Talked Against Moses

“We’ve learned to season our words with salt, we eat them so often.” “It’s Not About Me” – Max Lucado

I love to read and really enjoy fiction written about Bible times. There’s one problem – fiction is not fact.

I wrote a post on Tuesday, November 13th, about the men who served in The Temple. The next day, I read a verse that said just the opposite of what I wrote. I must have read that “fact” in a fiction book. I had to eat my words.

I went back to the post, drew a line through the paragraph and typed in the verse I just read. I published the corrected post. It was a huge piece of humble pie.

I’m not the first to regret what they said nor the last. I’m sure Miriam really regretted her words.

Numbers 12:1, “Miriam and Aaron talked against Moses behind his back because of his Cushite wife (he had married a Cushite woman).” The Message

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Numbers 12:10, “When the Cloud moved off from The Tent, oh! Miriam had turned leprous, her skin like snow. Aaron took one look at Miriam – a leper.” The Message

I used to wonder why Aaron was not struck with leprosy. Numbers 12:1 lists Miriam first – she started it.

“A Cushite woman – Arabia was usually called in scripture the land of Cush – its inhabitants being descendants of that son of Ham (see on Exodus 2.15), and being accounted generally a vile and contemptible race. (Amos 9.7.)

The occasion of this seditious outbreak on the part of Miriam and Aaron against Moses was the great change made in the government by the adoption of the seventy rulers – and their irritating disparagement of his wife – who, in all probability, was Zipporah, and not a second wife he had recently married – arose from jealousy of her relatives, through whose influence the innovation had been first made (Exodus 18.), while they were overlooked or neglected. Miriam is mentioned before Aaron as being the chief instigator and leader of the sedition.

…The prophetic name and character was bestowed upon Aaron (Exodus 4.15, 16) and Miriam (Exodus 15.20); and, therefore, they considered the conduct of Moses, in exercising an exclusive authority in this matter, as an encroachment on their rights (Micah 6.4).” Critical and Explanatory Commentary, Vol I

How do you react when you have to eat your words? Do you cover up the mistake or expose it? Are you supportive when others have to eat their words?

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