Moses stood in the minds of ancient Israelites as “THE” prophet, greatest among all those who followed him because of his role as deliverer and lawgiver for his people.
After assembling Israel on Mt. Ebal and Gerizim to recite the blessings and curses prescribed by God, Joshua read to all the people every word Moses had commanded them (Josh. 8:35). First-century Jews referred to the five books of the Pentateuch as simply “the book of Moses” (Mark 12:26), and in Acts 15:21, Peter distinguished Judaism from Christianity by noting that, “…Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.” The apostle Paul likewise described the continued practice of Judaism as the “reading of Moses” (2 Cor. 3:15). The mighty prophet ancient ISRAEL saw (and the faithful servant WE can see–Heb. 3:5) did not start out in their minds with such a reputation!
Numbers 12:3 declares that Moses was the meekest of all men on the face of the earth; the Hebrew word here carries connotations of humility and affliction, even poverty, unlike the comparable Greek word, which focuses on behavior (mild, gentle). Describing Moses as a “meek” man tells us he was a precursor of the Savior; not only “mild,” but humble and lowly (cf. Matt. 11:29).
Since Moses himself penned these words, they could appear rather vain; until we recall that everything he wrote — including this assessment of himself — was inspired by the Holy Spirit, not by his own ego.
Far from extolling his own character, Moses is simply contrasting his own behavior with that of his brother and sister. They evidently resented the fact that God had chosen to speak directly to — and only through — their brother. They criticized his choice of spouse (vs. 1) and questioned his authority (vs. 2) in what would seem to be a shameless and transparent effort to “elevate” themselves, whereas Moses had earlier celebrated the prophesying of Eldad and Medad (Num. 11:29), displaying no hint of jealousy or resentment toward them.
Moses was certainly not a flawless man; his own record in Exodus 2 reveals that his past behavior had been less than ideal (privilege, vv. 5-10; murder, vs. 12; flight to avoid prosecution, vv. 14-15). Israel’s potential image of Moses belies the reality of the man God returned to them AFTER training him for forty years in the wilderness of Midian.
Upon returning to Egypt Moses presented himself to both the elders of Israel and ultimately to the Pharaoh as nothing more than God’s spokesman (Ex. 4:27-30; 5:1-3). He did not represent himself as a “great leader” or a “messianic” figure, nor as a ruler attempting to negotiate on equal terms with the Pharaoh, even though he would have been intimately familiar with the customs and temperament of the Egyptian court and ruler. He never offered himself as anything other than God’s “mouthpiece.” His initial meeting with the Pharaoh led to greater hardship for Israel, rather than release (Ex. 5:4-21): Yet when they chastised him for it Moses appealed to the Lord (Ex. 5:22-23) rather than attempt to justify his actions to them. After the Lord foretold (to Moses and Aaron) all He intended to do to Pharaoh and his people, to compel them to release Israel, Exodus 7:6 records of them both that, “…just as the LORD commanded them, so they did.”
After the ten plagues foretold by God had run their course, the Pharaoh finally allowed Israel to depart from bondage. During this moment, Moses stands as an exemplar of faith for his people: When they saw the Egyptian army pursuing them to the sea at Pi Hahiroth (Ex. 14) they cried out with terror, ready to return to enslavement. Moses stands forth (vs. 13) to declare that God would deliver them (which He did). Throughout the challenges they later posed for Moses — complaints about food and water in the wilderness (Num. 11; Ex. 15), complaints about his leadership (Num. 16– Korah, Dathan, Abiram and others), even the grumbling of his own family members (Num. 12) — they consistently saw him appeal to the LORD, to allow HIM to judge between Moses and his accusers.
The humility of this great servant of God shines perhaps more radiantly in Numbers 14:12 than at any other moment in his life: When Israel rebelled at Kadesh-barnea, refusing to enter the land of promise, God proposed to disinherit them and fulfill His promise to Abraham (to make a great nation from his descendants–Gen. 12:2) through Moses himself. Far from embracing the prospect of becoming the progenitor of the Savior’s lineage, Moses remonstrated with God and begged Him to pour out mercy on Israel yet again (vv. 13-19), which He did. Throughout his life, the example of Moses’ interaction with God’s people shows us over and over the image of a man who consistently sought their welfare above his own, even when they failed to recognize and appreciate this.