Merciful Moses

In Numbers chapter 12, I'm sure Moses wondered what happened. Because Moses didn't change. And yet, those closest to him. Found fault with him. They all of a sudden changed their song about this great leader. Something had changed. Was it Moses or was it them? Let me read to you the scenario, and let me warn you that this becomes very practical for your life and for mine.

If you have been falsely accused, if you have been verbally abused by someone close to you, specifically in your family, then Numbers chapter 12 is a really good chapter for you to understand and master. Listen to what the Bible says.

Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite. Woman. And they said, Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us as well? And the LORD heard it. Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth. And suddenly the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and to Miriam, You three come out to the tent of meeting. So the three of them came out. Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tent, and he called Aaron and Miriam.

When they had both come forward, he said, Hear now my words. If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my household. With him I speak mouth to mouth, even openly and not in dark sayings. And he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant against Moses? So the anger of the LORD burned against them, and he departed. But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriam was lepros, as white as snow.

As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was lepros. Then Aaron said to Moses, O my Lord, I beg you, do not account this sin to us. In which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned. Oh, do not let her be like one dead whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes from his mother's womb. And Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, O God, heal her, I pray. But the Lord said to Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days outside the camp, and afterward She may be received again.

So Miriam was shut up outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again. Moses, the man of great mercy, once again describes for us through his life how it is we are to be effective leaders. Of people. We're going to begin our discussion this morning by looking at the characters involved, and then we're going to look at the conflict.

The consequences, and then the conclusion for your life. And for mine, it's a very simple outline, but the ramifications of Numbers 12 go really, truly deep into all of our lives. Let's begin first of all with the characters.

There's a sister, and then there are two brothers: the sister Miriam, the brothers Aaron, and Moses. Am and Jacob had these three at least. Miriam was the firstborn. She was the oldest. She was that black-eyed beauty who became, listen, the provider, the protector, and the preserver of Moses. We can take you all the way back to Exodus chapter 2 to help you understand what took place when Pharaoh was enraged, making sure that all the children, all the male boys, two years and under, were thrown into the Nile River and killed.

But the parents of Moses had faith in what God had said. And so they weaved this little basket and put Moses in the basket. And it was Miriam's responsibility to take the basket down to the Nile River and place it among the reeds. Because there was a place where the princess would come and bathe every day. And so she became the protector of Moses. Her little brother. This all sets the tone for the story. You must understand the background to understand what takes place in Numbers chapter 12. And among those reeds in the Nile River, the princess would come down to bathe, and she would see the Hebrew child in there and automatically fall in love with that Hebrew child.

And of course, she would say, Well, who will we find to nurse this newborn baby? And of course, Miriam pops up and says, Hey, I got an idea. I can find you a Hebrew mother. Who will be able to nurse this child for you? And the princess says to Miriam, Go find her for me. Of course, Miriam would bring her mother. She would have the opportunity to stay with her son and nurse him. Miriam became provider, protector, and preserver of her little brother. You can imagine what she must have felt like when, as her brother would grow, knowing she had a part in his survival.

Knowing that she was instrumental in letting him live, and God would use her in her brother's life. She, young at the time, must have been so proud of her brother when he became the hero. of the people. After all, if it wasn't for Miriam, he'd be dead. She also was a great prophetess. We can read about that in the book of Exodus. Exodus chapter fifteen. It says that Miriam was a prophetess. And she had been designed by God to proclaim the purposes and plans of God. And she would be the one who would lead the women in the dance and in the song in Exodus chapter 15 after they crossed the Dead Sea and Pharaoh's army was destroyed, and they had sung that great, beautiful hymn to God, and she would lead the people in dance and praise, and she was a leader of the women.

She became prominent in the lives, listen, of the women of Israel. That's Miriam. But there was a problem. Miriam, the root of her name, means bitterness and rebellion. And upon this day in Numbers chapter 12. there would be something that would cause her to become bitter and rebel against the authority, God's divine authority in her life. Then you have the brothers. You have Aaron and Moses. Aaron was a prophet. He had been designed by God. He was the middle brother. He was younger than Miriam, older than Moses.

