Numbers 12:3 says, “the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.”
If we accept the traditional theory that Moses wrote every word of the Pentateuch, it is Moses himself testifying that he is humble! It reminds me of the quip about the city commission who gave a guy an award for being the humblest man in town … and then took it away because he accepted it!
It’s equally possible that another inspired writer added this verse (and Deut. 34). Either way, this inspired statement about Moses’ character gives us an important insight. A person can, and should, be both a great leader and be very humble.
Humility is Not Weakness or Silence
I can’t think of a more bold, uncompromising, confident leader than Moses, who led Israel out of Egypt. Moses guided them through the wilderness, proclaimed the commandments of God, and warned of the consequences of disobedience. He didn’t just reveal, he exhorted.
Humility is not shrugging your shoulders. That’s just complacency. It would be hard to tally up all the battles Moses won, all the enemies he defeated, all the evil schemes he withstood. It’s been said that leadership is all about knowing where you’re supposed to go, and convincing others to follow you. Moses was humble, but he knew his destiny and his responsibility (Acts 7:25). He made the bold choice to serve God (Heb. 11:24-26) and he admonished people to serve God too.
Humility Does Not Mean You’ll Always be Loved
The people of Israel were obstinate people. They often expressed their displeasure by lashing out at Moses. Sometimes they even accused him of grandstanding and abusing his power. The family of Korah rebelled, saying, “why do you exalt yourselves above” the rest of God’s people (Num. 16:3)? Dathan and Abiram thanklessly accused Moses of closing them off from the bountiful foodstuffs of Egypt (Num. 16:13). After God Himself dealt with these rebels, the people grumbled again, blaming Moses for their deaths (Num. 16:41). On one occasion, even Moses’ brother and sister accused him of pride (Num. 12:1-2).
Leaders must realize that people will say cruel things that are completely out of touch with reality. Like the Corinthian Christians did, who accused Paul of being wimpy (2 Corinthians 10:1) and stuck up (11:7). At the end of the day, all of God’s leaders must do what is right, and must leave it to God to reveal the motives of each heart in the end (1 Corinthians 4:5).
Humility is Pointing People to God, Not To Yourself
When God first tapped Moses, the lowly shepherd, he was very reluctant. Moses did not believe he had the skills or disposition necessary to lead God’s people. God assured him, “I will be with you” (3:12) and “I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt” (3:20) and “I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to say” (4:12).
Throughout his leadership, Moses never wished to attract attention to himself. Moses was concerned with making followers of God, not making followers of Moses. The one time Moses exceeded his authority—striking the rock rather than speaking to the rock (Num. 20:11)—God put him in his place and Moses bore his punishment.
In fact, on one occasion, God was so fed up with Israel He announced His plans to destroy Israel and start over with Moses, transferring the promises of Abraham to Moses and making him into a great nation (Deuteronomy 9:14). A prideful man would have greedily welcomed this turn of events. But Moses loved the people of Israel, despite their flaws, and asked God to forgive them, interceding on their behalf (Deuteronomy 9:25-28).
On another occasion, Joshua got upset that two other men were prophesying in the camp. Far from being jealous, Moses said, “would that all the Lord’s people were prophets” (Num. 11:27-30)! Nothing brought more joy to Moses than seeing God glorified.