There are many ways we might describe someone. If it is someone close to us, we probably use terms that relate to what we see as their most memorable qualities. If someone is describing us perhaps we would want words like kind, honest, dependable, strength of character, etc. For Moses in 12:3 it says, “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.”
Meek really isn’t a word we use much today. Perhaps that is why so many people seem to misunderstand the word. Maybe because it sounds so much like the word weak, that is how people associate it. This is inaccurate though. The best way to define it is “strength under control.” It is not weakness, it is self-control! That is how Moses was described. Was he perfect? Of course not. Did he always exercise perfect self-control? No. But he did stand out as a man under control.
Horses are very strong. Back in the days of chariots and horses for war, horses were bred for strength and endurance, but that wasn’t enough. A strong horse going and doing as it pleased was of no use on the battlefield. They had to be trained. They had to weed out the ones who were too self-willed to be controlled. What they ended up with were massive horses that could be still and calm, but then charge across the battlefield at great speed and without fear of everything going on around them. They had great strength, but it was under control.
We need great strength — of character and spirit. That means we are fully committed, unwavering, and able to exercise control in the face of adversity and temptation. Without self-control, we cannot choose our own path. We will be moved by every event and circumstance that comes our way. It is listed as part of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. It is spoken of negatively when it is lacking in 2 Timothy 3:3. Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
Our walk with God and our reinforcement by His word should be strengthening us. We should be able to exercise greater degrees of self-control as the days go by. We need to be like Moses – meek.