MEEKNESS IS NOT WEAKNESS

Tara Fenton

Central Truth

God calls His children to be meek and humble, but that does not mean that we are weak.

(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.) (Numbers 12:3)

Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses

1 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. 2 And they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the LORD heard it. 3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. 4 And suddenly the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came out. 5 And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. 6 And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” 9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and he departed.

10 When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous,^{1

12:10
Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13} like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. 11 And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, do not punish us^{2

12:11
Hebrew do not lay sin upon us} because we have done foolishly and have sinned. 12 Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother's womb.” 13 And Moses cried to the LORD, “O God, please heal her—please.” 14 But the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.” 15 So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again. 16 After that the people set out from Hazeroth, and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

Footnotes

[1] 12:10 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
[2] 12:11 Hebrew do not lay sin upon us

When I hear the words meek or humble, I do not relate them to strong men and women of God. Instead, words like wimpy, weak, and timid come to mind. The first time I read this chapter, that's exactly what I thought about Moses, too. Moses has a history of being timid and scared. He hid his face when God appeared to him through the burning bush because he was afraid (Exodus 3:6). When God chose him to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, Moses showed his weakness by asking, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11). And then, looking for any excuse available, he asked, "What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say?" (Exodus 4:1a). He continues to show his weakness when he finally says, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it" (Exodus 4:13, NIV).

In Numbers 12, Moses continues to appear weak when he stands by and does nothing while Miriam and Aaron (his own sister and brother) are talking negatively about his wife. At first, this seems weak and timid, but verse 3 actually credits this silence to humility. I think Moses understood something that I often forget: "It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud." (Proverbs 16:19)

Moses, in humility, stepped back and let God take care of the situation in His timing. Moses didn't try to fix the problem or try to make them see things his way. So often in my life I find myself trying to take care of things on my own. I forget that my job is to "put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (Colossians 3:12) and to let God work out His plan.

1. Can you think of other verses that talk about the importance of meekness and/or humility? (Matthew 5:5, 1 Peter 3:4)

2. When dealing with conflict, are you more likely to argue and prove your point or step back like Moses did and let God handle things?

3. How was Jesus an example of being meek and humble yet not weak?