There arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses …” Deuteronomy 34:10 KJV
Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses… Deuteronomy 34:10 NASB
Meek above all the men…” Numbers 12:3 KJV
Very humble, more than any man…” Numbers 12:3 NASB
Job, there is none like unto him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man …” Job 1:8 KJV
Job…for there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man…” Job 1:8 NASB
Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom” 1 Kings 10:23 KJV
So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 1 Kings 10:23 NASB
He trusted in the Lord God of Israel so that after him was none like unto him among all the kings of Israel” 2 Kings 18:5 KJV
He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah 2 Kings 18:5 NASB
Like unto him was there no king before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart …” 2 Kings 23:25 KJV
Before him, there was no king like him who turned to the LORD with all his heart 2 Kings 23:25 NASB
Five men appear on the canvas of Scripture of whom it is said, in regard to one virtue, that no one before or after equalled them. We are presented with: Moses for his meekness, Job for his integrity, Solomon for his wisdom, Hezekiah for his trust in Jehovah, and Josiah for his wholehearted devotion to the Lord. Each man excelled to such a degree that the Spirit of God has left an eternal record as to their excellence. Here are living monuments to what God is able to do with a man who yields himself to the influence of the Spirit of God.
And yet, each man also knew failure, and, ironically, at times that failure was in the sphere of the very virtue in which they excelled. Moses failed in his meekness. Job had to confess his own wretchedness. Solomon showed himself to be the wisest fool that ever lived. Hezekiah stumbled when the ambassadors from Babylon came to visit him. Josiah acted foolishly in trying to intercept the king of Egypt on his way to battle. As ever, the very best of men fail.
But there was one Man Who was different. We never read that He excelled in a particular virtue. He possessed and displayed every virtue in absolute fullness and in perfect balance. There is a sense in which He excelled in all and yet “excelled” in none to the detriment of another. And here was a Man Who knew no lapses, no failure, no confessions of sin.
The flattery of men never moved Him from His course. The fear of man never caused Him to compromise faithfulness to God and to man. He moved through the scene of time with a steadfast and purposeful gait.
If we are allowed to borrow the words of the bride concerning the one she loved from the Song of Solomon, “He is altogether lovely” or as I would like to paraphrase it, “He is the summation of all that is lovely.” Every part of Him, every aspect of His person, every outshining of His virtues only serves to draw forth our wonder and worship. Compassion is balanced by truth; kindness by firmness; goodness by justice.
There may be those who excelled in one particular virtue or aspect, but once again, we take the words of another, begging indulgence for taking them from their context and say, “Thou excellest them all” (Pro 31:29).
Consider:
When the Lord Jesus healed and brought wholeness to different individuals in the Gospels, was there more compassion linked with these acts than there was truth, or was every virtue always present in all its fulness?