable. Can one become gentle or show gentleness without having the Holy Spirit dwelling in them? What about others who are not Christians or SDA? What about the unchurched people we knew, can we look at unchurched and find that person who we termed gentle?
People call men, 'gentlemen' all the time. Is the word 'gentle' over-used by most or do we have a casual understanding for the word gentle?
What does it mean Jesus was loyal to his father?
What does it mean to be loyal to Jesus?
What does it mean to be loyal to one's spouse, or people in general?
My choice for today is:
I believe the Word of the LORD teaches:
we need a Savior who can stand in our stead, not just as an Intercessor but as our Substitute. Intercession is important, but it is only God hanging on the cross as our Sin-bearer, as the One who paid in Himself the penalty for our sin, who can save us from the legal consequences that our sins would, justly, bring to us. This is why, however great the example Jesus was for us, it would all be for nothing without the Cross and the resurrection.