Scripture:

“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 also?’ And the Lord heard it. Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, ‘Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.’ And the three of them came out. And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. And he said, ‘Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?’ And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.” Numbers 12:1-9 (ESV)

Perspective:

Miriam and Aaron were Moses’ sister and brother. They were on the frontline when Moses led the people through the Red Sea on dry ground. They were blood relatives of Moses, and they started to think about Moses prominence in the new community on the other side of the Red Sea. To them, Moses wasn’t that special. They had just as much a right to lead the people as Moses did. Miriam and Aaron started complaining and murmuring against Moses. They wanted to have a stake in leading the people and hearing from God. However, God was displeased at how they were treating Moses. God was going to stop this sibling feud. After God departed from their presence, Miriam temporarily contracted leprosy. God wasn’t going to let their complaining take root in their hearts.

When we encounter situations that seem unfair, it can be easy to start murmuring about it to ourselves. The negative self talk can snowball into a root of bitterness if we allow it. God is less interested in making sure everything is fair among all of his people than we are. We grow up with parents and teachers making sure to equally divide everything among groups of kids. We become accustomed to life being “made fair” for us. However, life is rarely fair even when it is good. Complaining about something someone else has been given does little to rectify the situation. It may be a fellow employee that got the promotion that you deserved. It may be a sibling that got something you wanted. It may be a neighbor who has a bigger house, nicer car, and perfect family. The scenarios are endless, but we all find ourselves in situations where it is tempting to complain instead of celebrate and we miss the blessing. Moses wasn’t hurt by the complaining as much as Miriam and Aaron. There was still room for Miriam and Aaron even if it wasn’t as leader of Israel. And there is still room for blessing in your life even if it looks different than you desire. The answer is in celebrating other’s success instead of criticizing it.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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About Hona Amer

I help people live life to the fullest. Check out my book, Smart Work U. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. In order to receive updates, subscribe below.

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