Miriam's Sin
J. C. Gray. Numbers 12:1-2 And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.… I. MIRIAM'S SIN. 1. Jealousy. 2. Envy. 3. Evil-speaking. Privately sought to undermine the power of Moses among the people. 4. Folly. Could she have succeeded in destroying the power of Moses, she would have failed in getting them to recognise her as their leader. She did not see that she shone in the borrowed light of her great brother. 5. Rebellion against God. Moses was the servant of God: to resist him was to resist the Master. 6. Vain excuses. "Because," and because... Sinners are often prolific in excuses; called by them reasons. II. MIRIAM'S DETECTION. "And the Lord heard it." Moses may have heard of it. This seems to be implied By the allusion to his meekness (ver. 3). If the Lord hear, then no sin passes undetected. Moses gave himself no concern about it. Could Miriam meet her brother without shame? The Lord spake suddenly. God pronounced Moses "faithful." What must Miriam have thought of her faithfulness? III. MIRIAM'S PUNISHMENT. She was smitten with leprosy, and under circumstances that much heightened the effect of the punishment. 1. It was in the presence of the person she had injured. 2. In the presence of her fellow-conspirators. 3. By the great God, against whose authority she had rebelled. 4. Was excluded from the camp publicly. 5. Humbled, by being cleansed in answer to the prayer of him she had wronged.Learn — 1. The great sin of evil-speaking. Especially against ministers of religion, whose influence for good ought to be preserved not only by themselves but by all about them. The character of public men is their strength. Destroy their character, their power is gone. By this loss the public itself is impoverished and injured. Hence such slander is suicidal. 2. God the defender of His servants. The severe punishment — and upon no other than Miriam — shows the Divine abhorrence of the sin. 3. Moses, leaving the exposure and punishment with God, and interceding for Miriam, teaches us how to regard attacks upon our character, and act under them, and towards such unhappy offenders. (J. C. Gray.) Parallel Verses KJV: And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. WEB: Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman.