Good evening. We’ll be reading two passages tonight, first from 2 Corinthians, chapter 12. That’s at page 1,233 of your Pew Bibles. And then Numbers, chapter 12 as well. That’s at page 153 of your Pew Bibles. Let’s give attention to the very Word of God, 2 Corinthians 12, beginning at verse 1.
I must go on boasting, though there is nothing to be gained by it. I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know. God knows. I know that this man was caught up into paradise. Whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know. God knows. And he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.
On behalf of this man, I will boast. But on my own behalf, I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. Though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it. so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
But he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Amen. And then to numbers. Chapter 12.
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. Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and to Miriam, 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, and stood at the entrance of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward.
And he said, hear my words. If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make myself known to him in a vision. I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth clearly, not in riddles, And he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed. When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said to Moses, oh my Lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned. Let her not be as one dead whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb. And Moses cried to the Lord, oh God, please heal her, please.
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. After that, the people set out from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran. Thus far in the reading of the word of God. Amen.
Would you please pray with me? Father in heaven, help us. We come tonight. We’ve heard your word. We praise you for your word. And ask now that your Holy Spirit would work powerfully within our hearts. Father, we confess we each have a problem with pride. And so we ask by and through this passage tonight that you would work humility within our hearts. Move us, Lord. We ask this all in the name of Christ Jesus. Amen.
What does a humble heart look like? In a sense, this passage is really speaking to us tonight about that, answering that question. It certainly looks like a heart which has been worked on by the Lord. You see that as we read 2 Corinthians tonight, chapter 12.
As Paul was recounting his experiences, being given the very Word of God, being lifted up to the third heavens, and having these revelations given to him, and stating that he could boast. But to keep him from doing so, the Lord had given him that thorn in the flesh. Paul was recognizing his propensity to sin And the Lord knew his propensity as well. And as a result, he gives him this thorn in the flesh to keep him from being conceited. That’s what a humble heart looks like, a heart that’s been worked on by the Lord.
And in a sense, that brings us to our passage tonight in Numbers Chapter 12. As we’ve been going through this particular book, we’ve seen that the Israelites have been getting ready to go, leaving Mount Sinai and headed to the Promised Land, and we see that they’ve now set out. They’re well on their way, so to speak. And as we saw last time we studied this passage, we studied this book, They have already run into problems. They began complaining.
The entire nation of Israel rose up in pride against the Lord, and as a result, there is punishment. As a result, the anger of the Lord burns against them, and yet, They continue on. That seems to be the theme, not only of chapter 11, but of chapter 12. It will be the theme throughout their journey to the promised land. The people will sin against God. There will be a chastisement that occurs and forgiveness, and the journey will continue. And that’s exactly what we have this evening. Sin. the sin of Aaron and Miriam, the work of God in their hearts, and the journey continues. Tonight, as we look at chapter 12, we might sum up this passage this way.
The Lord raises up and purifies the humble heart, continuing the journey to glory. The Lord raises up and purifies the humble heart, continuing the journey to glory. We’ll see that in three points this evening. First, the Lord hears the prideful heart. Secondly, the Lord brings the prideful low. And finally, the Lord praises the humble heart.
As we go through this passage tonight, again, I’d like you to be asking yourself that question. What does a humble heart look like? And then secondly, what is the Lord hearing from my heart? What is the Lord hearing from my heart? Well, first, the Lord hears the prideful heart.
This passage, in a sense, gives us a wonderful picture, if I can say it that way. That may be a little off, but a wonderful way of showing us what pride actually looks like. noticing the statements of Aaron and Miriam against Moses. That’s how the chapter begins.
Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married. And they said, has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not also spoken through us? Now, you must remember that these three were relatives. Relatives by blood, not just all Israelites. They were related by blood. Moses and Aaron and Miriam were siblings. They all have the same father and mother. Amran was their father’s name. Jochebed was their mother’s name. And they were brothers and a sister. In fact, unless Moses had multiple sisters, and I don’t read that in scripture, it was Miriam who watched him be placed in the basket in the Nile River and watched him being taken out of that basket by Pharaoh’s daughter. And it’s Aaron who’s been working alongside Moses as the priest. It’s Moses who has dressed Aaron in his priestly garments. It’s Moses who ordains Aaron to his priesthood.