But God, remember back in Exodus chapter 4, told Moses when Moses said, You know, Lord, I can't speak so well. I'm not very eloquent. I can't say it like other. Can say it, and God said, No problem, I got somebody that will be able to say it just right. Behold, your brother Aaron, you going to meet him on the way. Aaron became the spokesperson. He became the eloquent one. He was the prophet of God. Moses would be the one who would move the hand of God as he would symbolize that in the staff. It would be Aaron who would be the spokesperson for God.

He was the eloquent one. And God designed Aaron, gave him a strategic position. Two brothers to lead Is. He also was a priest. And the priesthood led by Aaron and his sons. Would become that great example of the ultimate priesthood that would soon come, as the writer of Hebrews would tell us when he would Take us back to Aaron and the priesthood to parallel what they did and what Christ Himself did by being our perfect high priest. At the same time, Aaron and his priestly duties would portray to us, believers today, 1 Peter 2, verse number 9, that we ourselves are a royal priesthood.

But Aaron had a problem. Remember, Aaron would receive the same kind of criticism that Moses received. It was always they would speak against Moses and Aaron. Aaron didn't handle the criticism nearly as well as Moses. He had a hard time being strong. In fact, remember in Exodus chapter 32, when the people began to speak out and say, you know, Moses has been gone for many, many days. We need a God, and we need you, Aaron, to erect. For us, some kind of image that we can worship. And so Aaron was, for lack of a better word, pressured into becoming this one who would gather their gold possessions and erect this golden calf.

He had a hard time standing against peer pressure. You know, we go to churches today where pastors say, you know, they send out little mailers to their people. You know, what would you like to hear this year? You know? Tell me what you like to hear, and I'll preach on it. Tell me what you like to sing this year. Tell me what you like to see this year. I want to make sure you're happy. So tell me what you want, and I'll do it for you. That's like Aaron with a golden calf. You know, either you're a spiritual leader or you're not.

Either you give direction or you don't. And Aaron was unable to do that. And so he needed Moses. And we'll see how that comes into play in our story in Numbers 12. And then, of course, there's Moses, the great leader of the people of God. A great man of God. And we've been studying his life for many, many months. Moses and God had a great relationship, very intimate one. He would speak face to face with Moses, unlike anybody else. Moses was a friend of God, like Abraham was a friend of God. And that relationship would play a great part in our story today.

So let's move from the characters and look at the conflicts. These brothers, this family is up in years. They're at least in their 90s by this time. And the Bible says, as we talk about this classic family conflict, that Miriam and Aaron sp against Moses.

Now, there are two issues that we see, and I've listed them in your outline. One deals with the partner of Moses, the other deals with the position of Moses. In other words, one deals with the mate of Moses, the other deals with the ministry of Moses. The first issue is the surface issue.

It's really not the true issue. It just kind of leads into the discussion. It's the second issue that is the real problem that God has only chosen Moses to speak through.

What's wrong with us? The wife issue wasn't really a major problem. It was a surface issue, but it wasn't the real issue. But it was, to some degree, an issue. Moses had married a Cushite woman. Now some comment would tell you that this is Moses' second wife.

If you have a study Bible, there are many people who have written study Bibles who say this is probably Moses' second wife.

Well, they're wrong. It's not a second wife. It's still Zipporah. How do we know that? Well, if this was Moses' second wife.

I'm sure the Bible would have somehow told us that Si died and Moses married again. I don't think that the Bible would be silent about Moses getting married again. We also know that the name Cush is a reference to darkened or blackened people. So, this was a dark-complected individual. Now, they weren't upset because Moses had married a dark-complected woman. That is not the issue here. Because we know that the Cushites is a reference to the people of Midian, and Zipporah was from Midian. The problem was.

Remember, it wasn't until Exodus 18 that Zipporah joined Moses at Mount Horeb. Remember, she did not go with him back to Egypt. They had the issue with the circumcision of one of their sons. Remember that whole story? And Moses sent her back. To her father. And now it's not until Exodus 18 that Jethro, along with his daughter Zipporah, the wife of Moses, shows up. So by the time you get to Numbers chapter 11, we're not that far down the road. And to think that all of a sudden Moses lost his wife and now married somebody else, no, no.

