Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? (Numbers 12:1-15; Part 3)*

Leadership accompanies authority and power over one’s followers. God, in His prerogative, chose Moses as Israel’s leader from the beginning. All of Moses’ authority and power was derived from God.

Now the Israelites moved on from Kibroth Hattaavah to Hazeroth (Numbers 11:35).

“Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite.” (Numbers 12:1).

Israel moved on towards the land of God’s blessing and reached Hazeroth. Here, Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses. Aaron was Moses’ older brother, and Miriam was his older sister. Both of them served Israel as leaders, Aaron as their high priest and Miriam as a prophetess. God had used them all for important purposes; Moses, Aaron, and Miriam practically formed Israel’s powerhouse. Among them, however, Moses had supreme authority. For some unknown reason, Miriam, along with her brother Aaron, began to challenge Moses’ authority. The reason that they posed was because of Moses’ Cushite wife, who wasn’t a Jew. Having a non-Israelite wife might heavily influence the leadership, especially when that leader is the supreme head of a nation, having absolute authority over his people. Their argument was very convincing:

"Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he also spoken through us?" And the LORD heard this.” (Numbers 12:2).

God had spoken to Aaron and Miriam. In this regard, they decided that they should share same or equal authority with Moses. This simply pointed out that Moses had a weakness through his wife, as with any other leaders, so the power must be shared. When God heard this, how did He respond?

“At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you." So the three of them went out. Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward” (Numbers 12:4-5).

As soon as God heard this, He lost no time and immediately spoke to Moses. As the Lord descended in a pillar of cloud, Aaron and Miriam were to stand before the Lord, while Moses stood behind them. God said this to them:

“he said, "Listen to my words: "When there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"” (Numbers 12:6-8).

There are two clear differences between the prophets and Moses; first, Moses was faithful in all aspects of keeping God’s house, the tabernacle. In other words, his faithfulness exceeded that of all others; no one in God’s house even came close to him. Second, God was so close to Moses that He spoke to him face to face; Moses was closer to God than any other godly men or prophets. Therefore, Moses’ faith was above reproach in all of Israel. Moses was God’s greatest servant throughout Israel’s history; no one was ever greater than him. The writer of this account made a comment on this:  

“(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)” (Numbers 12:3).

What does it mean that Moses was humbler than anyone else? He was the one who knew of God’s power, authority, and holiness, more so than any other man on earth. In his full acknowledgement of God’s character, he lived, talked, and behaved in fear and honor of the Lord. Here, the word ‘humble’ in Hebrew (עָנָו) is unique. This is different from (כנע ), which is often used to denote humility among people. This word is often used to denote an attitude of submission toward God. Moses was called a very humble man, not because he was humbler than all other men, but because he acknowledged and honored God’s authority more than any other men on earth. Simply, he was the only one who had the right attitude toward God!

What was God saying to these two?

“With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD.” (Numbers 12:8a).

Moses saw the form of the Lord. This means that he saw God more clearly then than what had previously been revealed to him through riddles, visions, or dreams. What does this mean for us? When God’s servant fully and exactly represents Him and His will, he is the greatest among men.

God made this final remark:

“Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" 9 The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them.” (Numbers 12:8b).

In anger, what did God do to Miriam, the instigator of this rebellion?

“When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam's skin was leprous -- it became as white as snow.” (Numbers 12:10a).

On the spot, she became leprous; her skin turned as white as snow. Her challenge to Moses was rebellion against God, and her true being, as a sinner, became fully apparent. If she was left without Moses’ plea to the Lord, then she would be thrown out of the community in humiliation and sickness; she would eventually die in her sickness. However, by His grace, God heard Moses’ plea and punished her with a week’s exile outside of the camp.

What does this tell us? Who is a great leader? A man’s greatness does not depend on his ability to do many great things, his human meekness,  his profound knowledge of God’s word, or how many people are under him, but rather in how close he is close to the Lord or how much he has implemented God’s will throughout his life. In this respect, knowing and obeying God’s will is the most important measure of greatness. Miriam and Aaron shared many things with Moses during his lifetime; they held many meetings together and enjoyed fellowship with him in various social settings and leadership roles. However, there was one corner of Moses’ life that they could never get close to or share in - his personal relationship with the Lord. From this, Moses’ authority and leadership surpassed that of Miriam and Aaron.

Moses had a unique relationship with God and a unique position in history, because God gave the Law to His people through him. Moses was closer to God than any other man. In this regard, challenging him was also challenging God. Who else had such a unique relationship with the Lord? The writer of Hebrews spoke about this:

“He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. "Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house," bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.” (Hebrews 3:1-6 NIV).

Moses was unique in God’s house, as was Jesus. However, Jesus was greater than Moses in two ways; while Moses was faithful in all aspects of God’s house, i.e., among His children, Jesus was faithful to the Lord who created the house. As the Son of God, Jesus was faithful over God’s house.

When Miriam spoke against Moses, she became leprous, a sign of great sin, which ultimately led to physical death. But when one speaks against Jesus, there is only one outcome -to be thrown out of God’s House, resulting in eternal death. Here, there was no one to plead on either Miriam’s or Aaron’s behalf.

No one should dare to challenge Moses’ authority and teachings, which were the true reflection of God’s holiness. Likewise, no one should challenge the authority of Jesus as the Savior, the Lord, who would come as the Judge of all. Any challenge against Moses was judged by leprosy; any challenge against Jesus’ authority will be met with God’s eternal judgment.