You see, this sin of pride is so powerful that it even crosses the line of blood relatives, that it doesn’t hesitate to hurt even those who are closest to us. We might consider three ways in which this pride is manifested here in this passage by Aaron and Miriam. First, they speak out loudly. Even with this blood relationship, even with this close working relationship between Moses and Aaron, these two, Miriam and Aaron, raise their voices against Moses. That’s how the passage begins. Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses. And their voices are so loud, so loud that the Lord can hear them.
This is the first indicator of the sin of pride. It manifests itself. It shows itself in words and speech that flow out of the heart. Pride is residing within the heart. And the way it manifests, it comes out first and foremost is through our speech, isn’t it? Pride moves ones to speak. Pride moves us to proclaim our desires, our sinful desires, which, again, are located within the heart. Pride is bold, and it shamelessly uncovers that which lurks and dwells and hides in the heart.
Consider the Lord’s response after he talks about, if there’s a prophet among you, I’ll make them known in a vision. I’ll speak with them in a dream, but not with Moses. With Moses, I speak with him mouth to mouth. And then he asks them this question.
Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? If Miriam and Aaron had answered at that point, they would have said, well, because of our pride. Because our pride was so powerful, so strong. It even goes beyond this fear that we should have had to speak against Moses.
Pride, which absent their pride, their voices would have been reserved. They would have been ashamed to speak this way. But with their pride, shame went out the window. So the first manifestation is that pride emboldens us to speak what resides in our hearts. Secondly, secondly, pride. seeks to bring others down.
Isn’t that what Miriam and Aaron were ultimately doing as they spoke against Moses? Because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And didn’t you speak through us? Didn’t God speak through us as well? Pride not only spews forth the desires of the heart, it acts in such a way to bring others down. And we see that so clear in this passage, don’t we?
In order for them to accomplish their desire, and that is to be recognized by others in Moses’ place, first thing they had to do was bring Moses down. They had to lower him in the eyes of the Israelites. Indeed, the whole nation had to bring Moses down. And so they attack his wife, Zipporah. Now, commentators, I think, are different on this point as to whether they’re referring to Zipporah or somebody else, maybe a second wife, that Moses has taken. It’s not clear. But either way, they’re seeking to lower Moses, lower his reputation, his character, his nature in the eyes of the entire nation. He’s taken a Kushite wife. It must have been bad in the hearing of Israel. In short, not an Israelite. Not of the bloodline of Abraham. And so that would be slanderous, a character assault on Moses.
And that’s what pride does. It causes us to speak against others so we can lower them down in the eyes of others who are watching so that we can be raised up. And then third, pride builds itself up by and through human reasoning. Again, we see that here in this passage, Aaron and Miriam reason out loud, that the Lord has spoken through them, therefore they should be recipients of the honor and respect that Moses is receiving.
They were seeing the world, they were seeing the work of the Lord from their limited and corrupt perspective. They did not have, and none of us do, have the Lord’s mind with regard to the working out of his will. And so Aaron and Miriam were mistaken. And that’s to put it lightly regarding the position, the work, the task that they had been given in relationship to Moses’ work. They took what they saw, what they knew, and they construed it according to their desires, not according to the will of God. And so in short, they’re submitting themselves not to God’s holy will, but to their holy will. That’s what pride does. And that’s what we see as it’s manifested here in this passage.
The real issue with Miriam and Aaron, what did their words indicate their desire was? It was to be recognized. It was to be seen in the eyes of others. Their desire was to be looked upon by the people, by the nation, by the Israelites, as those who were prophets just like Moses. They seemed to desire this recognition that the living God speaks directly through them, through them to the people, and thus they wanted the people to know that. In a sense, to come out from Moses’ shadow and to be exalted in the eyes of their fellow Israelites, their pride.
Your pride was seeking to be scratched with compliments and praises from the people. We know how the Lord must love you, for he’s honored you as he speaks through you to us. How special you must be that the Lord has selected you, Miriam and Aaron, to be those whom he speaks through. We honor you above all.
That’s what pride does. That’s what sin of pride does within the hearts of men, women, and children within us. It certainly works in different ways in different directions. The sin of pride is that which manifests itself within our hearts and minds so that we will seek to accomplish that which we desire for our own interests in opposition to the interests of others. Does that happen to you? I have to say, I think it happens to all of us.
And that brings us to our second point, that the Lord brings the prideful low. Well, how do we know the danger of pride? How do we know the power of pride? Pride is so powerful, so dangerous to our spiritual health and well-being, that in this passage, And I’d say just generally speaking, but in this passage it required the act of the Lord to forcibly bring it down.
