Jealous of Jesus

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Numbers 12 April 11, 1999
Jealous of Jesus

Walter Cronkite once recalled sailing down the Mystic River in Connecticut and following the channel's tricky turns through an expanse of shallow water. About that time a boatload of young people sped past, its occupants shouting and waving their arms. He waved back a cheery greeting, but then his wife said, "Do you know what they were shouting?" "Why, it was 'Hello, Walter,'" he replied. "No," she said. "They were shouting, "Low water, Low water.'"

An over-inflated view of oneself can lead to all sorts of problems. We need not be the rich and famous to succumb to the temptation of an over-exaggerated opinion of our gifts and abilities. We need not be successful to fall prey to the need for public recognition. In fact, the need for approval is a part of the fallen condition. When we are passed by, not considered good enough, our noses get out of joint.

For some, pride is just a positive perspective of one’s own abilities. It is an optimistic estimation, a good self-esteem. But the problem of pride is seen in its attitude towards others. Pride demands a world in which others will always be just a step below you. When pride meets reality, jealousy is produced. Jealousy is a passion which has no reward, no gratification, no promise.

Jealousy is the fear that something which we possess will be taken away. Although jealousy can apply to our jobs, our possessions, or our reputations, the word more often refers to anxiety which comes when we are afraid that the affections of a loved one might be lost to a rival. We fear that our mates, or perhaps our children, will be lured away by some other person who, when compared to us, seems to be more attractive, capable and successful. (Dr. Gary Collins, in Homemade, July, 1985)

Benjamin Franklin knew the problem of pride. In his autobiography he wrote: “There is perhaps no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive. Even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility.”

This problem is magnified when we realize that pride which produces jealousy not only seeks to elevate self over others, it ultimately seeks to dethrone God. Our passage this morning is a story about the jealous attack which at first looks like nothing more than sibling rivalry, but which God saw as an attack on His authority, His power to grant success to whomever He desires.

1. Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite.

2. "Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he also spoken through us?" And the LORD heard this.

3. (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)

4. At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you." So the three of them came out.

5. Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward,

6. he said, "Listen to my words: "When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams.

7. But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.

8. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"

9. The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them.

10. When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam--leprous, like snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy;

11. and he said to Moses, "Please, my lord, do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed.

12. Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother's womb with its flesh half eaten away."

13. So Moses cried out to the LORD, "O God, please heal her!"

14. The LORD replied to Moses, "If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back."

15. So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.

16. After that, the people left Hazeroth and encamped in the Desert of Paran.

Miriam and Aaron’s frustration is understandable. Centuries later the prophet Micah made it clear that God used all three of these siblings to bring the Jews to the Promised Land. In 6:4 the prophet says: “I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of servants; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron and Miriam.”

Miriam was the older sister who watched over the papyrus basket float down the Nile, ultimately retrieved by Pharaoh’s daughter. As a young child she made sure that Moses would be returned to his mother to be nursed and cared for. Years later, it was Miriam who lead the women of Israel in song and dance on the eastern shore of the Red Sea after the Egyptian army was drowned. God’s presence in her life is clear and her ability as a prophet is unquestioned.

Aaron certainly had an important part to play in the Exodus. Moses’s reluctance to speak meant that Aaron was the one who confronted Pharaoh. It was his voice God had used to free His people. It was Aaron who was the High Priest and it was he who entered the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement. To doubt his position in Israel would be a fatal mistake.

Despite their impressive positions, their wonderful giftedness by God, they had an important lesson to learn about how to respond to God’s authority as it rests on others of His choosing.

THE ROOTS OF JEALOUSY - verses 1-2

There may be a superficial excuse given which masks the real problem of jealousy

Moses’s older siblings have a bone to pick with their little brother&ldots;they don’t like his wife. This verse is a problem for commentators, because we’re not exactly sure who this woman is.

We know about Moses’ wife Zipporah from Exodus, but she is from Midian. Cush, on the other hand, may refer to modern day Ethiopia. So there is some question whether they are upset that he took a second wife or they are upset that either way, she is not a good Jewish girl. I think they are referring to Zipporah the Midianite whom he married years before, but their complaint is just now festering. The area of Cush may refer to the northern Arabian area which was Midian, but they used the term “Cushite” as a ridicule, pointing out she is of another race, that she is not the fair olive tone they possess, but in fact she is black. Whatever the reason, they seem concerned that she is usurping their role. She is not one of them; she is different.

It is interesting that this issue is not revisited, because what is mentioned next has nothing to do with Moses’s wife and everything to do about their pride, their jealousy. Their initial complaint is just a surface issue, a smoke screen for what really is boiling deep within.

