Humility!

The Book of Deuteronomy is the farewell address of Moses to the Israelites.  In his first address, Moses recaps the Exodus, and in the second address, Moses goes over the laws given by God.  His third address talks about God's covenant with His people!  Moses beautifully takes the second-generation Israelites through their history so that God can build up their faith.  Moses played the roles of Prophet, Priest, and King perfectly.  What made Moses such a great leader?  Was it his education in Egypt or his natural intelligence?  Was it his leadership qualities or his inherent talents?  I believe what made Moses genuinely great was his humility!  God used Moses because of his faith, humility, and obedience.

The Bible testifies to this fact in Numbers 12:3, "Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth."  Moses received great authority, for God commissioned him to lead His people, Israel.  Yet, that power never made Moses proud.  Moses did not let authority go to his head.  Often, when a person receives little authority, his humility or lack thereof quickly becomes evident!  When the people constantly complained about his leadership, Moses did not retaliate.  When his brother and sister jealously questioned his authority, he interceded for them to minimize God's punishment.  When his father-in-law suggested a better way to judge the people of Israel, Moses was humble enough to accept his advice.  Moses did not jealously guard his authority but rejoiced when God allowed other Israelites to act as prophets alongside him.  When God said He would make Moses a great nation, Moses did not grab it as an opportunity but interceded for the people.  Although Moses was still physically strong, he asked God for a successor.  When God selected Joshua, Moses wholeheartedly supported Joshua.  We can learn many things from the life of Moses, but the most important lesson is one of humility!

My friend, we should never let authority or our natural ability go to our heads.  Let us not become useless to God by allowing our skills and talents lead to pride. Remember, the Bible says in 1 Peter 5:5, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."  What a compelling reason to imitate the humility of Moses!  Let not our pride become our downfall!  May the Lord help us to have the faith to realize God’s ways are much higher so that we can humbly submit to His will! 

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