8. Gentleness
| "Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. ... The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes." (Hosea2:14-3:1) |
But why are we gentle?
Because God is so gentle with us!
God asked Hosea to marry and love a prostitute named Gomer. She ran away.
God likened Hosea and Gomer to Himself and Israel.
Then God explained that although Israel had gone astray, He planned to allure her and speak tenderly to her and restore her.
Then he asks Hosea to go and show love to his wife again.
There is a profound gentleness revealed here.
God works gently through providence, creation and the gospel alluring, wooing, winning us to come to Him.
Paul urges a young Timothy to take the same path of gentleness:
2 Timothy 2:22-26 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
What is the purpose of gentleness? To bring people back to God...