God’s anger is poured out directly on Miriam. Verse nine, when the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed. When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.”
Many times in scripture we have some things repeated twice, and it seems like, well, that’s strange. We already read it. But many times in scripture what the Lord is doing is just sealing the truth of what has happened, and so he’ll repeat it for us twice. And so here we have it twice. It’s true.
God was angry, and God pours out his wrath upon Miriam as he turns her into a leper. It may be difficult for us to read that. And it becomes difficult when we recognize that we also engage in the sin of pride. And we see how God’s anger burned as a result of pride. Miriam is stricken with leprosy, this disease which was considered, not considered, but actually proclaimed by God to make one unclean.
That meant that as Miriam is stricken with leprosy, she’s unable to be in the presence of the Lord. You see, the Lord departs, And then the wrath of God is poured out upon Miriam while he’s no longer in her presence. She’s unable to worship because she’s unclean. She’s unable to be in the assembly of the people of God because she’s unclean. She’s unable to even fellowship with the nation, with the people of God, because she’s separated. She’s outcast in response to the pride of Aaron and Miriam, the wrath of God, the burning anger of God is shown forth, certainly in a restrained fashion, but yet it burns in leprosy for Miriam. Moses cries out, O Lord, O God, please heal her. But the Lord responds to Moses. Did you notice that? He doesn’t respond to Aaron. He doesn’t respond to Miriam. He responds to Moses. If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed?
Seven days, let her be shut outside the camp, seven days. In Numbers chapter five, we read of the one who’s to be put out of the camp, the one who’s leprous, the one who has a discharge, the one who has had contact with the dead. They’re to be put outside the camp, separated from worship, separated from communion.
That was Miriam. That was the wrath of God that’s poured out upon Miriam as a result of her prideful sin against God, ultimately. And some of us may be thinking, well, what about Aaron? That’s a question that you might have asked in the past, and maybe even tonight you’re asking yourself that question. What about Aaron? Why just Miriam? Why wasn’t Aaron also stricken with leprosy? Well, it’s one of those things we don’t have an express answer for in scripture. It’s not here. And in one sense, we could say, well, we don’t need to ask that question. But I know you have.
And so maybe it’s just a part of the mercy of God. What happened to morning and evening sacrifices, as Aaron would have been an outcast? What would have happened to the forgiveness of sins if the sin and guilt offerings were not able to be sacrificed on the altar and the blood spilled? Maybe it was just the mercy of God for the whole congregation. Maybe.
But listen to the speech of Aaron following the plague that befell his sister. Aaron said to Moses, notice he doesn’t speak to God. Aaron said to the intercessor, He said to Moses, it’s a recognition on Aaron’s part, isn’t it? Moses, you’re the intercessor. Please go to the Lord on our behalf. Aaron said to Moses, oh my Lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned.
It was a recognition by Aaron, wasn’t it? The leprosy has fallen upon Miriam, And now Aaron is the one who speaks and confesses. There’s no confession from Miriam, but it appears that they’re acting together, speaking together, and we might even take this confession as being from Miriam as well, although it’s spoken by Aaron.
Remember the event of the golden calf? Remember Aaron’s response to Moses as he comes down from the mountain, the tablets are broken, the golden calf is standing there, and Moses says, what in the world have you done? He didn’t say it that way, but close. Aaron said, let not the anger of my Lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. For they said to me, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” Aaron took no responsibility for fashioning the golden calf. He places it all on the people of God. There’s no confession. There’s no repentance, seemingly, from Aaron. Nothing. But now there is. I don’t know how many days later this was.
Now there is, Aaron is growing, at least beginning to cast off his pride by and through this confession. Well, pride brings or urges the heart to exalt itself, doesn’t it? Pride breaks out the extension ladder or even the elevator and runs the heart to the top. And then pride takes the ladder away and presses the stop button on the elevator such that the heart remains at that elevated position and can find no way to bring itself down.
That’s what we see in this passage. In our Adamic corruption, we love the exalted position. Think of the Pharisees. Jesus describes them this way. They do all their deeds to be seen by others, for they make their phylacteries, this thing that holds scripture, broad, and their fringe is long. They love the place of honor at feasts, and the best seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the marketplaces, and being called rabbi by others. They love recognition and pride.
