Miriam, Sister of Moses and Aaron, Rescuer, Prophetess, Sweet Singer

“When she (Jochebed, Moses’ mother) could hide him (Moses) no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch.  She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank.  And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him.” Exodus 2:3-4. ESV.  “And Miriam sang to them:  ‘Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea’” –Exodus 15:21 (ESV).  “And when the cloud removed from the tent, behold, Miraim was leprous like snow…So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again.”(Numbers 12:10, 15 (ESV) “For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam” Micah 6:4. (ESV).

The Bible teaches us much about the role of Moses in the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt and of his leading the people to the edge of the land promised to them.  We also hear of Aaron who was the spokesman for Moses and on whose leadership rested the spiritual instruction of the people and the beginning of the Levitical priesthood.  But their sister Miriam does not have as prominent a part in the annals of the story of the Israelites.  She is mentioned briefly in several places, which helps us to know she survived the exile and returned with the freed captives as they left Egypt and went to possess the Promised Land.  We see big sister Miriam first as babysitter for her little brother Moses whom their mother Jochebed was trying to save from the Egyptian Pharaoh’s edict to kill all the male children.  Miriam was set the dangerous task of staying down by the reed-ridden waters of the Nile and watching the bulrush basket in which rested the precious cargo of her baby brother, Moses.  When Pharaoh’s daughter came to bathe, she found the bulrush basket and the live baby boy.  Can’t you imagine how stirred to fear Miriam was by the discovery?  Would her baby brother be killed immediately according to the edict of the king?  But the Egyptian princess took pity on the crying baby and wanted to save him.  Miriam did some quick thinking, indeed, for a child, and offered to go find a nursemaid from among the Hewbrew women.  Of course, she found her own mother, Jochebed, who was able to nurse the baby and then give him safely into the hands of the Pharaoh’s daughter.  He was who given the name Moses, meaning “drawn out of the water.”

We can only imagine the distress of Miraim and Moses’ parents (if they were still alive at the time) when he killed an Egyptian overseer because of his cruel treatment to the Hebrews.  He had to flee and hide out in Midian, where, as a tender of his father-in-law Jethro’s flocks, he had the experience of the burning bush, returned to Egypt, and sounded the persistent message of “Let my people go!” to the Pharaoh, with the subsequent ten plaques sent upon the Egyptians at the hand of God.  We don’t hear from Miriam during this period as Moses and Aaron are the major leaders of the Exodus movement.  However, after the parting of the Red Sea and the safe crossing of the Israelites, Miriam appears again.  She is among those leading out in the song of victory and is oftentimes termed a prophetess.  Her song is one of praise and victory:  “Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”  As they sang the victory song, they accompanied it with tambourines and danced before the Lord with the people on the banks of the Red Sea.  What a glorious sight that must have been in that desert wilderness.

Our next glimpse of Miram is as the “big sister” who seeks to criticize Moses for marrying a Cushite woman (see Exodus 12 for this confrontation as Miram and Aaron questioned the authority of Moses).  It is not clear whether this is Moses’ second marriage—or if it is in reference to his marriage to Zipporah (Exodus 2:16-22), his known first wife.  Some scholars believe that Midian and Cush were names for the same area; others believe the woman from Cush may have been from Ethiopia and hence African.  The controversy was more over Moses’ authority, which they questioned, than his marriage.  God revealed Himself in a pillar of cloud and verified the authority and leadership of Moses in a statement of his worth found in Exodus 12:6-8.  Following this encounter, Miriam was afflicted with leprosy.  Was this a punishment for her failure to recognize her brother Moses as the called and ordained leader of the people?  The Israelites would have considered it so.  But Moses, even though having to separate and quarantine her, nevertheless prayed for her healing.  And after the seven days of separation—time enough for Miriam to consider her mistrust of both God and Moses, she was readmitted to the camp.  Even the march from Hazeroth in the wilderness of Paran was delayed until Miriam recovered and could travel with them.  This should have taught Miriam much about the compassion and concern of her younger brother Moses.  As they continued on their journey, Miriam died in the wilderness of Zin and was buried at Kadesh-barnea (Numbers 20:1).  This sister of the great leader of the Israelites was lauded in subsequent literature as an example of one who had leprosy, (Deut. 24:9), but also as a great leader numbered with her brothers Moses and Aaron (Micah 6:4).

We see Miriam as an example of a caring sister, a sharing sister, a condemning sister, and a corrected and redirected sister.  Family relationships have always been important in the plan and purpose of Almighty God.  Take time now to thank God for your family heritage and for your present role as a contributing, loving family member, whether it be child, sibling, spouse, parent, or other family relationship.  Like with Miriam, may we be remembered more for our caregiving and our praise and thanksgiving rather than our fault-finding and blaming relationships.

“Yahweh Shammah”—The Lord Is There

“The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits.  And the name of the city from that time on shall be, ‘The Lord Is There’”-Ezekiel 48:35.  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name ‘Immanuel’”(God with us)-Matthew 1:23. “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” –Matthew 18:20b.  “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” –Hebrews 13:5b.  “They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads” –Revelation 22:4 (ESV).