Their jealousy is one of a possible loss of power. Their complaint over Moses’s unique position may well have come to a head because of the recent events in which God’s Spirit by-passed them. Recall in Numbers 11 when Moses cried out to God that leading the Israelites was more than he could handle. God then gathered 70 of the leaders in Israel and poured out His Spirit on them and they prophesied. From the account, it appears that Miriam and Aaron were not a part of this elite crowd. But why not? They’re a part of the first family of Israel!
Now the real problem comes out. Their complaint was about Moses’s love life, but that was a convenient target for their real objection which we read about in verse 2. Is Moses the only show in town? No! "God has used us, too!"

There often is a much deeper issue when jealousy arises

Notice, rather than being thankful for the opportunities to be spokespersons for God, rather than seeing their positions as ones of grace rather than merit and self-effort, they think God’s gifting of them, God’s use of them is all based on their own abilities. They have reason to be mad not just at Moses, but at God, too.

Again, remember, these are not just prophetic wannabes, not spiritual misfits trying to make a name for themselves. They were leaders, but they forgot on what basis they could lead. Their jealousy came about because they wanted the honor, the power that went with the positions God had given them. But God seemed to be a bit too democratic in His gifts with others, whether that was in the African wife of Moses now a part of their family tree or the Spirit descending on others. While God was democratic with others, He was autocratic in His rule through Moses - like Jan in the Brady Bunch, “It’s always Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!”

What lies behind this jealousy, what feeds this sense of pride?

A distorted picture of self: We live in a performance-oriented world that demands we produce or perish. We find ourselves in constant competition with others in appearance and possessions. When we fail here, we face rejection. In order to just survive we fight for our self-status. This distorted picture of self imagines that all is dependent on me to be and achieve everything, that God has left me alone to struggle on my own.

A distorted picture of God: A distorted picture of self always goes back to a distorted view of God. When we live as orphans, scrapping and fighting for everything we have, we soon imagine God as detached at best, malevolent at worst. He doesn’t care for you. That is evident in that others get better homes, cushy jobs, better-looking bodies. God’s grace to others soon becomes an affront to you.

Some bad news: this is a problem not of the young believer, but the mature. With growth in the Christian life, you’ll quickly believe your own press reports; you’re doing pretty well, of course God’s going to use you. You’ve got your act together, you’re looking good.

THE RESPONSE TO JEALOUSY - verses 3-8

Moses’s response shows us how to respond to others' jealousy

Here’s a bit of a rabbit trail, but it’s worth taking. God hears the jealousy spewing forth and God speaks in verse 4, but in the middle there is that reminder that Moses was humble. What does this mean?

“Humble” in Hebrew sometimes refers to those in real poverty, those who were weak, and those liable to exploitation. They had to look to God since they could not defend themselves. "Humble" here means patient, able to put up with being wronged. Moses’s meekness is not that he is a wimp, but rather than challenging them on this point, he lets God handle the situation.

If I were Moses, especially after the draining experience with the people complaining about their meals, I’d launch back with a counter offensive, “Hey, I didn't ask for this job; I'm not sure that I even want it. And you didn't do too bad. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn’t be a prophetess and you the high priest. You are both way out of line. And leave my wife out of it."

Although George Whitefield disagreed with John Wesley on some theological matters, he was careful not to create problems in public that could be used to hinder the preaching of the Gospel. When someone asked Whitefield if he thought he would see Wesley in heaven, Whitefield replied, "I fear not, for he will be so near the eternal throne and we at such a distance, we shall hardly get sight of him."

God’s response shows how He responds to jealousy

It’s woodshed time. Yahweh spoke suddenly, at once - a word that was often used of an invasion or judgment coming without great warning. The Lord called Moses, Aaron and Miriam to come out from among the people to the Tabernacle.

God’s response to their jealousy takes it out of just a petty squabble and places it in a cosmic perspective. The grievous fault of Miriam and Aaron was disloyalty to God and treason against His established government. This is the real character of jealousy. It is in a true sense rebellion against the Most High. When we remember that talents and position and power are granted in the providence of God, it is real rebellion against His will to be envious of those to whom these power or privileges have been assigned.

God makes it clear there is a big difference between your run of the mill prophets and Moses.

Moses is of another class. Others hear from God in shadowy terms. They have visions and dreams, but Moses gets face time. He sees the form of God. This refers to the close encounter Moses had with God’s glory in Exodus 33 where the form of God was shown to him, but not God’s complete and absolute glory. Yet what Moses saw far exceed that of any other prophet.

Moses, God says in verse 7, is a faithful servant in God’s house. He has the status of the chief servant, the head slave who had the oversight of all others. This special status means that to mess with Moses is to mess with God Himself.

THE REBUKE OF JEALOUSY - verses 9-15

God’s rebuke identifies the sin

As God is finished speaking with Miriam and Aaron in defense of Moses, His presence leaves but not without a further response to their jealousy, a clear rebuke for their presumption. As the cloud lifts Miriam is left leprous.
The reason why Miriam but not Aaron is not immediately clear. In verse 1 her name is mentioned first and the verb there is in the feminine singular. Miriam appears to be the instigator. Aaron, like his response at Sinai when the people wanted the golden calf, is swept up in the excitement. So God’s rebuke falls on her, even though they’re both at fault.

