Morning Light – Numbers 12

[Numbers Chapter Twelve] Dealing with Your Critics. In this chapter Moses is criticized by those closest to him. His response earns him the title of the most “meek man” that ever lived. Zipporah was a Midianite and from all accounts a strong personality. Many times the spouse of a man or woman of God can be an Achilles’ heel to a leader. In this chapter we explore the God-honoring response to the shortcomings of our leaders and what the consequences are when we choose otherwise.

[Num 12:1-16 KJV] 1 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard [it]. 3 (Now the man Moses [was] very meek, above all the men which [were] upon the face of the earth.) 4 And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. 5 And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood [in] the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. 6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, [I] the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, [and] will speak unto him in a dream. 7 My servant Moses [is] not so, who [is] faithful in all mine house. 8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? 9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed. 10 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam [became] leprous, [white] as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, [she was] leprous. 11 And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. 12 Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb. 13 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee. 14 And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in [again]. 15 And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in [again]. 16 And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.

In this chapter we see a problem surface in Moses family life. Remember that Miriam and Aaron are Moses’ sister and brother. Many times we lower our standards of integrity and civility where our family is concerned. The old saying “familiarity breeds contempt” is an unfortunate truism in many relationships and the kingdom of God is no exception. Jesus Himself – born of a virgin, living a life attended by signs, miracles and wonders dealt with this same problem:

[Mat 13:54-58] 54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this [man] this wisdom, and [these] mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? 56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this [man] all these things? 57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. 58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Notice that Jesus said this would be the case but He wasn’t saying it was SUPPOSED to be this way or ACCEPTABLE that those familiar with a man or woman of God were somehow justified in their contempt. The prophet Zechariah gave this Messianic prophetic word:

[Zec 13:6 KJV] 6 And [one] shall say unto him, What [are] these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, [Those] with which I was wounded [in] the house of my friends.

One preacher sardonically commented that he could prove that Christians are family because they fight so much. The same minister humorously told the story of driving in the car with his children fussing with each other in the back seat. In exasperation he rebukes them “children, children, quit acting like Christians”!

My mother addressing this problem of strife among believers and family members lamented often that we would be better off treating each other like total strangers and that would be more civil. In all of this the ominous response of heaven should bring the fear of the Lord to our hearts:

“And the Lord heard it …”

There are consequences even to remarks and opinions that you are only casually invested in. This criticism of Zipporah, Moses’ wife cost Miriam and Aaron dearly. In my years as a pastor I have dealt with strife among believers and family members many times. I have often observed that that God will manipulate the circumstances of the life of a critic to put him in the same situation as those they come against. I’ve seen people live out whole decades of their life simply reaping the criticisms they leveled at others when they should have chosen the fear of the Lord instead.

I remember my father was pastoring a church in Houston Texas for several years and he had a deacon who was an unspiritual man who nonetheless saw himself as supremely qualified (as a NASA engineer) to say how the church should be run. This man was a constant grief to my father as a pastor. One night he had a dream that he was walking through the church we a large, monstrous locust flying right behind him buzzing so loud he could not think. I didn’t know about the troublesome deacon from NASA but I had the interpretation from the Lord. “You have a persecutor and an accuser in the church and God is going to expose him and bring him to accountability”. Some years later I found out that the deacon in question decided he was called to the ministry and was elected to pastor a nearby church. Very quickly the church filled with trouble makers and accusers. I have no doubt that he felt “led” to pastor this difficult church situation. The law of sowing and reaping originates in God and when we fail to walk in love we will hear the voice of God filtered through the law of reciprocity leading us into situation where we reap the harvest of strife we have sown into matters not pertaining to us.

Here is the posture you are to assume in the midst of accusation and criticism. Moses was a man of meekness. If you believe the infallibility of God’s word you have to stand in awe of the description of Moses as a man of meekness above “all the men that were on the earth…” What is meekness? Well it is not weakness. Moses was very forceful when needed. He was a man of passion and opinion. He was outspoken and at times brash. The word meekness in the Hebrew carries a dual meaning of being “afflicted” yet maintaining a “gentle, humble” spirit. Baker’s Bible Dictionary puts it this way: “externally vulnerable and weak but inwardly resilient and strong.”

Moses had a mouth to mouth, face to face experience with God. It changed him. His face shone with an unearthly and supernatural glow. There is a level of the prophetic that is of a clarity and fullness that transcends metaphor, dreams, visions or typology. Prophets receive from God through dark sayings (riddles that must be interpreted) and similitudes (typology) and in dreams which must be unraveled and interpreted. Moses because of his meekness had the privilege of a level of accurate and direct hearing from God that is almost unprecendented. This is the level of hearing offered to us in the New Covenant and THEN SOME.

[2Co 3:17-18 KJV] 17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty. 18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.

There is nothing intentionally mystical in the knowledge of God available through the new birth. We filter revelation through mysticism because of our carnality and the disparity between our personal character and the character of God when He speaks to us.

[2Co 4:6 KJV] 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Let us all aspire to that face to face relationship that does not necessitate God speaking to us through the filter of dreams, visions and metaphor – but rather have a naked and open eye experience with Him. It is available to us today.

When Miriam and Aaron are reproved look at Aaron’s response to Moses (“My Lord I beseech thee”). The implication there is that Miriam was the instigator of the criticism against Zipporah. This is common among women I find. Among men there are few really strong relationships that exist above pettiness and criticism. Among women it is even more so. Women will hold each other to a very harsh standard and are often much more unforgiving. Miriams name in the negative connotation means “bitterness” yet she when she danced before the Lord – Pharaoh’s chariots were destroyed in the midst of the sea. With great testimony comes great accountability.

God chastened Miriam and we might distance ourselves from her critical heart toward Moses’ wife but before we become too hypocritical in our self-righteousness notice that the camp did not move until Miriam was restored. There are many groups and churches who have seen leaders exposed in sin and they wrongly think that is the end of it – BUT the plan of God will not continue in that very group until they go THE REMAINDER OF THE PATH and RESTORE such a one not only to membership in the group but to their rightful place of leadership.