The Christian Family: Marriage and Household Order: Remember Lot And His Wife

Remember Miriam

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Family Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2020-08-09

Synopsis: John Weaver expounds Deuteronomy 24:8-9, where God commands Israel to remember what He did to Miriam. He connects this to Numbers 12, where Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of his Cushite wife, Zipporah. Weaver clarifies that Zipporah was a Midianite, a descendant of Abraham through Keturah, not a black African. Miriam's sin was an attack on Moses' leadership and family, and indirectly on God's choice. God struck her with leprosy as judgment. The sermon warns against envy, rebellion, and attacking God's servants, emphasizing contentment with one's God-given role and the seriousness of sin, especially among leaders.

[John Weaver] Let's open our Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 24 Deuteronomy 24 and we're going to be reading verses 8 and 9. Deuteronomy 24 verses 8 and 9 and the type of the message is just simply remember Miriam. Notice Deuteronomy 24 beginning there with verse 8. Look what God says. Deuteronomy 24, verse 8, take heed in the plague of leprosy that thou observe diligently and do according to all that the priests, the Levites, shall teach you. As I commanded them, so you shall observe to do. Remember what the Lord thy God did unto Miriam, by the way, after that you were come forth out of Egypt. I found it interesting as I was reading through the book of Deuteronomy that God said, Remember that which thy God did unto Miriam. Now this passage kind of reminds you of our Lord's command in Luke chapter 17 and verse 32 when He said, Remember Lot's wife. Years ago I preached the message on Remember Lot and his wife. I also preached the message on Lot the loser.

[John Weaver] But we're reminded of that which God commanded His people to remember as they came out of Egypt and right before they entered into the promised land. In Deuteronomy chapter 25 and verse 17, God said, remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way when you were come forth out of Egypt. There's another very clear passage in the book of Micah chapter 6 and verse 5 where God says, O my people, Remember now what Balak king of King of Moab consulted and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal that you may know the righteousness of the Lord. So once again he said you need to remember what Balak consulted in what Balaam answered. He said that you may know the righteousness of the Lord. And years ago, I preached a series, I think, of six messages on learning the righteousness of God from that verse and from the context of what he tells us we must remember.

[John Weaver] It would probably be time consuming, but it would probably be a very interesting study if you would take the time to go through the Bible and just simply look at the word remember. and see everything that God tells us that we are to remember. We are indeed a very forgetful people. We become very busy with many things, and consequently we forget many things. Oftentimes we forget truth. Oftentimes we forget our covenant. Oftentimes we forget God. I remember watching the movie Cromwell years ago with Richard Harris in it, and there was a battle And Cromwell was riding back and forth on his horse, and he prayed, and he said this, O Lord, I will be busy about many things this day. If I forget Thee, please do not Thou forget me.

[John Weaver] And certainly, I would want to pray that as well. But God does indeed remind us not to be forgetful. For in Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 1, he said, Therefore, We ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard at any time, lest we should let them slip." And so oftentimes things slip our minds. And the Bible tells us in Hebrews 13 and verse 16,"...but to do good and communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." So over and over in the Bible, we're told certain things that we are not to forget. But when you look at Deuteronomy 24 and verse 9, God says this, Remember what the Lord thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that you were come forth out of Egypt.

[John Weaver] When you read a passage like that, there are probably several thoughts that enter into your mind. The first one would be this, Why in the world should I remember what God did unto Miriam? I mean, after all, Miriam has been dead for thousands of years. The second thought that would probably come to your mind would be something like this. What in the world has Miriam's life or Miriam's death has to do with me? I did not come out of Egypt with her. Why in the world should I remember what the Lord God did unto Miriam?

[John Weaver] Well, let me answer that. First of all, I want to quote a verse as you hold Deuteronomy 24, and turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 10. As you turn to 1 Corinthians 10, I want to quote Romans 15 and verse 4. There the Apostle Paul said this, For whatsoever things were written aforetime, now he's talking about the Old Testament, Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. So the Apostle Paul said, Whatsoever things were written aforetime, those things in the Old Testament were written for our learning. When you get to 1 Corinthians chapter 10, you're going to see the Apostle Paul is taking what happened in the Old Testament, especially during the wilderness wanderings with Israel. And he's making an application to the Corinthian church. So look in verse one, first Corinthians 10.

[John Weaver] He said, moreover, brethren, I would hope that you should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud and all passed through the sea and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. and did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness."

[John Weaver] Now look carefully at verse 6. Now these things were our examples to the intent, we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them, as it is written, The people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of the serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now watch verse 11. Now all these things happen unto them for in samples or examples, and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come. Now, it's interesting in verse 6 it is. The Bible tells us that these were our examples, and then when you look at verse 11, it says they are our in samples.

[John Weaver] Now, the word in the Greek is the same. It is the Greek word to pass from which we derive our English word type. It literally refers to a figure, an example, a pattern and what the Apostle Paul is doing in first Corinthians chapter 10. He is using this in an ethical sense. As a dissuasive to the Corinthian Christians, He is saying, don't act like the Israelites in the wilderness. If you act like they act, you're going to receive the judgment of God the way they received it. So he is dissuading them from doing these things that the Israelites did in the wilderness. So he's taking all of these things that happened in the wilderness, Old Testament Israel, and he's applying it to a New Testament church.

[John Weaver] Now, when you look back, to the book of Deuteronomy 24 and verse 9, and God says, remember what the Lord thy God did unto Miriam, by the way, after that you were come forth out of Egypt. He is using Miriam as a displacive example. He is saying, don't act like Miriam. Don't have the attitude of Miriam. Don't let what happened to Miriam happen to you. If you want to understand what happened to Miriam and why it happened, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Numbers, chapter 12.

[John Weaver] We're going to read the first 15 verses. Numbers, chapter 12, and watch if you would, please, and see exactly what happened to Miriam. Numbers 12 verse 1, And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses, because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married, for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it. And the man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out, ye three, into the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. And the Lord came down from the pillar of the cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle and called Aaron and Miriam, and they came forth.

[John Weaver] And he said, Hear now my words. If there be a prophet among you, I, the Lord, will make myself known unto him in a vision and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him Will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches? And the similitude of the Lord shall he behold. Wherefore then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle, and behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow. And Aaron looked upon Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.

[John Weaver] Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed, when he cometh out of his mother's womb. And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee. And the Lord said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again. And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days, and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again." So Miriam now has been smitten with leprosy.

[John Weaver] So let me try to set the stage and show you what really happened. And I want to correct what is really, I think, an erroneous thought in the minds of a lot of people. When you look in Numbers chapter 12 and verse 1, Miriam and Aaron were against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married. The Bible says, for he married an Ethiopian. Well, so many people think that what Moses did was marry a black woman.

[John Weaver] And that is not true. You can find the Hebrew word here is the word kush. She was indeed a kushite. Now the word kushite is sometimes translated as Ethiopian. That is true. But may I remind you that the Cushites were descended from Ham. Ham was a son of Noah. So Cush then was a grandson of Noah. So the Cushites then were straight from Noah. The Colin Dalich commentary says this, Cush, the Ethiopians of the ancients who not only dwelt in Africa, but were scattered throughout the whole of southern Asia and originally, in all probability, settled in Arabia, where the tribes that still remain mingled with the Shemites, that is from Shem, and adopted a Shemitic language.

[John Weaver] Then John Gill said it like this. But though this word Cush, as used in scripture, is generally rendered by us Ethiopia, this must not be understood of Ethiopia in Africa, but in Arabia, and indeed is always to be understood as one part of Arabia, and which was near to the land of Judea. So Moses' wife is called an Ethiopian when she was an Arabian and of Midian. Now, Moses' wife's name was Zipporah. She was from Midian.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing is this. I believe this is why Miriam is mocking and so upset. It's because Zipporah was not of the original twelve tribes. Therefore, she was not a direct descendant from Abraham and Sarah. However, she was a direct descendant from Abraham. Because after Sarah died, Abraham remarried. If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, chapter 25, and look if you would please at verse 1 and 2. Genesis 25, verses 1 and 2. The Bible says this, Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.

[John Weaver] And she bare him, Zimran, Jopshed, and Midan, and Minyan, and Ishvak, and Shuah." So, Minyan was a son of Abraham and Keturah. Remember? Ruel, or Jethro, who happened to be the father of Zipporah, was a priest of Minyan. Zipporah was a Cushite, that is, she was in the genealogy of Noah, but she is also a Midianite, because now she's in the genealogy of Abraham, because Abraham and Keturah had the son by the name of Midian. Now, the interesting thing is, the Midianites then sprang from Midian, and Abraham and Keturah. Jethro, sometimes called Ruel in the Scripture, The father of Zipporah and the father-in-law of Moses was a believer. How do I know that he was a believer?

[John Weaver] Well, if you look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 18, you might as well hold that passage because we're going to come right back there momentarily. But look in Exodus 18 and verse 12. Exodus 18 and verse 12. The Bible says, And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. And Aaron came and all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses. father-in-law before God. So here Jethro is offering sacrifices to the one true and the living God. And here Moses and Aaron and all the elders are sitting down communing with him.

[John Weaver] So obviously he was indeed a real, genuine believer. Now, John Gill said this, Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, who being a descendant of Abraham, might have retained the knowledge of the true God, and might be a priest of his, as Melchizedek was, or otherwise it may be thought improbable that Moses would have married his daughter, as he afterwards did. And so Abba Ezra says he was a priest of God.

[John Weaver] Though the word is sometimes used for prince, ruler, or governor. So, when you look back in Numbers chapter 12, and you find that Miriam is now mocking Zipporah, because obviously Zipporah did not have in her genealogy Abraham and Sarah. So it was Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. She was not a member of the twelve tribes as they were because you must remember that Aaron and Miriam and Moses were Levites. But she was still a descendant of Abraham through Keturah and also a descendant through Noah. So very obviously she was an Arabian and she was not necessarily a black woman.

[John Weaver] Now, so you have to understand Some people try to say, well, what happened was this. Moses married twice. No, nowhere in the Bible will you ever find that there was a second wife for Moses. What happened was this. When Moses and Zipporah were going back to Egypt to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. Of course, you remember how the Lord attacked Moses in the way because he had failed. to circumcise his sons, and Zipporah did so, and she said, A bloody husband art thou to me because of circumcision. Well, sometime later, Moses sent her back to her father because of all the hassle that he was going through, not only with Pharaoh, but also with the Israelites as well. So if you look in your Bible to Exodus chapter 18, you will see that this is Zipporah being brought back to Moses. Notice Exodus 18 verse 1, When Jethro the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard all that God had done for Moses and for Israel, his people, and that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt, Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Sephora, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back, and her two sons, of

[John Weaver] which the name of the one was Gershon, for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land, and the name of the other was Eleazar, for the God of my father said he was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh. And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the Mount of And he said unto Moses, I, thy father-in-law Jethro, am coming to thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with thee. And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and did obeisance, and kissed him. And they asked each other their welfare, and they came into the tent. And Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the Lord delivered them. And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.

[John Weaver] And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord who had delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods. For in the thing wherein they dealt proudly, he was above them. And in the next verse is where he offered sacrifice to God.

[John Weaver] And, of course, then Moses and Aaron and all the elders ate with him. So, obviously, this Zipporah was Moses' one and only wife. And, of course, when you look at Numbers 12 and verse 1, you cannot help but see that Miriam now is the leader in this and she is attacking Moses because she does not like Zipporah. Now, I want you to look back in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 24 and look at verse 8 in reference to this. In Deuteronomy 24 verse 8, God says this, Take heed in the plague of leprosy that thou observe diligently and do according to all that the priest, the Levite, shall teach you. as I commanded them, so you shall observe to do."

[John Weaver] Remember what the Lord thy God did in Amiriam, by the way, after that you were come forth out of Egypt. Now, the Lord commanded for Israel to take heed that they observe to do what the law demanded if they were infected with leprosy. That is, they were to diligently follow the directions of the priests who were to give them the commandments of God in that area. So in light of the plague of leprosy, we are to remember that which God did unto Miriam, by the way. Now the law of leprosy is given to us in Leviticus chapter 13 and Leviticus chapter 14.

[John Weaver] It is not repeated here. Why? Because the law of leprosy was not for the people in general. It was for the priests in particular. Because it was the priests who had declared whether or not something was leprous. Whether it was an individual, whether it was a house, whether it was a garment. And it was the priest then that had to declare what had to be done for the cleansing. So the law is not necessarily repeated right here, but God is saying you better make sure that you're careful, that you follow the determination of the priest. Leprosy in the Bible was usually a sign of God's judgment upon a scandalous and horrific sin. And it's interesting that there are some sins that you and I may not think of as scandalous or horrific, but God does.

[John Weaver] Now, I understand that there are normal and natural ways of contracting leprosy. I understand that. But usually, leprosy was the judgment of God revealed against an individual. And incidentally, I read years ago, and I believe it is true, that even armadillos carry leprosy. So you need to be careful when you're dealing with armadillos as well. But you're going to find as you read through the Bible that many times leprosy was inflicted because of the judgment of God.

[John Weaver] You remember that passage in 2 Samuel chapter 3 where Joab had murdered Abner the son of Now, Joab and Abner, by the way, were cousins. But Joab and Abishai, his brother, murdered Abner because Abner had killed Asahel, their brother, in battle. And really it wasn't Abner's fault. Abner pleaded with him to stop and not follow him and to let him alone. And Asahel wouldn't listen. And so, obviously, in defending himself, he killed Asahel. And so now Joab comes back and he murders Abner.

