In the early days of Israel’s history, during the Exodus period, there came a real challenge for Moses from what many would call his inner circle: Aaron, his brother, and Miriam, his sister. The two siblings became disgruntled with the choice Moses made for his wife. Moses didn’t marry an Israelite girl, but married a Cushite woman. Cush is in the area we know as modern Sudan. It is also a nation that is part of the table nations given after the flood.

Aaron and Miriam objected to the choice Moses made. But it wasn’t just their objection to the marriage. Their pride also arose in the situation and they boasted that they were just as important as Moses was, since they too, offered prophecy.

Numbers 12:2

…they said, “Has Yahweh indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And Yahweh heard it.

Miriam did indeed act as a prophetess in Exodus 15. She took a tambourine and led the women to dance in light of God’s victory over Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea.

“Sing to Yahweh,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!”

That’s it. She is clearly correct in singing to YHWH. She had been given a wonderful privilege to declare to the people all that YHWH had done. This is very similar to when we partake of communion. While we don’t say it, as a congregation, we are proclaiming the LORD’s death until He comes again. This is a prophetic act of the congregation. We should rejoice we have the privilege act and speak as prophets. But that is all.

Miriam would have benefited from taking the same attitude.

Yet, here she is with Aaron claiming equality with Moses, their younger brother.

AS for Aaron, the Bible never declares him to be a prophet, but to be a prophet to the prophet. He is the mouth piece of Moses (Exodus 7:1) Revelation is given to Aaron, but he is also in the presence of Moses when that occurs. It should be clear whom God’s chosen prophet is: it is Moses, as YHWH will make clear in the passage.

But notice one other thing from verse 2: the short sentence after their declaration.

And Yahweh heard it.

This is like the times when children are complaining about mom, and suddenly, they realize that dad is standing right there and heard all their gripes. The children immediately know that things are not well.

On top of that, the author puts in a parenthetical clause of explanation about Moses. He writes: (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)

That is an important detail because it helps us understand what is going to be said next. The great humility on the part of Moses is what you would expect from someone who stands in the council and presence of God. God’s holiness has an effect upon those who spend time there.

That one verse is a parenthetical thought about Moses, showing us his humility, which is in contrast to the arrogance and pride that Aaron and Miriam are demonstrating. This is the actual focus of the section.

YHWH calls all three of them outside. He is about to make something very clear. He is about to clarify who His prophet is.

⁶ and He said,

“Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, Yahweh, shall make Myself known to him in a vision.
I shall speak with him in a dream.
⁷ Not so, with My servant Moses,
He is faithful in all My household;
⁸ With him I speak mouth to mouth,
Indeed clearly, and not in riddles,
And he beholds the form of Yahweh. (The reason for his humility)
Why then were you not afraid
To speak against My servant, against Moses?”

⁹ So the anger of Yahweh burned against them, and He went away.

First, we see the relationship that Moses had with YHWH was special, above all before and after him until Christ. Moses had privileges, but he didn’t flout them. He is YHWH’s chosen prophet.

Second, we see the key point to all this: … the anger of Yahweh burned against them…

The Father found the children disrespecting the mother, and He was hot with anger.

YHWH’s Wrath Upon Miriam

¹⁰ But the cloud withdrew from over the tent, and behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.

Now we see God’s wrath being poured out on Miriam. She is cover with leprosy. Her skin is as white as snow, and not in the sanctification way of white snow. YHWH’s wrath had poured uncleanness upon her. She was to be an outcast.

Now, why does YHWH pour out this level of wrath upon Miriam and not Aaron?

This is the key question and most in our culture will not like the answer.

The reason He pours out His wrath upon her, is because she has stepped out of her role as a woman, taken on the role of a man, and tried to sit in judgment of God’s chosen prophet.

Moses was not acting arrogantly in taking a Cushite wife, but Miriam saw it as an opportunity to lift herself up, and praise herself, and demand equal treatment with Moses. She was doing the same thing that Eve did in the Garden of Eden with the serpent. She had placed herself in the role of the man, and wanted to be a prophet on equal status, or greater than Moses.

YWHW would have none of it. He brings the most despicable disease on her, to show her that she is completely outside of the bounds of His will and the covenant community. Leprosy wasn’t just a disease, but something that revealed spiritual depravity. This is why the one who has leprosy has to go and be declared clean or unclean by the priests, not the physician.

Yet, it is the grabbing for power, the stepping out of the divine ordained role that we need to focus upon. In all the women in the Old Testament, only Jezebel compares to what Miriam had done. God’s word had spoken, showing just how sinful it is for a woman to assume the role of the man, and all but Jezebel realized that.

Miriam is given as a sign to the people of God showing us what is not acceptable. She is held to a higher standard because she was a prophetess, and was closer to Moses than the people. Therefore, it was incumbent upon YHWH to deal with her forcefully. This is similar to the way YWHW dealt with the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu when they offered strange fire. They had more privileges as priests, and more responsibility. When they transgressed against YWHW, He brought greater judgment.

The beauty for Miriam is that Aaron appealed to Moses, who petitioned YWHW to heal her. She had to be separated from the community for seven days, but she was healed. I imagine that those seven long days, separated from the community and the blessings of YWHW, were quite painful emotionally. It gave her plenty of time to reflect upon her arrogance, and her grab for power, for she does recede from view.

The only time she is mentioned after this incident, is in Numbers when she dies, and in Deuteronomy as a memorial about the dangers of leprosy. Her rebellion is a reminder to us, that God will not be mocked.

The entire incident is a reflection of the fall, and a reminder of what happens when men and women reverse their roles. It angers God. The church would be so much better off if we could learn the lesson that those under the Old Covenant took for granted.

For more, listen to the sermon that this comes from: A Leper Came to Him