Verse-by-Verse Discussion
Miriam and Aharon Engage in Subversive Conversation
Verse 1—Two of Moshe’s family members, Miriam and Aharon, engaged in some subversive conversation against Moshe. Moshe apparently married an Ethiopian woman which seemed to outrage the Miriam and Aharon. Now, depending on the translation you’re reading, the woman the two are referencing is labeled as either an Ethiopian or a Cushite (I.e., a descendant of Cush). And the billion dollar question screaming for an answer regarding this woman is: “Is Zipporah, wife of Moshe (at least one of his wives assuming he had another wife), mother of Moshe’s son Gershom, the daughter of Jethro who was the Priest of Midian, this so-called Ethiopian/Cushite woman that Mirian and Aharon were so beside themselves over?
Jethro: A Midianite/Kenite or a Cushite/Ethiopian?
Torah tells us that Jethro was a “Kenite” who resided in and served as a priest in the Land of Midian. It appears that the Kenites were a nomadic tribe that dwelt primarily in the Land of Midian, which supports most bible student’s understanding of Moshe’s Father-in-Law’s origins. It should be mentioned also that other names given to Jethro include Raguel and Reuel.
Regarding Jethro being a Kenite as expressed in the KJV, LEE, NET, NLT or rather a descendant of Kain according to ASV, CJB, CSB, ESV, NAB, NAS, NKJV, NRS and NRS, in order to resolve this mystery of who this Ethiopian or Cushite woman is, we must figure out if a Cushite/Ethiopian is also a Kenite or Midianite. It is apparent (despite the absence of the written word to this effect) that Moshe married another woman who happened to be an Ethiopian or Cushite. For it would seem as far as my research can uncover, Tzipporah was not an Ethiopian. The Midianites were actually descended from Avraham and of course Moshe was also a descendant of Avraham.
Midian was one of Avraham’s sons through Keturah, one of Avraham’s other wives (Genesis 25:1-4).
The Mystery of the Ethiopian/Cushite Wife of Moshe Discussed
The Book of Jasher and the Queen of Cush
Now, we know from Exodus 2:21 that Moshe was given Tzipporah as a wife by her father Jethro and the couple ended up having a son by the name of Gershom.
And so, that’s the skinny on Tzipporah and her background. But we still haven’t answered that billion dollar question that we all are biting at the bit to have answered: Is Tzipporah this mystery Ethiopian/Cushite woman that Moshe is supposed to have married and to have ignited a firestorm with Miriam and Aharon? I guess it’s possible that Tzipporah’s mother may have been a Cushite or Ethiopian and that’s how the writer of Numbers accounts for her Cushite or Ethiopian lineage. But of course the writer of Numbers (believed of course to be Moshe) did not mention Tzipporah’s mother at all in his write-up. So the chances of Tzipporah being this mystery Cushite/Ethiopian woman that Moshe married is somewhat unlikely.
Well, the Book of Jasher (one of the apocryphal books of the Tanach that was once embraced by both Jews and Romans Catholics) does support the thinking that Moshe had another wife. Jasher 73:30-31 thus reads:
“So Moses took the city by his wisdom, and the children of Cush placed him on the throne instead of Kikianus king of Cush. And they placed the royal crown upon his (Moshe’s) head, and they gave him for a wife Adoniah the Cushite queen, wife if Kikianus.”
Now the problem with this story is at least two-fold:
(1) For the most part, the Book of Jasher is no longer considered inspired or authoritative by most members of the Judeo-Christian faiths. And thus, with the exception of a small minority of open-minded scriptural-enthusiasts within and without our Faith, the overwhelming majority of people of faith would not entertain anything the Book of Jasher has to say on any subject.
(2) The Jasher story puts Moshe marrying this Ethiopian/Cushite queen in the Land of Cush some 40-years before his meeting and marrying Tzipporah in Midian. You see, the Book of Jasher details an enormous story around the life of Moshe after his fleeing Mitzriam, such that he leads the Cushites into a number of battles against their enemies and the Cushites in gratitude make Moshe their king. As King, Moshe is given this Ethiopian or Cushite queen to marry, but apparently, Moshe never consummates the marriage. And then 40-years later, Moshe leaves the Land of Cush, apparently without his queen-wife, and ends up in the Land of Midian where he takes up residence in Jethro’s home, ultimately marrying Jethro’s daughter Tzipporah.