[John Weaver] David was unaware of it. In fact, David had just entered into a covenant with Abner. So listen to what David does in 2 Samuel 3, verses 28 and 29. When David finds out that Joab has murdered Abner, He actually places a curse upon Joab. Listen to what he says. And afterward, when David heard it, he said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the Lord forever from the blood of Abner the son of Ner. Now listen. Let it rest on the head of Joab and on all his father's house. And let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that thaweth on a sword, or lacketh bread." So he said all of these things are a curse and they should come upon Joab and his house because of this scandalous and this horrific sin.

[John Weaver] And so here's another example. You remember Elisha and Naaman the Syrian. Naaman had brought lots of silver Lots of garments, maybe some gold. I don't know what all he brought to be healed from his leprosy. And of course, Elisha just sends his servant Gehazi out and says to Naaman, go wash seven times in the Jordan River and you'll be clean. And you know the story, how he turns away in a great rage. And finally, one of his men says, Well, if the prophet had bid you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? Yes. Well, it's so easy and simple just to go wash in the Jordan seven times and be clean. And he did. And he was clean. And then he tried to pay Elisha. And Elisha said, no, no, no.

[John Weaver] This is not a time to receive money. And so Naaman turned around and left. And Gehazi said, my master, has spared Assyria, but I will take somewhat of him." And he ran after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running afterwards, he stopped and turned around, and he asked Gehazi, he said, what is it? Well, he said, some young prophets have just come to my master's house, and he said, would you give them something? And so Naaman then laid it down to servants with silver and with garments and sent them back, and Gehazi took and he hid it. And when he walked into Elisha, Elisha asked, Whither did thou go, Gehazi? And he answered, Thy servant went no whither. And he said, Went not my heart with thee, when the man turned around in his chariot.

[John Weaver] And listen to what he said. Second Kings 5 verse 27, The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and into thy seed forever. And he went out from the presence of Elisha as a leper, white as snow." Wow. So Gehazi lied, he defrauded, he stole, and his reward was leprosy. All that money that he had taken could do him no good because he couldn't spend it as a leper.

[John Weaver] So obviously, It was the judgment of God upon him. And then you remember also King Uzziah. King Uzziah was a godly man. He reigned 52 years in Judah. He did lots of good things. But the Bible tells us that when he was old, his heart was lifted up and he went into the temple of God to offer incense. And Azariah and about 85 priests confronted him and said, Get out of here. Get out of here.

[John Weaver] This is not going to be for your honor. And Uzziah got angry. And just as he got angry, the leprosy began in his forehead. And the Bible says, Yea, he himself hastened to get out of the temple. And the Bible says in 2 Kings 15 and verse 5, And the Lord smoked the king. so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house. And Jotham the king's son was over the house judging the people of the land."

[John Weaver] So he lost his rulership because of his arrogance. Now, when you look at Numbers 12 and verse 1, and I want you to look back there, I want you to understand why God judged Miriam, so strenuously. I'll point something out just a little bit later, but if you look in. Numbers 12 in verse one, the Bible says this and the Lord. I mean, Exodus Numbers chapter 12, verse one, I knew something was wrong right there. Number 12, verse 1, and Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman who he married. He married an Ethiopian woman. Now notice, and Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses. Who was named first? Miriam. And she's listed first because she was the leader and the chief transgressor.

[John Weaver] Now, it is true Eve was first in the transgression and she was punished That is true. But sin came to the world by Adam because the covenant of God was with Adam. But here Miriam is the leader. She is the transgressor. And Aaron was drawn into this by her. And when you read this chapter, Aaron was the one who very quickly acknowledged the sin and confessed the sin. And so Miriam now is very strenuously judged by God. Now, there are many facets to this sin.

[John Weaver] Now, I believe that probably we could spend several weeks on it just trying to explore it and explain it as well. But let me just point this out. This sin of Miriam and Aaron at this point was not just simply an attack upon Moses and his leadership. It was also an attack upon God for his choice. and using Moses as the leader. So we could say it like this. The sin was directly at Moses, but it was indirectly at God. I want you to consider what I would be calling the exceeding grief that this must have had upon Moses. Will you stop and think that this attack came from his own family?

[John Weaver] It did not come from the Egyptians. It did not come from the Canaanites. It did not even come from the people that he was leading. It came from his own family, his brother and his sister. Alice can tell you this. I told her this a number of times over the years. I can take anything that anybody can throw at me. But what would kill me is that she turned against me.

[John Weaver] I can have war anywhere else, but I want peace at home. You follow that? And now here you have Moses. The people have been rebelling against him since he brought him out of Egypt. And now Miriam and Aaron are turning against him as well. And here's an interesting thought. Moses was not only a prophet, the Bible tells us that Moses was also a king. The Bible says in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 33 and verse 5, and he was king in Jerusalem when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together. So now we have Miriam and Aaron attacking not just Moses as a man, but Moses as a prophet, and Moses as God's choice, and Moses as a king. So the attack then upon Moses was an attack upon God's royal authority in choosing Moses, in establishing Moses, and putting him in the place of leadership. By the way, let me say this, I don't want to forget it. The Bible says, and Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married.

[John Weaver] Do you understand that an attack upon a man's family is an attack upon himself? So if you attack Alice, you're attacking me. If you attack Lorraine, you're attacking Steve. Why? The two are one. You cannot separate what God has joined together. And so here then is an attack upon Moses' family, by his family. You've heard the old adage that familiarity breeds contempt. And certainly they were very familiar with Moses.

[John Weaver] You know, when you stop and think about this, and this thought hit my mind this morning, and I thought, I'm going to check this out. How easily they attack Moses. Did you know that Moses is called Moses, the man of God, six times in the Bible? And when you get to Psalm 90, which is a prayer of Moses, the title is, A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. And if you look up Moses, the servant of God, or the servant of the Lord, you'll be amazed. I don't know, 30, 40, 50 references to Moses being the servant of the Lord. And yet, here we are, and they're attacking the one who is God's man and God's servant.

[John Weaver] And they're doing so because they are brother and sister and familiarity does indeed breed contempt. Let me show you how contemptuous they are. Look in your Bibles in Numbers 12 and verse 2. Here is arrogance. Here is pride. Here is contempt. And they said, Have the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Have he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it. May I tell you what they were saying? Here's what they were saying. We don't need Moses. I mean, he's not the only one that God can use. God can use us just like he's using Moses. We don't need Moses.

[John Weaver] We can usurp His authority. We can usurp His position. It doesn't really matter. May I remind you of something? God was already using Miriam and already using Aaron. Miriam is called in the Bible a prophetess, and of course, Aaron was the priest. So God was using Miriam and Aaron in different ways. Now, when the Bible says that Miriam was a prophetess, that does not mean that she preached. That does not mean that she prophesied and foretold, not at all. If you look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 15, Exodus chapter 15, you will see that she is called a prophetess, but you will also see what she did. Notice Exodus chapter 15, and let's begin reading there with verse 20. Exodus 15 verse 20. And Miriam, the prophetess, The sister of Aaron took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, singing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea."

[John Weaver] So what was Miriam doing? She was singing, and she was singing with the women, and she was leading the women in song, a biblical thought, And she's called a prophetess in that sense of the word. But may I remind you, she was not a prophet in the sense that she was preaching, or even in the sense that she was foretelling what was coming to pass.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to understand that there is a prophesying with music in the Bible, And it's not just women who prophesied the music, it's men as well. If you will turn in your Bibles to 1 Chronicles chapter 25. 1 Chronicles chapter 25. Look if you would please, beginning there with verse 1. 1 Chronicles chapter 25 and verse 1. Watch carefully. Moreover, David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, who were musicians by the way, separated unto the service of the sons of Asaph and of Heman and Jaduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals, And the number of the workmen according to their service was of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Joseph, Nethaniah and Azariah, the sons of Asaph under the hands of Asaph, which prophesied according to the order of the king." Now note, if you would please, in verse 1 the Bible says that these individuals prophesied. How did they prophesy? With harps and with psalteries and with symbols. They were singing, playing music.

[John Weaver] The Psalms in all probability. Moses wrote Psalm 90.

[John Weaver] Now skip down if you would please to verses 5 and 6. And all these were sons of Heman, the king's seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn that is a trumpet And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters, and these were under the hands of their father, for song in the house of the Lord, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king's order, to Asaph, Jaduthun, and Heman. Now, note, if you would please, in verse 2, the Bible said, they prophesied according to the order of the king. In other words, this is not something that God is commanding them to do particularly right now. This is something that David has said, this is how you prophesy. This is your ministry. You play the instruments. You sing.

[John Weaver] So it's called prophesying with music. It's not preaching. They were not preachers. They weren't musicians.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you something else. I want you to look in the Bible very quickly to the book of Micah chapter 6 because I made the statement earlier that God was already using Miriam and Aaron in different areas. Not everybody has the same gifts and not everybody has the same ministry. So in Micah chapter 6 and verse 4, God says, For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of service. And I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam." Isn't that amazing? God said, I sent all three of them, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Now, back in Numbers 12 and verse 1, and that's a very interesting passage there, because the Bible says in Numbers 12 and verse 1, and Miriam, And Miriam and Aaron, they're the ones that lifted up their voice against Moses. But note if you would, and Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses.

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you a question. God said, I sent all three of them. Do you know who was the oldest child? The youngest child was Moses. The middle child was Aaron. He was three years older than Moses. The oldest was Miriam. How do I know that? Do you not remember when Moses was put in an ark as a baby in the river? and Pharaoh's daughter sent a maid to draw the baby out? Who was it that said to Pharaoh's daughter, shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women and nurse them for you? It was Miriam. A three-year-old boy wouldn't be out saying that like Aaron. No. So Miriam was the oldest. And she's probably in Numbers 12 saying, I'm the oldest. I'm taking charge here. It's kind of like Years ago, when our grandkids were so little, the oldest grandchild that we have is a granddaughter. And she was, I don't know, five or six, seven or eight years old. And all the grandkids was down at the pond and they were fishing, except Renee.

[John Weaver] And Renee had never fished before in her life, but she was walking up and down the bank telling all the others how to fish. Violet, the oldest grandson, said, Renee, if you would just shut up, maybe the fish will bite. Well, maybe this is Miriam. I'm the oldest. You know, I ought to have some say in this. Well, the point is that God was already using Miriam. He was already using Aaron. He was already using Moses.

[John Weaver] And yet they were not satisfied with their service. And they wanted to take the place of Moses, and their attack was a direct attack upon Moses, because they were attacking Zipporah, his wife. And it was an indirect attack upon the providence of God, because in the providence of God, He gave Zipporah to Moses, his wife. I tell people one thing for sure, I know it's God's will for me to be married to Halas, because I've been married to her for 58 years. I mean, obviously, that's the providence of God. It was the providence of God in the life of Moses and Zipporah as well. So let me tell you what we're to learn. We're to learn when God is saying, you better remember what I did to Miriam, by the way, we're to learn that we cannot attack each other without displeasing God and incurring the wrath of God. You look around at the Christians who cut each other to pieces.

[John Weaver] And I hate to say this, but preachers are the worst in this. They have absolutely no regard sometimes for their other brethren in the Lord. I mean, they will denigrate, they will mock, they will make fun of, they'll do anything and everything seemingly to tear one down so that they can elevate themselves. I've often said, if our enemies really understood sin and really understood rebellion and really understood wickedness, then just leave us alone and we'd kill ourselves.

[John Weaver] It's kind of like that passage in Galatians 5 and verse 15, where the Apostle Paul told those Galatian Christians, but if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another. You see, the truth of the matter is flesh is still flesh, even in a religious form. So it didn't matter how religious or how good God was using Miriam or how good God was using Aaron.

[John Weaver] They were now attacking Moses and Moses being meek. In fact, the Bible tells us he was the meekest man on earth. Moses being meek did not defend himself. He did not have to. Because the Bible says, and the Lord heard it. And He said, you three, come in the tabernacle before me. And God said, let me tell you something. If I raise up a prophet, I'll show myself to him in a dream or a vision. But it's not like that between me and my servant Moses. I'll speak with them mouth to mouth."

[John Weaver] He can see the outline, the shape. How could you speak against Moses? And God departed and Miriam turned into a Aaron quickly confessed and acknowledged his sin. And he asked Moses to pray. And look at it in your Bibles. Look in Numbers chapter 12. The Bible says in verse 9, Numbers 12, verse 9, And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle, and behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow. And Aaron looked upon Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not this sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.

[John Weaver] Now the Lord said to Moses, If her father had but spit into her face, should she not be ashamed seven days, let her be shut out of the camp seven days. And after that, let her be received in again. Wow. Did you get that? He said, Her father just spitted in her face. No, she's not getting away with this. Here's something I want you to note. Look if you would in verse 11. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my Lord.

[John Weaver] He's willing to be in submission now. Alas, my Lord, I beseech thee, lay not this sin upon us. Now, look at it. He said, Wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned? Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed, when he cometh out of his mother's womb. And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee. Listen very carefully. Moses did not look at Miriam when she became a leper and said, Ha!

[John Weaver] Well, you got what you deserved, didn't you, honey? No, he didn't do that. Aaron begged him to pray. And he prayed. Do you understand something? The very one that Miriam had sinned against was now the one interceding on her behalf. I want to point something out. I believe that Moses' prayer availed. How can I say that? Uzziah and Gehazi died a leper. But God said she'll suffer for seven days.

