The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 29:19

Moses killed an Egyptian man with his bare hands because he was beating a Hebrew brother. Exodus 2:11

He valiantly stood up and helped the daughters of the Midian priest when their flock was driven away by shepherds. Exodus 2:17

He repeatedly confronted Pharaoh, trying to persuade him to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt. (Exodus 7:7, 8:8, 8:20, 8:25, 9:27 and more).

He led the Israelites out of Egypt and to the Promised Land, though he would never live there. (Exodus)

Several times we read that Moses (and often Aaron with him) did as the Lord commanded (Exodus 7:6, 12:28, 16:23).

Then, in Numbers 12:3 we learn this about Moses: “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.”

We would usually read this statement and be reminded of the time when Moses objected to God’s call for him to lead the Israelites. Exodus 4:10 says Moses responded this way, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”

He sounds like he is trying to get out of this huge responsibility God has given him. In fact, God responded to him angrily because He was unhappy with his fearful answer. But this fear has nothing to do with meekness!

Christ said that the meek will inherit the earth.” Certainly Christ is not preserving the earth to be subdued by men too fearful to obey God’s commands.

In the study of the Beatitudesⁱ mentioned in an earlier post (https://www.bethbingaman.com/what-a-relief/) the teacher taught what the word “meek” means in the Greek. It means “broken to harness.” As a horse must be trained to be disciplined while harnessed (and free) the meek who will inherit the earth will be disciplined under God’s training.

Moses was fearful to follow the Lord and obey His commands when the Lord first called him. Later in life God said he had become “meek” or disciplined. He had learned the value of obeying God’s commands. Initially this was with Aaron to give him courage, a gracious provision of God.

In Numbers 12:7 God calls Moses faithful and said he spoke with him “mouth to mouth, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD.”

This honor of being called faithful by God and the privilege of close communication came to Moses as he was willing to be trained (broken to harness) by God. He was a meek man by God’s own word.

We must see that this meekness is not weak or fearful. It is wise and faithful.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5

Are you and I among the meek? Does Wise and faithful and disciplined describe us? Have we been “broken to harness” by God, obeying His commands?