Not Forsaken

Aaron and Miriam spoke against Moses their brother after he married an Ethiopian woman.  The passage says ominously, "And the LORD heard it."  Because he was a meek and humble man, Moses did not say anything to defend himself from their attempts to publicly undermine his God-given leadership role.  God is patient and longsuffering, yet in this case He acted quickly by summoning all three of them to appear before him at the tabernacle.  The LORD descended before them in a pillar of cloud and stood in the doorway, and He commanded Aaron and Miriam to step forward.

Numbers 12:6-9 tells us God's words:  "Then He said, "Hear now My words: "If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. ⁷ Not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. ⁸ I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?" ⁹ So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed."  God did make Himself known to prophets by dreams or visions, yet Moses was a faithful servant of God to whom He spoke face to face.  Since God honoured His servant Moses with His presence, how could Aaron and Miriam justify speking against him?

After the presence of God departed and the cloud lifted, suddenly Miriam was found to be leprous.  Aaron immediately pleaded with Moses to not hold their foolishness and sin against them, and to have mercy on her.  Numbers 12:13-16 says, "So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, "Please heal her, O God, I pray!" ¹⁴ Then the LORD said to Moses, "If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again." ¹⁵ So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again. ¹⁶ And afterward the people moved from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran."  God answered the cry of Moses that Miriam be cleansed of leprosy, yet she would be required to remain outside the camp for seven days.

God's grace was shown by waiting for Miriam to be ceremonially clean before pulling up stakes and moving.  Verse 15 says the camp did not journey until she was brought in again, and it was God who waited 7 days before He presence moved before them.  Customarily the presence of God--whether in a pillar of fire by night or a pillar of cloud by day--moved from the tabernacle and signaled priests to bundle up and follow, carrying the Ark of the Covenant on their shoulders until the presence of God stood still (Numbers 9:15-23).  Miriam was disciplined for her sin by God, yet God desired Miriam's restoration and to provide the opportunity for her to return to Himself and her people.  God waited 7 days for Miriam to return to the camp before He led the camp forth, and this encourages us God has not rejected or forsaken those who have sinned.  Our LORD is always gracious, merciful, inclined to forgive and restore the sinning soul.