[John Weaver] Then you can move her back again. So here's the point. The very one that she had sinned against was the intercessor on her behalf. Have you ever thought about this? When we sin, we sin against the Lord Jesus Christ. And you know what the Bible says in 1 John 2, verse 1. My brethren, what's to say my little children, These things I write of you that you sin not. Verse 2, But if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. We're the ones who sin against Him, and yet He's the very one interceding for us.

[John Weaver] And I got news for you, if He did not intercede for us, we would really, really be in trouble. Now let me try to tie this together for you. I want you to think about these applications. First of all, God is not going to overlook sins, even in the best of His sense. If we act scandalously, we're going to be judged by Him. And you've got to remember what I said earlier. There are some sins that are very scandalous and very horrific that we do not consider scandalous and horrific.

[John Weaver] How many people have mocked and made fun of their sisters-in-law? Made fun of their brothers-in-law? Made fun of the preacher and his wife? We don't consider that so horrific. But God did. God did. God said, Moses is my servant. Moses is my man. and you cannot attack him without attacking me. In fact, sin is far more grievous when it is in the leaders.

[John Weaver] So, if you woke up in the morning and you got your morning paper and you saw in the headlines, Steve Sharpless arrested for robbing the Third National Bank. You say, Man, I know him. He's got to be crazy. He's got to be insane. Something happened to that man. If he did rob the bank, that would be bad, wouldn't it? But what if you got up in the morning and you read the paper and it said Pastor John Weaver was arrested for robbing the Third National Bank? Now it's even worse.

[John Weaver] He knew better, but I preached against it for 57 years. You follow me? So sin is always bad, but it's even worse when it's in those who know better. The second one is this. Do not think that we're going to escape the consequences of our sins. Do you realize the law of leprosy was not nullified just because it was Miriam who became leprous? She had to be shut out of the camp just like any other leper. She had to come back and offer the sacrifices just like any other leper. She had to be declared clean by the priest just like any other leper. It does not matter. In fact, do you realize in James 3 and verse 1, the Bible says this?

[John Weaver] Be not many masters, because we will receive the greater condemnation. So clearly God's law is not going to be set aside just because one of his saints sins. Matthew Henry said it like this. The plague of leprosy being usually a particular mark of God's displeasure for sin, he in whom the signs of it did appear ought not to conceal it. Nor cut out the signs of it, nor apply to the physician for relief, but he must go to the priest and follow his directions. Thus, those that feel their consciences under guilt and wrath must not cover it, nor endeavor to shake off their convictions, but by repentance and prayer and humble confession take the appointed way to peace and pardon, which of course is through the Lord Jesus Christ." So I think when God is saying, take heed, take heed, And you remember what I did to Miriam by the way when you came out of Egypt. What he is saying is that we better be warned of the fact and we better understand the fact that the will of the flesh has absolutely no place in the ministry and no place in the worship of God.

[John Weaver] Miriam is brought forth as a dissuasive warning, as a dissuasive example. She was unwilling to remain in her place of subordination. She was unwilling to continue to serve in the area which God gave her. No, no. She wanted to rebel and she wanted the place of Moses. She wanted to run things. Unhappily, rebellion is not just the sin of women. It's also the sin of men as well.

[John Weaver] We've got to understand something. God gave us our positions in life. God gave us our gifts. We did not choose our gifts. I had a pastor friend. He's been dead now many years. He was one of the most loving, kind, gracious individuals I've ever known in my entire life. And he and I were together one day, and he looked at me and he said, Brother Weaver, I would give anything to know the Bible the way you know the Bible." And I looked at him. I said, my brother, I would give anything to be able to love the way you love. He had his gift. I had my gift.

[John Weaver] You see what I'm saying? You cannot say, God, I must have this one. No, no, no. God gives us our position. God gives us our gifts. It's one thing to desire to grow in our gift and to grow in our position to honor God and to bring more glory to Him. It's quite another thing to be envious and jealous and desirous of someone who is above us.

[John Weaver] I mean, come on, let's be honest. We can rejoice in the fact that God is using any of us. We can rejoice in the fact that we have any ministry at all. We can rejoice in the fact that God lets us live and serve Him, even if it's just doing what we normally do every day. And we can be thankful for that. And I've got news for you. I'm thankful for those individuals that God is using even more than He's using me. I'm not upset because someone teaches more people than I teach. I'm not upset because people have bigger works than I have. That's between them and that's between God. I'm thankful. I would to God that more men had much larger works.

[John Weaver] Joshua ran to Moses and said, My Lord, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. Moses said, Are you jealous or me? I would at all did prophesy. I would make sure. And I would want all to prophesy, all to be able to preach and teach the word of God. So I'm just simply saying. We cannot be desirous of vain glory. We have to be content with where God has placed us, but at the same time, use every effort to honor Him even more in our place and in our position. God says we're not to be desirous of vain glory.

[John Weaver] This is why He said, remember what I did to Miriam. You know, I think there's another verse that we could really apply, and I think it kind of sums up all this lesson. And that's Leviticus 19 in verse 32, where God said, Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head and thou shalt honor the old man. I am the Lord my God. In other words, honoring others who deserve honor. Is part and parcel of our honor and worship of God. We cannot honor him. unless we honor His servants and His people.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We ask, Lord, that You would teach us, that You would build us up in the most holy faith, that You would help us, Lord, not only to be content with the position that You put us in, but with the gifts that You gave us. But help us, Lord, to desire to use those to the best of our ability for your and your glory. And may we rejoice in all that you do for others and how you build them up and how you use them. We give thee praise. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen.

Remember Miriam

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	81220182446478
Subject	Family Government
Course	The Christian Family: Marriage and Household Order: Remember Lot And His Wife
Genre	Sermon
Date	2020-08-09
Dictation Name
Book	Book 027: The Christian Family: Marriage and Household Order — Chapter 17
Source Timed Segments	74

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Command to Remember

God commands Israel to remember what He did to Miriam, similar to remembering Lot's wife and Amalek. The Bible frequently calls us to remember, as we are forgetful people.

Let's open our Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 24. Deuteronomy 24, and we're going to be reading verses 8 and 9. Deuteronomy 24 verses 8 and 9, and the title of the message is simply "Remember Miriam." Notice Deuteronomy 24 beginning there with verse 8. Look what God says. Deuteronomy 24, verse 8:

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 24:8-9

"Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do. Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt." I found it interesting as I was reading through the book of Deuteronomy that God said, "Remember that which thy God did unto Miriam."

Now this passage kind of reminds you of our Lord's command in Luke chapter 17 and verse 32 when He said, "Remember Lot's wife." Years ago I preached the message on "Remember Lot and his wife." I also preached the message on "Lot the loser."

But we're reminded of that which God commanded His people to remember as they came out of Egypt and right before they entered into the promised land. In Deuteronomy chapter 25 and verse 17, God said, "Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt." There's another very clear passage in the book of Micah chapter 6 and verse 5 where God says, "O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD." So once again He said you need to remember what Balak consulted and what Balaam answered. He said that you may know the righteousness of the Lord. And years ago, I preached a series, I think, of six messages on learning the righteousness of God from that verse and from the context of what He tells us we must remember.

It would probably be time consuming, but it would probably be a very interesting study if you would take the time to go through the Bible and just simply look at the word "remember" and see everything that God tells us that we are to remember. We are indeed a very forgetful people. We become very busy with many things, and consequently we forget many things. Oftentimes we forget truth. Oftentimes we forget our covenant. Oftentimes we forget God. I remember watching the movie "Cromwell" years ago with Richard Harris in it, and there was a battle, and Cromwell was riding back and forth on his horse, and he prayed, and he said this: "O Lord, I will be busy about many things this day. If I forget Thee, please do not Thou forget me."

Why Remember Miriam? Old Testament Examples for Us

Paul teaches that Old Testament events were written for our learning and as examples (types) to admonish us, so Miriam's story serves as a dissuasive warning.

When you read a passage like that, there are probably several thoughts that enter into your mind. The first one would be this: Why in the world should I remember what God did unto Miriam? I mean, after all, Miriam has been dead for thousands of years. The second thought that would probably come to your mind would be something like this: What in the world has Miriam's life or Miriam's death to do with me? I did not come out of Egypt with her. Why in the world should I remember what the Lord God did unto Miriam? Well, let me answer that. First of all, I want to quote a verse as you hold Deuteronomy 24, and turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 10. As you turn to 1 Corinthians 10, I want to quote Romans 15 and verse 4. There the Apostle Paul said this:

Scripture Reading — Romans 15:4

"For whatsoever things were written aforetime"

—now he's talking about the Old Testament—

Scripture Reading — Romans 15:4

"whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

So the Apostle Paul said,

Scripture Reading — Romans 15:4

"Whatsoever things were written aforetime,"

those things in the Old Testament were written for our learning. When you get to 1 Corinthians chapter 10, you're going to see the Apostle Paul is taking what happened in the Old Testament, especially during the wilderness wanderings with Israel, and he's making an application to the Corinthian church. So look in verse one, 1 Corinthians 10.

He said, "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness." Now look carefully at verse 6. "Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer." Now watch verse 11. "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." Now, it's interesting in verse 6 it is. The Bible tells us that these were our examples, and then when you look at verse 11, it says they are our ensamples.

Now, the word in the Greek is the same. It is the Greek word "tupos," from which we derive our English word "type." It literally refers to a figure, an example, a pattern. And what the Apostle Paul is doing in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, he is using this in an ethical sense. As a dissuasive to the Corinthian Christians, he is saying, don't act like the Israelites in the wilderness. If you act like they act, you're going to receive the judgment of God the way they received it. So he is dissuading them from doing these things that the Israelites did in the wilderness. So he's taking all of these things that happened in the wilderness, Old Testament Israel, and he's applying it to a New Testament church.

The Incident in Numbers 12

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of his Ethiopian (Cushite) wife, questioning his unique prophetic authority. God heard and summoned them to the tabernacle.

Now, when you look back to the book of Deuteronomy 24 and verse 9, and God says, "Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt," He is using Miriam as a dissuasive example. He is saying, don't act like Miriam. Don't have the attitude of Miriam. Don't let what happened to Miriam happen to you. If you want to understand what happened to Miriam and why it happened, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Numbers, chapter 12. We're going to read the first 15 verses. Numbers, chapter 12, and watch if you would, please, and see exactly what happened to Miriam. Numbers 12 verse 1,

Scripture Reading — Numbers 12:1-15

"And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth."

And he said, "Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned."

Clarifying the Identity of Moses' Wife

Zipporah was a Cushite from Midian, a descendant of Abraham through Keturah, not a black African. She was Moses' only wife, and her father Jethro was a believer.

And that is not true. You can find the Hebrew word here is the word "Cush." She was indeed a Cushite. Now the word Cushite is sometimes translated as Ethiopian. That is true. But may I remind you that the Cushites were descended from Ham. Ham was a son of Noah. So Cush then was a grandson of Noah. So the Cushites then were straight from Noah. The Keil and Delitzsch commentary says this: "Cush, the Ethiopians of the ancients who not only dwelt in Africa, but were scattered throughout the whole of southern Asia and originally, in all probability, settled in Arabia, where the tribes that still remain mingled with the Shemites," that is from Shem, "and adopted a Shemitic language."

Then John Gill said it like this: "But though this word Cush, as used in scripture, is generally rendered by us Ethiopia, this must not be understood of Ethiopia in Africa, but in Arabia, and indeed is always to be understood as one part of Arabia, and which was near to the land of Judea." So Moses' wife is called an Ethiopian when she was an Arabian and of Midian. Now, Moses' wife's name was Zipporah. She was from Midian. Now, the interesting thing is this. I believe this is why Miriam is mocking and so upset. It's because Zipporah was not of the original twelve tribes. Therefore, she was not a direct descendant from Abraham and Sarah. However, she was a direct descendant from Abraham. Because after Sarah died, Abraham remarried. If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, chapter 25, and look if you would please at verse 1 and 2. Genesis 25, verses 1 and 2. The Bible says this: "Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah."

"And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah." So, Midian was a son of Abraham and Keturah. Remember? Reuel, or Jethro, who happened to be the father of Zipporah, was a priest of Midian. Zipporah was a Cushite, that is, she was in the genealogy of Noah, but she is also a Midianite, because now she's in the genealogy of Abraham, because Abraham and Keturah had the son by the name of Midian. Now, the interesting thing is, the Midianites then sprang from Midian, and Abraham and Keturah. Jethro, sometimes called Reuel in the Scripture, the father of Zipporah and the father-in-law of Moses, was a believer. How do I know that he was a believer?

Well, if you look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 18, you might as well hold that passage because we're going to come right back there momentarily. But look in Exodus 18 and verse 12. Exodus 18 and verse 12. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 18:1-12

"And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God."

So here Jethro is offering sacrifices to the one true and the living God. And here Moses and Aaron and all the elders are sitting down communing with him.

So obviously he was indeed a real, genuine believer. Now, John Gill said this: "Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, who being a descendant of Abraham, might have retained the knowledge of the true God, and might be a priest of his, as Melchizedek was, or otherwise it may be thought improbable that Moses would have married his daughter, as he afterwards did." And so Aben Ezra says he was a priest of God. Though the word is sometimes used for prince, ruler, or governor. So, when you look back in Numbers chapter 12, and you find that Miriam is now mocking Zipporah, because obviously Zipporah did not have in her genealogy Abraham and Sarah. So it was Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. She was not a member of the twelve tribes as they were because you must remember that Aaron and Miriam and Moses were Levites. But she was still a descendant of Abraham through Keturah and also a descendant through Noah. So very obviously she was an Arabian and she was not necessarily a black woman.

