Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 47: Much Whining

Good evening, everyone!

It was extremely busy at work today, but also fun! I am really tired, but I remembered that I still had to do my blog post today, so here we go.

Let me just double-check my reading from this morning...

Oh yes.

That's what I wanted to talk about.

The people begin to complain. Again. This time because, even with all the food they have, there is no meat. And they start to reminisce about the food they used to have. While they were in slavery.

Now, I've been known to complain a little when I can't find the food I want (usually chocolate) but I like to think that if I were in a desert after escaping slavery, I wouldn't complain about not having meat. At least, not when there are herds of animals around.

Now, that's what I like to think.

In all likelihood, I would complain.

Because I complain through my desert seasons about not having something I need (or want) when I think I should have it.

If none of this sounds familiar to you, please teach me how you do it!

So, the Israelites complain. And they get in trouble. Again.

God gives them so much meat they get sick of it.

And Moses actually tells God that he's sick of their whining and wants God to kill him, rather than having to deal with it another day.

Well, this cools God's anger somewhat, and He has Moses choose people out of the Israelite elders to help him corral the people.

After these complaints, there are more complaints.

This time, it's from Aaron and Miriam.

And what are they complaining about?

Moses' wife.

Numbers 12:1-1 : Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman); and they said, "Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?" And the Lord heard it.

Uh oh.

So God always hears our complaints. We have to be careful what we say, though carrying it in our hearts can be just as bad.

But let's find out what they were complaining about, and why they got in trouble.

So, from everything I've ever heard, but also through research into this topic, a Cushite is from Cush, in Ethiopia.

So, the Israelites didn't like that he married an outsider, first of all, but he'd already married a Midianite when he was sojourning there.

But because she's from Cush, she's dark complected. Either fully black or from a mixed race.

And this, according to what I've learned, is what Miriam and Aaron were complaining about.

And so they are in trouble.

But they dig the hole even deeper when they speak out against Moses being God's spokesman.

Because God chose Moses Himself as such. The only reason Aaron ever got to talk to the people is because Moses didn't like public speaking. Moses was God's messenger and Aaron was Moses'.

So God gets angry and says this:

Numbers 12:6-8 - He said, "Hear now My words. If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all my household; With him I speak mouth to mouth, even openly, and not in dark sayings, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?"

Whew. Big trouble.

Not only has Moses been chosen by God as His prophet, Moses is the only prophet among the Israelites at this time to have seen God's form.

Remember? Moses asked to see God's face, but was informed that to see God's face is to see all of His glory and die. So God covered Moses' face as He passed and all Moses saw was His back. But he beheld the form of God.

So, Moses wasn't just a prophet. He was special to God.

And Miriam and Aaron just messed up.

So, I'm not sure what happened to Aaron. This part of the Bible is unclear. But Miriam becomes leprous. Aaron begs for her life, and God agrees not to kill her, but she is to bear the leprosy for seven days, as punishment for her grumbling.

Now, I'm thinking, and I could be wrong....but I'm thinking that she gets punished worse because she instigated it. Notice how Miriam's name is mentioned first during the complaints against Moses and his wife?

It's possible.

And it's also a good reminder.

It's normal to doubt leadership sometimes. It's normal to question where they are leading, or where God is taking His church through them.

Sometimes it's even normal to question God.

But questioning, even discussing something that is frustrating, and grumbling are different things.

And we must be careful not to speak against God's chosen leaders. Or to let arrogance into our hearts.

Did you notice the other thing Miriam said?

"Has not God spoken through us also?"

"Aren't we as good as Moses?" "Look at his wife. Aren't we actually better than Moses?" 

And this kind of talk eventually becomes "Couldn't we lead better than Moses? Wouldn't we be better off without Moses? What has Moses ever done for us?"

Opening that door to grumbling only lets in a flood of bad thoughts.

And make no mistake. Attempting to usurp God's chosen leadership has consequences.

And that's the lesson I took from today's reading.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Numbers 14-15.