Of course, none of this is covered in the Torah narrative. Interestingly, Jasher gives only a passing mention of the story that is contained in our Reading: only mentioning YHVH’s wrath being kindled upon “Miriam on account of Moshe” resulting in her “becoming leprous” and her being confined outside of the camp for 7-days (83:31-32). Absolutely no mention given of this mysterious Ethiopian/Cushite wife of Moshe. And given Jasher’s sparse acceptance as a credible historical text, we can only take the book’s explanation of who this Ethiopian/Cushite wife of Moshe was with prayerful and meditative caution.
The last thing I’ll say about Jasher and it’s treatment of the Moshe story is: I think we must be cautious when dealing with some of these types of stories such as Moshe ruling over the Cushite nation for 40 years. I’m not rejecting Jasher as a credible extra-biblical source. I personally believe the book is credible in many respects, as are the books of Jubilees and Enoch. I’m just cautious when studying them, knowing that men had this tendency to inserting themselves into the things of Yah. Yes, I’m talking about altering and manipulating the original texts, as they’ve done with our present canon of scripture, in order to further an agenda.
Moshe being such a giant in Jewish history, like revered leaders throughout the world over the centuries, legends and myths tend to develop around them and their life stories: those legends and myths are of course designed to make these leaders bigger than life. And certainly Moshe was bigger than life in many respects. But his bigness, if you will, didn’t come from his persona or from anything he personally did in his life and in the history of Israel. His bigness came from and because of YHVH, period. Thus, there was no need to make the man bigger than life as some of the sages have sought to do in developing their stories about Moshe. Yah must get the glory, not Moshe.
Josephus and the Ethiopian King’s Daughter
Josephus also provides somewhat of an explanation of who this mystery wife of Moshe may be by recording a story that Moshe led an Ethiopian army into some battle where he was victorious over their enemies. And because Moshe proved to be such a great leader to the Ethiopian military, the daughter of the king of the Ethiopians became so enamored with Moshe that she married him (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 2, Chapter 10).
Granted, Josephus does enjoy a bit more credibility and authority in and around Judeo-Christian circles than the Book of Jasher. But there appears to be mounting evidence that maybe, just maybe, this mystery woman is in fact Moshe’s first or second wife.
Targum’s Treatment of the Moshe’s Mystery Wife
Another perspective on Moshe’s Ethiopian or Cushite wife can be found in the Okelos Targum’s translation of Numbers 12:1. The Okelos translates the Kuwshiyth to mean “fair” or “beautiful,” such that this verse reads:
“And Miriam and Aharon spake against Moshe, because of the fair woman whom he had taken, because the fair woman who had been sent away he had taken” (12:1; OKE).
In this case, there are some orthodox Jews who contend that Tzipporah was indeed beautiful and that the term Cushite that was used to describe her was in fact a complimentary description of her. As such, it suggests that Miriam and Aharon took issue to the attractiveness of Moshe’s wife. Crazy huh? And this I have a problem with: Why would Moshe’s family have an issue with Moshe having an attractive wife? It makes absolutely no sense. But I guess it’s not outside the realm of possibility, presuming there’d be something more than just her looks to cause such dissension within the leadership.
Hebrew Orthodoxy and Moshe’s Mystery Wife
The last explanation I came across regarding Moshe’s mystery wife comes to us from Orthodox Judaism which contends that Midian is a synonym of Cushan. These cite Habakkuk 3:7 which reads:
“In affliction I saw the tents of Cushan: they trembled–the curtains of the land of Midian” (12:1; LEE).
J.H. Hertz, Torah and Haftorah author, states that Cushan is the home of the North Arabian people called Kusi. So, Hertz and others that follow after his line of reasoning, contend that this Cushite or Ethiopian woman was indeed the one and only Tzipporah.
My Personal Take on Moshe’s Mystery Wife
From my perspective, I have taken a more conservative view on the identity of Moshe’s Ethiopian/Cushite wife. I contend that Moshe likely did marry an Ethiopian or Cushite woman who was not the Midianite Tzipporah. Clearly, the event that is recorded here in Numbers 12:1 occurred some time after Moshe married Tzipporah. And here’s my argument in favor of Moshe having another wife:
Given that some time had by now passed since Moshe had married Tzipporah in the Land of Midian—years before Moshe was sent by Yah to lead the people out of Mitzriam, would it make any sense that Miriam and Aharon would criticize Moshe for marrying Tzipporah? Absolutely not. So, it would seem more than reasonable to conclude that this Ethiopian/Cushite woman was another unnamed woman whom Moshe married. Furthermore, is it possible that maybe even Tzipporah had died by this time, leaving Moshe a widower and primed to marry again? Exodus does not record what happened to Tzipporah. So I say that we cannot reject Tzipporah dying and Moshe remarrying. And it is this scenario that I lean towards in my understanding of this verse. Of course, if this matters to you, you’ll have to decide which scenario makes the most sense to you given the available information.
Lashon Hara (Evil Speech)
Okay, so having gotten that elephant in the room cleared out, we can now move on to the bigger issue surrounding Moshe and this Cushite wife of his, and that has to do with Miriam’s and Aharon’s criticism of Moshe over his Ethiopian/Cushite wife. And it is here that we learn about the concept of “Lashon Hara,” in English, “Evil Speech.”
We should be able to see a clear connection between the act of “Lashon Hara” and the act of “Murmuring.” We discussed murmuring quite a bit in our previous post, that being on Numbers 11:1-35. If you read or listened to that post, you will recall that the people “murmured” against Moshe (in reality they were murmuring against YHVH), and they were murmuring because they desired meat to eat. The people were bitterly discontent about their food situation, complaining about having just manna to eat. And these, in their murmuring longed for their former lives where they ate an abundance of food items, despite them being in bitter Egyptian servitude. And in response to their murmuring, YHVH’s wrath was poured out upon those residing in the outskirts of the camp in the form of a fire. Upon receiving word that Father’s fiery wrath had broken out in the camp among the people, Moshe petitioned YHVH to have mercy upon the people, which prompted Yah to cease the death and destruction. Furthermore, YHVH heard the frustrations of Moshe regarding his inability to fulfill the desires of the people for meat and YHVH provided the people with quail for a month: So much quail that the people quickly got sick of it.
The distinction between “Lashon Hara” that we see taking place here in our reading today, and the “murmuring” we saw in last week’s reading is that “Lashon Hara” leans more towards the act of “slander.” As we see portrayed in our reading, slander (lashon hara) is being directed towards Yah’s appointed leader: Moshe. And because Yah appointed Moshe to be leader over the people, Miriam’s and Aharon’s slander was in effect directed towards YHVH Himself. The bigger issue related to this slander in our focus passage today is that Moshe’s sister and brother were behind it. Miriam and Aharon, for all intents and purposes, by virtue of their close relationship with Moshe and their offices, Miriam a prophetess (Exodus 15:20) and Aharon the Levitical High Priest, were second and third in command. So it’s safe to say that there was dissension within the leadership ranks of the nation. And this dissension was in part over something as petty and foolish as Moshe’s wife’s heritage. And we’ll find out here shortly that Miriam’s and Aharon’s issue with Moshe went beyond Moshe’s wife. These also took issue with Moshe’s relationship with YHVH and his appointed and anointed position as the sole leader of the nation.
Now, like murmuring or complaining, slander/gossip/”lashon hara” is also a sin.And quite frankly, lashon hara, or slander, is a sin that many within and without our faith community commit on a frequent basis and they don’t even realize that they are in fact sinning when they engage in it. But we’ll talk more about this as we progress through the remainder of this discussion.
Questioning Moshe’s Authority and Leadership
Verse 2–Aharon and Miriam questioned Moshe’s authority and leadership, suggesting that YHVH had also spoken through them to the people. And somehow, the pair connected Moshe’s marriage to this Cushite/Ethiopian woman to Moshe’s authority as leader over the nation. There’s absolutely no way to tell exactly why Miriam and Aharon tied Moshe’s Cushite/Ethiopian wife to Moshe’s leadership/authority over the nation. And in my understanding of the story, it doesn’t seem too much of a stretch to recognize the real issue at at work here: Miriam and Aharon felt because they were Moshe’s siblings, they were authoritatively equal to Moshe. It’s likely that they were not “content” with their privileged status in the nation: they desired or coveted more power and authority than they presently possessed. They desired to share control over the nation and I believe they were having a difficult time coming to terms with the close and unshakable relationship YHVH had with Moshe.
The problem here is that Aharon and Miriam did not understand how YHVH works, nor did they “believe YHVH.” What do I mean by these two points?