Leprosy as Divine Judgment

Leprosy in Scripture often signified God's judgment for scandalous sin, as seen in Gehazi and Uzziah. God struck Miriam with leprosy for her rebellion.

"Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt." Now, the Lord commanded for Israel to take heed that they observe to do what the law demanded if they were infected with leprosy. That is, they were to diligently follow the directions of the priests who were to give them the commandments of God in that area. So in light of the plague of leprosy, we are to remember that which God did unto Miriam, by the way. Now the law of leprosy is given to us in Leviticus chapter 13 and Leviticus chapter 14. It is not repeated here. Why? Because the law of leprosy was not for the people in general. It was for the priests in particular. Because it was the priests who had to declare whether or not something was leprous. Whether it was an individual, whether it was a house, whether it was a garment. And it was the priest then that had to declare what had to be done for the cleansing. So the law is not necessarily repeated right here, but God is saying you better make sure that you're careful, that you follow the determination of the priest. Leprosy in the Bible was usually a sign of God's judgment upon a scandalous and horrific sin. And it's interesting that there are some sins that you and I may not think of as scandalous or horrific, but God does.

Now, I understand that there are normal and natural ways of contracting leprosy. I understand that. But usually, leprosy was the judgment of God revealed against an individual. And incidentally, I read years ago, and I believe it is true, that even armadillos carry leprosy. So you need to be careful when you're dealing with armadillos as well. But you're going to find as you read through the Bible that many times leprosy was inflicted because of the judgment of God. You remember that passage in 2 Samuel chapter 3 where Joab had murdered Abner the son of Ner. Now, Joab and Abner, by the way, were cousins. But Joab and Abishai, his brother, murdered Abner because Abner had killed Asahel, their brother, in battle. And really it wasn't Abner's fault. Abner pleaded with him to stop and not follow him and to let him alone. And Asahel wouldn't listen. And so, obviously, in defending himself, he killed Asahel. And so now Joab comes back and he murders Abner.

David was unaware of it. In fact, David had just entered into a covenant with Abner. So listen to what David does in 2 Samuel 3, verses 28 and 29. When David finds out that Joab has murdered Abner, he actually places a curse upon Joab. Listen to what he says: "And afterward when David heard it, he said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the LORD for ever from the blood of Abner the son of Ner: let it rest on the head of Joab, and on all his father's house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth on the sword, or that lacketh bread." So he said all of these things are a curse and they should come upon Joab and his house because of this scandalous and this horrific sin.

And so here's another example. You remember Elisha and Naaman the Syrian. Naaman had brought lots of silver, lots of garments, maybe some gold. I don't know what all he brought to be healed from his leprosy. And of course, Elisha just sends his servant Gehazi out and says to Naaman, "Go wash seven times in the Jordan River and you'll be clean." And you know the story, how he turns away in a great rage. And finally, one of his men says, "Well, if the prophet had bid you to do some great thing, would you not have done it?" Yes. "Well, it's so easy and simple just to go wash in the Jordan seven times and be clean." And he did. And he was clean. And then he tried to pay Elisha. And Elisha said, "No, no, no."

"This is not a time to receive money." And so Naaman turned around and left. And Gehazi said, "My master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, but I will take somewhat of him." And he ran after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running afterwards, he stopped and turned around, and he asked Gehazi, he said, "What is it?" Well, he said, "Some young prophets have just come to my master's house, and he said, would you give them something?" And so Naaman then laid it down to servants with silver and with garments and sent them back, and Gehazi took and he hid it. And when he walked into Elisha, Elisha asked, "Whither wentest thou, Gehazi?" And he answered, "Thy servant went no whither." And he said, "Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee?"

And listen to what he said. 2 Kings 5 verse 27:

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 5:27

"The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow."

Wow. So Gehazi lied, he defrauded, he stole, and his reward was leprosy. All that money that he had taken could do him no good because he couldn't spend it as a leper.

So obviously, it was the judgment of God upon him. And then you remember also King Uzziah. King Uzziah was a godly man. He reigned 52 years in Judah. He did lots of good things. But the Bible tells us that when he was old, his heart was lifted up and he went into the temple of God to offer incense. And Azariah and about 85 priests confronted him and said, "Get out of here. Get out of here."

"This is not going to be for your honor." And Uzziah got angry. And just as he got angry, the leprosy began in his forehead. And the Bible says, "Yea, he himself hasted to go out." And the Bible says in 2 Kings 15 and verse 5, "And the LORD smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house. And Jotham the king's son was over the house, judging the people of the land."

So he lost his rulership because of his arrogance. Now, when you look at Numbers 12 and verse 1, and I want you to look back there, I want you to understand why God judged Miriam so strenuously. I'll point something out just a little bit later, but if you look in Numbers 12 in verse one, the Bible says this: "And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman." Now notice, "And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses." Who was named first? Miriam. And she's listed first because she was the leader and the chief transgressor.

The Nature of Miriam's Sin

Miriam led the attack, driven by pride and contempt. She and Aaron resented Moses' unique role, though God already used them. Their sin was against Moses and God's providence.

Now, it is true Eve was first in the transgression and she was punished. That is true. But sin came to the world by Adam because the covenant of God was with Adam. But here Miriam is the leader. She is the transgressor. And Aaron was drawn into this by her. And when you read this chapter, Aaron was the one who very quickly acknowledged the sin and confessed the sin. And so Miriam now is very strenuously judged by God. Now, there are many facets to this sin.

Now, I believe that probably we could spend several weeks on it just trying to explore it and explain it as well. But let me just point this out. This sin of Miriam and Aaron at this point was not just simply an attack upon Moses and his leadership. It was also an attack upon God for His choice and using Moses as the leader. So we could say it like this: The sin was directly at Moses, but it was indirectly at God. I want you to consider what I would be calling the exceeding grief that this must have had upon Moses. Will you stop and think that this attack came from his own family?

It did not come from the Egyptians. It did not come from the Canaanites. It did not even come from the people that he was leading. It came from his own family, his brother and his sister. Alice can tell you this. I told her this a number of times over the years. I can take anything that anybody can throw at me. But what would kill me is that she turned against me.

I can have war anywhere else, but I want peace at home. You follow that? And now here you have Moses. The people have been rebelling against him since he brought them out of Egypt. And now Miriam and Aaron are turning against him as well. And here's an interesting thought. Moses was not only a prophet, the Bible tells us that Moses was also a king. The Bible says in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 33 and verse 5,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 33:5

"And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together."

So now we have Miriam and Aaron attacking not just Moses as a man, but Moses as a prophet, and Moses as God's choice, and Moses as a king. So the attack then upon Moses was an attack upon God's royal authority in choosing Moses, in establishing Moses, and putting him in the place of leadership. By the way, let me say this, I don't want to forget it. The Bible says, "And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married."

Do you understand that an attack upon a man's family is an attack upon himself? So if you attack Alice, you're attacking me. If you attack Lorraine, you're attacking Steve. Why? The two are one. You cannot separate what God has joined together. And so here then is an attack upon Moses' family, by his family. You've heard the old adage that familiarity breeds contempt. And certainly they were very familiar with Moses.

You know, when you stop and think about this, and this thought hit my mind this morning, and I thought, I'm going to check this out. How easily they attack Moses. Did you know that Moses is called "Moses the man of God" six times in the Bible? And when you get to Psalm 90, which is a prayer of Moses, the title is, "A Prayer of Moses the man of God." And if you look up "Moses the servant of God" or "the servant of the LORD," you'll be amazed. I don't know, 30, 40, 50 references to Moses being the servant of the Lord. And yet, here we are, and they're attacking the one who is God's man and God's servant. And they're doing so because they are brother and sister and familiarity does indeed breed contempt. Let me show you how contemptuous they are. Look in your Bibles in Numbers 12 and verse 2. Here is arrogance. Here is pride. Here is contempt. "And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it." May I tell you what they were saying? Here's what they were saying: We don't need Moses. I mean, he's not the only one that God can use. God can use us just like he's using Moses. We don't need Moses.

We can usurp His authority. We can usurp His position. It doesn't really matter. May I remind you of something? God was already using Miriam and already using Aaron. Miriam is called in the Bible a prophetess, and of course, Aaron was the priest. So God was using Miriam and Aaron in different ways. Now, when the Bible says that Miriam was a prophetess, that does not mean that she preached. That does not mean that she prophesied and foretold, not at all. If you look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 15, Exodus chapter 15, you will see that she is called a prophetess, but you will also see what she did. Notice Exodus chapter 15, and let's begin reading there with verse 20. Exodus 15 verse 20: "And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea."

Moses' Meekness and Intercession

Moses, the meekest man, did not defend himself but interceded for Miriam. God limited her punishment to seven days outside the camp, showing mercy through Moses' prayer.

They were now attacking Moses and Moses being meek. In fact, the Bible tells us he was the meekest man on earth. Moses being meek did not defend himself. He did not have to. Because the Bible says, "And the LORD heard it." And He said, "You three, come in the tabernacle before me." And God said, "Let me tell you something. If I raise up a prophet, I'll show myself to him in a dream or a vision. But it's not like that between me and my servant Moses. I'll speak with him mouth to mouth."

He can see the outline, the shape. How could you speak against Moses? And God departed and Miriam turned into a leper. Aaron quickly confessed and acknowledged his sin. And he asked Moses to pray. And look at it in your Bibles. Look in Numbers chapter 12. The Bible says in verse 9, Numbers 12, verse 9: "And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned."

"Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb. And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee." Watch verse fourteen. "And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again." Wow. Did you get that? He said, "Her father just spit in her face." No, she's not getting away with this. Here's something I want you to note. Look if you would in verse 11. "And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord."

He's willing to be in submission now. "Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb. And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee." Listen very carefully. Moses did not look at Miriam when she became a leper and said, "Ha!" "Well, you got what you deserved, didn't you, honey?" No, he didn't do that. Aaron begged him to pray. And he prayed. Do you understand something? The very one that Miriam had sinned against was now the one interceding on her behalf. I want to point something out. I believe that Moses' prayer availed. How can I say that? Uzziah and Gehazi died a leper. But God said she'll suffer for seven days.

Applications: Warnings for Believers

God does not overlook sin in His saints; leaders face stricter judgment. We must not attack one another, be content with our gifts, and honor God's servants.

And I got news for you, if He did not intercede for us, we would really, really be in trouble. Now let me try to tie this together for you. I want you to think about these applications. First of all, God is not going to overlook sins, even in the best of His saints. If we act scandalously, we're going to be judged by Him. And you've got to remember what I said earlier. There are some sins that are very scandalous and very horrific that we do not consider scandalous and horrific.

How many people have mocked and made fun of their sisters-in-law? Made fun of their brothers-in-law? Made fun of the preacher and his wife? We don't consider that so horrific. But God did. God did. God said, Moses is my servant. Moses is my man. And you cannot attack him without attacking me. In fact, sin is far more grievous when it is in the leaders.

So, if you woke up in the morning and you got your morning paper and you saw in the headlines, "Steve Sharpless arrested for robbing the Third National Bank." You say, "Man, I know him. He's got to be crazy. He's got to be insane. Something happened to that man." If he did rob the bank, that would be bad, wouldn't it? But what if you got up in the morning and you read the paper and it said "Pastor John Weaver was arrested for robbing the Third National Bank"? Now it's even worse. He knew better, but I preached against it for 57 years. You follow me? So sin is always bad, but it's even worse when it's in those who know better. The second one is this. Do not think that we're going to escape the consequences of our sins. Do you realize the law of leprosy was not nullified just because it was Miriam who became leprous? She had to be shut out of the camp just like any other leper. She had to come back and offer the sacrifices just like any other leper. She had to be declared clean by the priest just like any other leper. It does not matter. In fact, do you realize in James 3 and verse 1, the Bible says this?

"Be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation." So clearly God's law is not going to be set aside just because one of his saints sins. Matthew Henry said it like this: "The plague of leprosy being usually a particular mark of God's displeasure for sin, he in whom the signs of it did appear ought not to conceal it, nor cut out the signs of it, nor apply to the physician for relief, but he must go to the priest and follow his directions. Thus, those that feel their consciences under guilt and wrath must not cover it, nor endeavor to shake off their convictions, but by repentance and prayer and humble confession take the appointed way to peace and pardon, which of course is through the Lord Jesus Christ." So I think when God is saying, "Take heed, take heed, and you remember what I did to Miriam by the way when you came out of Egypt," what He is saying is that we better be warned of the fact and we better understand the fact that the will of the flesh has absolutely no place in the ministry and no place in the worship of God.

Miriam is brought forth as a dissuasive warning, as a dissuasive example. She was unwilling to remain in her place of subordination. She was unwilling to continue to serve in the area which God gave her. No, no. She wanted to rebel and she wanted the place of Moses. She wanted to run things. Unhappily, rebellion is not just the sin of women. It's also the sin of men as well.

We've got to understand something. God gave us our positions in life. God gave us our gifts. We did not choose our gifts. I had a pastor friend. He's been dead now many years. He was one of the most loving, kind, gracious individuals I've ever known in my entire life. And he and I were together one day, and he looked at me and he said, "Brother Weaver, I would give anything to know the Bible the way you know the Bible." And I looked at him. I said, "My brother, I would give anything to be able to love the way you love." He had his gift. I had my gift.

