Num 11 · Num 12

Devotion 1 of 2: Num 11

NUM 11: Answers!
1) Num 11:1
A) The people of Israel
B) Believers in the church
C) Fire from the Lord consumed some of them (11:1). But God answered their request and sent quails (11:31-32). But he also struck with a plague those who yielded to craving (11:33-34).

2) Num 11:11
A) Moses
B) Pastors in the church
C) God gave Moses 70 elders who would help him carry the burden of leading and caring for Israel (11:16-17, 24-30). He also answered Moses’ cry and promised to give Israel meat (11:18-23).

3) Num 12:1
A) Miriam and Aaron
B) Church staff, church leaders, ministry leaders, etc.
C) Miriam was struck with leprosy (12:10). Aaron and Moses interceded for her, and she was healed and restored but was shut out of the camp for 7 days (12:14). But she was not abandoned by Israel as they waited until she was restored before moving out (12:15).

Devotion 2 of 2: Num 12

In the midst of severe rebuke to Miriam, there is also love and mercy! She was struck with leprosy for her sin of complaining against Moses’ wife being an Ethiopian (v.1) (Wasn’t she a Midianite? Ex 2:15-21). I think they called her an Ethiopian because her father may have come from Ethiopia and also because her skin was dark.
But after Aaron and Moses interceded for her (v.11-13), so God healed and restored her to the camp, but shut her out of the camp for 7 days as a sign of the severity of her conduct (v.14-15). The people’s feeling for Miriam is revealed by them not moving out until Miriam was restored to them (v.15-16).
Let’s us always have a balance of firmly obeying God’s Word with showing mercy to those who fail!