Because you see, up until that point, Exodus chapter 18, Miriam was the woman. I mean, after all, Moses' wife wasn't around. She was that spiritual leader. She was that one that the women would look to. And now, all of a sudden, you get to Mount Horeb. Here comes Moses' wife. And Miriam's sitting back, probably thinking, you know, the Bible doesn't tell this, so we can only speculate what's going on. Who's this woman think she is coming in here and being top dog of the women all of a sudden? How could she just come in here as the wife of Moses?

And maybe the people were beginning to look to the wife of Moses as this great spiritual mentor or great leader, and Miriam was losing some sort of prominence. Now Miriam was the instigator of the conversation. How do we know that? Well, one, she's mentioned first.

Two, the word spoken is in the feminine form. And three, she is the one who receives the judgment. And knowing the character of Aaron, who's easily succumbed to pressure. And so, what you have is this conflict arising. Zippor shows up, the wife of Moses. And let's just say, for lack of a better. Illustration: This is the second wife.

It's still the surface issue. It's not the real problem here because the real problem centers around the fact that God only uses Moses to speak. To the people. So they go from speaking against his wife to speaking against him. Now, I want you to know something. Moses never says anything. Moses never says anything until he prays. That's a good lesson for all of us to learn, isn't it? Just to keep your mouth shut. Don't say anything. Why? Because you see, God will vindicate you. If you're clean before the Lord and true before him and doing what he's asked you to do, let God vindicate you.

You don't have to defend yourself. Let God defend you. And Moses was going to let God defend him. That's the great thing about this story. When someone speaks against us, what do we do? That's not true. I never said, I don't do that. Well, how come you're saying that? And we want to automatically begin to defend ourselves. Don't you speak against my wife? Who are you to talk against my wife? You can't say that about her. Moses didn't say a thing because he knew some way, somehow, that God would vindicate him.

And God does. And this becomes a living illustration for you and I to be able to rest in what is taking place and let God hand it. We are such control freaks. I hate to say it that way, but we are. We want to control the environment. We want to control the conversation. We want to control the conflict. We want to be top dog. We don't want anybody speaking against us. But you'll see. Why Moses kept his mouth shut in a moment? Because they would speak then against his position or his ministry. Only God speaks through Moses?

Well, how come God can't speak through us? How come God can't use us? And in their effort to break down the God-given authority over them, They are questioning the authority of God in their lives. That's why, you, it's always important to realize. You know, what the Bible says in Hebrews 13:17, it says, Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account.

Let them do this with joy and not with grief. For this would be unprofitable for you. And so, this story provides for us a great illustration as to what God wants us to do. And that's what happens way back in Numbers 12 with Miriam and Aaron. They're jealous. We can't do what he does. And after all, we're big sister, we're big brother, he's little brother. Kind of reminds you back of the Joseph story, doesn't it? What does Joseph know? He's the little brother. We're the big brothers. Who gives him the right to come in here and tell us that one day we're going to bow down to him?

Who does he think he is? And all he did was give them what God had given him in a dream. And all Moses did was do what God told him to do. He was a strong man. But notice, when people did things against his God, He was angry.

But when they spoke against him, he was silent. When God was dishonored, he was like a lion. When he was dishonored, he was like a lamb. Folks, we need to learn that lesson. Because you see, we have it reversed. We go to work tomorrow and God is dishonored in the workplace. What do we do? We don't say anything. We're silent. Why? Because we're afraid we might lose our job. So we're silent. We don't say anything. And if somebody speaks against us, what do we do? We are vehement. We speak against them.

We become angry. We become very vocal. Well, they speak against us. See, we're the direct opposite. And that's why the Bible doesn't say that you or me are the meekest people on the face of the earth. Because we're not like that. So, this is the lesson we all need to get a hold of, because he really believed that God would deal with his brother and sister. And God did. You got someone in your family you're trying to deal with, you're trying to control the situation, just not get involved anymore.

Let God deal with it. Give it to God. Let him handle it. Let God, as num 12 say, come down. I love that. Then, verse 5, then the Lord came down. That's a great phrase. Remember back in Genesis 11 when the Lord came down at the Tower of Babel? God comes down for two reasons: one, retribution, two, redemption. That's why God comes down. In John chapter 1, the word became flesh and dwelt among us. God came down to man. Why? For retribution? No, for redemption. But he's coming again, not for redemption.