What about the disciples? Dr. Luke records in chapter 22, a dispute arose among them as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. Those are the disciples following Jesus. And they were fighting. Now, I don’t think it was physical. But they were arguing. Who is greatest? John? I don’t know. Maybe Peter. They were arguing.
So the only way for the prideful heart to come down from the lofty position that it’s placed itself on is by and through the providential hand of God, the chastising hand of God, who makes the necessary corrections in his children. And we see it here in this passage as Miriam is brought low and as Aaron is brought to confession. We see it in the Apostle Paul. He knew he was subject to being tempted. And even in his corrupt, sinful heart, he wants the Lord to take away that which was keeping him from boasting. But the Lord said, no, no, no. My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness.
By placing that thorn in his flesh, an unlike Miriam, seeming a rather permanent thorn, Paul would not succumb to the temptation of pride only by the providential and protective hand of God. Do you see the mercy of the Lord? Certainly to Paul, but do you see it to Miriam as well?
Say, wait a minute, she was stricken by leprosy. Oh, but it wasn’t permanent. The Levitical law required one with leprosy to remain outside the camp until he’s been cleansed of the disease. Miriam only had to endure seven days. There was likely no lasting physical effect of leprosy on her body.
She would be cleansed. She would rejoin the assembly. She would not lose her salvation, assuming that she was saved, and I think she was. Yet this was an event that she would never forget. There would have been shame associated with her sin and this leprosy before the people. Where’s Miriam? She’s outside the camp. She sinned against God in her pride.
But in awe, the Lord was using his righteous anger to transform Miriam’s prideful heart into a soft, tender, humble heart. That’s mercy. And we see it in Aaron’s speech. As the Lord brings Aaron to a humble position where he admits and confesses his sin and seeks compassion. Aaron knew that was all he could ask for. Have mercy.
What about you? What about you when you’ve entered into a season of pride? And we all do. How has the Lord dealt with you? Has it been in mercy? Here we’re able to read of the mercy of God. But what about you? I’m assuming that the Lord has dealt with you in mercy. Who have you told about the mercy of God?
What a wonderful opportunity to share with others, especially unbelievers, how the Lord has worked in your heart to drive you away from pride. You see, it involves a confession to others. I’ve been prideful, I’ve acted in pride, and yet my God is so merciful that he responded to my pride in mercy. We have so many opportunities to evangelize, and I doubt we think of our pride as an opportunity. But I do think it is. As the Lord works on your heart and changes you and brings you down from that position, it’s an opportunity to tell others, this is what Jesus did to me.
That brings us to our third point, the Lord praises the humble heart. Well, we’ve seen the prideful heart. We know what that looks like, at least from this passage, and we see how the Lord deals with it in mercy. But what about the humble heart? What does that look like? How does a humble heart serve the living God? In this passage, we see it in Moses. So what did Moses say in response to Aaron and Miriam? As they come out firing, almost with both barrels. What’s he say?
Well, it’s not here, is it? Moses doesn’t record it. If he said anything, he doesn’t record it. It’s not in this passage. And so I think we can safely say he said nothing. In the midst of this attack by his brother and sister, by the co-worker, the one he’s been working with, the priest, He says nothing, remains silent. There is a humble, deafening silence from Moses. He keeps his mouth shut. He offers no verbal response to these attacks from close relatives, from his co-worker, Aaron, and in response to these hurtful words, imagine your brother or your sister coming to you with attacks about who you married, about the fact that you’re not so special, we do the same thing. He remains silent. But in addition to this silence, notice this.
He allows, if I can put it that way, he allows the Lord to speak on his behalf. Moses remains silent so the word of God is able to be clearly heard and proclaimed. In lieu of arguing for his good character, his nature, his demeanor, and ability to continue in this God-given role, Moses remains silent and leans upon the Lord to speak the truth. He leaves it to the Lord to respond in such a way that he could not.
He relies upon the very word of God for his defense. We read, as the Lord calls Aaron and Miriam to himself, hear my words. Listen, hear my words. That’s powerful in and of itself. If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make myself known to him in a vision. I speak with him in a dream.
Not so with my servant Moses. God sets Moses into a particular, a special position that no one else occupies. Ultimately, Christ will. But at this point in the history of redemption, Moses is the only one. He’s singular. He’s faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth clearly, not in riddles. And he beholds the form of the Lord.
