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.

Judgment Is Coming

“Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”-Matthew 7:21-23(ESV).

Jesus is about to finish His Sermon on the Mount.  The teachings He has propounded have been many, varied and different.  His principles for the Christian life that have been beyond what had been taught before.  And here He comes with a strong warning about the final judgment. He leaves no doubt that all must face it.  Will all pass the test?  Will all enter heaven?  The answer to these questions  is clearly declared by Jesus:  “the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.”  Not all who speak in the Lord’s name, not all who prophesy, cast out demons, do mighty works will pass the judgment.  Some will hear the condemnation: “depart from Me; I never knew you!”

How then can we prepare for the final judgment?  “By doing God’s will.”  Obedience to the Father is the test of faith in Christ.  It is more than saying, “Lord, Lord!”  It is more than following the ten commandments.  We call it “the new birth.”  It is having the Holy Spirit within the heart to guide, motivate and direct.  Paul explained it this way in Romans 8:11:  “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”  The Spirit of God within the individual’s heart makes that person eligible to pass judgment.  The Spirit also leads the believer to obey God and to do His will. 

Strong teachings in both the Old and New Testaments show us plainly how we can do God’s will.  There are many, but I cite these:  “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).  And in James 1:22-25:  “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.  For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.  But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” Grounded, then, in ‘the law of liberty’—which is accepting the Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, Who came to fulfill the law of God and make His way known to us, and then perseveres and obeys, and becomes “a doer who acts” in accordance to God’s will and way, such is the disciple who will be recognized in the judgment and will enter into his reward.  God’s love in the heart motivates the disciple to obey God and serve others: “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). Followers of Christ have no need to fear the judgment day.  They belong to God.  The Holy Spirit within them bears witness to God’s spirit that they are the children of God. This seal was imparted to them at conversion.  Praise be to God!  We rest in the assurance of being known by Him both now and in the judgment!

What Does the Lord Require?

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?” –Micah 6:8 (NKJV).

Could we ever hope to be so succinct in word choice and powerful statement that we could summarize the requirements of the Lord God for his people in one sentence?

Read Micah 6:8. Micah, a prophet who lived, prophesied and wrote in the eighth century B. C., did an admirable job of concisely stating man’s responsibilities and manner of life. His work and ministry spanned parts of the reigns of three kings of Judah—Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. This cryptic message from Micah is set amidst the context of his preaching against idolatry, speaking against sacrifices offered without a change of heart, and the short measures, cheating and violence that characterized their daily lives. Is it any wonder that Micah would appeal strongly to people to follow justice, mercy and humility?

I often wonder what the prophets like Micah of old would say if they could enter our day and ways of life and preach against the conditions that exist now? I’m sure their listing of sins would
encompass even stronger reprimands than we find in his prophetic message delivered then. No doubt, like his message in the eighth century, Micah would still pinpoint the fallacies of God’s people as they live out selfish and sinful lives incognizant of the impending judgment of God upon them. Micah’s message would not be changed because it was then and remains what God would have His people hear. Listen to the warning Micah sounded: “Yet the land shall be desolate because of those who dwell in it, and for the fruit of their deeds” (Micah 7:13). Dr. Robert G. Lee (1886-1996), a powerful preacher of the last century, had a sermon he entitled “Pay Day Some Day.” Like Micah in his prophecy, Dr. Lee sounded forth with mighty conviction the penalties for man’s rebellion and disobedience to God, using the story of King Ahab coveting Naboth’s vineyard, the king’s wife Jezebel arranging for Naboth’s death, Elijah’s warning, and the eventual terrible punishment for the sin fed by covetousness. I heard Dr. Lee deliver the sermon at a Baptist Convention my husband and I attended and also at Ridgecrest (NC) Baptist Retreat Center when we were young to the ministry. You can be assured we listened to Dr. Lee’s sermon with fear and trembling and prayed for mercy. Persons can still listen to Dr. Lee on U-Tube at www.tlogical.net/biorglee.

The three major requirements God makes to set things right between His erring children and His righteous judgment are clearly delineated by Micah:

(1) To do justly;

(2) To love mercy; and

(3) To walk humbly with your God.

These seem on the surface to be rather simple to remember and to do. But behind putting these tenets into action in living out our daily life must be a genuine commitment and determination. Involved is a prayerful life, a steadfast weighing of the situation and choosing righteousness, and a recognition that the individual is not strong enough on his/her own spiritual strength to do it alone. It takes daily succor from the Lord. But, if we are repentant and seek his love and mercy, as shown in Micah, we can end up on a victorious note: “He does not retain His anger forever, because He deloights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, land will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, which you have sworn to our fathers from days of old.” (Micah 7:18b-20, NKJV). Thanks be to God!

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).