- They did not recognize that YHVH was the One running the show and that it was YHVH who called the shots in terms of who would lead the nation. Neither they nor anyone else called the shots here. The buck stopped at YHVH. Family affiliations mattered in this situation only to the extent that Miriam and Aharon had rank and privilege within the nation: Aharon was the appointed High Priest and Miriam was an anointed prophetess. Yah is always sovereign and He can appoint whomsoever He chooses to lead His people.
- They did not believe YHVH when He stated and demonstrated to the nation that Moshe was His man to lead the nation (Exodus 19:20). And as we progress further along in our study here this evening, we will see even more evidence that Moshe was Yah’s man of the hour. There would be no other.
Verse 3–All indications are that this verse was added by Hebrew scribes at some point in history as evidenced by the brackets around the whole verse. Nevertheless, this verse serves as an editorial on the person of Moshe: that Moshe was the humblest person on this planet. It’s hard to imagine Moshe wrote this of himself.
And of course, the other person to whom this level of humility can be applied to is Yahoshua HaMashiyach:
“Take My yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:29).
There is indeed some scholarly debate as to whether or not Moshe actually wrote verse 3 or not. But it could be safely determined that Moshe was aware of Miriam’s and Aharon’s badmouthing of him. Yet Moshe took no action to stave their slandering or evil speech against him. But in that same vein, it is a certainty that YHVH was fully aware of Miriam’s and Aharon’s slanderous conversation.
Report to My Office Immediately
Verse 4-5-Suddenly, as the text expresses, YHVH calls Moshe, Aharon and Miriam out to the front of the Tabernacle. Hebraist and Messianic Torah teacher Tim Hegg describes what happened here in a most profound way:
“In the secret rooms of slander, God’s ear is attentive.”
Hegg also adds something quite interesting to the discussion here that I’d not given much thought to prior to reading his commentary on this passage. And what he proposes is that YHVH was responding to Miriam’s slander and to Aharon’s entertaining of Miriam’s slander. For there’s no indication that Aharon actually verbalized his thoughts during his subversive conversation with Miriam. And I would have to agree with Mr. Hegg on this nuance as it seems to bear some weight on how Yah will mete out punishment for their actions later on in the story.
But as the story goes, Yah descends down from heaven in the form of a “pillar of cloud” and He stood before the entrance to the Tabernacle. Yah then summons Aharon and Miriam to step forward towards Him. And both no doubt being extremely terrified of the prospects facing them, they do as they are commanded.
In Case You Did Not Know
Verse-6-8-So Father proceeds to inform Aharon and Miriam that Moshe is unique in His calling. In pointing out why Moshe is unique in his calling, Father distinguishes Moshe from, on the one hand, a prophet who YHVH reveals Himself to, primarily in visions, dreams, even parables from time-to-time. On the other hand, according to YHVH, He speaks to Moshe directly, “mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles,” and Moshe also physically sees a manifestation of the Almighty during His interactions with YHVH. In fact, Moshe WAS privy to direct, one on one conversations with the Almighty, unlike prophets who would receive communications from Yah via dreams or visions. Thus in the case of prophets, there is generally no two way direct communication. In Moshe’s case he’s certainly fully conscious and fully engaged in conversation with YHVH. Father considered Moshe alone as “trustworthy” in all YHVH’s household (cf. Hebrews 3:2, 5).In other words, Moshe was found worthy of the Creator’s confidence in everything pertaining to his leadership of the nation of Israel.
Why Did You Slander Your Brother?
So with all this said, Father asks the pair the simple question: Knowing the difference in how Yah works and interacts and communicates with Moshe and other servants of YHVH such as prophets, why in the world would you think to speak evil against your brother Moshe?
What Father is saying to Miriam and Aharon, and by extension us today, is that the instructions and commandments that come to the nation from Moshe is the prototype and test by which all other revelations of YHVH is to be judged. In fact, whatever comes out of Moshe’s mouth can be taken as coming directly from YHVH. Unlike prophets that receive revelation from Yah in a vision or dream and their messages are to be scrutinized accordingly, the revelation that Moshe passes on to the nation is not to be questioned nor scrutinized.
Torah: The Foundation of our Faith
This is the foundation of our Faith: Torah–the Word of Yah-which was delivered to us by Moshe and it is to stand without question. Those who choose to question Moshe’s authority stand to be judged without mercy. How many people have taken the dangerous position of teaching and preaching a message that Moshe and Torah no longer have any authority in the life of Yah’s people (reference Hebrews 10:28). Are these, in a sense, like Miriam and Aharon: subject to some form of punishment to be meted out by the Almighty? I would say, yeah, probably.
