The Life of Moses15-Miriam: Let God Be God in your Moods and Moments

Miriam: Let God Be God in your Moods and Moments

Summary: Miriam, the sister of Moses, was a brilliant woman, and a leader- but, her leadership led to her rebellion. She was taught a lesson by the Lord, and restored. We should lead by listening both to the Lord, and the leaders that He has raised up.

Scripture Reading : Numbers 12:1-15

Date:30 August, 2015
Series:The Life of Moses

Continuing our series on The Life of Moses,  Today, Let’s consider MIRIAM.

Scripture Reading

Let us Rise to our feet and together read Numbers 12:1-15

12 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.2 And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it.3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)4 And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.5 And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lordwill make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?9 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed.10 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.11 And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.12 Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb.13 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.14 And the Lord said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.15 And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.

This is the word of God. Thanks be to the LORD. May the sweet Holy Spirit add His manifold blessings to our text this morning... in our hearing. Amen! You may be seated in God's Presence.

Introduction

I was startled when I found out what her name means in Hebrew. I was not prepared for what I learned. For I learned, after having examined my Hebrew Text and Lexicon that Miriam means REBELLIOUS. It suggests the idea of a Stubborn Resistance to Authority. At Times, All of Us Project A Stubborn Opposition, even Resistance, to Authentic Authority and Leadership.

That stubbornness is manifested in our Opting For Kadesh (Sacrilegious Sanctuary of Satan) rather than Canaan (Sacred Sanctuary of the Sovereign Savior), and our Personal Preference of Prominent People from our Perspective. We all have some ‘Miriam’ in us.

The word Miriam - Meer-yawn’ reminds us of Eve’s condition after the Fall in Eden: Rebellious, Resisting the Authority of Her Head, Adam. Miriam was a key leader in the story of the Exodus of the nation of Israel from Egypt- one who often goes unrecognized as she led alongside of Moses and Aaron. 

In Numbers 12, we confront Two Prominent People who are Poised and Positioned by God for Greatness, Paired with the Perturbing Peril of Arrogant High-Mindedness! Numbers 12:1 says: “And Miriam and Aaron Spake Against Moses ….”

It would greatly enhance our understanding of this part of the Script if you and I would give strict scrutiny to the Word Order of this Main Clause. For Miriam is mentioned first in word-order, not incidentally or accidentally, but purposefully, intentionally. The prominence of her name in the first position indicates that Miriam is the one who is actually doing the Speaking Against and Aaron is there as a silent partner. We need to understand here that it is Miriam who is voicing her displeasure with Moses and Aaron gives his consent with his silent attendance.

1. PROMINENT PEOPLE HAVE NOT ALWAYS BEEN WELL KNOW: THEY HAVE HAD INCONSPICUOUS BEGINNINGS. EXODUS 2:1-10.

So Inconspicuous was Miriam that we are not even told Her Name in this Second Chapter of Exodus. She is referred to in verse 4 as “his sister,” that is Moses’ sister. She is referred to in verse 5 as one of the “maids” of Pharaoh’s daughter. And in verse 7, she is referred to again as “his sister,” Moses’ sister.

Inconspicuous, Unknown; yet she played a major role in the plan of God for the life of Israel. As an older sister, she watched to see what would happen to her baby brother Moses - v. 4.

She was responsible for reuniting her brother Moses with his Hebrew family - verses 7-10. She was a MAID who MADE A DIFFERENCE!

I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN SENSE THAT REBELLIOUS NATURE IN MIRIAM TO AUTHORITY HERE! She seems to be saying to Pharaoh even here in the 2nd chapter of Exodus that You are Not the Final Authority in this matter! You’re not going to make me take my eyes off of my brother!!! I AM NOT GOING TO GIVE HIM UP THAT EASILY - VERSE 4.

Then in verses 5-10, she helped Pharaoh’s own daughter Rebel against the Authority of the King!!! We can sense Her Rebellious Spirit even here!!!

I think we need to be reminded of that Principle of Civil Disobedience as Practiced by the Late Dr. King and Gandhi. There is a time and place to rebel against the powers that be!!! When that authority is in defiance of higher laws, its time to stubbornly rebel! When that authority practices Terrorism on its own citizens, its time to rebel! There is a time when we must not Bend nor Bow to the Music of the powers that be!!! 

