Numbers Chapter 12
It is common for a family rift to start when one member of the family is elevated over the others. Often the jealousy or tension that begins is not something that is even worth remembering. That seems to be the case in this account where the siblings of Moses speak against their brother. There doesn’t seem to be a clear reason why they are upset with him, just that there is obvious jealousy.
It seems they used the Cushite wife of Moses as an excuse to talk badly about him. Not much is known about this wife, but she may have been a second wife as Moses lived to be quite old, he could have outlived his first wife. Or it could be a slang term used to speak badly about Moses’ wife. But the true cause of the strife was jealousy. Miriam the sister of Moses was a prophetess and Aaron his brother was the high priest. Both thought that they should get to have as much say in leadership as Moses did. It is rather funny when we look on these siblings in hindsight because we can see that God gave them each very important roles and if the truth were told, Moses was very reluctant to be in a position of leadership from the start.
Let's Reflect
1. We don’t know for sure, but it could be that Miriam was the main instigator of the complaints against their brother since her name was listed first. What was the question that was asked that demonstrated the jealousy of Moses?
2. We know that the Lord heard this complaint against His servant Moses. This complaint was completely unwarranted. What beautiful thing did God have to say about Moses? See verse 3.
3. The Lord God called the 3 siblings to come and speak with Him and then called Miriam and Aaron to come closer and He spoke to them about how Moses is given words to speak. How did God describe the relationship between Himself and Moses?
4. God also made it clear to them that He is the one who gives authority for a man to be a prophet. Speaking against Moses was the equivalent of speaking against God. This was a serious offense. What punishment did Miriam receive?
5. The punishment upset both Aaron and Moses and they prayed for her healing. God wanted her to have some time to think about what she had done. So as with any person afflicted with leprosy, what did they have to do to Miriam?
6. I have written in the margin of my Bible the words a pastor once said, “resentment and jealousy are like leprosy – they will eat you up.” How long did Miriam have to be cast out of the camp? The temporary timeframe would indicate what?
