“Your gentleness has made me great” (Ps. 18:35 NKJ).
Part Two
There are two main words for great in the Old Testament. One has to do with greatness in the eyes of man. The other speaks of greatness in the eyes of the Lord. One indicates an undesirable motive of self-gratification. The other expresses a desirable motive, the glorification of God.
In Jeremiah 45:5 the Lord asks: “And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them….” (NKJ). The Hebrew word translated great in this verse is gadol (gaw-dole’). It has a connotation of pride or boasting. It is used to refer to the seeking of estates, status, position, and earthly honors.
In many verses in the Bible, gadol has a tinge of insolence and is used to describe people who hold others in contempt. Having gadol is defined as suffering from delusions of grandeur or “making it into the big-time.”
In this verse from Psalms, David uses a different word entirely to express the idea of greatness. Here the word translated great is rabah (raw-baw’) which has to do with the normal increase which comes when God’s blessing is on a person, a city, a church, or a nation. It expresses the idea of a wholesome increase, of making numerous, of adding to one’s life.
David could have said:”…Your gentleness has made me numerous.” We Christians are a myriad people because of God’s blessing. We should be mindful of the lesson of Paul who taught us that one plants, one waters, and God gives the increase (1 Cor. 3:6). It is the Lord’s graciousness and kindly gentleness that has given us our increase or, as the text implies, our numerical greatness.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Dick Mills was ordained at The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in 1949. He and his wife Betty traveled as evangelists all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Europe, and Australia. Dick and Betty are now home in heaven.
In 1966 Dick and Betty became a part of the then-emerging Charismatic Renewal. Passing through all denominational barriers, Dick has had the opportunity to speak in thousands of churches of varied backgrounds all over the world.
He ministered within several Christian organizations, including the Full Gospel Business Men, Women's Aglow, Inter-church Renewal Catholic Pentecostals, mainline Charismatic groups, CBN and TBN television networks, and many other independent Christian TV stations.
Dick appeared on numerous radio talk shows, written several magazine articles, and spoke at many Bible conferences and universities. He served as an adjunct professor at six Schools of the Bible and Seminaries.
In addition, Dick authored and co-authored several books and tapes. Dick's ministry was characterized by the unique gifts God has blessed him with. His services informed, enlightened, and motivated people to a higher level of commitment to God.