I was inspired recently by the verse below, and it made me think about how often we respond in a sarcastic tone when we are unhappy or worse, shout and insult. We are by no means perfect beings, but shouldn’t we be striving to be? Sure, we cannot be perfect because of sin, but Jesus was, and we always say we want to be more like him.
‘A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.’ Proverbs 15:1.
After coming to this realisation, I opened up the Enduring Word bible commentary, which I find invaluable when doing a bible study. There I was reminded that being gentle is actually an act of wisdom, and when I read on, I was reminded of just how well God knows us. I say this because, at that point, I wondered just how effective gentleness can be. I was then reintroduced to Rehoboam, whom I’d forgotten about because it had been a while since I’d read 1 Kings.
To give you a bit of context, Rehoboam was Solomon’s son and is known for dividing the tribes of Israel against Judah and Benjamin. Rehoboam only ruled over the tribes of Benjamin and Judah because, on his coronation day, he refused to lighten the workload of his people, causing the other tribes to reject his rule.
Rehoboam chose to listen to his friends’ advice over the elders’ wisdom, which led to this division. Just imagine if he had listened to the direction of the elders; he would’ve been a well-respected king for choosing kindness over the harsh ruling. This story is not just a lesson in the power of gentleness but a warning for us to be cautious about whom we trust and take advice from. You can read the full story in all its glorious detail in 1 Kings 12.
Another example where gentleness would have been better is in Judges 12: 1-6.
A battle broke out between the Gileadites and the Ammonites; the Lord delivered the victory to the Gileadites. The tribe of Ephraim were angered at not participating in the battle and threatened to burn down the house of Jephthah the Gileadite, with him in it. However, the Ephraimites had been called but did not answer, so their accusation was not just. Had the Ephraimites merely been thankful that a common enemy had been defeated, the outcome would have been much different. Their jealousy of the glory others received became their undoing.
This was a pattern for the Ephraimites, for in Judges 8, we read about their anger towards Gideon. They were upset because Gideon had not called on them when he went to battle with the Midianites.
Gideon is a good example of the power of gentleness. He did not challenge the Ephraimites but recognised their desire for credit and complimented them. He also encouraged them to be more involved with God’s work.
There are many more examples of gentleness in the Bible. It goes without saying that Jesus is the best example but I specifically chose these because I was inspired by Proverbs 15:1. I hope this post has encouraged you to look at how you react in different situations and reflect on whether your actions are gentle. If you feel inspired to read more examples of gentleness in the Bible, I highly recommend these verses:
- Luke 18: 15-17.
- Mark 2: 15-17.
- 2 Timothy: 14-26.
Or these books:
- 1 and 2 Corinthians.
- 1 and 2 Peter.
- James.
Wholeheartedly Faithul 
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