God called all three to come out to the entrance of the tent of meeting (v. 4). Aaron and Miriam came out boldly, presuming that they would be vindicated. They thought that God had finally called them. They thought, “You, Moses, have married an Ethiopian woman and have caused unhappiness in the family. We have many things to say to God.” But God said, “Moses is My servant. He is faithful in all My house. Why are you so bold as to speak against My servant?” Spiritual authority does not come through man’s attainment. Rather, it comes through God’s selection. Spiritual matters are entirely different from worldly principles.
Authority is God Himself. It cannot be offended. Whoever speaks against Moses speaks against God’s selection. We cannot despise God’s selection.
When the anger of God was kindled, the cloud removed from over the tent, and the presence of God was gone. Immediately, Miriam became leprous (v. 10). This was not from infection. It was inflicted by God. Being leprous is not any better than marrying an Ethiopian woman. As soon as inward rebellion is manifested, it becomes leprosy. Lepers have to be shut out. Man cannot approach them. They lose all fellowship.
When Aaron saw that Miriam became leprous, he besought Moses to be a mediator so that God would heal her. God instructed Miriam to be shut out from the camp seven days before she could be received again. She bore shame for seven days as if her father had spit in her face. Only after seven days did the tent of meeting journey on. Whenever there is rebellion and reviling among us, God’s presence is gone, and the tent will not move. The pillar of cloud will not come until reviling words have been judged. If the matter of authority is not settled, all other matters will remain unsettled.
Many think that they have submitted themselves to God already. They do not know that they still need to submit to God’s deputy authority. Those who are truly submissive see God’s authority in all environments-in their homes and in all institutions. God said, “Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?” (v. 8). Every time reviling words come, we have to pay much attention to them. We cannot be careless, thinking that we can say things rashly. When there is reviling, it proves that there is the spirit of rebellion within. The reviling is the sprouting of this rebellion. We have to fear God and must not speak in a rash way. Many today speak against those ahead of them. They speak against the responsible brothers in the church, but they do not realize the seriousness of this matter. If one day the church receives grace from God, she will separate herself from those who revile the servant of God. She will not talk to them because they are leprous. May God be merciful to us that we would see that this is not a matter with our brother, but a matter of God’s appointed authority. If we have met authority, we will realize that there are too many incidents where we sin against God. Thereafter, our concept concerning sin will be changed. We will see sin from God’s point of view. The sin that God condemns is man’s rebellion.
Numbers 16 speaks of the company of Korah, who were Levites, and Dathan and Abiram, who were of the tribe of Reuben. The Levites represented the tribe of spirituality; Dathan and Abiram represented the leaders. In addition, there were two hundred fifty well-known men. All of these princes gathered together to rebel. They attacked Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have gone too far! For all the assembly is holy....Why then do you exalt yourselves above the congregation of Jehovah?” (v. 3). They did not respect Moses and Aaron. Perhaps they spoke these words in all honesty. They did not see the authority of Jehovah. They thought that this was a personal matter. They considered that among God’s people there was no authority. When they rebuked Moses, they mentioned nothing about Moses’ relationship with God or God’s command in this matter. When Moses heard these serious charges, he was neither angry nor upset. Instead, he fell before Jehovah. He did not act in any way by himself. He did not try to exercise authority, because authority is of God. He told the company of Korah to wait until the morning. In the morning Jehovah would prove who was His and who was holy. He was answering an improper spirit with a proper spirit.
The words of Korah’s company were based completely on reasonings. Their words were entirely suppositions. But Moses said that the Lord would make everything clear. It was all a matter of Jehovah’s selection and command. It was not Moses’ problem but Jehovah’s problem. They thought that they were only against Moses and Aaron, that they were not against God. They had no intention of rebelling against God. They intended to continue to serve God. They were only despising Moses and Aaron. But God cannot be separated from His deputy authority. One cannot take one attitude towards God and a different attitude towards Moses and Aaron. No one can reject God’s deputy authority on the one hand while receiving God on the other hand. If they had submitted to the authority of Moses and Aaron, they would have been submitting to God. But Moses did not lift himself up because of God’s authority on him. He humbled himself under the authority of God. In a gentle way he said to them, “Take censers,...and put fire in them and place incense upon them before Jehovah tomorrow, and the man whom Jehovah chooses, he shall be holy” (vv. 6-7). Moses was an aged man. He knew the consequence of such an act, and he sighed, saying, “You have gone too far, sons of Levi!...Is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the assembly of Israel to bring you near to Himself?...Therefore you and all your company have gathered together against Jehovah” (vv. 7, 9, 11).
At that time Dathan and Abiram were not present. Later Moses sent men to ask them to come. But they refused, saying, “You have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up” (v. 14). Their attitude was that of rebellion. Basically, they did not believe in the promise of God. Their attention was on the earthly blessing. They forgot their own mistake-they were the ones who had refused to enter Canaan. But they turned around to rebel against Moses with bitter words.
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