That is the apostle’s Paul advise to us in Ephesians 6 where he says: “to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

At those times, like Miriam, we must defiantly stand afar off to see what is being done to our brothers and sisters, and even help those who are friendly to our cause disobey ungodly laws and ordinances!!

Some Prominent People Have Had Inconspicuous Beginnings. Miriam began as a MAID. My SECOND POINT IS THIS:

1. PROMINENT PEOPLE HAVE NOT ALWAYS BEEN WELL KNOW: THEY HAVE HAD INCONSPICUOUS BEGINNINGS. EXODUS 2:1-10.
2. INCONSPICUOUS BEGINNINGS SOMETIMES LEAD TO PROMINENT PLACES. EXODUS 15:20-21.

Here in the 15th Chapter of Exodus, we confront Miriam some 80 years later, no longer a teenaged girl nor a slave of Pharaoh’s daughter, standing on the banks of the other side of the Red Sea elevated to the status of a Prophetess. She has gone from being a MAID to a MATRON! The Lord God has Elevated Her!!!

Somewhere I read that “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Somewhere I read, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.”

Somewhere I read that, “Promotion come neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: He puts down one, and sets up another.”

Somewhere I read that, “His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation. He scatters the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He puts down the mighty from their seats, and exalts them of low degree. That He fills the hungry with good things; and the rich He sends away empty.”

That’s why the way Up is Down. The way to Greatness is through Service. So if we want to exchange our Aprons for Royal Robes, we must take the Towel of Service!!! Miriam has now been elevated to the Position of Prophetess. 

Allow me to digress to progress. If you would look at the first tree words of 15:1, you will find an uncharacteristic phrase: “Then SANG MOSES ….” If the commencement of that verse had read, “Then Spoke Moses,” or “Then Prophesied Moses,” or “Then Prayed Moses,” perhaps we would have read it and paid no attention to it. For characteristically, Moses would Speak as the mouthpiece of God and as the representative of the people. Characteristically, Moses would Pray to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob on behalf of the nation. So if that verse would have said Then Said or Prayed Moses, it probably would not have grabbed our attention.

But it does not say Then Said Moses, but THEN SANG MOSES!!! We need to really look at this. For the Singing of Moses Signals the Sign of Something Significant!!! 

When, then, did Moses Sing? The context of Chapter 14 informs us that He Sang on the heels of the Lord’s great deliverance of Israel from the grip of Pharaoh and his army. After the Lord had caused the waters of the Red Sea to stand up like a mighty giant on both sides until Israel made it safely to the other side, and then spoke and waters rushed back in place drowning the army of Pharaoh therein, THEN SANG MOSES!!!

Moses is not known for having a melodious voice or a career as a songster. Moses is not known for causing goose-bumps to cover the surface of the skin. He could not sing as anointedly as David or play as skillfully as Michel W Smith. But as a response to witnessing the salvation of the Lord, He Sang.

That ought to suggest to us that regardless of our singing savvy or musical ineptness, that following every Divine Deliverance should be Personal Praise!!! The Lord’s Working should be accompanied by our Worship! Deliverance should trigger Applause. Salvation should signal SINGING. So, ‘THEN SANG MOSES!’ He sang because the Lord had triumphed gloriously.

Oh, when Moses Sang, it must have Moved the Nation! When Moses Sang, it must have tuned up the hearts of the people; because verse 1 also says that “the children of Israel also sang this song unto the Lord.”

When Moses Sang, it also stirred the heart of his older sister Miriam; for verse 20 says that Miriam “took a timbrel (a tambourine) in her hand,” and said to the women in verse 21 “Sing ye to the Lord.” 

The Holy Spirit empowered her to form the first Women’s Anointed Choir and Dance Company in Israel!!!

1. PROMINENT PEOPLE HAVE NOT ALWAYS BEEN WELL KNOW: THEY HAVE HAD INCONSPICUOUS BEGINNINGS. EXODUS 2:1-10.
2. INCONSPICUOUS BEGINNINGS SOMETIMES LEAD TO PROMINENT PLACES. EXODUS 15:20-21.
3. PERTURBING PERILS ARE PAIRED WITH PERSONS WHO ARE POSITIONED IN PROMINENT PLACES OF POWER.

Now the last snap-shot we have of Miriam is in Exodus 15:20 & 21 where, as a prophetess under divine inspiration, she has a tambourine in her hand exhorting the women of Israel to Sing to the Lord. As a Prophetess, she Blesses the Name of the Lord; she Praises the Prince; she Sings to the Savior; she Dances to the Deliverer; she Prophesies of God’s Awesome Power.

