Mutiny in the Desert

By Mary Vee
Numbers 12:1-10

Miriam's Thoughts

Many of my friends gobbled the quail as though they'd never eat again. Unfortunately that's exactly what happened. Each one of them suffered from a plague and died. They shouldn't have grumbled against the Lord.  I miss them. I miss the laughing and singing and joking we did together to pass the time. 

The Lord led us to northeast to Hazeroth the day after the plague ended. I walked alone. I did a lot of thinking on that walk. My brother Moses had married an Ethiopian woman. This had bothered me for a long time, but during my thinking time, it made me angry. How could he marry her? Why not marry an Israelite?


I didn't realize I had been grumbling out loud until Aaron came up to me. "What are you mad about?"


"Mad? Oh, nothing."

Aaron smiled his goofy smile. "Come on. Tell."

"Well, if you must know. I don't think Moses should have married that Ethiopian woman."


He nodded and did one of his usual grunts when he's unhappy. "I don't like it either. He isn't the only one the Lord speaks to. We're important, too!"


Well, we complained about Moses for the rest of the journey to Hazeroth. It didn't make me feel better; in fact, I became angrier. A crowd of people gathered near Aaron and me. Soon they grumbled against Moses as well.


When we arrived at Hazeroth, our people set up camp, including the Tabernacle. I didn't feel like eating dinner--I didn't sleep well that night either.

The next morning, the Lord called Moses, Aaron, and me to the Tabernacle. He had never done that before.  My hands grew sweaty and my heart raced. Had we displeased the Lord? As we stood outside the Tabernacle the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the doorway. He called Aaron and me.   We looked at each other with wide eyes. I bit my lower lip and stepped forward.


The Lord spoke, "Moses is faithful above all others. I speak to prophets among you in dreams, but to Moses I speak face to face. Even plainly, and not with mysteries. He sees the form of the Lord. You should have been afraid to speak against My servant Moses."


I couldn't speak.  How did He know what we said? My hands trembled. I looked at Aaron then at my hands.  My skin had turned white--completely white. I had leprosy!


I--I will write more next time.


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1. What happened to some of Miriam's friends?
2. What was Miriam angry about?
3. Who did she tell?
4. What did they decided to do?
5. Who heard what they talked about?
6. What did the Lord do?
7. What did you learn?