What Aaron and Miriam had done tantamount to rebellion. They were trying
to incite the people against Moses, God’s appointed leader. This kind
of action was totally unacceptable to God. This was what the Prophet Samuel
said to King Saul when he rebuked him in 1 Samuel 15:23 saying, “For
rebellion is as reprehensible as the sin of divination, and
insubordination is as reprehensible as false religion and idolatry.”
From this, we can understand why God took such a serious view of what Aaron and
Miriam had done. God judged them. As soon as the glory cloud of God’s presence
lifted from the tent of meeting, judgment began.
Being the instigator, Miriam was immediately struck with leprosy. Her
skin became as white as snow. When Aaron turned and saw her, he must have
shockingly exclaimed, “…behold, she was leprous.” She and Aaron claimed to have
equal access to God as Moses. Hence, becoming a leper was the clearest
indication of how untrue that statement was. Becoming a leper, she now would be
completely shut out from God, let alone any access to God. What was worst, she
could not even mingle with the people within the community. It was a befitting
judgment for her.
Instinctively, Aaron appealed to Moses to do something. He seemed to
know almost instantly who the leader among the three was and who had the
capacity to do something to turn the situation around. So turning to
Moses he said, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, do
not hold us responsible for this sin by which we have turned out to be
foolish, and by which we have sinned. Oh, do not
let her be like a dead person, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out
of his mother’s womb!” He had to seek the help of the one whom they
had wronged.
How
would we have responded if we were the subject of the malicious attempt to
smear us? We can be sure that many, when being accused, would certainly be
reluctant to lift a finger to help. But not so Moses. Magnanimously, he turned
to the Lord and compassionately pled saying, “God, heal her, please!”
God not only spoke to Moses face-to-face, but He also heard him instantly. The
Lord’s response to Moses indicated that it was not cleansing that she needed
but she had to bear with her shame for a duration, So she was kept out of the
camp for seven days till her sin was atoned. And the whole community came to a
halt till she was received before they moved to Param.
From
an account like this, we learn first that we must not malign the leaders God
has set over us. God takes such an action with a serious view. Be careful what
we say about the leadership set over us. Secondly, leaders who are wronged
should learn to be like Moses, magnanimous and forgiving. Thirdly, we must
appreciate that we have a gracious God who shows mercy in judgment. His way of
dealing with any sinner is not punitive but restorative. And that is what we
should also do in dealing with someone who had fallen. Be gracious and
merciful!
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