The Most Humble Person in the World

He had a troubled beginning—abandoned by his mom and dad and then raised in a rich and powerful foster family, with great pressure on him to succeed and eventually take over their business. He ended up murdering one of their employees and then burying—literally—the evidence.

It’s scandalous, right? But you’ve probably already guessed who it is.

Yes, I’m talking about Moses—the baby in the basket on the Nile, who grew up to confront Pharaoh and lead Israel out of Egypt in the great Exodus. The man who personally received God’s commandments—what we now call the Mosaic Law—which has shaped ethical and legal systems for thousands of years. The man who intimately knew God’s presence. The man who authored the first five books of the Old Covenant. The man who appeared at the transfiguration of Jesus.

Moses, the most humble person on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3).

Stop and think about that for a moment. How did the one who raised his staff to part the Red Sea become known as the most humble man on earth? To understand, we must go back to the beginning of his story.

Humility didn’t come quickly or easily to Moses. Growing up in the Egyptian royal family gave him access to education, military training, and leadership skills. The Jewish historian Josephus tells us that Moses became a general in the Egyptian army and was admired by both the Hebrew slaves and the Egyptians (Antiquities II, 10:1).

By age 40, Moses believed he was God’s chosen deliverer for Israel:

“Seeing one of the Hebrews being wronged, Moses defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand” (Acts 7:24–25).

Moses had to flee to the desert. Instead of commanding mighty armies, he led sheep. Instead of speaking with authority, he spent days in silence with animals. His visions of being God’s chosen deliverer faded.

Forty years later, Moses was without arrogance when he heard God calling him from the burning bush. God told Moses to rescue His people—but warned that Pharaoh would not let them go unless compelled by a mighty hand. Of course, God meant His own hand—not Moses’s, whose hand had already brought tragic results.

Now Moses was so humbled that he asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He was on his third excuse when God asked him, “What is that in your hand?”

Moses no longer held a scepter—nor did he have any illusions of his own power. All he had was a shepherd’s staff. The once-great orator told God he was slow of speech and tongue. He couldn’t believe he had anything to offer, agreeing to go only after God promised to send his brother as a helper.

The Moses who gripped the scepter was an impulsive army general who thought he could fix the world. The Moses who opened his hand and trusted God with his shepherd’s staff was the man God could use. Indeed, only a truly humble man could have led a mass of complaining people through 40 years in the wilderness.

It wasn’t an easy or quick process for Moses to humble himself and open his hands to God. It’s not easy for us either. We tend to grip tightly what we think belongs to us.

What Humility Is—and Isn’t

Humility isn’t thinking of yourself as modest—that’s just a disguised form of pride. True humility, as Moses displayed, is knowing and surrendering to the One from whom and for whom and through whom all things are possible. God can do amazing things through us when we recognize who we are—and who we are not—before Him.

Moses lost his scepter but gave God his staff.

In the only psalm attributed to him, he reminds us that we can trust the God who establishes the work of our surrendered hands.

Are You Ready to Open Your Hands to God?

Are you ready to open your hands to God’s purposes—to trust Him with what you hold—and let Him establish the work of your hands? Let us look to Jesus, who not only opened His hands but stretched out His arms in total surrender to the Father.

What might God do through your hands—if you fully opened them to Him?

Lord, help me see what I hold too tightly in my hands—and open them to You. I pray for total surrender to You, for true humility, as You establish the work of my hands.

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