SIBLINGS

Opening Prayer

Lord, you whisper to me through the stillness and you shout to me in the storm. Whispering or shouting, I want to hear your voice and obey your direction.

Read NUMBERS 12

Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses

12 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. ² “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this.

³ (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)

⁴ At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out. ⁵ Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward, ⁶ he said, “Listen to my words:

“When there is a prophet among you,
    I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions,
    I speak to them in dreams.
⁷ But this is not true of my servant Moses;
    he is faithful in all my house.
⁸ With him I speak face to face,
    clearly and not in riddles;
    he sees the form of the Lord.
Why then were you not afraid
    to speak against my servant Moses?”

⁹ The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them.

¹⁰ When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous^[a]—it became as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease, ¹¹ and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. ¹² Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”

¹³ So Moses cried out to the Lord, “Please, God, heal her!”

¹⁴ The Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.” ¹⁵ So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.

¹⁶ After that, the people left Hazeroth and encamped in the Desert of Paran.

Footnotes

1. Numbers 12:10 The Hebrew for leprous was used for various diseases affecting the skin.

New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Meditate

Give thanks to God for your physical and spiritual siblings.

Think Further

Complaining is infectious. Now Moses’ brother and sister attack him. Many Western commentators see a complaint about the racial background of an unknown new wife of Moses. Rabbinic writers note instead a concern about Moses’ treatment of Zipporah and a fear that such marital neglect will be copied by the seventy just appointed.1 This leads to a questioning of Moses’ prophetic uniqueness. Is this sibling jealousy, of which there have been many examples already in Scripture, or a genuine concern that wrongly questioned God’s chosen actions? Whichever interpretation we prefer, there is a clear warning against unwise and judgmental comments on others, especially God’s servants, even if they are close relatives.

Moses is declared to be a very humble man (v 3). Not the Uriah Heep2 type of humility, but that of a man under God’s command who does not defend his personal dignity. He receives the accusations in silence. It is God who responds on his behalf. And what a vindication it is! Moses is unique because the Lord speaks to him face to face and not through dreams, visions, or riddles. Moses’ faithfulness is noted also in Hebrews 3, where his role as a servant in God’s house is compared with that of Jesus as the son of the builder of the house. Jesus is the prophet like Moses3 and is also noted for his humility.4

Miriam seems to have been the leader in this questioning of Moses’ role and it is she who bears the punishment of a disfiguring skin disease. Moses’ special relationship with God is recognized by Aaron as he asks him to pray for her. This event seems to have stuck in the memory of the Israelites and Moses refers to it as a warning about obedience.5 Sin has a long tail!

Apply

Consider whether there are judgments of others of which you need to repent.

Closing prayer

Dear Lord, my personal relationships can often be a challenge. Guide me to seek out those in my church who feel uncomfortable. Enable me to show them acceptance and love.

Last Updated on February 1, 2023 by kingstar