Discrimination, Pride, and God’s Wrath

Numbers 12:1-16 

    1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 So they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the LORD heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) 4 Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out. 5 Then the LORD came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. 6 Then He said,

    “Hear now My words:
    If there is a prophet among you,
    I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision;
    I speak to him in a dream.
    7 Not so with My servant Moses;
    He is faithful in all My house.
    8 I speak with him face to face,
    Even plainly, and not in dark sayings;
    And he sees the form of the LORD.
    Why then were you not afraid
    To speak against My servant Moses?”

    9 So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed. 10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. 11 So Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12 Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother's womb!”  13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “Please heal her, O God, I pray!”  14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.” 15 So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again. 16 And afterward the people moved from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.

Here is an example of how discriminating judgement out of pride earns God’s wrath on that sin, and how faithful and humble obedience is the answer.  The brother and sister of Moses looked down on his foreign wife from Ethiopia, but the humble Moses did not defend himself from their sinful behavior.  Instead, God Himself spoke up for him and called them out.  He reminded them that He was the one who calls and enables a prophet, that Moses was faithful and spoke face to face with Him, and that they therefore should be quite fearful to challenge God’s man in these things.  God’s wrath made Miriam suddenly break out in leprosy as the cloud lifted off the tabernacle of meeting, but not Aaron.  Perhaps she started the discriminatory accusations initially, perhaps Aaron as priest was simply spared; we do not know, but do see Aaron pleading for his sister and confessing their foolishness of sin.  Moses interceded and the LORD relented from permanent judgement.  He compared her insults with those of a man’s daughter who spits in his face, and let her remain leprous for a week to consider her sinful attitudes and actions as the consequence.  When she was allowed back into the camp of His people, they then moved on.  We learn how the evil of pride and discrimination deserve the anger of God, how blaspheming God’s servants has consequences, and how merciful the LORD God is to teach us while showing grace and mercy when we so sin.  This example should sober us to treat others in love and equality, and to honor those who serve Him (1 Timothy 5:17-19, 1 Peter 5:5).