Punishment is Coming
Verse 9-10-After delivering this sobering edict to Miriam and Aharon, the record shows that Yah angrily departed their presence. And at this point in the story my imagination is drawn to those movies where something terrible is about to happen, but the perpetrator of that terrible thing is not visible to the viewers at that moment. So ominous and terrifying music usually puts forth a sense of tense anticipation of what is about to happen; anticipation of the shoe dropping any moment and someone(s) end up dead. I can imagine that Miriam and Aharon may have been literally peeing on themselves in utter terror of what was about to happen: you know, that “Oh Snap” moment.
But once YHVH’s presence had left the scene, Aharon turns to Miriam, no doubt in complete terror of what is going to happen to them; and he sees his sister leprous. The text described Miriam’s body as appearing “white as snow.” And no doubt, the extent of her leprosy communicated to anyone in eyesight of her, a death sentence. Conversely, Miriam would have been utterly mortified over her appearance. No doubt Aharon was confused as to why he had not been stricken with the leprosy as well. No doubt Moshe, who was close by was filled with a variety of thoughts and emotions. I would imagine that Moshe thought his sister was a “dead woman walking.” It’s possible Moshe felt responsible for what had happened to his sister. There’s just so much to imagine here as it relates to the possible emotions and thoughts of the three.
Leprosy—A Terrible Disease
Generally, leprosy itself would not cause immediate, direct death. Leprosy was one of those opportunistic diseases that in many cases leads to a complete breakdown of the body after a prolonged period of painful sores and nerve damage over the victims’ entire body (www.healthtap.com). Probably the most bitter part of leprosy was that, because leprosy is relatively contagious and if not checked and quarantine could decimate an entire community of people. So victims of this disease in ancient times were ejected from and abandoned by their communities. And certainly, Miriam would be facing all of what we just mentioned unless she would be delivered through some miraculous intervention by the Almighty.You see, there was and is to this day, no cure for leprosy. But in order for that to happen, Moshe would be required to interceded on her behalf.
Begging For Miriam’s Life
Verse 11-12-Aharon turns to Moshe and pleads for the life of his sister in what we could say is a strange twist of fortune. For it was just shortly before the trio was called out to the Tabernacle by YHVH that Miriam and Aharon were engaged in the sin of “lashon hara” or slander/evil speech against Moshe. And that “lashon hara” (aka subversion; evil speak; slander against Yah and His man) consisted of challenges to Moshe’s authority and personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe. And what Yah has set up here in sight of not just the trio (that being Aharon, Miriam and Moshe), but even those of the nation who may have been nearby, is a full endorsement of Moshe’s leadership and certification of all that Father had said to Miriam and Aharon. For this incident would serve as a terrible example and reminder for the people that when you seek to undermine Yah and the authority that He has given to His servant Moshe, you transgress Yah’s Word and you are subject to the penalty and condemnation of Torah which is death. And this is what Miriam was facing here at this juncture of our story.
One of the big points to be gleaned here is that Aharon, in his pleading with Moshe to intercede on behalf of their sister, brilliantly demonstrated Aharon’s total and complete submission to Moshe’s God-given authority over not just the nation, but over him (Aharon) as well.
Verse 13–And of course true to Moshe’s humble and caring nature, Moshe cries out to YHVH:
“Oh God, please heal her–please” (ESV).
Surely Moshe could have shied away from petitioning Yah for the healing of his sister, but he could not bear to see her suffer one second longer, despite what she’d done in an attempt to undermine His authority through her committing “lashon hara.” So with much agony Moshe pleaded with the Almighty to heal Miriam as evidenced by the double use of the word “please” in the one verse.
Obviously Moshe had forgiven Miriam and Aharon as evidenced in his petitioning Yah for Miriam’s healing. Clearly Moshe demonstrated for us all, proper Kingdom behavior. In fact, Moshe imaged Yeshua-focused Torah Living and he did so some 1,500 or more years before Yeshua taught the following:
“Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smitheth thee on the one cheek, offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:28-31; KJV)
There’s a Lesson to be Learned Here by Miriam
Verse 14-16-In response to Moshe’s desperate petition, YHVH responds with something akin to Miriam needing to be taught a lesson. And interestingly, Yah uses the example and comparison of a parent who sets out to shame his daughter for something she did to disgrace her family, whereby the parent puts the daughter into a 7-day “time out” as a rebuke. Thus, Miriam’s crime/sin is significantly more serious than, let’s say, a daughter disrespecting her parents. Miriam’s sin was subversive in nature, and because of the severity of this sin, Miriam most certainly could have been subject to death.
