Miriam was one of the three siblings whom God appointed to rescue the Israelite nation from bondage in Egypt. A little background will help us understand Miriam’s place in time and her contribution to the history of ancient Israel. This people group descended from Abraham (approx. 2000 B.C.), to whom God had promised land in the Middle East, land located near the intersection of three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe. God promised Abraham,
“Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” (Genesis 13:14-15, ESV)
God renewed and amplified that promise throughout Abraham’s lifetime. We find the story of his descendants, the Israelites, throughout the books of the Old Testament. At the time Miriam and her family came on the scene, the Israelites were in a crisis. Their ancestor Jacob and his sons, the leaders of the “twelve tribes,” had come to Egypt because of a famine and had settled there as guests of the ruling pharaoh.
“At the time Miriam and her family came on the scene, the Israelites were in a crisis.”
What started as a blessing to Jacob had turned into a nightmare years later when the Egyptians began using the Israelites as their slaves. The population multiplied until they caused fear among the Egyptian rulers at the time of Moses, and the Israelites were brutally mistreated. Egypt was not the land God had given them; he heard their pleas for relief and raised up Moses to the rescue. And in doing so, God set history on course to fulfill his promise to Abraham.
The exodus story shows how God used a family to accomplish his task.
“For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.” (Micah 6:4, ESV)
Miriam had a quick mind, a spirit of worship…and a dark side, although her flaws are nothing unusual. God would go on to show Miriam that he was deadly serious when he taught her a most important lesson about his leaders. He would teach her that friends of God do not use worldly standards to measure each other’s value in the Kingdom.
“For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.”
Choosing a Family
Authentic leaders are real. They solve problems. They provide help, more than anything, to a person or group of people who need to get something done. For such a gargantuan task as delivering a whole people group from slavery—in a matter of days, no less—requires a formidable team. Miriam was a woman whom God himself included in his team. We know she was a capable leader because she distinguished herself in several diverse ways.
Although some four hundred years had passed since their faithful patriarch, Abraham, the people must have still maintained some remnants of the belief and worship of the one true God. Miriam’s parents must have instilled in their children a respect for God, as well as some understanding, of His greatness.
The proof is in the lives of the three siblings. While all three had weaknesses and lapses in their reliability, we must not forget that God chose them, and God spoke to and through them. In fact, God’s patience with them throughout the long struggle of the exodus should give us hope that we too can live in the wonder of God’s love and forgiveness, even though we may, at times, stumble through our service in His Kingdom.
“Miriam was a woman whom God himself included in his team.”
Despite differences in their upbringing, the siblings must have had a strong bond. Miriam, the oldest, was an obedient daughter who protected her baby brother. Aaron was next oldest, born into an Israelite family where he would have joined the rest of his people in back-breaking servitude to the Egyptian pharaoh. He was chosen to be Moses’ spokesperson when God commissioned Moses to lead the people to the promised land (Exodus 4:14-16).
Saving a Baby Brother
Miriam demonstrated her responsibility and problem-solving abilities when she managed to turn a life-and-death situation into a blessing. Moses was born under the shadow of death. The pharaoh had ordered the midwives to kill the baby boys born to the Israelite women so the people of Israel would be weakened. Moses’ mother, however, did not obey that law. She already had one son, Aaron, and she intended to raise Moses as well. She fashioned a floating bassinet, hid it among the reeds along the Nile river, and positioned her daughter to guard the baby.
“Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the riverbank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him.” (Exodus 2:1-4, ESV)
“Miriam demonstrated her responsibility and problem-solving abilities when she managed to turn a life-and-death situation into a blessing.”
Imagine the risk involved in this scheme, for the mother, for the baby, and for Miriam. We do not know how old Miriam was, but she was old enough to understand the risk. She was vigilant. She took what she was doing seriously and maintained a position conscientiously. We have no reason to believe she was not wholeheartedly in favor of protecting her baby brother, even though the danger was obvious. Then, the Pharaoh’s daughter came by!
