Singled Out by God

Q: In Numbers 12 Aaron and Miriam criticize Moses. This angers God. God then admonished them and as He departed and the cloud left the tent, Miriam`s skin was suddenly covered with a dreaded disease...... Why did something happen to Miriam and no mention of any thing happening to Aaron? They both criticized Moses.

A: Hi there. Initially, when I read the passages you are speaking of in Numbers 12 my conclusion was that there is no explanation as to why God singled out Miriam for punishment. After all, the chapter begins with "Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite (Numbers 12:1)." And then later on in the chapter we read "When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam—leprous, like snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy...(Numbers 12:10)" While the Bible is not clear as to why Miriam was punished and Aaron was not, one of the best ways to find an answer is to read what was written around the the passage in question. Therefore, if you look in the previous chapter, Numbers 11, we might find a clue as to why Miriam was singled out by God.

In Numbers 11, Moses is frustrated with the burden God has placed on him to deliver the people of Israel to the promised land. After wrestling with God over the issue, God tells Moses to bring elders to the Tent of Meeting. It is there that God instructs Moses that these elders "will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone (Numbers 11:17)." Once Moses did what God instructed him to do, by gathering seventy elders around the Tent, God came upon them. "When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again (Numbers 11:25)." A bit later two more men, Eldad and Medad, started prophesying in the camp. This prophesying led to Joshua confronting Moses to get the two men to stop prophesying. However, Moses replied to Joshua by saying, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them (Numbers 11:29)!" There seems to be an idea that nobody else should be prophesying to the people except for Moses and those God has already given the ability to prophesy. And that brings us to Miriam.

Miriam, the sister of Aaron and Moses, had been delivered out of Egypt with all the rest of the Israelites. Just after God parted the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites safe passage across, and then destroyed Pharaoh's advancing army with the same waters, Miriam led the Israelite women in a song and dance. "Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing (Exodus 15:20)." Do you notice what it says? It says Miriam was a prophetess! Therefore, Miriam had been used by God to prophesy to the Israelites. It is quite possible that Miriam was jealous that God was using other people to prophesy besides herself, directly in contradiction of what Moses told Joshua he desired. After all, the Bible records that Miriam and Aaron rhetorically asked, "Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he also spoken through us (Numbers 12:2)?" This type of questioning comes from a jealous heart and may be behind why they began speaking against Moses. It is human nature to want to be given special attention for our abilities and Miriam and Aaron were no different. Therefore, it is quite possible that God singled Miriam out for punishment because she had been used by God to prophesy, but, jealously, seemed to dislike the attention Moses was and others were getting.

There is a lesson for all of us in the example of Miriam. No, I am not saying God is going to strike us with a disease if we act like she did towards someone else. What I am suggesting is that we need only be concerned with being available to God to use us as He sees fit and not about who may or may not be getting credit for what God is doing through them. In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells Peter, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me (John 21:22)." Jesus said this in response to Peter asking about what the Lord had planned for John. We don't read much more about Miriam after the episode in Numbers 12. But, her experience with God serves as a reminder to us to just be thankful that the God of this universe chooses to use us at all to advance His Kingdom. Knowing that we are born again of the Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ, have access to God and will spend eternity with Him, should be reward enough. The Psalmist asked, "what is man that you are mindful of him (Psalm 8:4)"? I thank God everyday that He is mindful of me. The love He has shown me produces in me a loving spirit towards others void of jealousy and spite. Anything I do is God doing it through me. It is the same with any other believer being used by God. Why be jealous of another when it is isn't them who are doing anything, but God doing it through them?