Numbers 12:14, commentary and pictures

The Lord spoke these words when Aaron and Miriam grew jealous of Moses, claimed that God had spoken through them as well, and spoke against him after losing sight of him as the Lord's chosen instrument, and He likened Miriam's disgrace to the shame a daughter would feel if her father spit in her face, marking her leprosy as a public shame. He required that she be shut out from the camp seven days even after her leprosy was removed, and afterward be received in again, while the cloud did not return to the tabernacle and the people did not journey until her banishment was complete. Her complaints against Moses were complaints against the servant God had chosen and entrusted with His Spirit to carry out His will, and so were irreverence and offense against God Himself, making the seven-day exclusion a public discipline that marked the gravity of her grievous rebellion and sin. Her judgment stands as a warning and instruction to all Israel against jealousy, murmuring, complaints, and rebellion against those God appoints to lead His people, and shows God's signal displeasure against speaking and judging against His appointed messengers in remarks, disrespect, criticism, and condemnation that cut away the influence He appointed them to have. The real consequence of seven days outside the camp followed by restoration demonstrates the gravity of the offense and that God's mercy did not make presumption harmless.

Setting and Discipline

The verse belongs to the account of Aaron and Miriam's jealousy of Moses, their claim that God had spoken through them as well, and their speaking against Moses after losing the sense that he was the Lord's chosen instrument to carry out His will and purposes. The comparison to a father spitting in his daughter's face explains the disgrace of the discipline, that even a father's rebuke would bring shame, and that Miriam's leprosy was a public mark of such shame.

The verse requires that Miriam be shut out from the camp seven days and afterward be received in again, her shame and exclusion lasting the full seven days and her return coming only after that period. The exclusion remained even after God removed her leprosy.

While she was removed, the cloud did not return to the tabernacle until she had been removed, and God's favor was not again shown there until her banishment was complete. The people and the camp did not journey but remained without her until she returned.

Seriousness and Warning

Miriam and Aaron's jealous complaints against Moses were complaints against God's chosen servant, whom He had chosen as His instrument to carry out His will and purposes and entrusted with His Spirit. They had lost the sense that Moses was the Lord's chosen instrument, and their irreverent complaints against him were irreverence toward God as well as toward Moses, an offense against God Himself. The seven-day exclusion outside the camp was a public discipline and a fitting period of shame that marked the seriousness and gravity of her grievous rebellion and sin. Even a father's rebuke would have brought shame, and leprosy with removal from the camp made that disgrace public before all. The exclusion remained real even after God removed her leprosy, showing that mercy did not leave the offense without consequence.

Her judgment serves as a warning and instruction for all Israel, not only for Aaron and Miriam, against jealousy, murmuring, complaints, and rebellion against those God appoints to lead His people and entrusts with His work. It rebukes jealousy and complaint about those entrusted with God's work and warns against challenging and murmuring against divinely appointed leadership. The verse shows God's signal displeasure against speaking and judging against His appointed messengers and warns against repeating that course in remarks, disrespect, contempt, and criticism of fellow workers. The interests of one another must be sacredly guarded, with no liberty to give loose rein to the tongue in criticizing and condemning brethren, putting human estimate upon God's messengers, disparaging their work, or cutting away the influence God appointed them to have. Just as men judge others in little things, so God will judge them for things that dishonor His name.

The verse means that it is unsafe to link relatives together in the work, for when one commits an error the others are tempted to let it pass. In times of trouble and declension in the church, one family connected by relationship cannot be a power for the largest good on the right side but has less influence because of their relationship. The real consequence of seven days outside the camp followed by restoration demonstrates the gravity of the offense and that God's mercy did not make presumption harmless.