Questioning God

Dear Victorious,

In the Old Testament book of Numbers, Aaron and Miriam (Moses' sister) get into trouble with God because they questioned Moses' relationship with God. Frankly, it doesn't seem to cast God in a very good light, because he lashes out at them and ends up punishing Miriam worse than He punished Aaron. Doesn't this suggest that questioning God or evaluating someone's relationship with God would be off limits?

R.K. - Plattenville, LA

Dear R.K.

No, God was not angered because Aaron and Miriam asked a question. Rather He was angered because of their motives. They weren't truly seeking to understand the truth. Rather they were jealous of Moses' influence and authority and perhaps even had a rebellious line of thinking towards the directions Moses was giving. The attitude was the sin. The action (of asking the question) was not.

This story in the 12th chapter of Numbers has often troubled even the best of Christians. There is speculation as to why Miriam was punished with leprosy and why Aaron was not. Some suggest that it was a sexist thing for God to do. I don't believe that's who God is though. We need to look for an answer that better aligns with the nature and character of God.

It would appear to me that Miriam was punished more severely because her sin was more severe. She was, after all, Moses' sister. She would have been in a position, for example, to know that he was - as God called him - "the most humble man on the face of the earth." God can read the condition of our hearts, and most likely He saw that Miriam's jealousy was greater than Aaron's.

Consider how this story might have turned out if Miriam and Aaron had gone to God in prayer and said something like, "Lord, we are starting to have difficulty following Moses and his directives. We confess that we are feeling jealous of his authority and influence, and starting to resentment the power he wields over us. Would you forgive us of those sinful thoughts and feelings? Father, if it would please you, give us right hearts and minds about Moses and his leadership. Show us how You want us to respond to Moses. Frankly, his relationship with You seems so incredible and so far superior to anyone else's that we have trouble believing it. If it's real, then please help our unbelief."

Knowing God the way I do, I'm confident He would have responded to such a prayer with sincere grace and mercy. He would have had compassion on Aaron and Miriam and would rewarded their repentance from sinful thoughts and attitudes, as well as their contrite hearts and sincere desire to find and follow God's will.

The fact of the matter is that we may never know for sure why God did or didn't do something. But we always have the revealed nature and character of God to guide our thinking. When we put our faith in that, then stories that appear to have troubling circumstances don't rattle us. Rather they give us confidence in God's divine wisdom, mercy and grace. (Note that Miriam's leprosy was healed just seven days later!)