What happens to Miriam is not exactly clear. In the Old Testament the word translated leprosy referred to a skin disease which is more like a severe form of psoriasis or eczema. Rather than what we know today as Hansen’s disease, she immediately showed signs of flaking, peeling scales.

Her foul tongue is justly punished with a foul face, and her folly in pretending to be a rival with Moses is evident to all, for everyone sees his face to be glorious, and hers to be leprous. While Moses needs a veil to hide his glory, Miriam needs one to hide her shame.

If her initial complaint against Moses was because of his wife’s dark skin, the disease with which she was afflicted made a mockery of that problem as she was now deathly white.

God’s rebuke demands the confession of sin

Aaron, though he remained silent, sinned by listening to Miriam and not speaking up in Moses's defense. Aaron appears to be asking for Moses to forgive them and interceded on Miriam and his behalf.

He acknowledges that this was as much his sin as it was hers. But notice what he does&ldots; having thought that he and his sister were as good as Moses, he now goes to Moses to intercede for him and his sister. He even addresses his own little brother with the term of great respect, calling him “lord.”

It has been said that repentance is the unsaying of that which we have said amiss, and it had better be unsaid than that we be undone by it. Aaron understands this problem all too well.

Moses holds no grudge. He asks God to heal her. To be gentle and meek is caring for the other person, forgiving them and wishing the best for them, even if they have not treated you right.

God’s rebuke entails consequences for sin

Moses prays, but God’s response is perplexing. Miriam is forgiven and may well have been healed at that moment, but since her jealousy so dishonored God, she is sent outside the camp.

Her leprosy is likened to a father spitting on his daughter’s face, a Middle Eastern curse when one behaves disgracefully. Earlier in the book of Numbers the demand for holiness was made clear. In Numbers 5 we read that those who are ceremonially unclean must go outside the camp for a period of time. In Leviticus 13-14 the period of seven days is prescribed for those with skin diseases such as leprosy.

But what happens here is not just a story telling us that we should be careful not to be proud nor let our pride evidence itself in a jealous attitude of those who do better. This event is recorded to warn us against not just this one particular sin which is universally understood to be damaging. The importance of this passage is seen in that this sin was against Moses and in the New Testament Moses is seen as one who prefigures Christ.
In Deuteronomy 18 Moses says that there would be a prophet like him, but greater. Acts 7 makes it clear that the one who is greater than Moses is God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Hebrews 3:1-6 further draws on the Moses-Jesus relationship by citing Numbers 12:7 where Moses is said to be faithful in all God’s house. Moses was the chief servant, but Jesus is the Son.

How does this affect our understanding of the story?

While it would take a megalomaniac to insist that one is greater than Jesus Christ, while none of us would ever question His authority and position before God, this passage serves as a warning that we watch our own hearts when we think that we too have something of value to offer to God.

God’s anger at Miriam and His making her a spectacle of ridicule for her thinking that she too had something of value is understandable when we see this story in light of how we treat the work of Christ and how we too, in pride and self-righteousness, imagine that we have something to add to Christ’s work for us. Simple unbelief imagines that while Christ may be Lord, our own efforts must amount to something. It is the unbelieving and hard heart which Hebrews warns us against which embraces the lie that we are good enough.

This is the struggle not so much of the neophyte, not the new believer who is enthralled with wonders of redemption. This is the struggle of the old saint, of the person who has lived an exemplary life, whose sins seem manageable. The sin of Miriam becomes my sin when I think that God certainly can use my righteousness, that my efforts are important to his Kingdom, whenever I tip my hat to Christ for dying for my sins but then go about my life believing that God will smile on me more for my righteous acts, that God will love me more for all I do.
“Does God only work through Christ? What about all the good I do?” It is then the leprous reality of my sinfulness will be apparent. It is then you are jealous of Jesus.

It is for this reason, Paul gives the warning that he does in 1 Corinthians 11.

Each Lord’s Supper I ask each of you to examine yourself, to be careful not to eat and drink in an unworthy manner. Often that sounds as though you need to rid yourself of your sin before you can be privileged to partake. But rather, God wants you to rid yourselves of all your righteousness. He invites you to come not as Miriam in the beginning of Numbers 12, demanding, boasting of her accomplishments, good as they were. Rather come as Miriam and Aaron at the end of the chapter, full of leprosy, full of sin, disgraced.

The good news of the Gospel is that unlike Miriam you need not go out of the camp. Rather it was Jesus’s face which was spat upon, it was on Him the Father’s wrath was placed. He went outside the city of Jerusalem so that we would never be sent away, so that we would be welcomed as sons and daughters.