You see what I'm saying? You cannot say, "God, I must have this one." No, no, no. God gives us our position. God gives us our gifts. It's one thing to desire to grow in our gift and to grow in our position to honor God and to bring more glory to Him. It's quite another thing to be envious and jealous and desirous of someone who is above us. I mean, come on, let's be honest. We can rejoice in the fact that God is using any of us. We can rejoice in the fact that we have any ministry at all. We can rejoice in the fact that God lets us live and serve Him, even if it's just doing what we normally do every day. And we can be thankful for that. And I've got news for you. I'm thankful for those individuals that God is using even more than He's using me. I'm not upset because someone teaches more people than I teach. I'm not upset because people have bigger works than I have. That's between them and that's between God. I'm thankful. I would to God that more men had much larger works.

Joshua ran to Moses and said, "My lord, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp." Moses said, "Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!" And I would want all to prophesy, all to be able to preach and teach the word of God. So I'm just simply saying, we cannot be desirous of vain glory. We have to be content with where God has placed us, but at the same time, use every effort to honor Him even more in our place and in our position. God says we're not to be desirous of vain glory. This is why He said, "Remember what I did to Miriam." You know, I think there's another verse that we could really apply, and I think it kind of sums up all this lesson. And that's Leviticus 19 in verse 32, where God said, "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD." In other words, honoring others who deserve honor is part and parcel of our honor and worship of God. We cannot honor Him unless we honor His servants and His people.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Danger of Forgetting God's Works

Summary: God repeatedly commands His people to remember past events as warnings, because we are prone to forget His truth and judgments.

Evidence: Weaver cites Deuteronomy 24:9, Luke 17:32, and other 'remember' passages, noting our forgetfulness.

Old Testament Examples as Admonitions

Summary: The events of the Old Testament, including Miriam's judgment, were written as types and examples for New Testament believers to learn from.

Evidence: Weaver references Romans 15:4 and 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11, explaining the Greek word 'tupos'.

The Sin of Attacking God's Appointed Leaders

Summary: Miriam and Aaron's criticism of Moses was an indirect attack on God's choice and authority, provoking severe judgment.

Evidence: Weaver explains that their words 'Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses?' challenged God's unique relationship with Moses.

Leprosy as a Sign of Divine Judgment

Summary: In Scripture, leprosy often signified God's direct punishment for grievous sin, as seen in Miriam, Gehazi, and Uzziah.

Evidence: Weaver cites Numbers 12:10, 2 Kings 5:27, and 2 Chronicles 26:19-21 to illustrate this pattern.

Contentment with God-Given Roles and Gifts

Summary: Believers must not envy others' positions or gifts but faithfully serve where God has placed them, avoiding vain glory.

Evidence: Weaver contrasts Miriam's ambition with Moses' desire that all would prophesy, and shares a personal anecdote about gifts.

The Meekness and Intercession of Moses

Summary: Moses did not retaliate when attacked but interceded for Miriam, prefiguring Christ's advocacy for sinners.

Evidence: Weaver notes Moses' meekness (Numbers 12:3) and his immediate prayer for healing, connecting it to 1 John 2:1.

Key Arguments

Miriam's sin was primarily rebellion against God's established order.

Summary: By challenging Moses' unique prophetic authority, Miriam and Aaron were not merely criticizing a brother but rebelling against God's sovereign choice.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The sin was directly at Moses, but it was indirectly at God... an attack upon God's royal authority in choosing Moses.'

Zipporah was a Midianite, not a black African, and her marriage to Moses was legitimate.

Summary: Weaver argues that the 'Ethiopian woman' was a Cushite from Arabia, a descendant of Abraham through Keturah, thus not a foreigner in the sense of being outside the covenant line.

Evidence: He cites Genesis 25:1-2, Exodus 18:12, and commentaries by Keil & Delitzsch and John Gill to support this interpretation.

Leprosy in the Bible is frequently a direct judgment from God for specific sins.

Summary: Weaver provides multiple biblical examples (Gehazi, Uzziah) to demonstrate that leprosy was not merely a natural disease but often a supernatural punishment.

Evidence: He references 2 Kings 5:27 and 2 Chronicles 26:19-21, stating, 'Leprosy in the Bible was usually a sign of God's judgment upon a scandalous and horrific sin.'

God does not overlook sin in His saints, especially leaders.

Summary: Miriam's punishment shows that even those greatly used by God face severe consequences for rebellion, and leaders are held to a higher standard.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'God is not going to overlook sins, even in the best of His saints... sin is far more grievous when it is in the leaders.'

Attacking a man's family is an attack on the man himself.

Summary: Miriam's criticism of Zipporah was a direct assault on Moses, as husband and wife are one flesh.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'An attack upon a man's family is an attack upon himself... you cannot separate what God has joined together.'

Moses' intercession for Miriam typifies Christ's advocacy for sinners.

Summary: The one sinned against became the intercessor, just as Jesus Christ intercedes for those who sin against Him.

Evidence: Weaver connects Moses' prayer in Numbers 12:13 to 1 John 2:1, 'We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.'

Scripture References

Deuteronomy 24:8-9

Context: The primary text: God commands Israel to take heed in the plague of leprosy and remember what He did to Miriam.

Luke 17:32

Context: Jesus' command to 'Remember Lot's wife' is compared to the command to remember Miriam.

Deuteronomy 25:17

Context: God commands Israel to remember what Amalek did, another example of a 'remember' passage.

Micah 6:5

Context: God tells His people to remember Balak and Balaam to know His righteousness.

Hebrews 2:1

Context: We must give earnest heed to what we have heard lest we let them slip, emphasizing the danger of forgetfulness.

Hebrews 13:16

Context: Do not forget to do good and communicate, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Romans 15:4

Context: Whatever was written in former days was written for our learning, that we might have hope.

1 Corinthians 10:1-11

Context: Paul uses Israel's wilderness failures as examples (types) to admonish the Corinthian church not to lust, commit idolatry, fornication, tempt Christ, or murmur.

Numbers 12:1-15

Context: The full account of Miriam and Aaron speaking against Moses, God's defense of Moses, and Miriam's leprosy.

Genesis 25:1-2

Context: Abraham took Keturah as a wife, and she bore him Midian, establishing Zipporah's lineage from Abraham.

Exodus 18:1-12

Context: Jethro brings Zipporah back to Moses, offers sacrifices to God, and rejoices in God's deliverance, showing he was a believer.

Leviticus 13-14

Context: The law of leprosy given to the priests, which the people were to follow diligently.

2 Samuel 3:28-29

Context: David curses Joab's house, including leprosy, for the murder of Abner.

2 Kings 5:27

Context: Gehazi is struck with Naaman's leprosy for his greed and lying.

2 Chronicles 26:19-21

Context: King Uzziah is struck with leprosy for burning incense in the temple, an act of pride.

Deuteronomy 33:5

Context: Moses was king in Jeshurun, indicating his royal authority.

Exodus 15:20-21

Context: Miriam the prophetess led the women with timbrels and dances, singing to the Lord.

1 Chronicles 25:1-6

Context: The sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun prophesied with harps, psalteries, and cymbals, showing musical prophesying.

Micah 6:4

Context: God says He sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before Israel, showing He used all three.

Galatians 5:15

Context: If you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another.

Historical References

Cushites descended from Ham, scattered in Arabia and Africa

Context: Weaver explains that 'Cushite' does not necessarily mean black African; Cushites were descendants of Ham and settled in Arabia as well as Africa.

Keil and Delitzsch commentary on Cush

Context: Weaver quotes this commentary to support that Cushites dwelt in Arabia and mingled with Shemites.

John Gill's commentary on Cush

Context: Gill states that 'Ethiopia' in Scripture often refers to Arabia, not Africa, and that Moses' wife was an Arabian Midianite.

Abraham's marriage to Keturah and birth of Midian

Context: Weaver traces Zipporah's lineage to Abraham through Keturah, making her a descendant of Abraham but not of Sarah.

Jethro (Reuel) as a priest of Midian and believer

Context: Jethro offered sacrifices to God and fellowshipped with Moses and Aaron, indicating he was a genuine believer.

Aben Ezra's view that Jethro was a priest of God

Context: Weaver cites Aben Ezra to support that Jethro was a priest of the true God, not a pagan priest.

Movie 'Cromwell' with Richard Harris

Context: Weaver recalls a scene where Cromwell prays, 'O Lord, I will be busy about many things this day. If I forget Thee, please do not Thou forget me.'

Matthew Henry's commentary on leprosy and conscience

Context: Henry compares the plague of leprosy to guilt of conscience, urging confession and repentance through Christ.

Important Quotes

Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt.

Significance: The central command of the sermon, emphasizing the importance of recalling God's judgment on Miriam as a warning.

Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

Significance: Paul's statement that Old Testament events serve as types to admonish believers, providing the hermeneutical basis for the sermon.

Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us?

Significance: Miriam and Aaron's rebellious question, revealing their envy and challenge to Moses' unique prophetic authority.

The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever.

Significance: Elisha's pronouncement on Gehazi, illustrating leprosy as a direct judgment for sin.

And the LORD smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house.

Significance: Uzziah's punishment for pride, showing that even kings are not exempt from God's judgment.

If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days.

Significance: God's response to Moses' intercession, indicating that Miriam's sin required public shame and temporary exclusion.

Be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

Significance: James' warning that teachers and leaders face stricter judgment, applied to Miriam's position.

Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.

Significance: The concluding verse, summarizing the duty to honor those whom God has placed in authority.

Discussion Questions

Why does God command Israel to remember what He did to Miriam, and how does this apply to us today?

Context: Weaver introduces the command in Deuteronomy 24:9 and connects it to the New Testament use of Old Testament examples.

What was the real nature of Miriam's sin, and why was it so serious in God's eyes?

Context: Weaver explains that Miriam's attack on Moses was an indirect attack on God's authority and choice.

How does the biblical pattern of leprosy as judgment challenge our view of sin and its consequences?

Context: Weaver cites Gehazi, Uzziah, and Miriam to show that leprosy often signified divine judgment for specific sins.

In what ways can familiarity breed contempt in our relationships, especially within the church?

Context: Weaver notes that Miriam and Aaron's familiarity with Moses led them to despise his authority.

How does Moses' response to Miriam's attack model Christ-like meekness and intercession?

Context: Weaver highlights Moses' refusal to defend himself and his immediate prayer for Miriam's healing.

What does it mean to be content with the gifts and position God has given us, and how can we avoid envy?

Context: Weaver contrasts Miriam's ambition with Moses' desire that all would prophesy, and shares a personal story about gifts.

Why is sin more grievous when committed by leaders, and what does this imply for those in authority?

Context: Weaver uses the illustration of a bank robbery to show that the same sin is worse when done by a pastor.

How can we honor God's servants without falling into the trap of attacking them through criticism of their families or decisions?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that an attack on a man's family is an attack on the man himself, and ultimately on God.

Applications

Take heed to the warnings of Scripture

Summary: Believers must diligently remember and apply the lessons from Old Testament examples, especially regarding the seriousness of sin.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'God is saying you better make sure that you're careful, that you follow the determination of the priest... Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam.'

Avoid attacking God's appointed leaders

Summary: We must not speak against or undermine those whom God has placed in authority, as doing so is an attack on God Himself.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'We cannot attack each other without displeasing God and incurring the wrath of God.'

Be content with your God-given role and gifts

Summary: Instead of envying others' positions or ministries, we should faithfully serve where God has placed us and seek to honor Him there.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'We have to be content with where God has placed us, but at the same time, use every effort to honor Him even more in our place.'

Recognize the gravity of sin, especially in leaders

Summary: Sin is always serious, but it is even more grievous when committed by those who know better and hold positions of influence.

Evidence: Weaver illustrates, 'If you read the paper and it said Pastor John Weaver was arrested for robbing the Third National Bank... it's even worse.'

Intercede for those who sin against you

Summary: Like Moses, we should pray for those who wrong us, reflecting Christ's advocacy for sinners.

Evidence: Weaver notes, 'The very one that Miriam had sinned against was now the one interceding on her behalf.'

Honor those whom God honors

Summary: Part of fearing God is showing respect and honor to His servants, as commanded in Leviticus 19:32.

