In the beginning of Numbers 12, the siblings of Moses criticized him because he had married an Ethiopian woman. Miriam, a prophetess and his sister, and Aaron, the priest and older brother, had of course worked with Moses to achieve God’s purpose, but here in this chapter, we see the jealousy in their hearts. Having seen the hand of God on Moses’s life, one might imagine they would know better than to let pettiness rule them, but this shows us the tools of the enemy and how they can work evil even in those close to us. Perhaps they didn’t like the influence this Ethiopian woman had on Moses. It could be that they felt slighted that Moses favored her opinion more than theirs in some instance. Whatever the case, they stepped out of line, and did so in a way that God, Himself, stepped in to set them straight.
The Bible teaches us the importance of God’s Will, and that if we want the rewards of life, we must follow it. Proverbs 19:21(NLT) very straightforwardly tells us, “You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.” This is a piece of wisdom that should forever be in the forefront of our minds. It is the essential building block for keeping our priorities straight. There are many things we do daily—sins we commit, mistakes we make—that cause problematic consequences. These things alter our paths, but don’t take us completely off it. It’s not until we head in a direction that can potentially ruin our blessings and harm our relationship with God that we receive a wake-up call. It’s an alarm that will either put us in check or move us right on out the way.
God’s purpose will always prevail. If we won’t do our parts, He’s always got a ram in the bush. He desires us to wake up and fulfill our call because He desires us to receive the reward that is tied to the task. Both Miriam and Aaron received prophecy and revelation from God. They had a purpose in His Will and were blessed because of it, but they headed in a direction that took them outside of His Will. Their jealousy and words against Moses had ignited a spark, and it would not be allowed to turn into a roaring fire.
Numbers 12:2 tells us that the Lord’s ears perked up when He heard Miriam’s and Aaron’s foolish ramblings against Moses, and although He was not surprised, they were in for a rude awakening. Numbers 12:3(NLT) tells us, “Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth.” My heart melts every time I read this verse. As believers, we often confused meekness with weakness, and that should never be. Humility and meekness mean that a person obeys the Word of the Lord and put it above all else. This is who Moses was. He was God’s man because he honored God’s Will and Word.
God called a family meeting with these three to settle this business once and for all. Numbers 12:4-8(NLT) tells us, “4 So immediately the LORD called to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and said, “Go out to the Tabernacle, all three of you!” So the three of them went to the Tabernacle. 5 Then the LORD descended in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle. “Aaron and Miriam!” he called, and they stepped forward. 6 And the LORD said to them, “Now listen to what I say: “If there were prophets among you, I, the LORD, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams. 7 But not with my servant Moses. Of all my house, he is the one I trust. 8 I speak to him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles! He sees the LORD as he is. So why were you not afraid to criticize my servant Moses?” ,
There is none like Heavenly Father. He is everything! He is the Holy of Holies and glorious beyond glory. Moses was His servant, and He let Miriam and Aaron know that HE backed Moses, and when they disrespected Moses, they disrespected Him. Numbers 12:10 says that when the cloud moved from the tabernacle, Miriam’s skin was white as snow from leprosy. This was the price of her sin against God and His faithful servant.
God has total allegiance to His plan. Moses was not a perfect man, but he could be counted on to move according to God’s direction. Many of us have visions and dreams, and they are wonderful in giving us God’s directions and guidance, but He spoke to Moses directly. There was intimacy there. God trusted Moses. How about us? Can it be said that God can trust us to be faithful to carry out His purpose? Do we have a track record of seeking Him diligently, or do we try to forge our own way? Heavenly Father demonstrated repeatedly throughout His Word that He will back us when we back our lives with His Word.
Like Miriam and Aaron, there will be those that come against us when we walk with God. Some of them will be jealous of our light, and others will simply be used by satan to distract us from God’s purpose. We must be vigilant to remember that God’s blessings are tied to our humility and commitment. The times will continue to be pressing, but make no mistake, God has called us to be diligent to walk in Christ and to pursue His purpose. He doesn’t keep us in the dark about this unique calling. The knowledge of it is contained within our willingness, commitment, and diligence to seek it out, for our loving Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said in Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT), “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
The goal of the enemy is to keep us separated from our destinies in Christ, and he works through people and situations to distract us. We are in a spiritual battle and our prayer must always be that God will help us to have the humility of Jesus Christ, and that of Moses as well. We must look to God and keep our eyes locked on Him, because only He can rescue us. Psalm 84:11(NLT) tells us, “For the LORD God is our sun and our shield.
He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.”
It must not be lost on us that God did this for Moses when he was a servant, not a son. Heavenly Father entrusted him to deliver His Word to Israel and he was faithful to do it. We are not servants; we are God’s sons and daughters! We have received much more and much more of us is required. We must understand the power and authority that is contained in our allegiance to honor God. Moses showed us this. He was more concerned about pleasing God than he was any other thing, and when this is our mind-and-heart set, the Lord will fight our battles. He did it for Moses, and He will most certainly do it for us.●
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“The Lord Will Fight Your Battles” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2020. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God.