But the very next snap-shot we have of Miriam is in Numbers 12:1 where she is Speaking Against Moses!! She has gone from Playing a Tambourine to Striking Notes of Discord; from Prophesying to Protestation; from Praise to Pejorative; from Blessing to Blaming; from Dancing to Damning; from Compliment-er to Critic.

Which all underscores How Frequently Our Moods Migrate! We migrate from Blessing to Blaming; from Praising to Finger-Pointing; from Complimenters to Critics; from Inspiration to Imprecation; We Navigate from the Holy to the Horrible, from the Heights to the Depths much-too-much and way-too-often!!!

That’s one of our perennial problems: we cannot Master Our Moods; we fail to Remain Constant!!! One moment we are Speaking Well Of and the next we are Speaking Against. That’s why its imperative that we yield ourselves to the mastery and ministry of the Holy Spirit. We need Him to regulate our minds and monitor our moods. We need His hand on the reigns of our emotions and mind-sets.

The Madness and Mess of our Mood Swings is further exasperated by the Tenses of our Temperaments. It would appear from the context of our text that our Blessing or Praising Mood is of the Qal Kind, the Aorist Kind, the Past Tense Kind of Momentary Action, whereas our Blaming and Hypocritical Mood is of the Piel Kind, the Imperfect of Repeated Action Kind. For back in Exodus 15:20-21, the Tense of Miriam’s Praise is a One-Time Momentary Past Act. Which is to say that Miriam only Praised, Sang and Danced that once. It was not a repeated, protracted maintained mood; just a fleeting feeling. Whereas in Numbers 12:1, the Tense of Miriam’s Criticism is a Repeated, from time-to-time Act. Which is to say that Miriam Kept-On-Speaking Against Moses.

I wonder, can you relate? From our own practical experience from day to day, we find, after retrospection, that our Praise, our Blessing, our Speaking Well Of is much too often a One Time Act. For our Praise, our Worship, our Blessing seems to be compartmentalized. We have designated our Praise Mood to Sunday Mornings. We put on our Worship Face and Blessing Clothes on Sunday Mornings and pull them off after church. Momentarily, we Speak Well of God and our Brothers and Sister with whom we come in contact. But after the 11 o’clock hour, we re-compartmentalize our Praise Mood.

For some fleeting moments in the sanctuary, we refrain, sometimes, from Speaking Against Anyone else, and we just Speak Well Of, Praise the Lord. For one momentary moment, we enjoy the peace of God and the joy of the Lord. But that Mood does not last Long! It appears that we cannot sustain Speaking Well Of the Lord for protracted periods of time. It appears that our Praise dies on our lips and brotherhood is confined to one hour of the week.

For more often than not, we Keep-On-Speaking Against One Another from Sunday to Sunday. We Talk About Folk. We Criticize People. We Find Fault with Folk. We Tear them Down Repeatedly. We live more in the Kadesh of Criticism than we do in the Canaan of Praise!!!

One of the intentional issues raised and addressed by our text is this:

WHY DO WE HURTING HUMAN PERSONALITIES SPEAK AGAINST ONE ANOTHER WITH SUCH REGULARITY? WHY DO WE CRITICIZE EACH OTHER UNJUSTLY? WHY DO WE TALK ABOUT OUR PASTOR SO MEAN SPIRITEDLY? WHY DO WE ATTACK ANOTHER’S CHARACTER AND CALLING? WHY? WHAT IS THE REASON?

Perhaps Verse 1 will offer us an answer in that “Because” clause. It seems to suggest that the reason Miriam spoke against Moses was “because of the Ethiopian woman whom he has married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.” Now hardly anyone would argue with that conclusion because that’s what it says in verse 1.

But let me suggest to you that that is not the Only Cause, it’s only A Cause; One of Several Reasons.

What are you talking about Harris? You must understand that in the Hebrew Text the word translated “because” is Plural in Number. Thus, it does not posit One Cause, but Causes. In fact the translation reads in the Hebrew Text, “for the causes of,” and mention another Cause in verse 2 with that conjunction “And because ….”

Thus, the First Reason Given why Miriam Spoke Against Moses in Verse 1 Is THE OTHER WOMAN!!!

