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Scripture Reading: Exo. 3:1-12; Num. 12:1-15
In the Old Testament the greatest authority God appointed was Moses. We can learn many lessons from him. We will put aside for now the general and lifelong dealings that Moses went through. Instead, we will pay attention to the description of his reaction when his authority was offended, mocked, opposed, and rejected. Moses was rejected and opposed several times, and each time he reacted in the proper way.
Before Moses was appointed by God to be the authority, he killed an Egyptian who had slain one of his kinsmen. Afterwards, he exhorted two Hebrews to not argue with each other. But the two Hebrews turned around and asked him, “Who made thee a prince and a judge over us?” (Exo. 2:14). At that time Moses had not yet learned his lesson; he did not know the cross or the meaning of resurrection; he acted purely by the strength of his flesh. As a result, he could not stand the test. He had killed someone and rebuked others and appeared to be quite bold, yet within he was weak. As soon as he was tested he became afraid. He ran away to the wilderness of the Midianites in fear, and stayed there for forty years to learn his lesson (vv. 11-22). After he passed through many trials, God showed him the vision of the burning bush. The bush appeared to be burning, but it was not consumed. The fire did not consume the bush. After God showed Moses this revelation, He called him and made him the authority. It was after such a training and such a calling that he was qualified to be a leader. After he became the leader, he experienced rejection by others many times. In one instance, his brother Aaron and his sister Miriam reviled him, criticized him, and rejected him as the deputy authority. Let us see how he responded.
According to Numbers 12:1-2, Moses married a Cushite woman, and Aaron and Miriam spoke against him for this. In this section we see the degree of spiritual loss they suffered as a result of their reviling of deputy authority, and we also see Moses’ reaction as God’s deputy authority. Aaron and Miriam were in effect challenging Moses: “Can it be possible that only you, Moses, who married a Cushite woman, can speak for God? Can we not do the same? You are a descendant of Shem, and you married a descendant of Ham. Can a person like you be a spokesman for God? Is it possible that we who have never married a descendant of Ham are barred from being God’s mouthpiece also?” They might have argued a great deal with their sister-in-law, but the real problem was that they were touching Moses as the deputy authority. At this point verse 2 says, “And Jehovah heard it.” It does not say that Moses heard it. Here we see a man who was not touched by man’s word. He was a person beyond man’s reviling. We see a transcendent man, a man of authority. All opposition, reviling, and rebellion were under his feet. He let God listen to the many words while he himself did not lend an ear to them.
Those who desire to be a minister of God’s word, who want to speak for God, and who aspire to take the lead among the brothers and sisters should learn to have no ear for reviling words. We should let God listen to those many words; we should reserve the words for God. We should never pay attention to how others criticize or revile us. Those who find out what others say about them and then get angry, indignant, or vindictive are not qualified to be a deputy authority. Those who can be affected by revilings or who can be crushed by such words cannot be a deputy authority. Moses was a person untouched by reviling words.
When Moses was reviled, he did not vindicate himself. All vindication, justification, and reaction should come from God, not from man. Those who seek to vindicate themselves do not know God. No one who has walked on this earth has had more authority than Christ. But when the Lord was on earth, He never vindicated Himself. He is the only person who never vindicated Himself. Authority and vindication are incompatible. Whenever we try to vindicate ourselves before someone, it means that the person is our judge. Whenever we vindicate ourselves before those who criticize us, we are telling them that they are higher than us. A vindicating person is a person who is under the judgment of others. Those who vindicate themselves have no authority whatsoever. Whenever a person vindicates himself, he loses his authority. God may have committed His authority to us, but if we vindicate ourselves before men, we have lost our authority because we are begging them to be our judge.
Paul was a deputy authority to the Corinthians, yet he said, “It is a very small thing that I should be examined by you or by man’s day; rather I do not even examine myself” (1 Cor. 4:3). Vindication can only come from God. We should pass on all reviling and critical words to the Lord. When man’s revilings become too much, God will take action. But if we vindicate ourselves to anyone, we are in effect making him our judge. If we seek understanding from anyone, we are falling under that person’s feet. Hence, we must never vindicate ourselves and must never seek understanding from anyone.
In Numbers 12:2 God heard the reviling words, and He took action in verse 4. But there is a parenthetical word in verse 3: “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all the men who were on the face of the earth.” This is what we find in a God-appointed deputy authority. Why did Moses not hear their reviling words? Perhaps Moses thought that he was indeed wrong and did not want to argue with them. God cannot make a stubborn person His authority. He cannot appoint a belligerent man to be His deputy authority. The authorities God establishes in the church are meek and inconspicuous. God does not appoint persons of great charisma to be His authority; He appoints those who are not only meek in a general way, but meek to the extent that their meekness exceeds that of all the men who are on the face of the earth. In other words, they are as meek as God is.
A deputy authority can never build up his own authority. The more a person tries to build up his own authority, the less he is qualified to be the authority. Authority is from God; hence, vindication must also be from God. We pray that we do not meet too many hardened persons. Do not get the wrong idea that a hard and capable person would make a good deputy authority. We should be very clear that only a person like Paul, whose bodily presence was weak, can be the authority. The Lord said that His kingdom was not of this world, and therefore His attendants did not need to struggle (John 18:36). God’s kingdom is not established through struggling. All authority earned through struggling is not authority from God.
Please remember that Moses was meek above all the men who were on the face of the earth. This is why he could be a deputy authority. If I ask you to list the traits of a deputy authority, I believe that nine out of ten of you would list such things as good and proper appearance, strong charisma, great power, or an imposing image. The human thought is that an authority should be capable, imposing, powerful, assertive, and eloquent. But such traits do not represent authority; rather, they represent the flesh. No other God-appointed authority in the Old Testament was as great as Moses, yet He was a most meek person. When he was in Egypt, he was quite fierce. He killed an Egyptian and rebuked two Hebrews. He dealt with others with his fleshly hands, but God did not use him as His authority then. Only after he had passed through God’s testing and dealing, becoming so meek that his meekness was above all the men who were on the face of the earth, did he become an authority. The less a person truly resembles an authority, the more he feels that he is an authority. The more a person thinks that he is an authority, the less it is likely that he is an authority.
Numbers 12:4 says, “And suddenly Jehovah said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” Here the Lord spoke suddenly. Suddenly means something unexpected. Aaron and Miriam might have criticized Moses many times, but the Lord suddenly called them to the tent of meeting. Many people criticize easily and act against authority lightly. They speak against others loosely because they are living in their own tent; they are far away from the tent of meeting. When a man is in his own tent, it is easy for him to criticize. But once he enters the tent of meeting, everything becomes clear to him. All three came before the tent of meeting, and Jehovah said to Aaron and Miriam, “Hear My words” (v. 6a). They first questioned if it was fair that God only spoke to Moses, and now God summoned them to hear His words too. This shows that they had never learned to hear God’s word and had never known what it was like for God to speak. On that day Jehovah spoke to them for the first time. Indeed, God was speaking, but He spoke words of rebuke, not words of revelation. It was not for the manifestation of God’s glory, but for the judgment of their actions. He said, “Hear My words.” It was as if He were saying, “I did not say anything in the past, but let Me say something now.” This word may also mean, “You have been speaking for so long and so often. Now give Me a chance to speak. You who are so good at speaking, listen to Me today.” A talkative person cannot hear God’s word; only a meek person can hear His word. Moses was meek, not talkative. He could turn any way the Lord wanted him to turn; he could go forward or backward. But Aaron and Miriam were stubborn.
After this God said, “If there is a prophet among you…” (v. 6b), as if He did not know that there was a prophet among them. It sounded as if God had forgotten something. But God said that even if there were a prophet, God would at most speak to him in a vision or in a dream (v. 6c). But with Moses, God spoke mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in obscure words (v. 8). This was God’s vindication. God’s speaking to Moses came in the way of revelations and light; they were very clear. Moses did not vindicate himself. It was God who vindicated him. It is true that everyone who is sent in the name of the Lord to speak to God’s children has some degree of authority. But I do hope that you will not try to establish your own authority. I hope that you will not vindicate yourselves. Revelation was granted to Moses alone, not to Aaron or Miriam. Whoever speaks with God face to face is God’s appointed authority. The establishment of authority is based upon God’s choice; it is God’s business, and man cannot interfere in any way. Neither is the annulling of authority achieved through man’s reviling. God could appoint Moses, and He could also annul Moses. But whether it was appointment or annulling, it was God’s business; man had no right to question it. Man could not annul Moses’ authority with reviling words. A man’s worth before the Lord is not based on others’ evaluation of him nor his own evaluation of himself. A man’s worth before the Lord is based on revelation. Revelation is the standard of God’s measure and valuation. The establishment of authority is based on God’s revelation, and God evaluates a person based on revelation. As soon as a person is set aside by the Lord, he loses his revelation, and God no longer speaks to him. God said that Moses was His servant and that He spoke with him mouth to mouth. If God grants us revelation, everything will be fine. If He does not grant us revelation, nothing will work. Aaron and Miriam complained, and God seemed to ask, “How much revelation do you have? All My revelation is with Moses.”
