Numbers 12:3 “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” (NIV)
You may have heard that Moses was the most humble man on earth, but have you ever asked how he got that label? Or what would you have to look like to have that label? Isaiah 66:2b should motivate your interest in humility, “Declares the LORD. ‘This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at My word.’”(NIV) WOW! Think about that verse. God esteems, lifts up, finds great pleasure, gets excited about, and thinks highly of the humble. Of anyone you would want to think good things about you, it would be God. It is difficult to see from the Biblical account why God esteemed Moses’ humility, so let’s look at some Scriptures that might paint a picture of his humility:
Matthew 5:5 gives a great clue: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (NIV)
Matthew 18:4 highlights being teachable: “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (NIV)Philippians 2:3-4 redirects our expectations: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (NIV)
Philippians 2:7-8 punctuates being a servant through Jesus’ example: “But made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!” (NIV)
1 Peter 5:5 shows how we are to relate to others: “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’" (NIV)
Proverbs 16:19 changes the rules on winning: “Better to be lowly in spirit among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.” (NIV)
These Scriptures give a great picture of what humility looks like. But how do you get there? 1 Peter 5:6 shows that your humility is first to God and then to others: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.” (NIV) Acts 20:19 gives the fuel for humility by serving the Lord and not man: “I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews.” (NIV) There is nothing attractive about humility except that it places you squarely in God’s presence and love! May our lives be windows for others to see God.
Isaiah 57:15 “For this is what the high and lofty One says — he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly.” (NIV)