The Healing Prayer

Now Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses, because he had married an Ethiopian woman. And the LORD heard it. They asked if the LORD had not spoken through them also. My Bible has in parenthesis that Moses was a very humble man, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.

So God called the three of them to the tabernacle of meeting. He called Aaron and Miriam forward, then He said,

“Hear now my words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the LORD, make myself known to him in a vision;
I speak to him in a dream.

Not so with My servant Moses;
He is faithful in all my house.
I speak to him face to face,
Even plainly, and not in dark sayings;
And he sees the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid
To speak against My servant Moses?”

So the LORD’s anger was aroused against them. He made Miriam leprous, as white as snow. Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned.”

So Moses cried out to the LORD, “Please heal her, O God, I pray.”

So the LORD had her shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she was received again. And the people did not journey again until Miriam was brought in again.

The Scripture which stands out to me this morning is verse 13, “So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, Please heal her. O God, I pray.” He prayed a healing prayer with just one simple sentence, and it was answered inasmuch as Miriam was healed in seven days. She could have been healed instantly, but she had sinned by speaking against Moses, who was the LORD’s anointed. I think it had to be made clear that God would not tolerate such acts. Moses was the most humble man on the face of the earth, and the meek shall inherit the earth.

But getting back to my original thought of the healing prayer by Moses, when we pray, God wants us to have purpose and not just pray a lot of beautiful, meaningless words and phrases. He wants a sincere request made with faith that God will act on our plea in our behalf.

New King James Version, Numbers 12.

Yielded to Craving

Num.11:34
So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving.

The people were complaining about lack of meat, even though God was sending them manna each day. This angered the LORD and Moses. But God sent them quail for their meat, and before they could even chew it, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck them with a very great plague. 34So he called the name of that place Kibroth Kattaavah, because they buried the people who had yielded to craving.

The children of Israel were ungrateful for having been delivered out of the land of Egypt and they complained for lack of meat. God by his mighty power sent them quail. The people stayed up all day, all night, and all the next day and gathered the quail. Scripture says he who gathered least gathered ten homers. A homer is 6.52 bushels. That’s a lot of quail. My impression is that God sent them more than enough quail but they gathered it greedily and began to eat it greedily. They desired meat so God gave them meat, and they showed themselves to be ungrateful.

In my own life I believe verse 34 falls in the category of the LORD telling me I need discipline. To subdue cravings and to not act on them in an ungodly manner requires discipline of the mind. I think that until we have the mind of Christ, a disciplined mind, then we are not going to live a disciplined life. Once we are constantly renewing our mind by studying His word daily, we will not be yielding to carnal cravings. We will have a disciplined mind and a disciplined life.

New King James Version, Num. 11.

Departure from Sinai

The LORD had them to go out in a certain order. He wanted the tabernacle to be set up when the Kohathites arrived. They were carrying the holy things. The LORD, I believe, loves pageantry and to do things in a grand manner that glorifies Him and His sovereignty. And He likes orderliness.

Moses invited Hobab the son of Reuel, the priest of Midian to go with them, promising him that whatever good the LORD will do for the children of Israel, they will do for him. Reuel had given his daughter Zipporah to Moses as a wife, so to my thinking Moses and Hobab would be brothers-in-law. At first Hobab declined, and then he decided to go with them. This involved a radical transformation of his life and purpose so that it centered around the living God.

They left the mountain of the LORD on a journey of three days. The ark of the covenant went before them, to search out a resting place for them.

34And the cloud of the LORD was above them by day when they went out from the camp.
35So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said:

“Rise up, O LORD!
Let Your enemies be scattered,
And let those who hate You flee before You.”

36And when it rested, he said:

“Return, O LORD,
To the many thousands of Israel.”

(New King James Version, Numbers 10.11-36)

Two Silver Trumpets

The LORD told Moses to make two silver trumpets for himself, of hammered work, to be used for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps. 3”When they blow both of them, all the congregation shall gather before you at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. But if they blow only one, then the leaders, the heads of the divisions of Israel, shall gather to you.” The LORD went on to tell Moses that 5”When you sound the advance, the camps that lie on the east side shall then begin their journey. 6When you sound the advance the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall begin their journey…7and when the assembly is to be gathered together, you shall blow, but not sound the advance. 8The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and these shall be to you as an ordinance forever throughout your generations.”

9”When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God, and you will be saved from your enemies. 10Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am the LORD your God.” (New King James Version, Numbers 10:1-10).

So the two silver trumpets were very important in the life of the children of Israel. I can imagine that when the trumpet sounded, everyone stopped what they were doing to listen and see if the second trumpet would sound. The sounding of the trumpet was a signal telling them what was happening and what to do. I’m reminded here of the midnight ride of Paul Revere—one if by land and two if by sea. Paul Revere rode his horse throughout the countryside warning that the British were coming. Now, of course, we have the cell phone and the computer with multiple group mailings that would send the message quickly. But when the children of Israel were in the wilderness they did not have the cell phone and they relied on God through Moses. There was no chance of getting the signals crossed, for God Himself had told Moses what to do.

God is every much our God now as he was then. Now we have a direct line to God and if we’ll listen, we will hear the trumpets blow.

The New Testament tells us of the birth, life, and death of Jesus Christ. And when Jesus was resurrected, He left us a comforter, the Holy Spirit, who guides us. And may we walk in the fear of the LORD and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and be multiplied. (Acts 9:31).

Of import is that Moses was obedient to God and allowed God to work through him and lead the people of Israel through the wilderness. God wants to work though each of us today. Let us yield to His will and allow Him to work through us to a hurting world.