Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.
Miriam and Aaron have just spoken against their brother, and at that exact moment the story stops to describe Moses himself. Why does the note come here, what does "meek" mean, and how could Moses write this about himself?
A Testimony Placed Mid-Attack
The remark interrupts the story on purpose. God hears the complaint, and before He acts, the record pauses to describe the man they were attacking.
Edward DennettNotice, too, that the Lord heard the words of Miriam and Aaron. Before the account tells us what He did, the Holy Spirit turns aside to bear testimony to His servant Moses. This is beautiful, and so is the testimony itself... It shows that Moses was a distinct foreshadowing of Christ, in personal character as well as in office — and that character was produced without doubt by the Holy Spirit.
The Silence That Proved It
Moses says nothing at all in this chapter. His meekness shows up as an absence — no self-defence, no answer to the charge.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe Lord said, "Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?" It is a serious thing to speak against any servant of God. The Lord will always guard those who serve Him and vindicate their character. Moses did not take the case into his own hands. He did not answer back... How hard it is for a man in a high and honoured position to bear an attack in silence and not open his mouth! Moses kept silent, for he was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.
The Word Itself
One writer gives the word "meek" a short gloss, then shows what such a man does under attack.
J. N. DarbyHow deep the instruction in this chapter! "The Lord heard" — if we always knew how to leave it to Him! "The man Moses was very meek" (poor in spirit) "more than all people who were on the face of the earth" — he left it all there — "The Lord heard." It is all beautiful.
Learned, Not Inherited
Moses was not born this way. God changed the man who once acted on his own anger, and it took forty years.
Arend RemmersMoses, the great man of God in the Old Testament, learned meekness from God during his forty years as a shepherd in Midian. When he was young he had, in sudden and righteous anger, struck an Egyptian man dead who was ill-treating an Israelite. More than forty years later, when his sister Miriam and his brother Aaron opposed him, the Holy Spirit could bear this testimony to him... This meekness of Moses was the result of his education in God's school.
Why a Meek Man Can Take Insults
The chapter ends with Moses praying for the sister who attacked him. One writer traces that response back to where a meek man stands before God.
C. H. MackintoshHere Moses breathes the spirit of his Master, and prays for those who had spoken so bitterly against him. This was victory — the victory of a meek man — the victory of grace. A man who knows his right place in the presence of God is able to rise above all evil speaking... He knows that no one can put him lower than he deserves to be; and so, if anyone speaks against him, he can meekly bow his head and pass on, leaving himself and his cause in the hands of Him who judges righteously.
The Same Man at the Rock
The description is not a permanent guarantee. Not long after this scene, at the waters of Meribah, the meekest man on earth lost his temper and struck the rock.
William J. HockingFor a moment he was off his guard; for a moment he failed to watch; and his unruly, rebellious tongue spoke those unholy sentences that cost him his inheritance in the promised land.
Did Moses Write This About Himself?
Some say the self-praise here counts against Moses being the author of these books. One writer answers by quoting an older study of the first five books of the Bible.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinMany have found self-praise in this description of Moses' character... but it is not vain self-display. He is not boasting in gifts and excellences he prided himself on having above everyone else. The statement was simply necessary for a full and correct understanding of all the circumstances. He made it objectively, about a character he had not given himself, but had received through the grace of God.
Summary
- Learned — Meekness came to Moses in God's school, not from his nature. Forty years as a shepherd formed the man who once struck down an Egyptian in anger.
- Silent — The proof of it was what he did not say. He refused to take his own case in hand.
- Heard — He left it all there, and the Lord heard. God defended the servant who would not defend himself.
- Given — Moses did not give himself this character. He received it through the grace of God, so he could record it without boasting.
- Guarded — Even so, one unguarded moment cost him the land. A meek man must still watch his words.