Misplaced Focus

Numbers 12: 6-10  -  And he said, "Hear my words: When there are prophets among you, I the Lord make myself known to them in visions; I speak to them in dreams.  Not so with my servant Moses; he is entrusted with all my house. With him I speak face to face—clearly, 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.  When the cloud went away from over the tent, Miriam had become leprous, as white as snow. And Aaron turned towards Miriam and saw that she was leprous.

 

Moses had no sooner gotten God to calm the complaining about what the people were given to eat…than his own sister and brother came complaining about the wife he took. But their issue was more than just his choice in mates…it seemed they challenged God’s ability to choose a leader…they felt that God should have given them more of a say in the leadership of the people. So God called them all three to him at the tent of meeting...and spoke clear and plain to all three….but of Miriam...he made an example.

 

God let them know immediately who was in charge…that he did choose prophets from time to time...to speak his words. He even gave them dreams and visions for the future. But God himself had chosen Moses to be a different kind of leader.  He had called him from a burning bush to lead his people out of Egypt to a land of promise. He spoke to him face to face…and not in riddles… because of his humility…because Moses was willing to be used.

 

Miriam somehow lost that zeal she possessed as a young girl to seek out a solution for problems from God. She forgot how God had laid his very hand on her brother when he was born…gave her mother the idea to weave a basket. She forgot that God put in her spirit to hide and watch the basket from the reeds…so she would see the princess find her brother. She forgot that God uses all people to weave his intricate plans that saved not only a small baby boy from death…but saved a whole nation of people from slavery.

 

Miriam fell into the trap that Satan sets for all of us from time to time.  Call it jealousy… pride… hypocrisy… fear…insecurity… it all distracts us from what God really wants us to do…who God wants us to listen to.  It takes our focus off of God…and onto our own ambitions.  Miriam…who took her focus off God… began to wonder why she had not been given more of a leadership role….and searching for reasons to complain and find fault with others….even rally support from a brother in high places to make her story more credible.

 

I wonder what Miriam thought about those 7 days she spent outside of camp. She had plenty of time to reflect on what got her into trouble.  And when you think about it….Miriam really got off easy that day. Aaron’s plea for mercy…and Moses’ cry to God to heal her convinced God to lessen her punishment….but I am sure those seven days felt like an eternity to her. Surely she called out to God and asked his forgiveness.  Maybe God reminded her how he had placed his hand on her brother from the start…and her intervention in saving his life as a baby was more important than any task he had given her to do since. 

 

Father…this morning I am reminded that you are in charge…and you have given each of us a task to do.  Whether that task be seemingly great…or seemingly insignificant is really not for us to decide. Help me to accept all the tasks you give me to do…and be content….humble like Moses. Help me to stay focused on you so I do not get tricked by Satan and allow my mind to think more highly than I should of anything I have done. Amen.