What I Learned from Moses

By Sharon Chan

We were driving westbound on Bridgeport road. Our car had just started moving again after stopping at a controlled intersection. We started to speed up for about fifty metres when traffic comes to a stop.

“What’s going on?” I question aloud. We peer past the vehicles stopped all around us. From between the two westbound lanes, weaving throughout the attentive drivers, was a disoriented looking man. He was a young person and he looked utterly confused and lost. He ducked his head to look into our vehicle as he walked past, a deeply anxious look in his eyes. A couple of pedestrians on the sidewalk, as well as two vehicles with their hazards lights on, seemed to be phoning the police.

My husband and I continued on because we couldn’t stop while remarking that he was going to get himself hurt.

I can’t help but think that we missed an opportunity.

Moses did not miss opportunities. Moses was an exemplary figure of advocacy for the undeserving. But he did not begin this way. There are many examples of Moses’ character and decisions that reveal his human bent, the flaws one will always find in any person. I think of his fierce anger and self-righteousness when, as a young man, he murdered an Egyptian. Then there was his hesitance and timidity when God called him from Midian to speak to Pharaoh. Who can forget his volatile reaction to the Israelites’ idolatrous ways by destroying God’s written commandments? No, Moses was not a perfect person by any stretch of the imagination.

But he was the humblest man, more so than anyone else on earth (Numbers 12:3, NIV).

Moses’ humility was his motivation for catching opportunities. He was skilled in seizing opportune moments to be an advocate for the people’s spiritual condition and to plead to God for the salvation of the undeserving Israelites.

As I learned about Moses in Bible study, my former judgement of his character was dispelled. In the past when I thought of Moses, it was likely his flaws and mistakes that would represent him. Digging deep into his life, I saw that Moses was definitely a contender in the “humblest man” category, and not even by his own declarations! God defended him, setting him apart as “faithful in all my house” (Numbers 12:7) when Moses’ siblings opposed his leadership.

The Israelites did not ingratiate themselves to Moses, especially when they created an idol for themselves whilst Moses received instructions from God regarding idolatry! God wanted to punish those deserving a consequence and start afresh with Moses. In an example of typical humility, Moses rejected God’s offer to make a great nation out of himself, instead stepping in to (hopefully) save the undeserving.

While this action in and of itself speaks volumes of Moses selfless character, his humility is truly evident in the way he approached God with the plea. Moses sought forgiveness for the people by appealing to God’s personal characteristics, his fame, his power, his faithfulness and promises (Exodus 32:11-13). He did not remind God of the personal favor he had or any worthy trait of the people. Moses sought to uphold God’s character to the people in the culture of his day. Moses was not concerned about his own fame, gain or reputation. It was not even the millions of people who had his top priority. Moses’ concern and top priority was upholding God’s character to the people in his culture and in his time.

His efforts to uphold God’s character is a true display of humility.

Humility is not thinking less of oneself and instead, thinking of others’ welfare. Humility is upholding God’s character by recognizing and acknowledging His person and actions in life. Humility is the outflow of knowing God and being changed by Him.

How does humility affect my actions? It is seen when I take opportunities to help those in need in whatever circumstance they find themselves. Perhaps I will lose out. Perhaps it is not to my benefit. But humility does not calculate self-gain or loss. Besides, where is the humility in assisting others when it is convenient for me, or when it is helping deserving people?

Humility begins when people see Jesus in me.

In the meantime, I scour the Internet looking for possible news stories that the lost and lonely man wandering traffic in Richmond is safe.