Please Do Not Lay This Sin On Us: Numbers 12:1-15

Numbers 12:1-15: "1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 So they said, 'Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?' And the LORD heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) 4 Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, 'Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!' So the three came out. 5 Then the LORD came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. 6 Then He said, 'Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. 7 Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. 8 I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?' 9 So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed. 10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. 11 So Aaron said to Moses, 'Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12 Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother's womb!' 13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, 'Please heal her, O God, I pray!' 14 Then the LORD said to Moses, 'If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.' 15 So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again."

In this pericope, we again see discontentment and jealousy. But this time it is not from the Israelite people, but from Moses' very own flesh and blood. We can see from the fact that Miriam's name is listed before Aaron's and the fact that she is the one plagued with leprosy, that she was in deed the instigator of the rebellion against Moses, the man of God. She, having convinced her brother Aaron, complain to Moses that they should be the ones in charge, since they too, have the Spirit of God, Miriam being a prophetess, and Aaron being the high priest. They also were the elder siblings of Moses. There is perhaps therefore, a hint of sibling rivalry.

This raises the whole question of why are some people chosen to serve our Lord God in the role of minister, and why others are not?

We learn from Holy Scripture that only men can serve in the office of holy ministry. We see that from the writings of the Blessed Apostle, St. Paul, in his epistle to the Church at Corinth. We see it in the selection of the Apostles (all men) by our Lord Jesus. We see in the selection of those elected as Deacons (all men) in Jerusalem. And also in the selection of Bishops in the Early Church, such as St. Titus and St. Timothy. We also see it in the Old Testament where not only was the priests, and the high priest, to be men, but from the tribe of Levi. No one else from another tribe could serve in this capacity. We can also see this in the selection of the Kings and prophets of the Old Testament who were all men.

But not even all men are chosen for the role of minister. This can be seen in the fact that only one tribe out of the twelve of Israel, were to serve as priests. This is also true, because not every man was a prophet. There were only twelve Apostles chosen by our Lord Jesus. There were only seventy (or seventy-two) men sent out by our Lord to preach His Word in certain cities. (Their names are recorded by St. Hippolytus). Only certain men were chosen as Bishops, and only certain men served as companions of the Apostles, or presbyters (sometimes referred to as elders), or deacons. Therefore, even though our Lord God chooses only men to serve as ministers, even then, not all men are to serve in this role.

There are even those, who may have certain spiritual gifts, who are gifted in their knowledge of holy Scripture, and in their ability to explain the Word of God to other people, who are not allowed to hold this office. It is also certain that those who are manifest sinners are not to serve in this role, such as homosexuals, and other people who continue to go on sinning, showing no signs of repentance, and obeying God's commands. Someone who cannot obey God, is a poor example to those to whom he has been charged to teach the command and will of God. In short, God chooses who will serve in this role. We should not usurp His authority on this, no matter how gifted the individual may seem.

In this reading, Moses has been chosen by God to lead the people. Miriam and Aaron, although gifted with the Holy Spirit of God, are not chosen into this office of leading the people. Miriam and Aaron are even given the reason for why Moses is chosen before and above them. For He communicates with Moses in a way that He does not communicate with them. With them, He communicates through dreams and visions, but with Moses, He communicates face to face, like a familiar friend.

Then our Lord God, shows us how seriously He takes the office into which He places men to lead. And how serious He is that no one should usurp the office for their own ends, and for their own desires. Even if these desires are good ones. For He causes Miriam to be leprous. When this happens, we see something very interesting. Aaron, does not petition the Lord God himself, no longer presuming to speak to the Lord in the same way that Moses does, but instead petitions Moses to plead on his behalf. Which he does.

Another interesting thing, is that our Lord God does not heal Miriam instantly, but instead makes her to suffer outside the camp by herself for seven days. This is the same requirement that is listed in the Book of Moses, commonly called Leviticus, for the treatment of lepers.

Therefore, in this pericope, we see that our Lord, not only again takes covetousness very serious, but He also shows that those He has placed into the office of holy ministry, should be held in honor, for He has placed them into this office. We are told of Moses, that He was humble. It was this humility that made him perfect for the holy office which he was given. For true men of God, when they are placed into positions of authority, reveal their humility, and serve the Lord God with their whole heart and mind. Desiring to do His will, and not their own. Those who try to usurp the office of holy ministry by ignoring God's Word, or worse, changing it to fit their own selfish and sinful desires, already show they lack the one quality that makes them fit for the holy office, and that is humility. For a truly humble person, will submit to God's will, even, and especially, when it is contrary to his own will.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas