(4)
Scripture Reading: Num. 12
In this message we will be concerned with another failure recorded in the book of Numbers — slandering.
In chapters eleven and twelve there was one problem after another among the children of Israel. First, those on the extremities of the camp of Israel murmured evil against Moses and against God, and then the mixed multitude lusted for meat. After this, Miriam and Aaron, Moses' sister and brother, both of whom were older than Moses, followed the tide of murmuring and rebellion to stand up against Moses and slander him. At that time, there was turmoil among the Israelites; there was no peace or quiet. There must have been a great deal of gossip circulating among the people, and this might have stirred up Miriam and Aaron to speak against Moses. I believe that their motive for doing this had already been with them for quite a time; it was not something new that originated at this juncture.
Numbers 12:1b tells us that Moses had married a Cushite woman. We are not told when Moses did this; neither do we have a way to find out where or why he did it.
It seems that, in Numbers 12, the children of Israel were in the season for murmuring, gossip, and rebellion. Thus, "Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married" (v. 1a). For some reason, they were not happy with Moses concerning this. However, the Bible does not tell us that God was bothered by this marriage or that He condemned it.
Moses, Aaron, and Miriam were blood relatives. They were all over eighty years old. Moses had been called by God, and Aaron also had been called by Him. We are not told that Miriam was called, but the Bible does speak of her as a prophetess (Exo. 15:20). She had been ordained by God, and when the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea, she took the lead in praising God (Exo. 15:21). All three of them were quite distinctive among the people. They were well-educated, they were close to God, they were knowledgeable in the things of God, and they were considered leaders among the people of Israel. Nevertheless, there were "germs" hidden within Miriam and Aaron that were stirred up by the "winds" blowing with the tide of turmoil. From this we need to learn that in the service of the Lord we should not allow anything negative to remain hidden within us. Any such thing that is not rooted out of our being will come out sooner or later. We need to be alert and aware of any germs that may still be in us. We may seem to be very good, but when certain winds begin to blow or when a particular "storm" or turmoil arises, we may be affected and involved. Then, like Miriam and Aaron, we will be exposed.
One of the germs hidden within Miriam and Aaron was jealousy. Both Miriam and Aaron were older than Moses, with Miriam probably being the eldest. Being older than Moses, in their heart they regarded themselves higher than Moses and were jealous of the greater respect that Moses received.
Miriam and Aaron said, "Has Jehovah indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?" (Num. 12:2). Miriam might have said, "I am a prophetess, one who speaks for God. God has spoken not only through Moses but also through me." Hence, the real issue here concerned the question of who had God's oracle. You may be used by God to speak for Him, but you may not have God's oracle.
At Moses' time the oracle of God was with Moses. According to the Pentateuch, God spoke to Moses many times. Whenever Jehovah wanted something to be done, He first spoke about it to Moses. Actually, neither Aaron nor Miriam was God's spokesman; only one, Moses, had the oracle of God. The jealousy concerning this was the germ that caused the "sickness" in Numbers 12. Throughout the generations, the germs of jealousy and rivalry regarding speaking for the Lord have existed among God's servants.
In speaking against Moses, Miriam and Aaron were speaking against the deputy authority of God. Although Moses was younger than Miriam and Aaron, God had appointed him to be His deputy authority, His representative authority. God had called Aaron and had raised up Miriam, but there is no hint that God charged them to be His representative. But God told Moses clearly that He had chosen Him to be His representative authority on earth (Exo. 3:10-17; 7:1). Because of Moses' timidity, God gave Aaron to Moses as his helper (Exo. 4:10-16; 6:30—7:1). However, this does not mean that He appointed Aaron to be His authority. According to God's governmental administration, Miriam and Aaron should have submitted themselves to Moses. But they rebelled.
Miriam and Aaron took Moses' apparent mistake in marrying a Cushite woman as an excuse to speak against him. However, the fact was that they were competing with Moses in speaking for God. They were in rivalry with Moses. This, not the Cushite woman, was the real factor in their speaking against Moses.
"Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all men who were on the face of the earth" (Num. 12:3). In God's lexicon, in the spiritual dictionary, to be meek is not to strive, not to fight back, when others are against you. In the constitution of the kingdom of the heavens, one of the nine blessings is given to the meek: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5). It is not those who fight or strive who will possess the earth; the meek will inherit the earth. Second Timothy 2:24 says, "A slave of the Lord must not contend, but be gentle toward all." Moses was such a person; he did not fight or strive.
Numbers 12:3 was written by Moses. It was not easy for Moses to write such a word about himself. This shows Moses' faithfulness (v. 7; Heb. 3:2, 5). Whatever God told him to write, he wrote, even if it was something good about himself. If he had refused, he would have been unfaithful, and he would have been political. He would have been playing politics. In every area of human society, we can see the playing of politics. It is difficult to find the frank faithfulness of one who serves God according to what God says.
In Numbers 12:5-9 God intervened.
"Jehovah came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the entrance of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward" (v. 5). God took the slander of Miriam and Aaron seriously because this matter touched God's authority. To touch, defy, or challenge God's authority is to shake God's throne. This is very serious, much more serious than murmuring evil and lusting for meat.
God vindicated Moses as His servant, one who was faithful in all His house (v. 7). God also vindicated Moses as one with whom He spoke mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in obscure words, and as one who beheld the form of Jehovah (v. 8a).
God rebuked Aaron and Miriam. He asked them, "Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?" (v. 8b). The anger of Jehovah burned against them, and He departed from them (v. 9).
In verses 10 through 12 we see that Miriam was punished. Why is it that although two rebelled, only one was punished? Why did God punish the female but not the male? We may think that the male had borne more responsibility and that he should have been punished instead of the female. There were, I believe, two reasons why God punished Miriam but not Aaron. First, it is likely that Miriam took the lead in this rebellion. She was the instigator, the initiator, who stirred up Aaron. Miriam, not Aaron, was the main source. Second, it is not at all seemly for a female to rebel. Concerning rebellion, some allowance may be given to a male, but none should be given to a female. God punished Miriam to warn and alarm all the females among the children of Israel so that they would not follow Miriam.
Miriam was punished by being made sick of leprosy. "The cloud removed from over the tent; and behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. And Aaron turned towards Miriam, and she was leprous" (v. 10). This was God's governmental dealing.
Aaron begged Moses for Miriam (vv. 11-12). Aaron had been instigated by his sister, and now he became her mediator, her intercessor. We should learn from this not to follow an instigator. If we follow such a one, we may eventually have to beg on his behalf.
In begging for Miriam, Aaron confessed their folly. "Aaron said to Moses, Oh, my lord, do not lay upon us the sin in which we have done foolishly and have sinned" (v. 11). Then he went on to plead that she would not be as one dead. "Let her not be as one dead, the flesh of whom is half consumed when he comes out of his mother's womb" (v. 12). Aaron begged that Miriam would not die in such a pitiful way.
Moses prayed for Miriam's healing, saying, "Heal her, O God, I beg You" (v. 13). This is a further indication of Moses' meekness. If he had not been meek, he would not have prayed for her but instead would have let her die in her leprosy. If someone rebelled against you, would you pray for the healing of that one? Have you ever prayed in this way?
God heard Moses' prayer and judged her by shutting her up outside the camp for seven days (vv. 14-15a). The people were delayed on the march until Miriam was brought in again (v. 15b). "After that, the people set out from Hazeroth, and encamped in the wilderness of Paran" (v. 16).
The principle in the case of Miriam and Aaron is the same with us today. I hope that the Lord will speak more to you than I have spoken so that we all may learn the lesson.
