WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4
Scripture: Numbers 12:1-10

Numbers 12:1-3 says, “Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it.” (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)” Miriam and Aaron, we discover, had some racism in their lives and they criticized their brother because he married a black woman. They were both no doubt filled with fear when God came down in a pillar of cloud over the tabernacle as they stood at the door. God’s response to their criticism became very clear. Verse ten says, “And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous as white as snow…” In this passage God’s promise for healing was dependent on covenant obedience and accompanying respect to God’s appointed leadership and to His Word. Moses represented God’s leadership. Miriam and Aaron for the wrong reason criticized Moses and this opened the door to sickness. Discerning the root of sickness is essential. When sickness is a spiritual attack, we resist the enemy until he flees. Disobedience can be one root. Yet not all sickness is the result of disobedience. Discerning the origin of physical attacks can be a real challenge. The last thing we should ever do is to be critical of people who are warring over issues of their health. We are supposed to help each other not hurt each other by criticism and judgment.