So, YHVH extended grace towards Miriam. And thus Miriam’s punishment for her “lashon hara” was spending a miserable 7-days in shame outside the camp. Some may see this punishment as being a bit too harsh. But the truth of the matter is that Miriam deserved death in exchange for her evil speech. Indeed, the wages of sin is always going to be death, but the gift of YHVH is life eternal through Yeshua Messiah (Romans 6:23). We live today under the Law of Grace.” We have grace extended to us and thus we are not subject to the condemnation of Torah. However, just because we are saved from eternal death as a result of Yah’s grace through the workings of Yeshua Messiah, when we sin—when we offend Yah—when we transgress His Torah–we, like Miriam, may be subject to some form of punishment. Scripture is clear that we reap what we sow. And reaping what we sow is not just about reaping blessings because of the good things we do, but also reaping punishments for the sins that we commit (Job 4:8). And here’s the spiritual dilemma that a great many of us find ourselves facing from time-to-time: we commit sins, some of those sins unwittingly, and as a result we receive punishment for those sins. Ignorance of Torah does not insulate us from punishment. Father was clear: “…your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:20). Aharon, in pleading for the life of his sister said to Moshe that what he and Miriam were doing in their conversation was a foolish act. And it was because of the severity of Miriam’s punishment that Aharon recognized that his and Miriam’s foolish action was actually a sin (verse 11). In their badmouthing and slandering of their brother, Miriam and Aharon were sinning. They had no clue they were sinning.
Folks, let this Torah Reading serve as a lesson to us all that the unwitting sins we commit subject us to punishment. And it behooves us to seek Yeshua Messiah’s intercession to petition Father’s forgiveness for the foolish things we do that are in reality sinful acts. In my prayers I make it a point to always ask Father to forgive me for the things I’ve done to offend Him and transgress His Torah and to reveal those sinful things that I’ve done unknowingly to me so that I may not repeat them in the future. And this reading proved to be a revelation to me for I have been known from time-to-time to engage in critical conversations about people in leadership positions. For there’s nothing wrong about disagreeing with another person’s position on certain things. That’s not sinful to articulate your disagreement of another’s position on an issue. However, it is sinful when we cast judgments, slanders and other hateful and evil speech towards those we disagree with. Why? Because such speech serves only to diminish the object of our slanders in the eyes of others. And boy do we see a lot of this being played out today in the political landscape: not just by so-called journalists and political pundits, but more so by everyday people like you and me. Terrible and slanderous things are being uttered and written by folks from all walks of life against those who are in leadership positions over us. Yah put those folks in the positions they’re in, whether we choose to believe it or not.
Regarding this very thing, Shaul wrote:
“Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work…” (Titus 3:1; KJV).
“Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of Yah; and the powers that be are ordained of Yah” (Romans 13:1; ASV).
The Apostle Peter also wrote:
“Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Master’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of Yah, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:13-15; KJV).
Back to our verses:
So Miriam was confined or quarantined to the outside of the camp in accordance with Torah–Leviticus 13:46. And again, as a result of Yah’s grace, Yah held off moving the nation from their present location until the end of the 7-days when Miriam was permitted back into the camp. (Yah’s grace must never be overlooked or marginalized in Torah). The passage doesn’t address it directly, but we can safely presume that Miriam was fully restored to her former health and vitality. Given that the Levitical quarantine for leprosy was 14-days and Miriam was quarantined for only 7-days supports the assumption that Miriam was fully healed. And the camp moved out from Hazeroth, on to the wilderness of Paran.
Why Not Aharon?
The logical question to be asked here is, why didn’t Aharon receive the same or equal punishment to that of Miriam? Wasn’t this the second biggest screw-up of Aharon where he escapes punishment: the first being the golden calf incident back in Exodus 32?
Well, Tim Hegg suggests that Aharon was not the one who committed the slander, but was simply the one listening and possibly agreeing to Miriam’s slander of Moshe. Thus, Aharon’s role in the “lashon hara” was one of being “guilty by association” or as “one who invited the slander” to take place in his/her presence. Aharon, in his begging Moshe for the life of his sister, stated that he and Miriam’s slanderous actions was foolishness, absent malice or ill-intent. But as Hegg points out, “lashon hara is not judged on the basis of the ill-intentions of the offenders. Lashon hara is sin and it must be dealt with one way or another. There can be no emotion attached to the sin problem.
