Bible Lesson: Miracles Of The Old
Testament: Miriam's Leprosy Healed.
Occasion: Moses' Prayer
Answered:
Location: Hazeroth.
Bible Text:
Numbers 12:1-16 NLT (Miriam and
Aaron, complain about Moses.)
1 While they
were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had
married a Cushite woman.
2 They said,
“Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t He spoken through
us, too?” But the Lord heard them.
3 (Now Moses
was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth.)
4 So
immediately the Lord called to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and said, “Go
out to the Tabernacle, all three of you!” So the three of them went
to the Tabernacle.
5 Then the Lord
descended in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the
Tabernacle. “Aaron and Miriam!” He called, and they stepped
forward.
6 And the Lord
said to them, “Now listen to what I say: “If there were prophets
among you, I, the Lord, would reveal Myself in visions. I would speak
to them in dreams.
7 But not with
My servant Moses. Of all My house, he is the one I trust.
8 I speak to
him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles! He sees the Lord as He
is. So why were you not afraid
to criticize My
servant Moses?”
9 The Lord was
very angry with them, and He departed.
10 As the cloud
moved from above the Tabernacle, there stood Miriam, her skin as
white as snow from leprosy. When Aaron saw what had happened to her,
11 he cried out
to Moses, “Oh, my master! Please don’t punish us for this sin we
have so foolishly committed.
12 Don’t let
her be like a stillborn baby, already decayed at birth.”
13 So Moses
cried out to the Lord, “O God, I beg you, please heal her!”
14 But the Lord
said to Moses, “If her father had done nothing more than spit in
her face, wouldn’t she be defiled for seven days? So keep her
outside the camp for seven days, and after that she may be accepted
back.”
15 So Miriam
was kept outside the camp for seven days, and the people waited until
she was brought back before they traveled again.
16 Then they
left Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.
Numbers 12:1,2
NLT
1 While they
were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had
married a Cushite woman.
2 They said,
“Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t He spoken through
us, too?” ...”
Exodus 15:20 KJV (Miriam, the oldest, of her two brothers
Moses and Aaron, Moses being the youngest.)
And Miriam the
prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all
the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
She was a prophetess, in as much as she lead all of Israel in worship
after the Red Sea crossing.
Exodus 15:21 KJV
And Miriam
answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.
And who could forget the fact that she had saved her brother's life
at the river Nile, in commending the baby in the ark to Pharaoh's
daughter.
Miriam, seems to be the leading voice of the insurrection.
Friend, never ever forget that wherever we are, whatever we are
doing, God both hears and sees, our actions, and not only that but
our motives are open to Him as well.
Numbers 12:2 NLT
They said, “Has
the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t He spoken through us,
too?”
But the Lord
heard them.
How many a so called man of God, would cherish the idea of being
called “Moses,” like.
But, Moses was a special person, before God.
Numbers 12:3 NLT
(Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on
earth.)
Moses was one of a kind, he had “no,” equal! And that is why God
choose him. He had been fashioned by the hand of God for the people
of Israel.
A solemn assembly.
Numbers 12:4,5 NLT
4 So
immediately the Lord called to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and said, “Go
out to the Tabernacle, all three of you!” So the three of them went
to the Tabernacle.
5 Then the Lord descended in the pillar of cloud and stood at the
entrance of the Tabernacle. “Aaron and Miriam!” He called, and
they stepped forward.
Moses at the entrance to the Tabernacle, separated the by the pillar of cloud, Miriam and Aaron at the outside.
Numbers 12:6-9 NLT
6 And the Lord
said to them, “Now listen to what I say: “If there were prophets
among you, I, the Lord, would reveal Myself in visions. I would speak
to them in dreams.
7 But not with
My servant Moses. Of all My house, he is the one I trust.
8 I speak to
him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles! He sees the Lord as He
is. So why were you not afraid to criticize My servant Moses?”
9 The Lord was very angry with them, and He departed.
Numbers 12:1 NLT
While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses
because he had married a Cushite woman.
Moses had married an Egyptian woman, Zipporah, who's father was
Jethro, a Midianite Priest.
Jethro had given some very good advice to Moses, found in Exodus
18:13-27 KJV.
His advice was that as a man, Moses was wearing himself out. From
morning to night, he was the commanding voice, concerning any and all
disputes between the Israelites.
Jethro counseled him to appoint leaders from Israel, teaching them, and
appointing them as judges, and any case too hard for them, to be brought
to Moses.
(In Numbers 11:16-29, Moses chose 70 leaders of Israel.)
Numbers 11:17,25-30 NLT (The Lord spoke to Moses.)
17 I will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the
Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also.
They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will
not have to carry it alone.
25 And the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Then He
gave the seventy elders the same Spirit that was upon Moses. And when
the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But this never happened
again.
26 Two men, Eldad and Medad, had stayed behind in the camp. They
were listed among the elders, but they had not gone out to the
Tabernacle. Yet the Spirit rested upon them as well, so they
prophesied there in the camp.
27 A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are
prophesying in the camp!”
28 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ assistant since his
youth, protested, “Moses, my master, make them stop!”
29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake?
I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord
would put his Spirit upon them all!”
30 Then Moses returned to the camp with the elders of Israel.
Had Miriam and Aaron, too, become jealous, of the call and blessings
of others?
Had they become dissatisfied with the station, they had, with Moses
and yes, God?
More than perhaps, they did, they feel left out, and began to be
bitter and complain.
As a result, the ever listening God, became angry with them.
Numbers 12:10 NLT
As the cloud moved from above the Tabernacle, there stood Miriam,
her skin as white as snow from leprosy...”
