It was bad enough when the Israelites rebelled against Moses, but the rebellion of Miriam and Aaron surely hit him harder. Like we see happen in many confrontations, Aaron and Miriam hid the true motivation of their criticism behind a more palatable excuse: Moses’ marriage to a Cushite woman. But that was not their main cause for concern. Rather, it related to Moses’ role as God’s primary spokesperson.

When Miriam and Aaron confronted the man God had chosen to speak for Him, God chose to speak for Himself. God pronounced judgment on them for their sin and in His anger, gave Miriam a skin disease. Aaron immediately repented and asked Moses to do something about Miriam’s disease. God’s servant responded by lifting his voice in intercession to God and Miriam was healed.

This account offers a picture of how we are to respond to God when He reveals Himself to us. God’s self-revelation shows us two things: who He is and who we are. When we see God for who He is and what He has done, we can properly see ourselves for who we are.

• In what ways does seeing the truth of God’s character humble you?