How many of us have said to a family member or friend, “I’m here for you”?  These words of reassurance indicate that we want to share in sorrow, the down times, the good times and be an encouragement to others.  One of the great “I Am” statements of Almighty God is “Yahweh Shammah,” Hebrew for “The Lord Is There.”  And God is always there, ready to hear our prayers, ready to lift and succor us, ready to be “”a very present help in trouble” and our light and guide along life’s way.  The verse from Ezekiel may need some clarification.  Ezekiel prophesied at a time of great confusion for the nation.  In 597 B. C., Judah’s king, Jehoiachin had been exiled to Babylon along with several thousand, among whom was the prophet Ezekiel. His message is one of judgment and condemnation but also of hope.  In chapters 40 through 48 he sees a vision of the restoration of the nation, a division of the land among the twelve tribes, the rebuilding of the temple, and the city of Jerusalem, the wall of which will stretch 18,000 cubits around the restored city.  But when it is rebuilt, it will have a new name:  “Yahweh (Jehovah) Shammah”—“God is there,” or God is with us.” When Mary was told she would bear the Messiah, the angel gave a name for him:  “Immanuel”(also spelled Emmanuel)—God with us.  As “God with us,” Jesus came to save the people from their sins.  When Jesus had finished His work for which He came to earth and was ready to ascend to the Father, He gave the disciples their working orders:  “Go and make disciples…teach, preach, baptize, teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.”  But then He gave a great promise:  “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world” (or the end of the age).  In our work for the Lord, He is there.  The writer of Hebrews reconfirmed the promise of Immanuel, God with us”  “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  And in telling about the New Jerusalem with the Bridegroom (Jesus) coming down from Heaven to receive His bride (the redeemed) unto Himself, John declared that we will see the face of the Lord and our names will be on His forehead.  He will be there; He will know us individually.

Almost, this characteristic of the Great I Am is beyond our finite comprehension.  Now we can see it as through a glass, darkly.  But in our hearts we know God made the provision for; He will never leave us desolate and alone.  “God is there!”  Bless His holy name!  Let’s review the nine “I Am” principles that help us to know and better understand how to relate to God our Creator and Redeemer:  (1)  “Yahweh Jireh”—the Lord will provide (Gen. 22:14); (2)  “Yahweh Rophe”—the Lord heals (Exodus 15:26); (3)  “Yahweh Nissi” –the Lord is our banner (Exodus 17:15); (4) “Yahweh M’Kaddesh” –the Lord sanctifies (Lev. 20:8); (5)  “Yahweh Shalom” –the Lord is our peace (Judges 6:24); (6)  “Yahweh Rohi” –the Lord is my shepherd (Psalm 23:1); (7)  “Yahweh Sabaoth—the Lord of hosts (Psalm 46:7); (8)  “Yahweh Tsidkenu”—the Lord our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6); and (9) “Yahweh Shammah” –the Lord is there (Ezekiel 48:35).  We probably won’t remember the Hebrew terms for the Great I Am. But their English interpretations can be a constant reminder to us of how great our God is and how in His omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience He surrounds, loves, saves, leads, protects and sustains us! To God be the glory!

Miriam, Sister of Moses

“The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt. And she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister.” –Numbers 26:59. “Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women, to nurse the child for you?’” –Exodus 2:7. “And Miriam sang to them ‘Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously, the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.’” –Exodus 15:21-22 (ESV).

We know Miriam best as the sister of Moses, the mighty leader of the children of Israel out of bondage and to freedom. She was also the sister of Aaron, the priest. In her own right, Miriam played a vital role in the Exodus story. Born in slavery, we see her as a young lass being set to look over the bulrush cradle of her little brother Moses. He was saved by the providence of God but there thinking fast and acting was Miriam, ready to do what she could to save her little brother. Can you imagine how frightened Miriam must have been when the Egyptian princess found Moses? Her reaction under pressure was phenomenal.

With all the plagues behind them, the exodus from Egypt and the triumphal crossing of the Red Sea, Miriam is seen as a leader. She leads the women to praise and dance on the safe side of the Red Sea. The words attributed to Miriam have been called “Mariam’s Song,” and they stand in our Bible as a pivotal point of praise to Jehovah God who has the power to deliver from enemies.

But Miriam did not always stand firm with what her brother Moses did. We read in Numbers 12:1-15 that Miriam and Aaron complained of Moses’ marriage to an Ethiopian woman. To marry outside the Jewish lineage was highly frowned upon. God called all three of the siblings to go to the Tabernacle and there the Lord appeared and addressed Aaron and Miriam, reminding them that Moses had been entrusted with God’s ‘entire house,” (leading the household of Israel). “Should you not be afraid to criticize him?” the Lord asked in Numbers 12:8. Miriam was smitten with leprosy, a terrible skin malady considered by many cultures, and especially by the Jews, to be unclean. Moses prayed for Miriam, ‘Heal her, O God, I beg you!” (Num. 12:12). She had to be quarantined for a week, during which time the Israelites did not move forward. But God heard and answered Moses’ prayer for his sister. After Miriam’s health was restored, they traveled again, leaving Hazeroth and proceeding to the wilderness of Paran.

“In early spring, the people of Israel arrived in the wilderness of Zin, and camped at Kadesh. While they were there, Miriam died and was buried.” (Numbers 20:1, NLT). The prophet Micah had words of praise for the leadership of these three siblings at a time when the Israelites were complaining and had little patience. Here is his tribute to them: “For I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from your slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you.” (Micah 6:4, NLT). At a time in history when women and their roles were not well considered, the prophet linked Miriam’s name alongside that of her brothers Moses and Aaron with the Lord’s purpose for Israel.

Miriam is an example of how one less-in-the-limelight than the leader is vital to God’s purpose. May we make the song of Miriam our own paean of praise: “Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously!” (Exodus 15;21a).