In Numbers 12, we read:

And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it. (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb.

And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee. And the Lord said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again. And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again. Numbers 12:1-15

What was wrong with Miriam? Finding an occasion against the servant of God and playing a judge in a matter beyond her place; or was it envy or just not being able to exercise control over the little brother that she was instrumental in saving? Remember again the good you may have done to a brother does not give your power over their lives. Consider it God’s privilege to be a helper (for who made you a judge over another man’s servant (Rom. 14:4; Luke 12:14)?

God not punishing Aaron as He did Miriam speaks volumes. Was Aaron coerced into the conspiracy to cut Moses to size? Was it just Aaron’s spineless nature or the outcome of heeding the warning of losing Jacob’s blessing from the altercation of avenging the rape of Dinah (Gen. 34; 49:6-7)?

Moses would eventually fall into the same provocation (Num. 20:8-13) that brought Miriam to judgment. We must hallow the Lord in all our interactions with every one of His children. The consequences of Miriam’s action were not limited to herself in being leprous and separated from the congregation, she cost the congregation a delay in the march to the Promised Land. Be wary of just finding pleasure in criticising your brethren!

**If you think criticising others is just exercising your right to free speech and it’s no big deal, stop and consider these three things:

1. God saw it as a sin when Aaron and Miriam criticised Moses for marrying an Ethiopian woman. He smote Miriam with leprosy, and Aaron was quick to repent: ‘We have done foolishly…we have sinned. Yes, God healed Miriam, but not before she had been publicly embarrassed.
2. A critical attitude will hurt you relationally. “Then the Lord said to Moses, “…Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again”” (v. 14 NKJV). Leprosy was contagious, and those who had it were isolated from others. There is an important lesson here. When you become known for a critical attitude, people will distance themselves from you and avoid you. It’s a trust issue; they know if you will talk to them about others, you will talk to others about them.
3. A critical attitude hinders everybody’s progress. ‘So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again’ (v. 15 NKJV). Have you ever been part of an organisation where one fault-finding person destroyed the effectiveness and hindered the progress of the entire group?
4. A critical attitude hurts your relationship with God. ‘Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbours or speak evil o their friends… Such people will stand firm forever (Psalm 15:1-3.5 NLT)—**Taken from Word for Today by Bob and Debbie Gass

May we receive grace to deal correctly without the root of bitterness with one another. Selah

Pastor Afolabi Oladele