Bible Verse: When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him 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
Scripture Reading: Numbers 12; Hebrews 1:1-4
Some people are better at confrontation than others.
I’m not great at it. In my emotions, I can either pick the wrong time or even the wrong thing to focus on. It can either make a bad situation worse or a non-situation into something it didn’t need to be.
It’s usually some form of insecurity on my part that leads me down that path. Sometimes, I lead others through that dangerous terrain, and then we are all lost in a place none of us likes.
Aaron and Miriam seem to have had a similar flaw. They wanted some recognition for being servants and spokespeople for God, too. But, like me, they chose the wrong time and the wrong place to air their grievances.
And, also like me, they chose the wrong thing to be frustrated over, and it turned the situation sour in a hurry. Bad enough for God to step in. In the end, Moses mediated for Miriam, and things righted themselves. But it got bad for a moment. God’s punishment of Miriam (although we’re not sure why it was just her and not Aaron, too—the text isn’t clear) was swift and severe.
In God’s reply to Aaron and Miriam’s complaint, we witness a deep sign of God’s faithfulness to His people.
God speaks of providing a prophet for His people and His interaction with the prophets as they carry God’s message to the people of Israel. Moses is a unique prophet, but he is not the only prophet. God speaks to His people. He does not leave them alone. He is with them, guiding and correcting them through the presence of the prophets.
It reminds us of the opening words of Hebrews. The writer reminds us that God has spoken in various times and ways through the prophets, but more recently, God has spoken through the person of Jesus (Hebrews 1:1-4).
Like the Israelites of old, we, too, have a messenger from God to guide us through the ins and outs of life in this broken and redeemed world. What a testament to God’s faithfulness that He does not leave us alone. He has spoken, and most clearly, in the person and work of Jesus. Thank God that He has not left us without His voice.
Prayer: God who has spoken, thank You that in Your grace You have revealed Yourself and Your will. Thank You for the fullness of Your revelation in Jesus and that we can see Him and You in Scripture. Help me to listen to Your voice.
Reflection: Do you practice reading Scripture so that you can hear and know God? Why not commit to a daily time, even 5 minutes, of engaging with the Bible?
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