Advanced Level, Block 4—Wilderness
Week 37
Speaking Against Moses
Point to Emphasize: We must never let jealousy cause us to speak wrongly against others.
Reference Reading: Numbers 11:29, footnote 291; 12:1-16, footnotes 21, 31
Memory Verse: Do not speak against one another… James 4:11a
Sample Story
There is a story recorded in the book of Numbers of something that happened between three people: Moses, Miriam and Aaron. Miriam, and Aaron were the sister and brother of Moses. They were older than Moses and they regarded themselves higher than Moses. Moses, being younger, was God’s spokesman, and they were jealous of this. Miriam and Aaron were in rivalry with Moses. We can say that they were competing with Moses.
Miriam and Aaron thought Moses had made a mistake and they used this as an excuse to criticize him. We could say they slandered Moses. To slander is to make false statements about someone to damage the person’s character and reputation. Miriam and Aaron started to speak wrongly against Moses to the ones around them. They really wanted to damage Moses’ reputation. They thought that since Moses had made a mistake, they had a good reason to criticize him. So, one day, they challenged Moses by saying, “…Has Jehovah indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not also spoken through us? And Jehovah heard it” (Numbers 12:2). This speaking showed their jealousy. It’s as if they were questioning, “Why can’t we have the same respect that Moses has, or even more?”
Now, what about us? We all know that we should respect the ones older than us. But we might not find it easy to follow the instructions when they come from someone younger than us. It is one thing to have the teacher explain how we are going to play a new game. It is quite another thing to follow the instructions of a second-grader. And what about your younger brother or sister get to choose what game the family will play or the restaurant you all are going out to eat? [Storyteller, using these kinds of examples, lead a discussion about how the children feel in these situations. Do they feel is fair that the younger one gets to choose? Do they feel jealous of the one chosen? Do they want to complain or criticize?]
One day my son’s teacher needed to choose two boys or girls from their grade to represent their class in a school activity. There were four of them that really wanted to do it. But only two could be chosen. They all told the teacher why they thought they were the best person to represent the class, but in the end, it was up to the teacher to make the final decisions. When the teacher picked the two, the other two were so jealous. They did exactly what Miriam and Aaron did. They started to spread false stories of the boys who were selected. All they wanted to do was to damage their classmates’ reputation. It was a sad situation. In the end, what they did resulted in hurt feelings. Their jealousy had ruined their friendships. [Storyteller, bring your story about jealousy causing the spread of speaking wrongly about others.]
The outcome of Miriam and Aaron’s jealousy and their speaking wrongly was that Jehovah came down in a pillar of cloud. He called them and they both came forward. Jehovah Himself spoke up concerning His servant Moses and asked them why they were not afraid to speak against Moses. Because Miriam took the lead and was the instigator, she became leprous. (Leprosy is a terrible disease of the skin.) This was a shameful punishment! She was shut up outside the camp for seven days until she was leprous no more.
We must learn from Miriam and Aaron to never let jealousy cause us to speak wrongly against others. Learning not to be jealous and not to speak wrongly against others while you are young will save you from suffering many negative consequences as you grow older.