“Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3, KJV).
While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a complaint arose from Miriam and Aaron against Moses. The original reason for the complaint was something involving Moses’ wife (Numbers 12:1), yet it led his brother and sister to challenge Moses himself (Numbers 12:2). It is in this context that the statement above was made about one of Moses’ character traits – meekness.
In this article, we will discuss meekness – what it is, how it was manifested in Moses’ life, and why we must display this trait today.
What Is Meekness?
The Hebrew word (anav) can mean different things, depending on the context. Strong’s explains this word to mean depressed, humble, and lowly. Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon defines it as “afflicted…with the added notion of a lowly, pious, and modest mind, which prefers to bear injuries than return them.” It is from the Hebrew word anah, which means “to humble oneself, bow down” (Brown-Driver-Briggs).
When we read about this with the example of Moses, meekness is about choosing to humbly endure whatever circumstances are presented to us. In the Bible, this is particularly about the circumstances that come as a result of serving God.
However, there are some misconceptions that brethren (and others) have about meekness. It is often associated with weakness, timidity, passiveness, and fear of the “spotlight.” Yet when we look at Moses, we can see that none of these accurately describe meekness. So let us consider the example of Moses.
Moses Was Meek…
But not weak – “Although Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated” (Deuteronomy 34:7). Moses lived a long life that was physically demanding. In a psalm attributed to him, Moses said that one might live to be eighty years old “due to strength” (Psalm 90:10), yet he lived forty years beyond that, during which he was leading the people through the wilderness. In addition to his physical strength, Moses also had a strong faith (Hebrews 11:24-29).
But not timid (fearful) – “Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand” (Exodus 2:11-12). In defending one of the Israelites, Moses was choosing to side with them against the Egyptians. He “left [forsook, KJV] Egypt” (Hebrews 11:27) which meant he would have to “endure ill-treatment” (Hebrews 11:25). He showed courage before crossing the Red Sea and encouraged the Israelites to “not fear” as “the Lord [would] fight for [them]” (Exodus 14:10-14).
But not afraid to lead – “This Moses whom they disowned, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years” (Acts 7:35-36). Even though he was initially reluctant to lead (Exodus 4:13), he ultimately led the Israelites out of Egypt despite opposition from Pharaoh (Exodus 5:1-2; 10:28).
But not afraid of conflict – “Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘What did this people do to you, that you have brought such great sin upon them?’” (Exodus 32:21). On this occasion, he confronted Aaron due to his role in the creation and worship of the golden calf. In doing this, he was defending God, who had “brought [them] out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,” and told them that they were to have “no other gods before [Him]” (Exodus 20:2-3). Later he confronted Korah (Numbers 16:1-7) and took a public stand against the rebels (Numbers 16:25-33).
But not afraid to be an example – “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). This verse cites Moses as an example of humility. Interestingly, it was Moses who wrote this. Typically, we say that when someone claims to be humble, they prove they are not. However, the difference in the example of Moses is that God told him to say it. Though a humble man would be hesitant to say what Moses said there, he was willing to do it because he was submitting to the Lord’s will. Moses was of the character that allowed God to use him as an example for others to follow.
But not sinless – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Like everyone else, Moses was not perfect. He failed to circumcise his son before returning to Egypt (Exodus 4:24-26). He failed to obey God when getting water from the rock (Numbers 20:8-12). These instances remind us that as great of a man as Moses was, he did occasionally do things that were contrary to the will of God.
Moses displayed meekness by humbly obeying the Lord, no matter what that meant. He forsook Egypt (Hebrews 11:27), the land where he had grown up. He opposed Pharaoh (Hebrews 11:24-27), the powerful ruler of Egypt. He led the people out of Egypt (Hebrews 11:29), even as the Egyptian army pursued them. And he continued to lead them for forty years in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 29:5), despite their disobedience and murmuring.
Why We Should Be Meek
Throughout the Old Testament, God showed His approval for those who are meek. The same Hebrew word used to describe Moses (Numbers 12:3) is in the following verses:
“O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear” (Psalm 10:17).
“But the humble [meek, KJV] will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity” (Psalm 37:11).
“When God arose to judgment, to save all the humble [meek, KJV] of the earth” (Psalm 76:9).
In these verses, we see that He hears and strengthens the meek, blesses them with the land, and saves them. Isaiah prophesied that “good tidings” would be proclaimed “unto the meek” (Isaiah 61:1). When Jesus began His earthly ministry, He declared that He came to fulfill this prophecy (Luke 4:16-21).
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5, KJV), which was a clear allusion to the passage we noted above (Psalm 37:11). However, while Jesus called their minds to the promise that was given to their fathers under the old covenant, the inheritance that we hope to gain is not the physical land of Israel, but heaven. Peter explained that our “living hope” is for “an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for [us]” (1 Peter 1:3-4).
Conclusion
Moses was a faithful servant of God whose example we should emulate – particularly his meekness. Being meek did not mean he was weak, timid, or passive; instead, it meant he humbly obeyed the Lord no matter the consequences. We need to have the same resolve today.
