And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.
The verse belongs to the account of Miriam and Aaron's jealousy of Moses and their challenge to his authority through complaint against him. Their complaint arose from ambition and resentment over the appointment of additional leaders. God revealed His displeasure to Aaron and Miriam because they had lost the sense that Moses was His chosen instrument to carry out His will and purposes.
Miriam was struck with leprosy as God's judgment upon her for speaking against Moses and rebelling against him. In the verse Moses cries to God pleading that He heal Miriam. His plea was an act of compassion and intercession for his sister who had wronged him. God heard and answered Moses' prayer by healing Miriam and removing and cleansing the affliction. Even though she was healed, her grievous sin still required that she remain outside the camp for seven days.
The judgment visited on Miriam stands as a rebuke to jealousy and murmuring against those God appoints to bear responsibility for His work. Criticizing and condemning God's appointed messengers meets His signal displeasure. Believers must therefore guard sacredly the interests of one another and must not give loose rein to the tongue in criticizing, condemning, and disparaging the work of fellow servants. They must not put human estimate upon them, cut away the influence God appointed them to have, or look with contempt upon their missionary work because they do not work after another's plans.
Such criticism is out of sympathy with God and angels, is born of evil surmising and seeking to be first, and is the leaven of Pharisaism that must be purged from the heart. Just as one judges others in little things, so God will judge in the things done that dishonor His name.
The verse belongs to the account of Miriam and Aaron's jealousy of Moses and their challenge to his authority through complaint against him. Their complaint arose from ambition and resentment over the appointment of additional leaders. God revealed His displeasure to Aaron and Miriam because they had lost the sense that Moses was His chosen instrument to carry out His will and purposes.
Miriam was struck with leprosy as God's judgment upon her for speaking against Moses and rebelling against him. In the verse Moses cries to God pleading that He heal Miriam. His plea was an act of compassion and intercession for his sister who had wronged him. God heard and answered Moses' prayer by healing Miriam and removing and cleansing the affliction. Even though she was healed, her grievous sin still required that she remain outside the camp for seven days.
The judgment visited on Miriam stands as a rebuke to jealousy and murmuring against those God appoints to bear responsibility for His work. Criticizing and condemning God's appointed messengers meets His signal displeasure. Believers must therefore guard sacredly the interests of one another and must not give loose rein to the tongue in criticizing, condemning, and disparaging the work of fellow servants. They must not put human estimate upon them, cut away the influence God appointed them to have, or look with contempt upon their missionary work because they do not work after another's plans.
Such criticism is out of sympathy with God and angels, is born of evil surmising and seeking to be first, and is the leaven of Pharisaism that must be purged from the heart. Just as one judges others in little things, so God will judge in the things done that dishonor His name.