Numbers 12:6-9 And the Lord said to them, “Now listen to what I say: “If there were prophets among you, I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams. But not with my servant Moses. Of all my house, he is the one I trust. I speak to him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles! He sees the Lord as he is. So why were you not afraid to criticise my servant Moses?” The Lord was very angry with them, and he departed. (NLT)

Leadership in God’s house are divinely appointed. Go chose Moses not because he was perfect, but because he was humble and faithful. God trusted Moses to walk in righteousness and purity, and he did serve God with a faithful heart over forty years.

Now Mariam and Aaron spoke against Moses not because of his leadership but because of something Moses didn’t have control over (but God!), his wife’s ethnicity. The Bible says that Moses’ wife was Cushite which means she was originally from Northeast Africa.

Mariam and Aaron’s criticism over Moses’ wife’s appearance and falsely accusing Moses of being prideful came out of their own prideful hearts. And their criticism was actually against God because God created everyone in His own image, and He appointed Moses as the leader.

Of course, leaders must be accountable and open to questioning and criticism, but God will not be quiet when His chosen ones are falsely reprimanded. Therefore, Miriam and Aaron should have been afraid to speak against Moses because the Lord will punish those who wrongly go against the leaders that He has appointed to advance the Kingdom of God. 

Instead, let’s pray for our pastors and leaders and let’s be a church community that is ready to relieve the shoulder of our leaders so that they can focus on having more encounters with Jesus Christ.