“The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord.” - Isaiah 29:19a
I was struck by this verse during my Bible reading this morning, and found myself doing a bit of word study work and commentary reading on meekness. I found John Gill's comments very good and insightful, so I thought I would share my findings here with all of you. :-)
"The
"meek", lowly, and humble, are such who are made sensible of sin, and
become humble under a sense of it; who see the insufficiency of their own
righteousness, and submit to the righteousness of Christ; who attribute all
they have, and are, to the free grace of God, and quietly submit to every
dispensation of Providence; who are not easily provoked by men, but bear much
and long without reviling; who envy not those that are above them in gifts and
grace, nor despise those that are below them, and think the worst of
themselves, and the best of others; now these have joy in the Lord, in the Word
of the Lord, as the Targum, in the Lord Jesus Christ; in the greatness and
glory of his person as Jehovah, and so able to save to the uttermost; in him as
the Lord their righteousness; in his blood and sacrifice, for the pardon and
expiation of their sins; in his fulness as theirs, to supply their wants; in
his salvation, being so great, so full, so free, and suitable to them: and
whereas their joy may be interrupted through the corruptions of their hearts,
the temptations of Satan, and divine desertions, they "shall add" joy in the Lord, as in the original; they shall
repeat it, it shall come again, it shall be restored unto them, and they shall
afresh exercise it, and "increase" in it, as we render it; for
spiritual joy may be increased by the discoveries of the love of God; by fresh
views of Christ, through an increase of knowledge of him, and faith in him; by
means of meditation and prayer, and by reading and hearing the word."
-John Gill's Commentary on Isaiah 29:19a
The last part of his comments really stood out to me. It is in looking to Christ, through communion with Him, that we come to see ourselves as less and Him as the amazing God He is, thus drawing our hearts more closely to Him in love, giving us joy and making us satisfied in Him, thus detouring us from seeking joy in sin and the pleasures of this life.
Hello! I just recently came across your blog, and have been *very* encouraged by it. I think it's very neat that you listen to Paul Washer...so do I, and have been very challenged/encouraged/convicted by his powerful preaching. I actually just posted a 3 minute clip of his on my blog yesterday day :) With what I've seen, we believe a lot of the same things (I haven't looked to much on your blog though) and very glad to find that out.
ReplyDeleteMy friend and I just recently did a study on Meekness, as well! I don't have the time at this moment to read this post, but I'll look forward to when I have more time today. I'll definitely be back to visit your blog, and hope to receive updates on it, to my e-mail!
Continue shining your lights for Christ. He alone is the way to salvation. What a gift it is to live for the King of kings! Oh, how overwhelmed I am by His great love for His children -- "As my Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Abide in my love" -- John 15:9
His Servant,
Bethany
P.S. Have you heard about the site "I'll be Honest"?
Hi Bethany! :-)
ReplyDeleteWe're so glad that you have been blessed by reading our blog. It's always such a blessing and encouragement finding other like-minded Christians!
The video clip by Paul Washer that you posted on your blog is excellent! We have very much appreciated his ministry, and have had the privileged of meeting he and his family in person.
Is your study on meekness posted on your blog? I'd love to read it if it is!
Yes, we have been very blessed by "I'll be Honest"'s ministry as well! It sounds like we must have a good bit in common. :-)
Thank you for your encouraging words. I'm glad you found our blog. I've got your blog saved too. :-) May the Lord continue to bless and guide you in your walk with Him!
In Christ,
Brittany Alexander
Hello Brittany!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the response to my comment -- I was very excited to see it! :) Yes, it is a *huge* encouragement to me to find other like-minded believers.
That is so neat that you have gotten to met Paul Washer and his family! I would love too, but never had the chance. My dad and oldest brother got to back in Jan of this year at the G3 conference that he spoke at. His preaching has had a big impact in my life, so I would really like to him one day, if the Lord allows! Did y'all meet him at a conference, or not? Have you ever been to the Fellowship Conference down in TX, or the G3 conference in GA? I haven't, but maybe next year I'll be able to, my dad says :)
I have had the privilege of meeting Bob Jennings though, about 2-3 weeks before he went to be the Lord. There are so many other people that I would really like to meet!
No, it isn't on my blog...my friend and I have been doing a study through the Bible on different character traits that we wish to see more of in our life, so that's how it all got started. I would be happy to ask her (since she wrote the one on meekness) if she would mind me putting it on my blog. I'm planning on calling her on Saturday, so I'll ask then :)
Yes, it does seem like we have a good amount in common -- and, of course, that Christ is our Savior! Oh, what a joy it is to know the Lord!
Thank you, too, for the encouraging words! I'm very glad I found your blog as well :-) I will definitely be back. I'm sorry for how long this comment got...it's almost like a small e-mail! I didn't mean to write so much....
His servant,
Bethany
Bethany,
ReplyDeleteI so hope you get the opportunity to meet Mr. Washer! Yes, we met the Washer family at a NCFIC conference a couple years ago. That is really neat that you got to meet Mr. Jennings. We have been very blessed by some of his messages. We've never been to the Fellowship conference or the G3 one.
Your comment is just fine! :-) I was wondering if there is some way we could privately share email addresses. Are you on Google+ or Facebook, where we could private message our email addresses?
In Christ,
Brittany