You thought I was going to say “Racism” didn't you? Let’s examine this Problem of THE OTHER WOMAN for a moment, because if we do I think it would perhaps aid us in defeating this Speaking Against Thing that is Paired with us to our Peril.

The Problem of THE OTHER WOMAN seems to bring to the forefront Our Personal Preference of People Who Are Like Us and thus Who Remind Us Of Us.

You must bear in mind that up until this point, it was M A M: Moses, Aaron and Miriam. Miriam was the Only Woman of Prominence within the Leadership Circle. But Now, it is no longer M A M but M A M E, Moses Aaron, Miriam and the Ethiopian Woman. There is Another Woman in the picture Now!!!

Moses’ wife is now raised to the level of national consciousness. She is the wife of the nation’s leader, the first lady of state. The mere fact of her marriage to Moses bring the spotlight on her as well as on Moses. And sometimes, THE OTHER WOMAN, THE PASTOR’S WIFE BECOMES A PROBLEM FOR SOME FOLK.

Why? Because SHE IS NOT LIKE US AND THEREFORE, DOES NOT REMIND US OF US. SHE’S DIFFERENT!!! She is North Indian. She is not the kind of woman they would have picked to be the pastor’s wife. So, she becomes a Problem.

Often times People we Prefer makes Decisions that Anger us. Many a parent has vented their frustration that a child has married beneath them. Many a sibling has expressed their disappointment in the choice of a brother/sister in marriage. To us it seems all too clear that the person has made a mistake; has married beneath them, and therefore, its just a matter of time and the marriage will dissolve in divorce.

Perhaps, that explains, in part, why some of us are speaking against a child or a brother or sister. Because we don’t like their Marriage-Choice!

Why is that? In part, its because we feel THE OTHER WOMAN is Not Like Us!!! Listen again to the First Explanation given in verse 1 that accounts for Miriam’s Bad Mouthing Her Brother: “And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses Because of the Ethiopian Woman whom he has married: for he had married an Ethiopian Woman.”

Now that refrain of “Ethiopian Woman” is a key ingredient in the Mood of Miriam. It was not the fact that Moses, her brother, married. But the fact that Moses, her brother, married an Ethiopian Woman!!!

Perhaps, Rebellious - Miriam, had a Problem with Racism. Perhaps she judged a person not on the Content of their Character, but solely on the Color of their Skin. You see, to Miriam, the Blackness of her skin, testified that that Woman Was Not Like Them!!!

Could it be that the reason you are constantly Bad-Mouthing someone else is that you have a Problem with Their Outer Appearance? Perhaps to you, they are too Black; or too White; or too Fat; or too Thin; or too Ugly. But Oh, think about what you are denying yourself of. What sweet fellowship, what closeness could have been cultivated.

We can’t judge a book by its cover. My father always told me that if you want to get the ‘Goodie’ you have to crack the shell. If you really want to get to know someone, you have to get past the outer imperfections and embrace the hidden man of the heart.

It is not our outer appearance that commends us to God. It is not the color of our skin, the shape of our bodies, the texture of our hair or our physical features which calls forth the grace of God on any of us. For the clear testimony of Scriptures is that we are not saved by Race but by Grace. We are not saved by our Color but by God’s Color-Blindness. We are not saved by Ethnicity but by Election.

Let’s Celebrate our Diversity. Let’s embrace our Differences. For it testifies to the Grace of God. It was Charles R. Brown who said:

“We are not hen’s eggs, or bananas, or clothespins,To be counted off by the dozen. Down to the last detail We are all different. Everyone has his own fingerprints. Recognize and rejoice in that endless variety. The White light of the divine purpose streams down from heaven To be broken up by these human prisms into all the colors of The rainbow. Take your own color in the pattern and be just that.”

Let’s steer clear of the Blame-Game and Hypo-criticism.

It was John Ruskin who said: 

“The question is not what a man can scorn, or disparage, or find fault with, but what he can love, and value, and appreciate.”

It was George Herbert who said: 

“He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.”

It was Baruch Spinoza who said:

“I have made a ceaseless effort not to ridicule, not to bewail, not to scorn human actions, but to understand them.”

Abraham Lincoln said:

“He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help.”

Thomas Kempis said: 

“Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.”

It was Francis Willard who said: 

“I cannot help believing that the world will be a better and a happier place when people are praised more and blamed less; when we utter in their hearing the good we think and also gently intimate the criticisms we hope may be of service.”

