Friday, March 6, 2009

Judgement, Repentance, Intercession, & Restoration

Numbers 12:10-16

God's judgment falls on Miriam and it is severe. Leprosy. At this time, there is no cure for leprosy aside from divine healing from God. Aaron looks at her and as high priest knows that he will have to pronounce her unclean and send her out of the camp forever. Knowing that he has sinned as well, Aaron humbly confesses and repents of this sin they so "foolishly committed". Aaron begs Moses to intercede for their sister.

Moses, who had been so deeply hurt by them, cries out in intercession for his sister. This is exactly what Jesus Christ does for you everyday of your life. He is the offended and we are the offenders. Yet, He cries out to the Father on our behalf and pleads for our forgiveness. Thank Jesus for doing that right now.

One lesson we can learn from Numbers 12 is that jealousy hurts everyone. Moses was hurt, Aaron was hurt, and Miriam was hurt. Jealousy enslaves us and the root of it is dissatisfaction with what God has blessed us with.

There is hope in this story as well. First of all, God comes to the defense of His faithful servants. He defended Moses against his family, and God will defend us as well. Lastly, Miriam and Aaron were restored. Yes, they were humbled - especially Miriam - but God forgave them and restored them. Aaron and Miriam continued to serve the Lord. Even when we fail, God can still use us if we will turn from our sin and turn back to Him.

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