I don’t necessarily agree nor disagree with Mr. Hegg’s position on Aharon here. All we know for certain is Yah is always playing 4-D chess so to speak whenever He is dealing with His human creation. And Yah knew exactly what He was doing and what the outcome would be as a result of His response to the slandering by Miriam with Aharon’s participation.
Bottom Line
As it relates to us today, all sin, including the sin of slander requires the work of an intercessor to address that sin issue. Like we saw brilliantly demonstrated in our Torah Reading today, Miriam and Aharon desperately needed an intercessor, otherwise Miriam would die a lonely, miserable death outside the nation. And their intercessor turned out to be the very one who they slandered: Moshe.
Of course, for us today, our intercessor is none other than our Master, Yahoshua HaMashiyach. And in a great sense, we can safely say from our reading here today that Moshe served as a type of Mashiyach since he effectively rendered unto Miriam intercession unto Yah to commute her death sentence. Like Miriam, we receive forgiveness of our sins when we seek Yah’s forgiveness through the intercessory work of Master Yeshua and upon forgiveness, we are graciously accepted back into the royal priesthood.
Whether we realize it or not, we all are guilty of some form of “lashon hara” throughout our lives. And the simple fact of the matter is that many of us are committing the act of “lashon hara” at various and sundry times (some multiple times throughout the day, and we don’t even realize it.) We all must be on guard of this pervasive sin that has the potential of spiritually grounding each of us if we don’t take needed spiritual precautions.
Well, some of you may disagree with my position on such things as badmouthing (slandering) politicians is a sin, citing that politicians or public officials do not fall within the category of God’s people. And that is definitely true that politicians do not generally fall within the category of YHVH’s elect. But again we must remember that YHVH places into positions of power those who He chooses to fulfill His Will in the earth. So for us to slander any person in leadership—whether they be within or without our Faith Community (yes, I’m also talking about the leaders in our Faith Community), for whatever reason, is tantamount to committing the very sin that Miriam was punished for committing. So we have to be very careful when engaging in dialogue against individuals in leadership positions, regardless who they may be. It’s better to exercise Godly wisdom and control over our tongues whenever we speak. For Master Himself certified that:
“…every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36; KJV).
Folks, this is exactly why we need to diligently study Torah and the teachings and example of Master Yahoshua HaMashiyach. For ignorance of such things as “lashon hara” may lead to consequences in our lives. That’s why when we pray, it is important that we ask Yah to reveal to us those areas–those habits–those unwitting sins that we commit in our lives that offend Him and transgress His Torah. And the great thing about Yeshua-focused Torah Living is that we have in Torah and in the teachings of Yeshua “ensample unto us” such that we may not live ungodly lives (2 Peter 2:6).
The other thing we have to be conscious of us is our motives when engaging in potentially controversial discussions about other people. Do we possess a right heart about the matter in question? Or do we seek to diminish the target of our slander before the eyes and minds of others? These are what I would call “check point questions” that we must ask ourselves before engaging in certain conversations.
I often peruse various online news sites for my news each day, and at times I find myself vehemently disagreeing with something that perhaps someone says regarding an issue. And at the very bottom of most of these online articles, the sites provide the means for leaving comments. And in those times when I am compelled to respond to an issue that may be somewhat controversial, I have come to learn that I must always check my intentions before entering a comment. For I have found that at times my frustrations and ire over the things that the article may have addressed is motivating me to respond in a potentially slanderous way. And if I recognize that my heart ain’t right during those times, I back away and not write anything and move on to the next article or whatever.
We should know ourselves and know the state of our hearts at all times. And in order to do that, we have the help of the Ruach HaKodesh to convict us of our ill-intentions and darkened hearts (1 John 3:20).
Yah is on our side. And He certainly does not want to see us fall into the sin of “lashon hara” and risk incurring His wrath. Yah wants to see us succeed. We just have to play the game of life according to His rules and open ourselves to self-examination at all times. We have the victory over sin in our lives already in our grasp. We simply have to walk in that victory.
I pray you got something out of this study today. If you have any questions or comments of an edifying nature, please feel free to leave them in the comment boxes below this post on our website themessianictorahobserver.
Until next time, may you be most blessed, fellow saints in training.
Shalom and blessings to you.