People in places of spiritual leadership know that problems usually come in clusters of twos or threes. Why? Because Satan is alive and busy (1 Peter 5:8–9) and sinful human nature fights the holy will of God (Gal. 5:16–17). Just about the time the Lord helps you settle one crisis, another one appears.
The false accusation (vv. 1–3). Moses, Aaron, and Miriam were a team sent by God to help lead the nation of Israel (Mic. 6:4). God had used Miriam to save her younger brother’s life (Ex. 2:1–10), and she was also a prophetess who led the Jewish women in praising God (15:20–21). Aaron was the elder brother in the family (Ex. 7:7), appointed by God not only to assist Moses in confronting Pharaoh (4:10–17) but also to serve as the first high priest. Everybody in Israel knew that Moses, Aaron, and Miriam were God’s chosen servants, but that Moses was the leader.
Three pieces of evidence lead to the conclusion that Miriam was the leader in this family rebellion: she is mentioned first in Numbers 12:1; the verb “spoke” is feminine in form, and Miriam alone was disciplined by the Lord. She didn’t begin her assault by accusing Moses of usurping authority but by differing with him over his wife. (Most people who accuse God’s servants rarely give the real reasons for their disagreements.) It’s likely that Zipporah had died and Moses had taken a new wife, and perhaps Miriam felt threatened by her. Also, when the Lord sent the Spirit upon the seventy elders, Miriam may have felt an erosion of her own authority.
As long as Moses didn’t marry a woman from one of the Canaanite nations, his marriage was acceptable to the Lord (Ex. 34:12–16). In Scripture, “Cush” usually refers to a people who lived near Egypt, but the KJV wrongly translates the Hebrew word “Ethiopia.” For that reason, some have taught that the new wife belonged to a different race and therefore was unacceptable. According to William S. LaSor, “There is no evidence, either in the Bible or in extrabiblical material, to support the view that Ham or any of his descendants was negroid.”
Miriam finally got around to her real complaint: Was Moses the only spokesperson for God? Didn’t Miriam and Aaron also have the right to declare God’s Word? In questioning Moses’ authority and God’s will, Miriam and Aaron were acting just like the people of Israel! However, Moses didn’t answer them or try to vindicate himself; he left his defense to the Lord. This was one evidence of his meekness; meekness is not weakness: it’s power under control.
The swift judgment (vv. 4–10). God heard their words, saw the evil motives in their hearts, and acted swiftly lest their sin spread among the people, because when leaders sin, the consequences can be disastrous. Note that in verse 4 the three names are reversed from the order in verse 1. God put Moses first! He called all three to the tabernacle, spoke to the two (Miriam and Aaron), and pronounced judgment on the one— Miriam.
God made it clear that Moses was more than a prophet, because God communicated with him personally and even revealed His glory to him (Ex. 19:16–19; 24:17–18; 34:5–11). Miriam and Aaron each had their assigned ministries, but Moses was God’s chosen leader for Israel and nobody could take his place. It was God who gave Moses his position and authority, and it was wicked for Miriam to challenge her brother. In judgment, God afflicted Miriam with leprosy.
The impassioned plea (vv. 11–13). Aaron knew the significance of the leprosy and he begged Moses to intercede for Miriam and himself, for the pronouns are plural: “We have sinned.” Aaron was the interceding high priest for Israel and yet he needed an intercessor! As further evidence of his meekness, Moses prayed for his sister, and the Lord did remove the affliction.
The embarrassing delay (vv. 14–16). Though Miriam was healed, she had to remain outside the camp for seven days (see Lev. 13:1–6; 14:1–8; 15:8) because she had been defiled. This meant shame for Miriam, for the whole camp knew what had happened. But it also meant delay for the people, for the camp had to wait for her restoration before it could move. The rebellious sinner is always a cause of holding back the progress of God’s people.
It’s a serious thing to be a spiritual leader, for the greater the honor, the greater the responsibility. It’s also a serious thing to try to usurp the authority God has given to others. “Those [elders] who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear” (1 Tim. 5: nkjv). Jesus warned that our enemies might be those from our own household (Matt. 10:34–36; Mic. 7:6).
“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief; for that is unprofitable for you” (Heb. 13:17).
“Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam on the way when you came out of Egypt” (Deut. 24: nkjv).