Miriam, no doubt the leader in revolt, was judged by God.
All of Israel, had needed to know, that Moses was God's called
servant, and that all should listen to him.
Numbers 12:10-12 NLT
10 ...When
Aaron saw what had happened to her,
11 he cried out
to Moses, “Oh, my master! Please don’t punish us for this sin we
have so foolishly committed.
12 Don’t let
her be like a stillborn baby, already decayed at birth.”
Moses, the man of God, in love and compassion, Israel's great
intercessor, prayed for his sister, that had come out against him.
Numbers 12:13 NLT
So Moses cried out to the Lord, “O God, I beg you, please heal
her!”
But God replied.
Numbers 12:14,15 NLT
14 But the Lord
said to Moses, “If her father had done nothing more than spit in
her face, wouldn’t she be defiled for seven days? So keep her
outside the camp for seven days, and after that she may be accepted
back.”
15 So Miriam was kept outside the camp for seven days, and the
people waited until she was brought back before they traveled again.
As a caution to Miriam, a Levitical sentence, had to be carried out.
See Leviticus 14:
(Be sure to read this chapter.)
Leprosy was a type of sin, it brought one to death, spiritual death.
I John 1:8-10 KJV
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
Truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is Faithful and Just to forgive us
our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His
word is not in us.
Was the Lord, unduly hard on Miriam?
No! For not long before the issue of Moses rightful leadership had
come up before.
Read of Korah’s Rebellion as found in Numbers 16. And yet, how fast
they forgot!
Miriam's judgment, was actually, God's love and restoration!
Hebrews 12:5-12 NLT
5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as
His children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s
discipline, and don’t give up when He corrects you.
6 For the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each
one He accepts as His child.”
7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is
treating you as His own children. Who ever heard of a child who is
never disciplined by its father?
8 If God doesn’t discipline you as He does all of His children,
it means that you are illegitimate and are not really His children at
all.
9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us,
shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of
our spirits, and live forever?
10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing
the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us,
so that we might share in His holiness.
11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s
painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right
living for those who are trained in this way.
12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your
weak knees.
13 Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are
weak and lame will not fall but become strong.
Miriam, did not go on to the promised land, she died in the desert
after the wanderings of Israel at Kadesh.
Numbers 20:1 NLT
In the first month of the year, the whole community of Israel
arrived in the wilderness of Zin and camped at Kadesh. While they
were there, Miriam died and was buried.
Aaron, did not go on to the promised land, he died at Mount Hor.
Numbers 20:22-29 NLT
22 The whole community of Israel left Kadesh and arrived at Mount
Hor.
23 There, on the border of the land of Edom, the Lord said to
Moses and Aaron,
24 “The time has come for Aaron to join his ancestors in death.
He will not enter the land I am giving the people of Israel, because
the two of you rebelled against My instructions concerning the water
at Meribah.
25 Now take Aaron and his son Eleazar up Mount Hor.
26 There you will remove Aaron’s priestly garments and put them
on Eleazar, his son. Aaron will die there and join his ancestors.”
27 So Moses did as the Lord commanded. The three of them went up
Mount Hor together as the whole community watched.
28 At the summit, Moses removed the priestly garments from Aaron
and put them on Eleazar, Aaron’s son. Then Aaron died there on top
of the mountain, and Moses and Eleazar went back down.
29 When the people realized that Aaron had died, all Israel
mourned for him thirty days.
Numbers 12:16 NLT
Then they left
Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.
And Moses, himself, would not go on to the promised land, his
predecessor Joshua, would lead Israel.
Deuteronomy 34:1-12 NLT
1 Then Moses went up to Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab and
climbed Pisgah Peak, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord
showed him the whole land, from Gilead as far as Dan;
2 all the land of Naphtali; the land of Ephraim and Manasseh; all
the land of Judah, extending to the Mediterranean Sea;
3 the Negev; the Jordan Valley with Jericho—the city of palms—as
far as Zoar.
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is the land I promised on
oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to
your descendants.’ I have now allowed you to see it with your own
eyes, but you will not enter the land.”
5 So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of
Moab, just as the Lord had said.
6 The Lord buried him in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but to
this day no one knows the exact place.
7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was
clear, and he was as strong as ever.
8 The people of Israel mourned for Moses on the plains of Moab for
thirty days, until the customary period of mourning was over.
9 Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for
Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him,
doing just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
10 There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom
the Lord knew face to face.
11 The Lord sent him to perform all the miraculous signs and
wonders in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, and all his servants,
and his entire land.
12 With mighty power, Moses performed terrifying acts in the sight
of all Israel.
So, what are we as God's 21st Century people to take away
from this encounter?
I Timothy 6:6 KJV
But Godliness with contentment is great gain.
I Samuel 15:22,23 NLT (Samuel told King Saul.)
22 ...“What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings
and sacrifices or your obedience to His voice?Listen!
Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is
better than offering the fat of rams.
23 Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad
as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the
Lord, He has rejected you...”
Matthew 20:20-28 NLT
20 Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to
Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor.
21 “What is your request?” He asked. She replied, “In your
Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you,
one on your right and the other on your left.”
22 But Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what
you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of
suffering I am about to drink?” “Oh yes,” they replied, “we
are able!”
23 Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from My bitter cup.
But I have no right to say who will sit on My right or My left. My
Father has prepared those places for the ones He has chosen.”
24 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had
asked, they were indignant.
25 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the
rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt
their authority over those under them.
26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a
leader among you must be your servant,
27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.
28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve
others and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Selah
