IMITATE THEIR FAITH/MIRIAM - Miriam the Proud

 Privileges and prominence bring blessing as well as dangers. At the time Israel was freed from slavery. Miriam was likely the most prominent woman in the nations.  Would she succumb to pride or ambition? (Proverbs 16:18)  Sadly, for a time she did.

A few months after the Exodus, Moses welcomed a group that came from afar-it was his father-in-law, Jethro, bringing along Moses' wife, Zipporah, and their two sons.  Moses had married her during  his 40-sojourn  in Midian.  Zipporahh had earlier returned  to her family in Midian, perhaps for a visite, and now her father was bringing her to the Israelite encampment.  (Exodus 18:1-5) Imagine the stir their arrival caused among Moses' people!  Likely, many were eager to see the wife of the man God had chosen to lead them out of Egypt. 

Was Miriam pleased as well? Perhaps at first.  But it seems that in time she gave in to pride.  She might hqave falt threatened, thinking that Zipporag would replace her as most of the prominent women in the nation .  In any case, Miriam and Aaron engaged in negative talk. And such talk, as it often does, soon turned bitter and spiteful.  At first their talk focused on Zipporah; they complained that she was not an Israelite but a Cushite.  But the talk escalated into complaining about Moses himself.  Miriam and Aaron were saying:  "Is it only by Moses that Jehovah has spoken?  Has he not also spoken through us?" - NUMBERS 12:1, 2.

Next time: IMITATE THEIR FAITH/MIRIAM - MIRIAM the Leper

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