Num 12:10-15 | KingComments | STEP | Miriam becomes leprous. Her name is first mentioned in . As said, it seems that she is the instigator. Leprosy follows as a prophet and priest rise up and reach out to the place which only belongs to Moses. God wants to be acknowledged in His sovereign grace that He allows those who are not entitled to it to share in the blessings of Christ. The leprosy of Miriam is a striking picture of God’s judgment on the rebellion of Israel against showing grace to the Gentiles, represented in Moses’ wife. Israel should acknowledge God’s sovereignty. They did not do so and therefore they were struck with leprosy in their character of witnesses or prophets. The application for the church is that if a man or a ministry assumes the place of Christ, the judgment comes from God. There, too, the principle of grace disappears. When a place that does not belong to him is assumed, leprosy breaks out. Maybe Miriam’s jealousy has been there a long time before it erupts here. The will of the flesh becomes public. God makes clear in His time where leprosy is present. In the pictures of the Bible, the woman is a picture of a particular state and the man is a picture of practice. The state of Miriam is that of leprosy. Fortunately the practice of confession in Aaron is also there, and this immediately after the leprosy has broken out. Aaron immediately returns to his right place as mediator and speaks to Moses in all humility. His words show a radical confession. The first words we hear in this history of Moses are those of an intercessor. He becomes a mediator. Herein we see his true greatness. Of any grudge nothing appears.

‏ Numbers 12:10-15

Leprosy – Confession – Intercession

Miriam becomes leprous. Her name is first mentioned in Num 12:1. As said, it seems that she is the instigator. Leprosy follows as a prophet and priest rise up and reach out to the place which only belongs to Moses. God wants to be acknowledged in His sovereign grace that He allows those who are not entitled to it to share in the blessings of Christ.

The leprosy of Miriam is a striking picture of God’s judgment on the rebellion of Israel against showing grace to the Gentiles, represented in Moses’ wife. Israel should acknowledge God’s sovereignty. They did not do so and therefore they were struck with leprosy in their character of witnesses or prophets.

The application for the church is that if a man or a ministry assumes the place of Christ, the judgment comes from God. There, too, the principle of grace disappears. When a place that does not belong to him is assumed, leprosy breaks out. Maybe Miriam’s jealousy has been there a long time before it erupts here. The will of the flesh becomes public. God makes clear in His time where leprosy is present.

In the pictures of the Bible, the woman is a picture of a particular state and the man is a picture of practice. The state of Miriam is that of leprosy. Fortunately the practice of confession in Aaron is also there, and this immediately after the leprosy has broken out. Aaron immediately returns to his right place as mediator and speaks to Moses in all humility. His words show a radical confession.

The first words we hear in this history of Moses are those of an intercessor. He becomes a mediator. Herein we see his true greatness. Of any grudge nothing appears.

What to Do with Miriam

The intercession of Moses receives an answer. The LORD uses an example of everyday life to illustrate His statement. When a father spits his daughter in the face, he expresses his dissatisfaction with her actions. This humiliation by her father must convince her of the disgracefulness of her behavior. Seven days she will hide from her family out of shame.

There is no immediate healing after the confession. Miriam first has to stay outside the camp for seven days. A full recovery must take place and a full period, represented by the number seven, is needed for that. Evil can be so serious that the punishment must be imposed, even though forgiveness has already taken place. This will be the case when the public testimony of the Lord has been damaged.

The whole people are involved in the exercise of the punishment. They can’t move on. There is no strength when a certain evil becomes public. The whole church must be exercised and come to purity: “For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter” (2Cor 7:11). A broken spirit is important in the exercise of discipline.

This history shows how seriously God takes it when we speak ill of a brother or sister, especially when it comes to someone who does a service for the Lord (cf. 1Tim 5:19). Even when it is about real facts, this kind of speaking is nothing more than a form of jealousy.