Numbers 12
V. 1) Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite.
Evidently, her complexion was darker than the tan of the Hebrew skin.
V. 2) "Has the Lord only spoken through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't He also spoken through us?" And the Lord heard this.
Okay, they were really envious of Moses' leadership.
So God called them out. He had Moses, Miriam and Aaron come out to the Tent of Meeting for a conference (vs. 4-9).
V. 10) When the cloud lifted from the Tent, there stood Miriam--leprous, like snow. Aaron turned toward her, and saw that she had leprosy.
The verb of complaint is in the feminine-singular, which shows that Miriam was the instigator and spokesperson. So God, in effect, said, "Okay, Miriam, you want to be white? Poof! You're lily-white!"
Vs. 11-13) [Aaron] said to Moses, "Please, my lord, do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother's womb with its flesh half eaten away."
So Moses cried out to the Lord, "O God, please heal her!"
What a dramatic moment in this family. They were all obviously upset at the complaint and it's result, and cried out passionately.
So Miriam had to spend a week away from people so she wouldn't spread the disease while she healed. Leprosy referred to any of several communicable skin conditions, and God healed Miriam within that week.
And Miriam and Aaron learned not to promote themselves over their little brother any more.
How hard does God need to lean on me when I am in the wrong? How serious are the circumstances I need to suffer, to learn my lesson?
God is a good, good Father to us. He will allow us to experience the consequences of our choices, even when they put us in dire circumstances. But when we turn to the Lord, agreeing with His assessment of our attitudes, and turn around our thinking processes, then He will heal our emotional hurts as well as Miriam's physical condition.
O my Father, please show me my erroneous opinions, my wrong attitudes, and my negative thinking processes. Forgive me these sins, Lord, and wash me clean again. Help me to recognize these faults before I fall into them; let me be mindful of my surroundings and my responses, so I will project Christ in me, not my flesh.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
