Numbers 12:4-8 – God stands with those He has called to lead.

Nothing concerning the life of God’s people, especially those who serve Him, escapes His eye. So God took notice of the griping of Aaron and Miriam against Moses. And in Number 12:4-8, He answered on behalf of His servant, Moses.

The word “suddenly” in verse 4 indicates how urgent the matter was to God. He would not permit Moses to be maligned even a moment longer without addressing it. The text seems to suggest that Moses was not even aware of what Aaron and Miriam were doing. For they were talking behind Moses’ back. So God interrupted and summoned Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to go to the tent of meeting. The Lord then came down in the pillar of cloud at the entrance of the tent as He bade Aaron and Miriam to come forward to Him. The experience must have been frightening to the two. It is hard to imagine them not extremely petrified at that moment. For us, the Bible assures us that “vengeance belongs to the Lord and that He will repay it.” Whatever unjustified wrong levelled against us will not go unnoticed before God. He will vindicate His own. We can be assured that He will also not allow us to be maligned and not address it ultimately.

In dealing with Aaron and Miriam, God made known how special Moses was to Him. He pointed out that with all other prophets, He communicated through dreams and visions that needed to be interpreted. But with Moses, God spoke clearly and directly. He did not speak to Moses in an encrypted way. Everything He said to him left no room for second-guessing. God made known to them that as far as Moses was concerned, they had no right to claim to be his equal.

We learn from this passage that no murmuring against God’s appointed and ordained leaders will go unnoticed by God. It will serve us well not to falsely accuse and slander those whom God has placed in leadership. We must be careful of the criticism we hurl at our leaders. For all leaders, take heart! When we are sure of our calling and who we are in God, we will experience His vindication. He will not allow us to be maligned and disparaged without addressing it on our behalf.