Evidence: Weaver concludes, 'Honoring others who deserve honor is part and parcel of our honor and worship of God.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T21:54:57Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T17:45:55Z

Clean Transcript

Remember Miriam

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Let's open our Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 24. Deuteronomy 24, and we're going to be reading verses 8 and 9. Deuteronomy 24 verses 8 and 9, and the title of the message is simply "Remember Miriam." Notice Deuteronomy 24 beginning there with verse 8. Look what God says. Deuteronomy 24, verse 8: "Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do. Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt." I found it interesting as I was reading through the book of Deuteronomy that God said, "Remember that which thy God did unto Miriam." Now this passage kind of reminds you of our Lord's command in Luke chapter 17 and verse 32 when He said, "Remember Lot's wife." Years ago I preached the message on "Remember Lot and his wife." I also preached the message on "Lot the loser."
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But we're reminded of that which God commanded His people to remember as they came out of Egypt and right before they entered into the promised land. In Deuteronomy chapter 25 and verse 17, God said, "Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt." There's another very clear passage in the book of Micah chapter 6 and verse 5 where God says, "O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD." So once again He said you need to remember what Balak consulted and what Balaam answered. He said that you may know the righteousness of the Lord. And years ago, I preached a series, I think, of six messages on learning the righteousness of God from that verse and from the context of what He tells us we must remember.
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It would probably be time consuming, but it would probably be a very interesting study if you would take the time to go through the Bible and just simply look at the word "remember" and see everything that God tells us that we are to remember. We are indeed a very forgetful people. We become very busy with many things, and consequently we forget many things. Oftentimes we forget truth. Oftentimes we forget our covenant. Oftentimes we forget God. I remember watching the movie "Cromwell" years ago with Richard Harris in it, and there was a battle, and Cromwell was riding back and forth on his horse, and he prayed, and he said this: "O Lord, I will be busy about many things this day. If I forget Thee, please do not Thou forget me."
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And certainly, I would want to pray that as well. But God does indeed remind us not to be forgetful. For in Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 1, He said, "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip." And so oftentimes things slip our minds. And the Bible tells us in Hebrews 13 and verse 16, "But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." So over and over in the Bible, we're told certain things that we are not to forget. But when you look at Deuteronomy 24 and verse 9, God says this: "Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt."
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When you read a passage like that, there are probably several thoughts that enter into your mind. The first one would be this: Why in the world should I remember what God did unto Miriam? I mean, after all, Miriam has been dead for thousands of years. The second thought that would probably come to your mind would be something like this: What in the world has Miriam's life or Miriam's death to do with me? I did not come out of Egypt with her. Why in the world should I remember what the Lord God did unto Miriam?
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Well, let me answer that. First of all, I want to quote a verse as you hold Deuteronomy 24, and turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 10. As you turn to 1 Corinthians 10, I want to quote Romans 15 and verse 4. There the Apostle Paul said this: "For whatsoever things were written aforetime"—now he's talking about the Old Testament—"whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." So the Apostle Paul said, "Whatsoever things were written aforetime," those things in the Old Testament were written for our learning. When you get to 1 Corinthians chapter 10, you're going to see the Apostle Paul is taking what happened in the Old Testament, especially during the wilderness wanderings with Israel, and he's making an application to the Corinthian church. So look in verse one, 1 Corinthians 10.
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He said, "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness."
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Now look carefully at verse 6. "Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer." Now watch verse 11. "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." Now, it's interesting in verse 6 it is. The Bible tells us that these were our examples, and then when you look at verse 11, it says they are our ensamples.
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Now, the word in the Greek is the same. It is the Greek word "tupos," from which we derive our English word "type." It literally refers to a figure, an example, a pattern. And what the Apostle Paul is doing in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, he is using this in an ethical sense. As a dissuasive to the Corinthian Christians, he is saying, don't act like the Israelites in the wilderness. If you act like they act, you're going to receive the judgment of God the way they received it. So he is dissuading them from doing these things that the Israelites did in the wilderness. So he's taking all of these things that happened in the wilderness, Old Testament Israel, and he's applying it to a New Testament church.
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Now, when you look back to the book of Deuteronomy 24 and verse 9, and God says, "Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt," He is using Miriam as a dissuasive example. He is saying, don't act like Miriam. Don't have the attitude of Miriam. Don't let what happened to Miriam happen to you. If you want to understand what happened to Miriam and why it happened, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Numbers, chapter 12.
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We're going to read the first 15 verses. Numbers, chapter 12, and watch if you would, please, and see exactly what happened to Miriam. Numbers 12 verse 1, "And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth."
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And he said, "Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned."
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"Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb. And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee. And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again. And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again." So Miriam now has been smitten with leprosy.
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So let me try to set the stage and show you what really happened. And I want to correct what is really, I think, an erroneous thought in the minds of a lot of people. When you look in Numbers chapter 12 and verse 1, Miriam and Aaron were against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married. The Bible says, "for he had married an Ethiopian." Well, so many people think that what Moses did was marry a black woman.
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And that is not true. You can find the Hebrew word here is the word "Cush." She was indeed a Cushite. Now the word Cushite is sometimes translated as Ethiopian. That is true. But may I remind you that the Cushites were descended from Ham. Ham was a son of Noah. So Cush then was a grandson of Noah. So the Cushites then were straight from Noah. The Keil and Delitzsch commentary says this: "Cush, the Ethiopians of the ancients who not only dwelt in Africa, but were scattered throughout the whole of southern Asia and originally, in all probability, settled in Arabia, where the tribes that still remain mingled with the Shemites," that is from Shem, "and adopted a Shemitic language."
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Then John Gill said it like this: "But though this word Cush, as used in scripture, is generally rendered by us Ethiopia, this must not be understood of Ethiopia in Africa, but in Arabia, and indeed is always to be understood as one part of Arabia, and which was near to the land of Judea." So Moses' wife is called an Ethiopian when she was an Arabian and of Midian. Now, Moses' wife's name was Zipporah. She was from Midian.
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Now, the interesting thing is this. I believe this is why Miriam is mocking and so upset. It's because Zipporah was not of the original twelve tribes. Therefore, she was not a direct descendant from Abraham and Sarah. However, she was a direct descendant from Abraham. Because after Sarah died, Abraham remarried. If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, chapter 25, and look if you would please at verse 1 and 2. Genesis 25, verses 1 and 2. The Bible says this: "Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah."
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"And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah." So, Midian was a son of Abraham and Keturah. Remember? Reuel, or Jethro, who happened to be the father of Zipporah, was a priest of Midian. Zipporah was a Cushite, that is, she was in the genealogy of Noah, but she is also a Midianite, because now she's in the genealogy of Abraham, because Abraham and Keturah had the son by the name of Midian. Now, the interesting thing is, the Midianites then sprang from Midian, and Abraham and Keturah. Jethro, sometimes called Reuel in the Scripture, the father of Zipporah and the father-in-law of Moses, was a believer. How do I know that he was a believer?
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Well, if you look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 18, you might as well hold that passage because we're going to come right back there momentarily. But look in Exodus 18 and verse 12. Exodus 18 and verse 12. The Bible says, "And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God." So here Jethro is offering sacrifices to the one true and the living God. And here Moses and Aaron and all the elders are sitting down communing with him.
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So obviously he was indeed a real, genuine believer. Now, John Gill said this: "Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, who being a descendant of Abraham, might have retained the knowledge of the true God, and might be a priest of his, as Melchizedek was, or otherwise it may be thought improbable that Moses would have married his daughter, as he afterwards did." And so Aben Ezra says he was a priest of God.
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Though the word is sometimes used for prince, ruler, or governor. So, when you look back in Numbers chapter 12, and you find that Miriam is now mocking Zipporah, because obviously Zipporah did not have in her genealogy Abraham and Sarah. So it was Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. She was not a member of the twelve tribes as they were because you must remember that Aaron and Miriam and Moses were Levites. But she was still a descendant of Abraham through Keturah and also a descendant through Noah. So very obviously she was an Arabian and she was not necessarily a black woman.
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Now, so you have to understand. Some people try to say, well, what happened was this: Moses married twice. No, nowhere in the Bible will you ever find that there was a second wife for Moses. What happened was this. When Moses and Zipporah were going back to Egypt to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt, of course, you remember how the Lord attacked Moses in the way because he had failed to circumcise his sons, and Zipporah did so, and she said, "A bloody husband art thou to me because of the circumcision." Well, sometime later, Moses sent her back to her father because of all the hassle that he was going through, not only with Pharaoh, but also with the Israelites as well. So if you look in your Bible to Exodus chapter 18, you will see that this is Zipporah being brought back to Moses. Notice Exodus 18 verse 1: "When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt; then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back, and her two sons; of
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which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land: and the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh: and Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God: and he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her. And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent. And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them. And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.
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And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them." And in the next verse is where he offered sacrifice to God.
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And, of course, then Moses and Aaron and all the elders ate with him. So, obviously, this Zipporah was Moses' one and only wife. And, of course, when you look at Numbers 12 and verse 1, you cannot help but see that Miriam now is the leader in this and she is attacking Moses because she does not like Zipporah. Now, I want you to look back in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 24 and look at verse 8 in reference to this. In Deuteronomy 24 verse 8, God says this: "Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do."
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"Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt." Now, the Lord commanded for Israel to take heed that they observe to do what the law demanded if they were infected with leprosy. That is, they were to diligently follow the directions of the priests who were to give them the commandments of God in that area. So in light of the plague of leprosy, we are to remember that which God did unto Miriam, by the way. Now the law of leprosy is given to us in Leviticus chapter 13 and Leviticus chapter 14.
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It is not repeated here. Why? Because the law of leprosy was not for the people in general. It was for the priests in particular. Because it was the priests who had to declare whether or not something was leprous. Whether it was an individual, whether it was a house, whether it was a garment. And it was the priest then that had to declare what had to be done for the cleansing. So the law is not necessarily repeated right here, but God is saying you better make sure that you're careful, that you follow the determination of the priest. Leprosy in the Bible was usually a sign of God's judgment upon a scandalous and horrific sin. And it's interesting that there are some sins that you and I may not think of as scandalous or horrific, but God does.
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Now, I understand that there are normal and natural ways of contracting leprosy. I understand that. But usually, leprosy was the judgment of God revealed against an individual. And incidentally, I read years ago, and I believe it is true, that even armadillos carry leprosy. So you need to be careful when you're dealing with armadillos as well. But you're going to find as you read through the Bible that many times leprosy was inflicted because of the judgment of God.
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You remember that passage in 2 Samuel chapter 3 where Joab had murdered Abner the son of Ner. Now, Joab and Abner, by the way, were cousins. But Joab and Abishai, his brother, murdered Abner because Abner had killed Asahel, their brother, in battle. And really it wasn't Abner's fault. Abner pleaded with him to stop and not follow him and to let him alone. And Asahel wouldn't listen. And so, obviously, in defending himself, he killed Asahel. And so now Joab comes back and he murders Abner.
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David was unaware of it. In fact, David had just entered into a covenant with Abner. So listen to what David does in 2 Samuel 3, verses 28 and 29. When David finds out that Joab has murdered Abner, he actually places a curse upon Joab. Listen to what he says: "And afterward when David heard it, he said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the LORD for ever from the blood of Abner the son of Ner: let it rest on the head of Joab, and on all his father's house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth on the sword, or that lacketh bread." So he said all of these things are a curse and they should come upon Joab and his house because of this scandalous and this horrific sin.
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And so here's another example. You remember Elisha and Naaman the Syrian. Naaman had brought lots of silver, lots of garments, maybe some gold. I don't know what all he brought to be healed from his leprosy. And of course, Elisha just sends his servant Gehazi out and says to Naaman, "Go wash seven times in the Jordan River and you'll be clean." And you know the story, how he turns away in a great rage. And finally, one of his men says, "Well, if the prophet had bid you to do some great thing, would you not have done it?" Yes. "Well, it's so easy and simple just to go wash in the Jordan seven times and be clean." And he did. And he was clean. And then he tried to pay Elisha. And Elisha said, "No, no, no."
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"This is not a time to receive money." And so Naaman turned around and left. And Gehazi said, "My master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, but I will take somewhat of him." And he ran after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running afterwards, he stopped and turned around, and he asked Gehazi, he said, "What is it?" Well, he said, "Some young prophets have just come to my master's house, and he said, would you give them something?" And so Naaman then laid it down to servants with silver and with garments and sent them back, and Gehazi took and he hid it. And when he walked into Elisha, Elisha asked, "Whither wentest thou, Gehazi?" And he answered, "Thy servant went no whither." And he said, "Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee?"
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And listen to what he said. 2 Kings 5 verse 27: "The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow." Wow. So Gehazi lied, he defrauded, he stole, and his reward was leprosy. All that money that he had taken could do him no good because he couldn't spend it as a leper.
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So obviously, it was the judgment of God upon him. And then you remember also King Uzziah. King Uzziah was a godly man. He reigned 52 years in Judah. He did lots of good things. But the Bible tells us that when he was old, his heart was lifted up and he went into the temple of God to offer incense. And Azariah and about 85 priests confronted him and said, "Get out of here. Get out of here."
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"This is not going to be for your honor." And Uzziah got angry. And just as he got angry, the leprosy began in his forehead. And the Bible says, "Yea, he himself hasted to go out." And the Bible says in 2 Kings 15 and verse 5, "And the LORD smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house. And Jotham the king's son was over the house, judging the people of the land."
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So he lost his rulership because of his arrogance. Now, when you look at Numbers 12 and verse 1, and I want you to look back there, I want you to understand why God judged Miriam so strenuously. I'll point something out just a little bit later, but if you look in Numbers 12 in verse one, the Bible says this: "And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman." Now notice, "And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses." Who was named first? Miriam. And she's listed first because she was the leader and the chief transgressor.
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Now, it is true Eve was first in the transgression and she was punished. That is true. But sin came to the world by Adam because the covenant of God was with Adam. But here Miriam is the leader. She is the transgressor. And Aaron was drawn into this by her. And when you read this chapter, Aaron was the one who very quickly acknowledged the sin and confessed the sin. And so Miriam now is very strenuously judged by God. Now, there are many facets to this sin.