Our challenge then is to steer clear as much as possible of that Blaming Mood and dwell in that Blessing Mood.

Perhaps we ought to practice that principle of David as stated in Psalm 34. “I will Bless the Lord at All Times: His Praise shall Continually be in My Mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O Magnify the Lord with me, and Let Us Exalt His Name Together.”

We cannot Bless the Lord at all times and Speak Against our Brother at the same time. Speak Well Of the Lord and you won’t Speak Against Another. Bless the Lord and you Bless your Brother. Praise the Lord and you Uplift your Brother.

Let’s Practice this Protracted Imperfect Tense of Continual Praise. Remember. “Be not deceived, God is not mocked; whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap.” Sow Blame and you shall reap Blame. Show Criticism and you shall reap Criticism. Sow Blessing and you shall reap Blessing!!!

SPEAK WELL OF SOMEBODY. LIFT THEM UP. COVER THEM WITH PRAISE. SPEAK WELL OF!!!

Now there seems to be an Additional Reason for Miriam bad-mouthing Moses on a continuous basis. Verse 2 seems to posits a Second Reason indicated by that Conjunctive “And.” Which seems to says ‘And in addition to the Other Woman, Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because “they said, Has the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Has He not spoken also by us?”’

SO A SECOND REASON FOR MIRIAM’S HYPOCRITICISM SEEMS TO BE ARROGANT HIGH-MINDEDNESS. 

Verse 1 states quite plainly that one reason why Miriam played the Blame-Game with Moses was because of the “Ethiopian woman whom he had married.”

Sometimes, people we Prefer make Decisions that Anger Us in the Choice of a Marriage-Partner or Boyfriend/Girlfriend.That’s why we ought to heed the hints and suggestions of the series of messages because Perturbing Perils Are Paired With Persons Who Are Positioned In Prominent Places Of Power.

Miriam and Aaron were Two Prominent People who were Poised and Positioned By God For Greatness. But because they were Paired with the Perturbing Peril of ARROGANT HIGH-MINDEDNESS, They Blew It!!!

1. PROMINENT PEOPLE HAVE NOT ALWAYS BEEN WELL KNOW: THEY HAVE HAD INCONSPICUOUS BEGINNINGS. EXODUS 2:1-10.
2. INCONSPICUOUS BEGINNINGS SOMETIMES LEAD TO PROMINENT PLACES. EXODUS 15:20-21.
3. PERTURBING PERILS ARE PAIRED WITH PERSONS WHO ARE POSITIONED IN PROMINENT PLACES OF POWER.
4. TWO PROMINENT PEOPLE WHO WERE POISED AND POSITIONED BY GOD FOR GREATNESS WERE PAIRED WITH THE PERTURBING PERIL OF ARROGANT HIGH-MINDEDNESS

Now those of you are who conversant with the Paradoxes that are Paired with our Privileged Position of being Providentially Preferred in Christ Jesus will recognize that this very point is dealing with one of those paradoxes. Because there is a sense in which we are exhorted and authorized by God Himself to be High-Minded.

Now just before you judge me to be a heretic and propagating things contrary to the revealed mind of God as recorded in the Holy Writ, let me remind you of a few instances of this High-Mindedness Principle pushed by God all through the Scriptures. Isaiah the prophet reminds us in Isaiah 6 that the Lord our God is “high and lifted up.” He is the God who is above all other gods. He is incomprehensible, beyond the full grasp of our understanding. And thus, for us creatures of low places to gain some insight into this High and Lifted Up God, demands a measure of High-Mindedness. We have to “Lift up our eyes” beyond the hills from whence comes our help.

For instance, if I want to be kept in perfect peace, it means that I must be High-Minded in that I keep my mind stayed on the Lord. This is the principle that Paul picks up on in Colossians 3. In verse 1 of Colossians 3 Paul says: “If ye then be risen with Christ (Raised, Elevated, Lifted Up), seek those things which are ABOVE, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affections on THINGS ABOVE, not on things on the earth.” now, that’s high-mindedness!!!

And then in Philippians 4:8, Paul enumerates some of those High-Minded Things. He writes: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are TRUE, whatsoever things are HONEST, whatsoever things are JUST, whatsoever things are PURE, whatsoever things are LOVELY, whatsoever things are OF GOOD REPORT; if there be any VIRTUE, and if there be ANY PRAISE, THINK ON THESE THINGS.”

