The Complaints of Miriam and Aaron
12 While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman. 2 They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us, too?” But the Lord heard them. 3 (Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth.)
4 So immediately the Lord called to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and said, “Go out to the Tabernacle,[a] all three of you!” So the three of them went to the Tabernacle. 5 Then the Lord descended in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle.[b] “Aaron and Miriam!” he called, and they stepped forward. 6 And the Lord said to them, “Now listen to what I say:
“If there were prophets among you,
I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions.
I would speak to them in dreams.
7 But not with my servant Moses.
Of all my house, he is the one I trust.
8 I speak to him face to face,
clearly, and not in riddles!
He sees the Lord as he is.
So why were you not afraid
to criticize my servant Moses?”
9 The Lord was very angry with them, and he departed. 10 As the cloud moved from above the Tabernacle, there stood Miriam, her skin as white as snow from leprosy.[c] When Aaron saw what had happened to her, 11 he cried out to Moses, “Oh, my master! Please don’t punish us for this sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Don’t let her be like a stillborn baby, already decayed at birth.”
13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “O God, I beg you, please heal her!”
14 But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had done nothing more than spit in her face, wouldn’t she be defiled for seven days? So keep her outside the camp for seven days, and after that she may be accepted back.”
15 So Miriam was kept outside the camp for seven days, and the people waited until she was brought back before they traveled again. 16 Then they left Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.
Footnotes:
12:4 Hebrew the Tent of Meeting.
12:5 Hebrew the tent; also in 12:10.
12:10 Or with a skin disease. The Hebrew word used here can describe various skin diseases.
Oh man, talk about shaking in my boots. If there is one thing I hope never happens to me is God showing up to reprimand me. And Lord knows, I have earned it over and over again. Here we see one of those familiar stories where someone speaks of another harshly, acts jealous of another, or does something dishonest behind someone else's back, and God shows up. God shows up big time.
First God calls them out on it. Can you imagine? You just finished talking about someone in harsh ways and right then, you hear God's booming voice, "Immediately, meet me at the church!" And there shows up not only you and your accomplice, but the one you were talking smack about?! YIKES!
Next, God, in all his glory, begins to lecture you on what you have said about this person, and instead, begins to rattle off how much God thinks of this person and how much he trusts them. Is it any wonder Miriam's face turns white?? Skin disease maybe, but for me, it would be white as a ghost, a loss of blood in my face... I doubt I would have breathed since the lecture began.
A lesson for all of us. God is listening. God does hear. God knows what he is doing and we have to trust him. Always.... or be ready for the lecture we just might receive... and earn.
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