Numbers 12

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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. “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the Lordheard this.

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

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. Then the Lordcame 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, 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.
But this is not true of my servant Moses;
    he is faithful in all my house.
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?”

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—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.

Go Deeper

If you’ve ever had a cold, you know that this sickness produces a variety of symptoms, with a runny nose being one of the most common. If you only ever treated the runny nose, you would never get better. A year’s worth of Kleenex would not help you get closer back to full health! The root of the issue must be addressed for health to be restored to the body. We see this play out in our reading today where Miriam uses her prejudice against Moses’ wife to shroud her sense of entitlement regarding the spiritual leadership of God’s people. Although Miriam’s prejudice cannot be excused, we see here that God addresses the root issue that influences her actions. 

In the previous chapter, while Moses was in the mountain with the Lord, God’s presence rested upon the elders of the people of Israel and those same elders began to prophesy. From what we can see in scripture, neither Aaron nor Miriam was a part of those who prophesied. Disappointed with this outcome, they approach Moses to air their grievances.  

Instead of approaching Moses with humility, they approach him with a sense of entitlement. Oxford defines entitlement as “the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.” Entitlement is one of those sins that can be hard to spot in ourselves because it is so self-focused. Ultimately it stems from pride, which God hates. (Prov 16:5)  

At the end of the day anything good that we receive in life is a result of God’s kindness towards us. Recognizing this should lead us to choose a posture of gratitude and humility. Moses could have acted entitled when he was approached by Miriam and Aaron. He could have pointed out that he was the appointed spiritual leader of the Israelites and that they had no right to attack and accuse him. But instead of flexing his position, Moses exercises humility. God sees this and honors this by fighting Moses’ battle for him and bringing justice to the situation.  

Due to Miriam’s sin, the entire camp is made to stay in one place for eight days. This is important to note because it shows us that no one sins in a vacuum. Our sin can affect others that we didn’t consider when we decided to sin. The next time you’re tempted to act in an entitled manner, take a moment to pause and ask yourself What would a humility-filled response look like instead? Then, consider an aspect in the situation that you can be grateful for. Let God fight for you! 

Questions

  1. Can you think of an area in your life where entitlement has crept in? What can you do to remove that sense of entitlement?
  2. What is something in your life that distracts from the actual root problem? 
  3. What does it look like for you to operate in humility when being wrongly accused? 

Listen Here

Listen to this song from Elevation Worship about trusting God’s will and plan despite our circumstances!

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7 thoughts on “Numbers 12”

  1. I’ve certainly been guilty of operating out of pride and entitlement and the result is always the same, shame & remorse. Maybe that’s why I’ve been impressed to adopt the following verses as a compass to direct my path:
    • “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).
    • “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
    Our decisions will either honor Christ our honor self, the two can never coexist.

  2. 12 “Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses . . .”

    I am increasingly disappointed with Aaron’s leadership skills! Earlier, he permitted and facilitated the Golden Calf Rebellion and now he is undermining Moses’ authority! Seems that Aaron is envious of his younger brother’s prominence.

    Puzzling that God would still entrust Aaron and his lineage with such responsibility and prestige being set apart as Levites.

    My lesson: be faithful when called to be in a role as second in command.

  3. Yes. Sometimes I feel entitled to get the best options. Usually when it comes to purchasing things with finances. But may the lord have me understand and continue to know that only everything comes from his hand. All my skills the ability to provide to myself is only because of him.

    Jesus, may I honor you this week and all of February by being careful with what I buy.

  4. Diane Frances Rogers

    “For out the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Luke6:45
    This was a window into Miriams heart. We all must be mindful of what we say because our words can reveal our true character.
    “The word of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18
    “Let no corrupting talk come out of the mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as it fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. “Luke 4:29

  5. The weight of comparison is too heavy and it leaves us with a spirit of jealousy, discontentment, a lack of peace, and a lack of gratitude, anger, and entitlement. Lord, teach me and everyone reading this today who is struggling with comparison to have renewed minds focused on gratitude and finding joy in serving you with the gifts that you’ve given us and the lot that you’ve provided each of us. Replace our feelings of entitlement and discontentment with fullness of joy and humility. In Jesus name, Amen.

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