In order to learn to be the authority, we have to consider what we are before the Lord. When we set out for our work, the test is not in Aaron’s or Miriam’s measuring, but in God’s measuring. If God grants us revelation, and we have a clear word from Him and face-to-face fellowship with Him, no one can annul us. But if the way upward is not clear and heaven is not open to us, nothing will avail even if all the doors on earth are open to us. If heaven is open to us, we will have God’s vindication. We will have the proof of being a son of God, that is, the proof of sonship. When the Lord was baptized, heaven opened (Matt. 3:16). Baptism is a symbol of death. When the Lord was crucified on the cross, He entered death and was placed in the tomb. When darkness is at its worst, when pain reaches its height, and when all doors are shut, heaven opens. Revelation is the basis of authority. We must learn to not fight for ourselves or speak for ourselves. We should not be like Aaron or Miriam, clamoring for authority. If after you leave here you fight for authority, it will prove that you are in the flesh and in darkness. It will also prove that you have not seen anything here on the mountain.
In Numbers 12:7, God said, “My servant Moses…is faithful in all My house.” This word is later quoted in the New Testament book of Hebrews. Hebrews shows us that Moses, as a type of Christ the Son of God, was faithful in all God’s house (3:2). God seemed to be hinting at Aaron and Miriam, saying, “Moses might not have been altogether faithful in your house when he married a Cushite woman. But he serves My people and is faithful in all My house. You spoke against him because his wife may not have been a good sister-in-law in your house, but he is My servant. Why are you not afraid when you speak against My servant Moses?”
God called Moses His servant. For me to be God’s servant means that I belong to God. I am God’s inheritance, and I have been sold to God. If I ever become lost, it will be God’s loss, not my loss. Those who own servants lose their property when they lose their servants. Moses was God’s servant, which means that he was God’s property, and when anyone spoke against His servant, God surely had to step forward to speak for him. We do not have to defend ourselves, and there is no need for us to build up our own authority. This is God’s business. I am His servant, and when I am spoken against, God will step forward. If God does not step forward, what use would there be for me to step forward myself? Why is there the need to build up my own authority at all? If God is the One who appoints me to be the authority, I should not do anything to establish myself; I should only allow revelation to vindicate me. If I find revelation and supply in others also, it proves that God has not vindicated me. But if God has established me, He will seal up others as a vindication for me. If you are a deputy authority and others dispute this, they are disputing God. If they have any life in them at all, they will experience a closed heaven, and they will bow to you and acknowledge your authority.
I hope that no one would stand up to claim that he is the authority. You should allow time and revelation to vindicate you. Revelation is the best vindication. Suppose you say that God has chosen you and that you have revelation and authority. If others oppose and rebel against you, and if they go to God and also receive revelation, it means that God has not vindicated you or backed you up. In that case it would be useless to speak for yourself. If you are faithful in all of God’s house and put everything you have into His house, and if you find Him sealing up others, it means that He has appointed you to be His authority. Authority is something in God’s hand; it does not depend on you. The greatest problem today is man’s self. If you understand what is God’s authority and God’s way, you will realize what I have been saying repeatedly, that is, when others argue with you, they are arguing with God, because you are God’s possession. As soon as others touch you, God seals up their heaven, and they have no choice but to turn and repent, acknowledging you as God’s authority. Hence, there is no need to build up your own authority. Everything depends on God’s vindication. If God seals up others, it means that He has appointed you to be the authority.
At the end of verse 8 God said, “Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?” God knows that there are some things to be fearful of. God is God; He knows what love is, what light is, what glory is, and what holiness is. God even knows what fear is because He feared for Aaron and Miriam. He asked, “Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?” God is afraid of nothing, but He told Aaron and Miriam that speaking against Moses was a fearful thing. To God this was a matter to be feared. Unless they were altogether in darkness, ignorance, and senselessness, they should have been afraid. At this point God stopped. He did not execute His judgment yet, but He departed, His anger burning against them (v. 9).
