Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Women of the Bible-Moses' Ethiopian Wife

Jacob Jordaens
(1593-1678)

 According to Numbers 12....Moses married a woman from Ethiopia.  Because of this, his brother, Aaron, and sister, Miriam, criticized him.  I really like how the New Living Translation describes Moses....
"Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth"

From that statement, I took that Moses didn't try to defend himself to his siblings for his choice of a wife....nor did he see anything at all wrong with choosing this woman to marry.  
But....because of Aaron and Miriam's criticism of Moses....
....God intervened and came to Moses' defense.  
(Don't you love it when God shows up and defends our honor?!?)

The Lord called to Moses and Aaron and Miriam and instructed them to go to the Tabernacle where He descended in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance to the Tabernacle.  He called for Aaron and Miriam to step forward and He reprimanded them for speaking against Moses.  God told them that He trusted Moses and spoke to him face to face, not in riddles....and asked them were they not afraid to criticize their brother.  God was very angry with them, and as He departed, Miriam's skin became white with leprosy.  Moses....in his kindness....cried out to the Lord to heal his sister.  Miriam was required to stay outside the camp for seven days, then was healed and allowed back inside.
(hopefully taught her lesson....;-)

Conclusions:
I so appreciated that the Lord not only defended his servant, Moses....but his choice of a black woman for his wife.  This is proof that God is certainly no "respecter of persons": 

Acts 10:34b
I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. 

I can also relate to how Moses didn't try to take the matter into his own hands....but allowed the Lord to handle the situation!!! 

Ain't God good?
Oh, yes He is!!!

And....I'm so glad that God doesn't strike me with leprosy every time I sin....
I wouldn't even get thru the seven days of recovery!!!
;-) Thank you, Lord!!!

HOPE you have a terrific Tuesday, Sweet Reader.

In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!!

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for this most timely post!

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  2. You post such interesting stories. This is like a bible study for me. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. I love your take on Moses's Ethiopian wife. You have managed to turn it into an inspirational message.

    FYI: Moses had just handed down a law stating that the Israelites were not to intermarry with the nations. If the law was from god, Moses broke it when he married an ethiopian woman. If god did not punish him for breaking said law, then god is indeed a respecter of persons, showing favoritism to Moses above all others. At the very least it makes Moses a hypocrit, who did not live by the very law he espoused and required others to live by. Miriam called his hypocrisy to his attention, and was stricken for pointing out the obvious truth. She called it straight.

    Tonjia Rolan

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  4. Morn Deb! I just a couple of years ago learned that the color " black " is symbolic of "humility" ....The Bride of the Bridegroom is Black ... SOS 1:5 " I am black but comely..."
    She in verse six explains her color, black ... she has been under the rays of the "Sun of Righteousness"....oh but to sit under the Sun of Righteouness and allow its ray to humble me.
    I also always enjoy coming over to visit you on your blog ....I always find interesting fun love and the Sun! :) Love and hugs to you

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  5. I'm visiting from the Busy Mom's Tips hop and I'm a new GFC follower :)

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Kind words are like honey—
sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
Proverbs 16:24