Numbers 12:11
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. 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.
Aaron humbly confesses to Moses that he and Miriam acted foolishly and sinfully in speaking against him, pleading that their guilt not be laid upon them to bring judgment and lasting harm after the Lord's displeasure was shown in Miriam being struck with leprosy. Their wrong was irreverent complaint against God's specially chosen instrument, with whom He spoke directly mouth to mouth and greater than a prophet, driven by envy and jealousy over his Ethiopian wife and his authority. Moses cries to God to heal her, and God hears and removes the stroke, yet because Miriam instigated the murmuring He still signally punishes her grievous sin by shutting her out of the camp seven days. That judgment stands as a warning to all Israel and to all tempted to rebel, showing that criticizing and condemning brethren, despising God's messengers and cutting away their influence, meets His signal displeasure. The sin was presumptuous and serious, proving that God's long-suffering does not make sin safe and that delayed punishment is still certain, so confession must be joined with sacredly guarding one another's interests, refusing loose rein to the tongue in criticism, and purging criticism and accusing from the heart.
Confession and Its Setting
Aaron's words are a confession that he and Miriam had acted foolishly and sinned by speaking against Moses, with a plea not to hold the sin against them or let their guilt bring judgment, harm and lasting punishment upon them. He speaks with deference and humility, addressing Moses as my lord.
The plea comes after the Lord's rebuke, when His displeasure was made evident in Miriam being struck with leprosy. It accompanies Aaron's request that she not be left to perish.
Moses was God's chosen and specially chosen instrument to carry out His will and purposes, with whom He spoke directly and mouth to mouth, greater than a prophet. He was appointed to bear the burden, with Aaron and Miriam placed to help him bear it. Their sin was irreverent complaints and speaking against God's appointed agency to gratify envy and jealousy over his taking an Ethiopian wife and over his authority, having lost the sense of his divine appointment.
In response Moses prayed and cried to God to heal Miriam, and God heard him and removed the stroke, the same Saviour who hundreds of years later said to the leper, I will, be thou clean. Yet because Miriam had been the instigator in murmuring and complaining and taking the side of the enemy, God still signally punished her grievous sin by commanding that she be shut out of the camp seven days.
Warning and Application
The wrongdoing of Miriam and the judgment that fell on her stand as a warning to any who are tempted to rebel against Moses. Aaron's admission that he and Miriam had acted foolishly and sinned, with his plea not to hold their sin against them, warns against jealousy and murmuring toward those God appoints to carry the work of leadership. That jealousy and complaint against Moses brought God's judgment on Miriam, and since God declared Moses greater than a prophet and spoke with him mouth to mouth, the warning and instruction not to speak against him were for all Israel, not only for Aaron and Miriam.
Speaking against a fellow servant of God by criticizing and condemning brethren meets the signal displeasure of God. That displeasure falls on disrespect and contempt for His messengers, on disparaging their work and cutting away the influence He appointed them to have, and on evil surmising and seeking to be first. Their presumptuous sin against God was serious, showing that His long-suffering does not make sin safe and that delayed punishment is still certain. The account also shows the danger of linking relatives together in the same work, where the work is molded to suit family ideas and judgment. There the error of one member is let pass by the others, counsel is hard to give and hard to receive among family connections, and in times of trouble and declension in the church a family bound by relationship has less influence for the largest good on the right side.
The verse presents confession and a request for mercy after wrongdoing against God's appointed servant, with Aaron acknowledging that he and Miriam had acted foolishly and sinned and pleading not to hold their sin against them. That plea follows God's punishment of Miriam for speaking against Moses, whom He had specially chosen and with whom He spoke directly. It requires guarding sacredly the interests of one another, refusing to give loose rein to the tongue in criticism, and purging the leaven of Pharisaism, criticism and accusing from the heart.