God expends much energy to maintain His authority. Let me solemnly repeat this: God maintains His own authority; He does not maintain Moses’ authority. We can say respectfully that when God’s servant commits a mistake, it is God’s business alone. God did not say, “You have spoken against Moses;” rather, He said that they had spoken against “My servant, against Moses.” It so happened that in this case, God’s servant was Moses. But if it had been someone else, it would have been the same; it would have been “My servant,” plus the name of the servant. God was here maintaining His own authority; He was not maintaining Moses’ authority. God would not allow anyone to infringe on His authority. As soon as man rebels against His authority, He turns away in wrath.
As soon as God left, the cloud was removed from over the tent (v. 10). The cloud represents God’s presence. For the cloud to leave means that God’s presence was removed. Typically, when the cloud moved on, God moved on, and the tabernacle moved on as well. But when the cloud moved this time, Miriam became leprous. Typically, the moving of the cloud marked the start of the Israelites’ journey. But on that day, they could not journey on, because rebellion had broken out. When Aaron saw this he was afraid, because he had partaken of this rebellion. Since Miriam had taken the lead in this rebellion, she was the one who became leprous.
Moses did not open his mouth. As long as the tabernacle did not communicate any revelation, Moses did not open his mouth. He had learned his lesson. Although he was eloquent, he kept his mouth shut and did not open it until Aaron pleaded for forgiveness. Those whose hearts and mouths are not bridled are not qualified to be the authority. Those who have God’s authority surely have it in their heart as well as their mouth. When Aaron pleaded with Moses, he cried to Jehovah. Before that time, Moses was a bystander. There was no murmuring in him. There was no rebuke or criticism in him. When Aaron pleaded with him, he prayed. This is the cross. Here we find that Moses was a person who did not have any personal feeling. When he saw Miriam becoming leprous and Aaron pleading out of fear, he immediately cried to God. He did not say coldly, “All right, as a favor to you I will perhaps try to plead with God for you.” No! Moses cried to God immediately. He did not have any feeling of his own. He had no thought of justification or punishment. When God’s purpose was fulfilled, he forgave immediately. Authority is for executing God’s command; it is not for uplifting oneself. A deputy authority should bring the presence of God to God’s children, not the presence of himself. We are here to bring others under God’s authority, not our authority. It is a small thing for us to be rejected. In verse 13 Moses prayed, “Heal her, O God, I beg You.” Here was a man who was truly qualified to be an authority because he had no feeling of his own. May the Lord deliver us from our personal feelings. Once a man is entangled with his personal feelings, God’s business suffers and He becomes restricted.
Moses did not take pleasure in Aaron and Miriam’s suffering. On the contrary, he asked God for mercy and prayed for Miriam’s healing. Had Moses not received mercy and had he been ignorant of God’s grace, he would have said to Aaron, “Since you have said that God should speak to you also, why don’t you pray to God yourself?” Or he could have said to God, “If You do not vindicate me, I will quit.” It seems that God was giving Moses a chance to vindicate himself. Moses did not ask for such a chance; it came by itself. Moses could have said: “Had God been silent, I could not have done anything. But now that God has done something, I can take this opportunity to vindicate myself.” But he did not take the opportunity to vindicate or revenge. He could have said to God, “My brother and sister are criticizing me. If You do not do anything for me, I will quit.” It is easy for a man to seize the moment of God’s vindication to vindicate himself and take revenge. But Moses did not justify himself, nor did he take advantage of God’s vindication. He did not have any feeling of his own; he was a person who was not living in his self. Such criticism seemed very insignificant to him. Moses’ flesh had been completely dealt with. He did not revenge. On the contrary, he prayed for God to heal Miriam. This is like Christ praying on the cross for His persecutors (Luke 23:34). Some people think that it is an easy thing to be God’s deputy authority. But it is not an easy thing. One has to empty himself completely before he can be a deputy authority.
Moses was indeed a true representative of the Son of God. He was able to act as God’s deputy authority because he truly represented God. He was not touched by the flesh, and he did not protect himself or vindicate himself. He did not take revenge on his attackers. This is why God’s authority could flow through him unhindered. We can say that he truly was a man who had met God’s authority. He was not touched by the flesh, the carnal man, or the self at all. As such, he was qualified to be God’s deputy authority.