“She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrews’ children.’ Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?’ And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Go.’ So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.’ So the woman took the child and nursed him.” (Exodus 2:5-9)
So much is left unexplained in this short story; the understatement is startling. First, Miriam’s fear for herself and the baby remain in the background. We can only imagine how she must have held her breath, heart quaking, when the Pharaoh’s daughter opened that basket and saw a crying Israelite baby. The princess had to have had a suspicion that the young girl did not “just happen” to be alone in the reeds.
“Imagine the risk involved in this scheme, for the mother, for the baby, and for Miriam.”
Miriam, rather than running away or reacting to the awkward situation, counted on the human kindness of the powerful woman. Did she perhaps have a tremor in her voice when she offered the help of a “Hebrew woman”?
We can clearly see God’s hand in situation. Perhaps it was the first time Miriam found herself empowered and guided by the Lord of Israel. That protective spirit may have continued to be a part of the dynamic of their sister-brother relationship.
A Prophetess, Inspired by God
Picture the scene: a group of up to one-million men, plus women and children, surge across the wilderness between Egypt and the Red Sea. Depending on where they crossed the Red Sea, that first leg of the journey would have taken around 25 days, according to some sources. These people knew the danger involved. Even as God led them, they knew the strength of the Egyptians and feared repercussions that might occur if the fickle Pharaoh had second thoughts about letting them go. Though the Israelites may have had enough men of fighting age to protect themselves, Egypt had broken Israel’s back as well as her spirit. Israel did not have the training or the chariots, but they sensed a fight was coming.
“But God led the people around by way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.” (Exodus 13:18, ESV)
God was not done showing his power against the nation that had so mistreated his chosen people. When God directed the people to switch directions without warning (most likely from south/southeast to north), the pharaoh saw an opportunity to recapture the apparently confused Israelites. The Israelites found themselves between hundreds of oncoming Egyptian chariots and the sea.
We do not know if Miriam and Aaron stood beside Moses at the edge of the Red Sea as he debated about what to do next. Did Miriam say something like, “Come on, Moses! God protected us when you were a baby, floating in the Nile. Won’t he help us now”? Did Aaron speak up and give Moses a message to drown out the fears of the mass of people behind him?
“God was not done showing his power against the nation that had so mistreated his chosen people.”
We do know that, with precision planning, God made sure the Israelites would have proof of his presence and of his ability to take care of them. In fact, Moses said as much when he related God’s message of assurance (Exodus 14:13-14). Still, Moses stalled before taking the first step into the Red Sea.
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.’” (Exodus 14:15-16, ESV)
After the Israelites had made it across the dry floor of the Red Sea, with the water piled up on either side, the Egyptian army plowed onto the path after them. But God was ready for them, and as they advanced the walls of water closed in on Pharaoh and his army. When the Israelites and Moses realized the great and glorious miracle God had provided for them, Moses led them in a song of praise. I imagine Miriam and Aaron beside him, rejoicing with the people as well. Then we read this about Miriam:
“Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang to them: ‘Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.” (Exodus 15:20-21, ESV)
“Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing.”
Following the miracle of crossing the Red Sea, Miriam joined Moses in praising God before the people. After they crossed the sea on dry land and saw God destroy Pharaoh and his army, she led the women in celebration.
Miriam was one of four women in the Bible who were named as prophetesses, and this title should not be taken lightly. It means that she spoke for God, to encourage trust and faithfulness. She may have related God’s word and will to the people, guided by Moses and by God Himself. We are not told that Miriam’s ministry was limited to only women. But even if that were so, she would have ministered to a gigantic “congregation.” Whatever her role, she was one of three who wore the mantle of leadership for the Israelite community during its exodus.