Which all underscores the fact that you can’t make it to a High Place with a Low Mind. You can’t dwell in the Mountains with a Valley Mentality, a Valley mind. In order to Go Up, you have to THINK Up, LOOK UP and then CLIMB UP. No one will go to Heaven Minding Earthly Things!!!

But then it is at this point where we encounter the Tension and Peril that is Paired with this Privilege. For, occasionally, the High-Mindedness of our Calling is not balanced with the Humbleness of our Daily Walk. And so, we begin to Think More Highly of Ourselves than we ought to. It is at this point where we tend to lose that “likemindedness, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” We then start operating from the flesh, doing things thru strife or vainglory, rather than lowliness of mind esteeming others better than ourselves.

That why Paul exhorts us in Philippians 2:5, “Let This Mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Thus in our Text at verse 2 of Numbers 2, Miriam and Aaron have allowed the high privilege of their calling to inflate the ego of the ‘Self.’ Notice that the questions asked were not asked Moses, but were asked of others.

Notice also that the first question posed seems not to stir the response they expected, and so they quickly had to add the second question.

The answer to their first question was ‘No.’ God had not spoken only through or by Moses. But Miriam and Aaron weren't the only two other people God had spoken through either. Because back in 11:16-29, the Lord had begun to speak to 70 Men of the elders of Israel also.

Which underscores the fact that there was Some Heavy Stuff on Moses - 11:17, 24-29.

The implication of their question was that Moses was not the only leader of the nation. That they needed to listen to someone other than Moses, them!!! That’s arrogant High-Mindedness!!!

Invitation And The Final Challenge

And its Arrogant High-mindedness that gets the Lord’s attention. Verse 2 says, “And the Lord Heard It.” I think we need to pay attention to that phrase. The Lord hears our Criticism, Back-biting and Bad-Mouthing of His Anointed. He marks the speech of those who criticize His servants.

And verse 3 is in parenthesis as an editorial. It speaks of the character and demeanor of Moses. And that is significant because as a meek or humble person, Moses did not respond to the criticism. He did not try to defend himself against the attacks on his character and calling. He simply heard it and acted as if he didn't hear. He did not respond to the accusations hurled against him.

And because of his humbleness and submissiveness to God’s will, God defended Moses. The Lord heard it!!! And its significant that verse 5 states that “the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud.” What the Lord heard caused Him To Come Down!!! I tell you, the Lord is actively concerned and engaged in the affairs of His people. This descension of God.

The mistake most people make is to equate a man of God with themselves. They say “He’s Just a man like Me.” Now that’s true to a point. The man of God is a man like any other man, in that, he is flesh and blood subject to the same passions, trials, temptations and fears as any other human. 

But he’s Man Plus in conjunction with God - verse 8.

I am convinced that speaking against a Man of God brings on the anger of the Lord - verse 9.

The proof is in verse 10. For those who have a Problem with the Color Black, God has an Answer - He curses them with the Color White. Sometimes being White is a Curse!!!

And since some have concluded that the man of God is just a man, God discounts that preconceived misconception. For it was only the Prayer of Moses that the Lord Heard - verse 13.

In closing let’s consider the Consequence of Rebelling Against Authentic Authority and Legitimate Leadership - verse 14-15.

Public Humiliation - With God, it’s A Shame to Speak Against Leadership because of Arrogant High-Mindedness. Thus, He Shuts Out the Offender from the Camp of the Committed. Shut Off from Fellowship. Shut Out from Contact. Shunned. Avoided.

We need to start treating the Critics as Lepers. Shut Them Out!!! Avoid their company.

If the Lord has moved you from a Maid to a Matron, you ought to make some Music.

If He has sifted you a Slave to a Son, you ought to Sing!

Salvation Signals a Song. Deliverance Dictates Dance. 

Redemption ought to Raise Some Praise!!!

Get on up now, and Git Yo’ Praize ON!!!

Sing to the Lord!!! 

LET HIM BE GOD IN YOUR PRAISE!

LET HIM BE GOD IN YOUR WORSHIP!

LET HIM BE GOD IN GRATITUDE!

LET GOD BE GOD IN YOUR PRAISE!!!

Let God Be God in your Moods and Moments.

Let God Be God in your Speech.

Let God Be God in your Sickness.

Let God be God in your Chastisement