Fourth, a gentle person is someone willing to receive correction from others. They are pliable in accepting rebuke, warning, and God’s discipline (James 1:21). Receive God’s Word with gentleness to apply to yourself, not to aim at others. We must be like children, always willing to be taught by God through His Word. Come to the Lord with humility, for one day our condition will be fully revealed before Him. Therefore, there is nothing to boast about today, even if we are rich, beautiful, handsome, or intelligent.
An example of gentleness is David, who accepted rebuke from God’s prophet. In 2 Samuel 12:13, when Nathan rebuked David, he said, “I have sinned against the Lord.” This is extraordinary. David could have had Nathan killed publicly for that rebuke. Later, when David fled from Absalom’s pursuit, he met Shimei, who cursed him. David forbade his officers from beheading the man. He recognized that if the event came from the Lord, it could be a corrective lesson for his maturity. Do not harden your heart so the Lord must discipline you more severely. Many refuse correction because they feel the one reproving them is not worthy to do so. We must be sensitive so we are not embarrassed by the Lord.
If God reproves us and we refuse to change, we will suffer the consequences. When rebuked or criticized, carefully examine the content of the rebuke. Don’t focus on who rebukes you, but on what is being rebuked. If it is true, we should thank the person who was a channel of God’s correction. God always disciplines gently and does not shame us, unless our actions have truly crossed the line.
Often, we are reproved at a time and place we think inappropriate, so we reject and resist it. But David did not resist. That is why it is fitting that God called him a man after His own heart. David was not a sinless man, but his response to his faults made him noble and beautiful. In Psalm 51:5 (NIV/TB), he says, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” David’s openness and honesty about himself are evident. We must have openness and honesty about our imperfect condition so we do not quarrel over who, when, or where the rebuke comes.
When God strikes or disciplines us, we must accept it humbly without rebellion. David is an example of surrender and readiness to be reproved at any time. God knows the right timing and the degree of correction needed. Meekness is the primary capital for a person to grow in faith and be formed toward perfection. Joseph also acknowledged that his suffering was not a misfortune but God’s method of blessing his life and his family in Canaan.
If Joseph had not undergone severe suffering, he would not have become Zaphnath-Paneah, the second ruler after Pharaoh who saved Egypt and his brothers. The once-spoiled, heavily protected son could not immediately be entrusted by God to be a great man. He had to be shaped and processed. But without meekness, a person cannot be processed by God.