It’s a humble and contrite heart that can wait upon the word of God to provide that which you’re so longing to say yourself. Consider your own response in a similar situation. When you’re under attack by relatives, by those who you consider to be close friends, when your heart is hurting and aching, when you’re in pain, when painful words are hurled your way, do you allow the word of God to respond? Do you rely upon the Lord to vindicate, to speak to the offender, or do you go on the attack?
Jesus said as he begins the Sermon on the Mount, blessed are the poor in spirit, and blessed are the meek. I think, in part, Jesus is describing that humble heart which doesn’t respond, which waits. which waits upon the word of God to intercede. And as we think of intercession, that’s exactly what the Lord was doing here. As we speak of intercession, there is a speech by Moses, isn’t there?
But not in response to the attacks of Miriam and Aaron. No, he speaks as an intercessor on behalf of Miriam. Again, Aaron was recognizing him as such, and he speaks that way. Miriam has been stricken with leprosy, and Moses cries out to the Lord. It wasn’t this light prayer. He cries out to the Lord. He’s pleading with the Lord. He’s asking, and twice we see the word pleased used here. Oh God, please heal her, please. It’s a humble, it’s a contrite prayer.
And it’s almost as if the Lord is magnifying the humble heart of Moses, speaking through him. How amazing is that? How humble is that? That compassion had not left Moses. Despite the verbal attacks and despite the attempts to bring him down, he yet intercedes on behalf of the one who was seeking to bring him down. That may be the height of a humble heart in mere mortal men, not responding in vengeance or in retaliation, but responding in love and compassion and mercy, seeking to lift Miriam out of this pit of misery that she’s placed herself in as a result of her sin.
It reminds us of Jesus. Doesn’t it? How did Jesus serve his father in humility? What were the marks of Jesus’ humble heart as he served during his earthly ministry? We don’t have time tonight to think through them all, but we do have a few examples that we might even consider. How did Jesus respond as men were blaspheming him?
As he sat before the council, as the chief priest and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus Christ, and they bring witnesses forward, and this man said, I’m able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days, and the high priest stands up and says, do you have no answer to make?
And Jesus remains silent. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth like a lamb that’s led to the slaughter, like a sheep that before its shearers is silenced, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment, he was taken away. That’s how Jesus responded. Think of it this way. Jesus was and is God. He lowered himself so much that no one could see the glory of God within him because it was veiled.
As he took on a human nature, as the Son of God, as the second person of the Trinity, descends and takes upon this human nature, he veils his glory, he takes on the likeness of man, he’s found in human form, and he humbles himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.
That’s the definition of a humble heart, serving his Father in humility. And that comes from Philippians chapter 2. And we would be remiss if we did not continue in considering that passage, because as he does so, as he humbles himself, as he becomes obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross, what happens?
What does his father do? He exalts him. Paul puts these two together, the humble heart of Jesus Christ, of the Son of God, becoming obedient to the point of death, following the will of his father, and what happens. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and heaven and on earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. That’s a humble heart. And that’s the reaction, that’s the response of the triune God, to take that humble heart and exalt it.
And that seems, in fact, what was happening in this passage. Did you notice at the end, after Miriam is brought out from being outcast, after she spent her seven days The people set out from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran. You see the mercy of God as he deals with pride, as we see the account of Moses, the one who is very meek, more than all the people who were on the face of the earth, as we see those compared and contrasted together, what do we see?
God takes care of pride. He brings it down and the journey continues. The whole camp, the whole nation is able to continue their journey to the promised land. Isn’t that what the Lord is doing? Isn’t that what the Lord has done in his son, the Lord Jesus Christ? As our journey continues, As he continues to bring our pride down and replace it with humility, the journey to glory continues.
Yes, the Lord raises up and purifies the humble heart, continuing the journey to glory. Paul was able to continue to serve in his apostleship as a result of the thorn remaining in him. God’s grace was sufficient. And Paul, without the thorn, would not have been able to continue. His pride was brought low, and he was able to continue in humility as he mirrored the image of his Savior. Praise be to God. Amen.
Would you pray with me? Father and our God, this passage has touched our hearts this evening. You have opened our hearts, and Father, you have revealed to us, even tonight, the pride that dwells within. And now we ask, Lord God, that you would, as you did with Miriam, bring us low, humble us before you, before our Savior, and conform us more and more to his image, that we might serve you in humility. Grant us this, even tonight. We ask all this in Jesus’s name, amen.