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Now, I believe that probably we could spend several weeks on it just trying to explore it and explain it as well. But let me just point this out. This sin of Miriam and Aaron at this point was not just simply an attack upon Moses and his leadership. It was also an attack upon God for His choice and using Moses as the leader. So we could say it like this: The sin was directly at Moses, but it was indirectly at God. I want you to consider what I would be calling the exceeding grief that this must have had upon Moses. Will you stop and think that this attack came from his own family?
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It did not come from the Egyptians. It did not come from the Canaanites. It did not even come from the people that he was leading. It came from his own family, his brother and his sister. Alice can tell you this. I told her this a number of times over the years. I can take anything that anybody can throw at me. But what would kill me is that she turned against me.
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I can have war anywhere else, but I want peace at home. You follow that? And now here you have Moses. The people have been rebelling against him since he brought them out of Egypt. And now Miriam and Aaron are turning against him as well. And here's an interesting thought. Moses was not only a prophet, the Bible tells us that Moses was also a king. The Bible says in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 33 and verse 5, "And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together." So now we have Miriam and Aaron attacking not just Moses as a man, but Moses as a prophet, and Moses as God's choice, and Moses as a king. So the attack then upon Moses was an attack upon God's royal authority in choosing Moses, in establishing Moses, and putting him in the place of leadership. By the way, let me say this, I don't want to forget it. The Bible says, "And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married."
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Do you understand that an attack upon a man's family is an attack upon himself? So if you attack Alice, you're attacking me. If you attack Lorraine, you're attacking Steve. Why? The two are one. You cannot separate what God has joined together. And so here then is an attack upon Moses' family, by his family. You've heard the old adage that familiarity breeds contempt. And certainly they were very familiar with Moses.
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You know, when you stop and think about this, and this thought hit my mind this morning, and I thought, I'm going to check this out. How easily they attack Moses. Did you know that Moses is called "Moses the man of God" six times in the Bible? And when you get to Psalm 90, which is a prayer of Moses, the title is, "A Prayer of Moses the man of God." And if you look up "Moses the servant of God" or "the servant of the LORD," you'll be amazed. I don't know, 30, 40, 50 references to Moses being the servant of the Lord. And yet, here we are, and they're attacking the one who is God's man and God's servant.
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And they're doing so because they are brother and sister and familiarity does indeed breed contempt. Let me show you how contemptuous they are. Look in your Bibles in Numbers 12 and verse 2. Here is arrogance. Here is pride. Here is contempt. "And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it." May I tell you what they were saying? Here's what they were saying: We don't need Moses. I mean, he's not the only one that God can use. God can use us just like he's using Moses. We don't need Moses.
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We can usurp His authority. We can usurp His position. It doesn't really matter. May I remind you of something? God was already using Miriam and already using Aaron. Miriam is called in the Bible a prophetess, and of course, Aaron was the priest. So God was using Miriam and Aaron in different ways. Now, when the Bible says that Miriam was a prophetess, that does not mean that she preached. That does not mean that she prophesied and foretold, not at all. If you look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 15, Exodus chapter 15, you will see that she is called a prophetess, but you will also see what she did. Notice Exodus chapter 15, and let's begin reading there with verse 20. Exodus 15 verse 20: "And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea."
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So what was Miriam doing? She was singing, and she was singing with the women, and she was leading the women in song, a biblical thought. And she's called a prophetess in that sense of the word. But may I remind you, she was not a prophet in the sense that she was preaching, or even in the sense that she was foretelling what was coming to pass.
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Now, I want you to understand that there is a prophesying with music in the Bible, and it's not just women who prophesied with music, it's men as well. If you will turn in your Bibles to 1 Chronicles chapter 25. 1 Chronicles chapter 25. Look if you would please, beginning there with verse 1. 1 Chronicles chapter 25 and verse 1. Watch carefully. "Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph," who were musicians by the way, "separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of the workmen according to their service was: of the sons of Asaph; Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph under the hands of Asaph, which prophesied according to the order of the king." Now note, if you would please, in verse 1 the Bible says that these individuals prophesied. How did they prophesy? With harps and with psalteries and with cymbals. They were singing, playing music.
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The Psalms in all probability. Moses wrote Psalm 90.
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Now skip down if you would please to verses 5 and 6. "All these were the sons of Heman the king's seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king's order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman." Now, note, if you would please, in verse 2 the Bible said, "they prophesied according to the order of the king." In other words, this is not something that God is commanding them to do particularly right now. This is something that David has said, this is how you prophesy. This is your ministry. You play the instruments. You sing.
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So it's called prophesying with music. It's not preaching. They were not preachers. They were musicians.
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Now, let me show you something else. I want you to look in the Bible very quickly to the book of Micah chapter 6 because I made the statement earlier that God was already using Miriam and Aaron in different areas. Not everybody has the same gifts and not everybody has the same ministry. So in Micah chapter 6 and verse 4, God says, "For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam." Isn't that amazing? God said, I sent all three of them, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Now, back in Numbers 12 and verse 1, and that's a very interesting passage there, because the Bible says in Numbers 12 and verse 1, "And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses."
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Now let me ask you a question. God said, I sent all three of them. Do you know who was the oldest child? The youngest child was Moses. The middle child was Aaron. He was three years older than Moses. The oldest was Miriam. How do I know that? Do you not remember when Moses was put in an ark as a baby in the river, and Pharaoh's daughter sent a maid to draw the baby out? Who was it that said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?" It was Miriam. A three-year-old boy wouldn't be out saying that like Aaron. No. So Miriam was the oldest. And she's probably in Numbers 12 saying, I'm the oldest. I'm taking charge here. It's kind of like years ago, when our grandkids were so little, the oldest grandchild that we have is a granddaughter. And she was, I don't know, five or six, seven or eight years old. And all the grandkids were down at the pond and they were fishing, except Renee.
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And Renee had never fished before in her life, but she was walking up and down the bank telling all the others how to fish. Violet, the oldest grandson, said, "Renee, if you would just shut up, maybe the fish will bite." Well, maybe this is Miriam. I'm the oldest. You know, I ought to have some say in this. Well, the point is that God was already using Miriam. He was already using Aaron. He was already using Moses.
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And yet they were not satisfied with their service. And they wanted to take the place of Moses, and their attack was a direct attack upon Moses, because they were attacking Zipporah, his wife. And it was an indirect attack upon the providence of God, because in the providence of God, He gave Zipporah to Moses, his wife. I tell people one thing for sure, I know it's God's will for me to be married to Alice, because I've been married to her for 58 years. I mean, obviously, that's the providence of God. It was the providence of God in the life of Moses and Zipporah as well. So let me tell you what we're to learn. We're to learn when God is saying, you better remember what I did to Miriam, by the way, we're to learn that we cannot attack each other without displeasing God and incurring the wrath of God. You look around at the Christians who cut each other to pieces.
#53 | 44:42 to 45:43 | cleaned
And I hate to say this, but preachers are the worst in this. They have absolutely no regard sometimes for their other brethren in the Lord. I mean, they will denigrate, they will mock, they will make fun of, they'll do anything and everything seemingly to tear one down so that they can elevate themselves. I've often said, if our enemies really understood sin and really understood rebellion and really understood wickedness, then just leave us alone and we'd kill ourselves.
#54 | 45:45 to 46:16 | cleaned
It's kind of like that passage in Galatians 5 and verse 15, where the Apostle Paul told those Galatian Christians, "But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another." You see, the truth of the matter is flesh is still flesh, even in a religious form. So it didn't matter how religious or how good God was using Miriam or how good God was using Aaron.
#55 | 46:18 to 46:44 | cleaned
They were now attacking Moses and Moses being meek. In fact, the Bible tells us he was the meekest man on earth. Moses being meek did not defend himself. He did not have to. Because the Bible says, "And the LORD heard it." And He said, "You three, come in the tabernacle before me." And God said, "Let me tell you something. If I raise up a prophet, I'll show myself to him in a dream or a vision. But it's not like that between me and my servant Moses. I'll speak with him mouth to mouth."
#56 | 46:45 to 47:31 | cleaned
He can see the outline, the shape. How could you speak against Moses? And God departed and Miriam turned into a leper. Aaron quickly confessed and acknowledged his sin. And he asked Moses to pray. And look at it in your Bibles. Look in Numbers chapter 12. The Bible says in verse 9, Numbers 12, verse 9: "And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned."
#57 | 47:33 to 48:37 | cleaned
"Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb. And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee." Watch verse fourteen.
#58 | 48:37 to 48:49 | cleaned
"And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again." Wow. Did you get that? He said, "Her father just spit in her face." No, she's not getting away with this. Here's something I want you to note. Look if you would in verse 11. "And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord."
#59 | 48:49 to 49:31 | cleaned
He's willing to be in submission now. "Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb. And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee." Listen very carefully. Moses did not look at Miriam when she became a leper and said, "Ha!"
#60 | 49:33 to 50:13 | cleaned
"Well, you got what you deserved, didn't you, honey?" No, he didn't do that. Aaron begged him to pray. And he prayed. Do you understand something? The very one that Miriam had sinned against was now the one interceding on her behalf. I want to point something out. I believe that Moses' prayer availed. How can I say that? Uzziah and Gehazi died a leper. But God said she'll suffer for seven days.
#61 | 50:14 to 51:07 | cleaned
Then you can move her back again. So here's the point. The very one that she had sinned against was the intercessor on her behalf. Have you ever thought about this? When we sin, we sin against the Lord Jesus Christ. And you know what the Bible says in 1 John 2, verse 1: "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not." Verse 2: "And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." We're the ones who sin against Him, and yet He's the very one interceding for us.
#62 | 51:09 to 51:59 | cleaned
And I got news for you, if He did not intercede for us, we would really, really be in trouble. Now let me try to tie this together for you. I want you to think about these applications. First of all, God is not going to overlook sins, even in the best of His saints. If we act scandalously, we're going to be judged by Him. And you've got to remember what I said earlier. There are some sins that are very scandalous and very horrific that we do not consider scandalous and horrific.
#63 | 52:02 to 52:40 | cleaned
How many people have mocked and made fun of their sisters-in-law? Made fun of their brothers-in-law? Made fun of the preacher and his wife? We don't consider that so horrific. But God did. God did. God said, Moses is my servant. Moses is my man. And you cannot attack him without attacking me. In fact, sin is far more grievous when it is in the leaders.
#64 | 52:41 to 53:22 | cleaned
So, if you woke up in the morning and you got your morning paper and you saw in the headlines, "Steve Sharpless arrested for robbing the Third National Bank." You say, "Man, I know him. He's got to be crazy. He's got to be insane. Something happened to that man." If he did rob the bank, that would be bad, wouldn't it? But what if you got up in the morning and you read the paper and it said "Pastor John Weaver was arrested for robbing the Third National Bank"? Now it's even worse.
#65 | 53:23 to 54:01 | cleaned
He knew better, but I preached against it for 57 years. You follow me? So sin is always bad, but it's even worse when it's in those who know better. The second one is this. Do not think that we're going to escape the consequences of our sins. Do you realize the law of leprosy was not nullified just because it was Miriam who became leprous? She had to be shut out of the camp just like any other leper. She had to come back and offer the sacrifices just like any other leper. She had to be declared clean by the priest just like any other leper. It does not matter. In fact, do you realize in James 3 and verse 1, the Bible says this?
#66 | 54:02 to 54:55 | cleaned
"Be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation." So clearly God's law is not going to be set aside just because one of his saints sins. Matthew Henry said it like this: "The plague of leprosy being usually a particular mark of God's displeasure for sin, he in whom the signs of it did appear ought not to conceal it, nor cut out the signs of it, nor apply to the physician for relief, but he must go to the priest and follow his directions. Thus, those that feel their consciences under guilt and wrath must not cover it, nor endeavor to shake off their convictions, but by repentance and prayer and humble confession take the appointed way to peace and pardon, which of course is through the Lord Jesus Christ." So I think when God is saying, "Take heed, take heed, and you remember what I did to Miriam by the way when you came out of Egypt," what He is saying is that we better be warned of the fact and we better understand the fact that the will of the flesh has absolutely no place in the ministry and no place in the worship of God.
#67 | 54:58 to 56:26 | cleaned
Miriam is brought forth as a dissuasive warning, as a dissuasive example. She was unwilling to remain in her place of subordination. She was unwilling to continue to serve in the area which God gave her. No, no. She wanted to rebel and she wanted the place of Moses. She wanted to run things. Unhappily, rebellion is not just the sin of women. It's also the sin of men as well.
#68 | 56:26 to 56:59 | cleaned
We've got to understand something. God gave us our positions in life. God gave us our gifts. We did not choose our gifts. I had a pastor friend. He's been dead now many years. He was one of the most loving, kind, gracious individuals I've ever known in my entire life. And he and I were together one day, and he looked at me and he said, "Brother Weaver, I would give anything to know the Bible the way you know the Bible." And I looked at him. I said, "My brother, I would give anything to be able to love the way you love." He had his gift. I had my gift.
#69 | 56:59 to 57:52 | cleaned
You see what I'm saying? You cannot say, "God, I must have this one." No, no, no. God gives us our position. God gives us our gifts. It's one thing to desire to grow in our gift and to grow in our position to honor God and to bring more glory to Him. It's quite another thing to be envious and jealous and desirous of someone who is above us.
#70 | 57:54 to 58:24 | cleaned
I mean, come on, let's be honest. We can rejoice in the fact that God is using any of us. We can rejoice in the fact that we have any ministry at all. We can rejoice in the fact that God lets us live and serve Him, even if it's just doing what we normally do every day. And we can be thankful for that. And I've got news for you. I'm thankful for those individuals that God is using even more than He's using me. I'm not upset because someone teaches more people than I teach. I'm not upset because people have bigger works than I have. That's between them and that's between God. I'm thankful. I would to God that more men had much larger works.
#71 | 58:27 to 59:17 | cleaned
Joshua ran to Moses and said, "My lord, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp." Moses said, "Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!" And I would want all to prophesy, all to be able to preach and teach the word of God. So I'm just simply saying, we cannot be desirous of vain glory. We have to be content with where God has placed us, but at the same time, use every effort to honor Him even more in our place and in our position. God says we're not to be desirous of vain glory.
#72 | 59:21 to 1:00:00 | cleaned
This is why He said, "Remember what I did to Miriam." You know, I think there's another verse that we could really apply, and I think it kind of sums up all this lesson. And that's Leviticus 19 in verse 32, where God said, "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD." In other words, honoring others who deserve honor is part and parcel of our honor and worship of God. We cannot honor Him unless we honor His servants and His people.
#73 | 1:00:00 to 1:00:49 | cleaned
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We ask, Lord, that You would teach us, that You would build us up in the most holy faith, that You would help us, Lord, not only to be content with the position that You put us in, but with the gifts that You gave us. But help us, Lord, to desire to use those to the best of our ability for Your honor and Your glory. And may we rejoice in all that You do for others and how You build them up and how You use them. We give Thee praise. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen.
#74 | 1:00:51 to 1:01:32 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T21:54:57Z

Remember Miriam

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver expounds Deuteronomy 24:8-9, where God commands Israel to remember what He did to Miriam. He connects this to Numbers 12, where Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of his Cushite wife, Zipporah. Weaver clarifies that Zipporah was a Midianite, a descendant of Abraham through Keturah, not a black African. Miriam's sin was an attack on Moses' leadership and family, and indirectly on God's choice. God struck her with leprosy as judgment. The sermon warns against envy, rebellion, and attacking God's servants, emphasizing contentment with one's God-given role and the seriousness of sin, especially among leaders.

