THE MYSTERY OF HUMILITY

Numbers 12:1-7
1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't He also spoken through us?" And the Lord heard this. 3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.) 4 At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, "Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you." So the three of them came out. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud; He stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward, 6 He said, "Listen to My words: "When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal Myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. 7 But this is not true of My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house.

What would you think if you were reading a book and the writer made this assertion: "I am the greatest writer on the face of the earth"? Would you (a) think that writer was a good judge of greatness, (b) be terribly irritated by this person's arrogance, or (c) say, "I think I'll read something else"?

Generally speaking, it's not a good idea for us to proudly promote ourselves. If we try to tell others about our own greatness, we usually just promote our own foolishness.

So what are we to do with Numbers 12:3? That's where the writer Moses says, "Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth." Now, this can be an even bigger problem than the previously mentioned author and his grandiose claims. Humility is so different. It's something that, once you claim to have it--it's gone.

There are several possible explanations for Moses' claim to humility. Some scholars suggest that someone else added this line after Moses wrote the book of Numbers. Others say the word translated "humble" can be and should be translated "miserable," which would follow his struggles with Miriam and Aaron. Still others say that if God inspired the words, who was Moses to change them? The Bible is God's Word to us, and He superintended each word.

No matter what the source of the word may be, the truth of it is astounding. Moses, the great leader of the people and a man who actually saw God on Mt. Sinai, maintained his humility.

He didn't lord his position over others. He didn't flaunt his close ties to the Father. He didn't let power corrupt him. He displayed true spiritual leadership while keeping his ego in check.

The mystery, then, was not what Moses said, but what he did. He showed us how to lead without letting leadership go to his head. Doing that while honoring God is the solution to the mystery of humility. --Dave Branon

DESTINATION POINTS

* Am I someone others would look at and say, "There's a humble Christian"?
* Do I think being humble means to hide my abilities, afraid to show that I have any value? Or does it mean conducting myself as a true child of the King but making sure He gets the glory?
* Do I know someone who is truly humble? What can I learn from him or her?

LINKS:
Humility's Many Faces
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/014/37.96.html

bottom line: Humility helps us serve others well.

soul journey