The text presents a fascinating idea: that the speaker's life and experience lend weight to their words. It's not just what you say, but who you are that matters.
Imagine someone else rebuking the Israelites besides Moses. According to this Midrash, the people might have scoffed, “Who are you to criticize us?” But Moses? He was different. As Numbers 16:15 tells us, "I did not take even a single donkey from them." He was the epitome of integrity, a leader who never exploited his position. He had earned the right to offer rebuke.
And what about Yitro, Moses' father-in-law, declaring, "Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods" (Exodus 18:10-11)? If someone else had said it, the Israelites might have questioned their sincerity. "You suddenly know?" But Yitro, as the Midrash points out, had "circulated among all the houses of idol worship in the world and did not find any substance in them." He was a convert, someone who had actively sought truth. His "Now I know" carried the weight of his personal journey.
The same goes for Solomon and his famous lament, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 1:2). If a pauper had uttered those words, people might have dismissed it as sour grapes. "Easy for you to say," they might have thought, "you don't even have a peruta — a coin — to buy food!" But Solomon? He was the wealthiest king in the world! 1 Kings 10:27 says "The king caused silver to be in Jerusalem like stones." He had experienced the height of earthly pleasures and still found them wanting. His pronouncements on the futility of life came from a place of genuine experience.
And what about the idea that God makes "everything beautiful in its time" (Ecclesiastes 3:11)? Imagine someone who had never enjoyed a good meal or life's pleasures making such a statement. It would ring hollow, wouldn't it? But Solomon, again, was uniquely positioned to say it. As 1 Kings 5:7 tells us, "These officials provisioned King Solomon…they did not leave anything lacking." Rabbi Ḥama ben Rabbi Ḥanina elaborates, saying that they even brought him beets in the summer and cucumbers in the rainy season – delicacies out of season, imported from afar! He knew beauty and abundance.
Then there's Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, proclaiming that "All the inhabitants of the earth are considered as nothing" (Daniel 4:32). If some nobody said that, who would listen? "You never ruled over two flies," people might scoff. But Nebuchadnezzar? He ruled over everything! Daniel 2:38 says that God "has given into your hand and set your rule over all of them." His words, born from a place of immense power, carried a different kind of weight.
Finally, consider the statement "The Rock, His actions are perfect" (Deuteronomy 32:4), a declaration of faith in divine justice. Someone unfamiliar with God's ways couldn't credibly say this. But Moses, to whom God "informed...of His ways" (Psalms 103:7), could. He had seen God's plan unfold, and even when he struggled to understand it, he trusted in its perfection.
So, what does all this mean for us? It suggests that our experiences shape our perspectives and give authority to our words. It's a reminder to live authentically, to seek wisdom through experience, and to consider the source when we hear pronouncements about life, faith and the world. Are they speaking from a place of genuine understanding, or just repeating what they've heard? Ultimately, it's a call to live a life that lends weight to our own words.