Introduction: The Command to Remember

God commands Israel to remember what He did to Miriam, similar to remembering Lot's wife and Amalek. The Bible frequently calls us to remember, as we are forgetful people.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 24:8-9

"Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do. Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt." I found it interesting as I was reading through the book of Deuteronomy that God said, "Remember that which thy God did unto Miriam."

Why Remember Miriam? Old Testament Examples for Us

Paul teaches that Old Testament events were written for our learning and as examples (types) to admonish us, so Miriam's story serves as a dissuasive warning.

Scripture Reading — Romans 15:4

"For whatsoever things were written aforetime"

—now he's talking about the Old Testament—

Scripture Reading — Romans 15:4

"whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

So the Apostle Paul said,

Scripture Reading — Romans 15:4

"Whatsoever things were written aforetime,"

The Incident in Numbers 12

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of his Ethiopian (Cushite) wife, questioning his unique prophetic authority. God heard and summoned them to the tabernacle.

Scripture Reading — Numbers 12:1-15

"And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth."

Clarifying the Identity of Moses' Wife

Zipporah was a Cushite from Midian, a descendant of Abraham through Keturah, not a black African. She was Moses' only wife, and her father Jethro was a believer.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 18:1-12

"And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God."

So here Jethro is offering sacrifices to the one true and the living God. And here Moses and Aaron and all the elders are sitting down communing with him.

Leprosy as Divine Judgment

Leprosy in Scripture often signified God's judgment for scandalous sin, as seen in Gehazi and Uzziah. God struck Miriam with leprosy for her rebellion.

And listen to what he said. 2 Kings 5 verse 27:

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 5:27

"The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow."

Wow. So Gehazi lied, he defrauded, he stole, and his reward was leprosy. All that money that he had taken could do him no good because he couldn't spend it as a leper.

The Nature of Miriam's Sin

Miriam led the attack, driven by pride and contempt. She and Aaron resented Moses' unique role, though God already used them. Their sin was against Moses and God's providence.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 33:5

"And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together."

Moses' Meekness and Intercession

Moses, the meekest man, did not defend himself but interceded for Miriam. God limited her punishment to seven days outside the camp, showing mercy through Moses' prayer.

Applications: Warnings for Believers

God does not overlook sin in His saints; leaders face stricter judgment. We must not attack one another, be content with our gifts, and honor God's servants.

Remember Miriam

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	81220182446478
Subject	Family Government
Course	The Christian Family: Marriage and Household Order: Remember Lot And His Wife
Genre	Sermon
Date	2020-08-09
Dictation Name
Book	Book 027: The Christian Family: Marriage and Household Order — Chapter 17
Source Timed Segments	74

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Command to Remember: God commands Israel to remember what He did to Miriam, similar to remembering Lot's wife and Amalek. The Bible frequently calls us to remember, as we are forgetful people.
Why Remember Miriam? Old Testament Examples for Us: Paul teaches that Old Testament events were written for our learning and as examples (types) to admonish us, so Miriam's story serves as a dissuasive warning.
The Incident in Numbers 12: Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of his Ethiopian (Cushite) wife, questioning his unique prophetic authority. God heard and summoned them to the tabernacle.
Clarifying the Identity of Moses' Wife: Zipporah was a Cushite from Midian, a descendant of Abraham through Keturah, not a black African. She was Moses' only wife, and her father Jethro was a believer.
Leprosy as Divine Judgment: Leprosy in Scripture often signified God's judgment for scandalous sin, as seen in Gehazi and Uzziah. God struck Miriam with leprosy for her rebellion.
The Nature of Miriam's Sin: Miriam led the attack, driven by pride and contempt. She and Aaron resented Moses' unique role, though God already used them. Their sin was against Moses and God's providence.
Moses' Meekness and Intercession: Moses, the meekest man, did not defend himself but interceded for Miriam. God limited her punishment to seven days outside the camp, showing mercy through Moses' prayer.
Applications: Warnings for Believers: God does not overlook sin in His saints; leaders face stricter judgment. We must not attack one another, be content with our gifts, and honor God's servants.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Miriam's sin was primarily rebellion against God's established order.

By challenging Moses' unique prophetic authority, Miriam and Aaron were not merely criticizing a brother but rebelling against God's sovereign choice.

Weaver states, 'The sin was directly at Moses, but it was indirectly at God... an attack upon God's royal authority in choosing Moses.'

Zipporah was a Midianite, not a black African, and her marriage to Moses was legitimate.

Weaver argues that the 'Ethiopian woman' was a Cushite from Arabia, a descendant of Abraham through Keturah, thus not a foreigner in the sense of being outside the covenant line.

He cites Genesis 25:1-2, Exodus 18:12, and commentaries by Keil & Delitzsch and John Gill to support this interpretation.

Leprosy in the Bible is frequently a direct judgment from God for specific sins.

Weaver provides multiple biblical examples (Gehazi, Uzziah) to demonstrate that leprosy was not merely a natural disease but often a supernatural punishment.

He references 2 Kings 5:27 and 2 Chronicles 26:19-21, stating, 'Leprosy in the Bible was usually a sign of God's judgment upon a scandalous and horrific sin.'

God does not overlook sin in His saints, especially leaders.

Miriam's punishment shows that even those greatly used by God face severe consequences for rebellion, and leaders are held to a higher standard.

Weaver says, 'God is not going to overlook sins, even in the best of His saints... sin is far more grievous when it is in the leaders.'

Attacking a man's family is an attack on the man himself.

Miriam's criticism of Zipporah was a direct assault on Moses, as husband and wife are one flesh.

Weaver explains, 'An attack upon a man's family is an attack upon himself... you cannot separate what God has joined together.'

Moses' intercession for Miriam typifies Christ's advocacy for sinners.

The one sinned against became the intercessor, just as Jesus Christ intercedes for those who sin against Him.

Weaver connects Moses' prayer in Numbers 12:13 to 1 John 2:1, 'We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.'

Scripture References

Deuteronomy 24:8-9: The primary text: God commands Israel to take heed in the plague of leprosy and remember what He did to Miriam.
Luke 17:32: Jesus' command to 'Remember Lot's wife' is compared to the command to remember Miriam.
Deuteronomy 25:17: God commands Israel to remember what Amalek did, another example of a 'remember' passage.
Micah 6:5: God tells His people to remember Balak and Balaam to know His righteousness.
Hebrews 2:1: We must give earnest heed to what we have heard lest we let them slip, emphasizing the danger of forgetfulness.
Hebrews 13:16: Do not forget to do good and communicate, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Romans 15:4: Whatever was written in former days was written for our learning, that we might have hope.
1 Corinthians 10:1-11: Paul uses Israel's wilderness failures as examples (types) to admonish the Corinthian church not to lust, commit idolatry, fornication, tempt Christ, or murmur.
Numbers 12:1-15: The full account of Miriam and Aaron speaking against Moses, God's defense of Moses, and Miriam's leprosy.
Genesis 25:1-2: Abraham took Keturah as a wife, and she bore him Midian, establishing Zipporah's lineage from Abraham.
Exodus 18:1-12: Jethro brings Zipporah back to Moses, offers sacrifices to God, and rejoices in God's deliverance, showing he was a believer.
Leviticus 13-14: The law of leprosy given to the priests, which the people were to follow diligently.
2 Samuel 3:28-29: David curses Joab's house, including leprosy, for the murder of Abner.
2 Kings 5:27: Gehazi is struck with Naaman's leprosy for his greed and lying.
2 Chronicles 26:19-21: King Uzziah is struck with leprosy for burning incense in the temple, an act of pride.
Deuteronomy 33:5: Moses was king in Jeshurun, indicating his royal authority.
Exodus 15:20-21: Miriam the prophetess led the women with timbrels and dances, singing to the Lord.
1 Chronicles 25:1-6: The sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun prophesied with harps, psalteries, and cymbals, showing musical prophesying.
Micah 6:4: God says He sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before Israel, showing He used all three.
Galatians 5:15: If you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another.

Historical References

Cushites descended from Ham, scattered in Arabia and Africa: Weaver explains that 'Cushite' does not necessarily mean black African; Cushites were descendants of Ham and settled in Arabia as well as Africa.
Keil and Delitzsch commentary on Cush: Weaver quotes this commentary to support that Cushites dwelt in Arabia and mingled with Shemites.
John Gill's commentary on Cush: Gill states that 'Ethiopia' in Scripture often refers to Arabia, not Africa, and that Moses' wife was an Arabian Midianite.
Abraham's marriage to Keturah and birth of Midian: Weaver traces Zipporah's lineage to Abraham through Keturah, making her a descendant of Abraham but not of Sarah.
Jethro (Reuel) as a priest of Midian and believer: Jethro offered sacrifices to God and fellowshipped with Moses and Aaron, indicating he was a genuine believer.
Aben Ezra's view that Jethro was a priest of God: Weaver cites Aben Ezra to support that Jethro was a priest of the true God, not a pagan priest.
Movie 'Cromwell' with Richard Harris: Weaver recalls a scene where Cromwell prays, 'O Lord, I will be busy about many things this day. If I forget Thee, please do not Thou forget me.'
Matthew Henry's commentary on leprosy and conscience: Henry compares the plague of leprosy to guilt of conscience, urging confession and repentance through Christ.

Important Quotes

Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt.

The central command of the sermon, emphasizing the importance of recalling God's judgment on Miriam as a warning.

Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

Paul's statement that Old Testament events serve as types to admonish believers, providing the hermeneutical basis for the sermon.

Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us?

Miriam and Aaron's rebellious question, revealing their envy and challenge to Moses' unique prophetic authority.

The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever.

Elisha's pronouncement on Gehazi, illustrating leprosy as a direct judgment for sin.

And the LORD smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house.

Uzziah's punishment for pride, showing that even kings are not exempt from God's judgment.

If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days.

God's response to Moses' intercession, indicating that Miriam's sin required public shame and temporary exclusion.

Be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

James' warning that teachers and leaders face stricter judgment, applied to Miriam's position.

Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.

The concluding verse, summarizing the duty to honor those whom God has placed in authority.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

Why does God command Israel to remember what He did to Miriam, and how does this apply to us today?

[Context]

Weaver introduces the command in Deuteronomy 24:9 and connects it to the New Testament use of Old Testament examples.

[Question]

What was the real nature of Miriam's sin, and why was it so serious in God's eyes?

[Context]

Weaver explains that Miriam's attack on Moses was an indirect attack on God's authority and choice.

[Question]

How does the biblical pattern of leprosy as judgment challenge our view of sin and its consequences?

[Context]

Weaver cites Gehazi, Uzziah, and Miriam to show that leprosy often signified divine judgment for specific sins.

[Question]

In what ways can familiarity breed contempt in our relationships, especially within the church?

[Context]

Weaver notes that Miriam and Aaron's familiarity with Moses led them to despise his authority.

[Question]

How does Moses' response to Miriam's attack model Christ-like meekness and intercession?

[Context]

Weaver highlights Moses' refusal to defend himself and his immediate prayer for Miriam's healing.

[Question]

What does it mean to be content with the gifts and position God has given us, and how can we avoid envy?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts Miriam's ambition with Moses' desire that all would prophesy, and shares a personal story about gifts.

[Question]

Why is sin more grievous when committed by leaders, and what does this imply for those in authority?

[Context]

Weaver uses the illustration of a bank robbery to show that the same sin is worse when done by a pastor.

[Question]

How can we honor God's servants without falling into the trap of attacking them through criticism of their families or decisions?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that an attack on a man's family is an attack on the man himself, and ultimately on God.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T17:45:55Z