But for retribution. See, when God comes down, He comes down with a purpose. And He comes down with a purpose right here. And then comes the consequences. The cloud lifts. And as the cloud lifts, what happens? Behold, the face of Miriam is lepros. Two things about the consequences. For Moses, it was vindication. For Miriam, it was humiliation. You know, sometimes when we just don't say anything and just be quiet, let God defend us, it's a lot better than if we speak up and say anything. Let God do it.

Let God show the people that you're doing the right thing, that you're faithful to him. Aaron truly repented. I beg you, Moses. We've sinned. We're wrong. He truly was a penitent man. If you can say one thing good about Aaron, he truly was a repentant man when he sinned. But this becomes a place of profound instruction. One man said it this way You cannot say, listen, an un or bitter thing about another without hurting yourself more than you hurt them. Harsh words are like boomerangs. They come back to the spot in which they start.

That good? Which leads us to our conclusion. One deals with Moses' attitude, and the other deals with our application. Aaron comes to him. And pleads with him, do not let her be like one who's dead. And the only thing Moses says in the entire scenario is, O God, heal her, I pray. Now, there's a man of mercy, healer. I wish I could be like that. I'd be saying, I got what he deserved. Don't be speaking out against God's anointed. See, that's what you get. See? That's what we would say. Don't be pious.

You'd say the same thing, right? Not Moses. Oh, God, heal her, I pray. Remember Job 42:10? And God turned the captivity of Job when he prayed. For his friends. Who were his friends? The guys who criticized him. See, that's Moses' attitude. Don't you wish he had that kind of attitude? I wish I had that kind of attitude. That's amazing. That's the way Moses was. Oh, God, healer. Now, I find it very interesting that God doesn't say, okay, sure, whatever you say, Moses, I'd love to do that for you. Listen to what God says.

Remember, the Bible says, verse 9, the anger of the Lord burned against them and he departed. You see, what sounds and looks appealing to us is usually appalling to God. And he was furious. And Moses, being the man of mercy that he was, remember, he would always pray for his people. And listen to what God says.

The Lord said to Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Now the Jews believe that spitting in the direction of someone is a great abhorrence, it's a nasty thing, but once done, it would bring great shame upon that individual for the period of seven days. And God says, if her father would but spit on her face, she'd be shamed seven days.

She did worse than that. She spoke out against my anointed one. She spoke in doing so against me, the ordainer of man. So she would be shamed for seven days outside the camp. You notice something?

Sin hinders progress. And sin hurts people. They were unable to move for seven days because of the sin of one person. One. And that's why the Bible says she was shut up outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again.

Very important. What's our application? Let me conclude with this. When people accuse us falsely, abuse us in ways that are absolutely wrong, they speak against us, say things that are wrong. What do we do? Well, the Bible says these words: Let him who means to love life and see good days refrain his tongue from evil, his lips from speaking guile.

And let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous. His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do ev. Peter, 1 Peter 3, references what we are to do when we are mistreated or ill-treated. If you were with us in our study of Peter's first epistle, he is writing to people who have been falsely accused for the burning of Rome.

And Peter wants to bring it all together and sum it up for them with three basic principles. And he says very simply these words, rem, the eyes of the Lord are upon his people. And the ears of the Lord are open to their prayers. And the face of the Lord is against your persecutor. Remember Matthew 18, verse number 10? It tells us that our Father is in heaven and the angels in heaven. Listen, the angels in heaven do one thing. They always behold the face of their Father in heaven. They're always looking at the face of their Father.

Why? Because once there is any hint of concern on the face of the Father, they are immediately dispatched to your service. They know something's wrong. And the face of the Lord is against your persecutor. It's against him. And to know that in the midst of a conflict, he sees. In other words, Peter says, God doesn't miss a trick. He doesn't miss anything. He hears your prayer, and he is against those who are against you. And he will deal with them. How? That's up for God to decide. But in the meantime, may we learn from the life of Moses.

Let's pray.