A Big Mistake
Miriam’s blunder came at a tough time in the life of the Israelite nation. In Numbers 11, we read how the people complained about God’s provision so much that he sent fire from heaven and consumed some who were positioned at the edges of the camp. Only Moses’ prayer on their behalf saved the rest of them. Next, they drove Moses to distraction because they were hungry for meat. God sent such a quantity of quail that it measured three feet deep around them, and then he served a plague for dessert! The truth is they had replaced the respect and honor that they had for God in the beginning with disrespect and scorn.
Yet, even with these images fresh in mind, Miriam and Aaron added to Moses’ burdens with their personal criticism. Miriam led in speaking out against Moses. (That she spoke first is implied because her name is listed first and the verb “spoke” is in the feminine form.) Sometimes people who are outspoken and courageous can be tempted to be conniving and self-seeking. In this episode, the negative element to her skills as a leader showed a tendency to be controlling.
“Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, ‘Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?’ And the Lord heard it.” (Numbers 12:1, ESV)
“They said, ‘Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses?'”
Miriam’s offense came from attitudes that too often cause the downfall of strong and effective leadership teams. She used Moses’ marriage to conceal her own heart problem. Imagined offenses, hurt pride, and jealousy often simmer just beneath the surface. Intense feelings always seem justified and can overshadow the evil that is taking control. This disgrace is not uncommon, regardless of the impressive makeup of the group. Satan corrupts relationships with the desire to “get to the top.”
The natural outcome of unfettered bad attitudes is division. To feel better, Miriam chose to put Moses down, rather than allowing God to heal her own feelings of being overshadowed. We often make the same kind of mistake. For all her positive talents, Miriam harmed the wrong person when she attacked Moses. God’s reaction was swift and fierce. Notice the force of the following words:
“‘Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.’ And the three of them came out. And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud.…‘Hear my words’…” (Numbers 12:4, 6, ESV)
As a mother of four children, I can hear myself saying, “Get in here and listen to me!” It was a common parental reaction to fighting between siblings. When they heard those words, our kids knew I meant business! (Let me say that fighting is often normal between siblings, but if one of them is attacked by someone else, they had better be a united force!)
“For all her positive talents, Miriam harmed the wrong person when she attacked Moses.”
And thus, God did “come down” on them in several ways. He explained in no uncertain terms that His relationship with Moses was like no other. The other siblings had taken pride in the fact that God Himself had called them. What they did not realize was that, while God is no respecter of persons where His love is concerned, He does have the right to relate with each individual any way He pleases. In this case, they should have realized what it meant that God had allowed Moses to meet “face to face” with Him. Of all people, they should have known not to question Moses’ right to be in charge.
Power Struggles in Leadership
A true friendship with God is not an ordinary thing now, nor was it ordinary then. Miriam and Aaron were threatened because God worked in a unique way through Moses. This kind of jealousy can take root when there are power struggles between people in church ministry who play the comparison game. By contrast, when each believer focuses on his or her own friendship with God, there is usually acceptance, forgiveness, and harmony.
Leadership relationships are like a dance. Sometimes you may find yourself led by a godly, yet clumsy leader. Or perhaps you’ll be led by someone who makes what are, in your judgment, wrong moves. Although the reality is that someone will have the last word in various areas, and the rest of us will need to submit in various ways, everyone should keep in step with God who directs our moves. Even as we speak truth and follow the Spirit’s lead, we ought to take a posture of appreciation and respect toward our leaders, even when we don’t always see eye-to-eye (Hebrews 13:17). From a worldly perspective, this may sound preposterous. Rank has certain connotations of power and worth. The one on top is “fair game,” and the rest are seeking to “work up.” Often, like Miriam and Aaron, we raise criticism and opposition inappropriately and for the wrong reasons.
“Often, like Miriam and Aaron, we raise criticism and opposition inappropriately and for the wrong reasons.”
I’ll speak personally for a moment. It can be a real struggle for experienced and qualified women, who hold responsible positions in the public workplace and gain ground in compensation and advancement, to receive what feels like a strange, countercultural message when it comes to leadership roles in the church. Complementarian churches, which limit some of the roles within a church to qualified men (based on passages such as 1 Timothy 2:11-14 and 3:2) can feel out of step with the modern world.
My point here isn’t to delve into the arguments for or against complementarianism (although if you want to look into RENEW.org’s “nuanced complementarianism,” you’ll find a good start HERE). My point is much more personal. It’s to ask us all to pause and examine our hearts when it comes to power struggles. When someone else is leading—and you would rather be the one in charge—why is that? If anyone makes a leadership role something to be grasped, he or she is dancing around the real issue. Biblical leadership is always first and foremost a submissive posture toward God’s leadership, whether over our lives, families, or churches. Our spiritual qualifications will be revealed through our relationship with God, as we keep in step with the lover of our soul. If we’re finding ourselves driven more by ambition than submission to God, we need to pause and rethink our posture.
“If we’re finding ourselves driven more by ambition than submission to God, we need to pause and rethink our posture.”
Apparently, Miriam was the culprit in this power grab because the punishment was for her and her alone.
“When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.” (Numbers 12:10, ESV)
Immediately Aaron pleaded for Miriam’s life. Moses begged God to heal her as well. From God’s answer, we might say he begrudgingly agreed to their requests. Miriam had a serious “time out.”
“But the Lord said to Moses, ‘If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.’ So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again.” (Numbers 12:14-15, ESV)
An important aspect of God’s dealings with the Israelites is the balance of his tolerance and intolerance of their defiance. Punishment by death and plague were often the result. Yet God’s tolerance was also evident in that he listened to Moses’ pleadings and did not annihilate them all. Leprosy was a death sentence in the ancient world. It was not just a physical death, but in a sense it ended the life of the victim before physical death came, through the complete isolation from all social contact. Miriam experienced God’s punishment and his tolerance, but he left no doubt about how he viewed her actions. Unfounded opposition to his appointed leader was unacceptable. It still is; see Philippians 2:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; 1 Timothy 5:17; Hebrews 13:7. (Notice the important word “unfounded.” When someone is failing in their duties as a shepherd, they need to be called out.)
“Miriam experienced God’s punishment and his tolerance, but he left no doubt about how he viewed her actions.”
We should realize Miriam was important enough that all the Israelites stopped where they were for the duration of her punishment. However, her mistake caused hardship and delay in God’s work. In situations like these, people become disheartened, the work suffers, and progress gained is lost. Disharmony among leaders always puts the brakes on spiritual growth in the church and usually halts numerical growth as well. The burden of dissension weighs down our spirits and takes the focus away from our mission.
It is interesting to note that Satan seems to attack from all sides when God is doing his most powerful work. The Israelites were close to the end of their journey, although they did not realize it. The very next chapter records that they were near enough to Canaan, the Promised Land, that the spies were sent in to get the lay of the land. Could it be that their dismal, fearful report was influenced by the strife caused by selfishness, ungratefulness and unbelief that reigned only a short time before?
Miriam in the End
It is important to realize that though Miriam was not perfect, she was faithful in her service to God. She did not accept the mantle of leadership outside of the will of God. That her death and burial is recorded is another proof that she remained respected and influential.
“And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there.” (Numbers 20:1, ESV)
Other than the episode described in Numbers 12, there are no negative references to Miriam. In fact, the prophet Micah mentions Miriam in the context of reminding Judah of God’s good watch care over them. God asks:
“O my people, what have I done to you?
How have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt
and redeemed you from the house of slavery,
and I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam.” (Micah 6:3-4, ESV)
God sent Miriam to lead the Israelites, just as he sent Moses and Aaron, and he declares that choice as a good thing. Although Moses, Aaron, and Miriam had distinct roles, there is no doubt that Miram was an influential and godly leader.
