When God Overhears
Have you ever been caught talking about someone behind their back? I have, and it's not a pleasant experience. There's that moment when you realize the person you've been discussing has been standing just around the corner, hearing every word. Your face flushes, your stomach drops, and you desperately wish for a convenient sinkhole to appear beneath your feet.
In Numbers 12, Miriam and Aaron experienced something far worse than being caught by another person. They were caught by God Himself.
"And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it." (Numbers 12:1-2)
Did you catch that last part? "And the Lord heard it." Those four simple words should send shivers down our spines.
Miriam and Aaron weren't just having a private little grumble session about Moses' choice of wife. They were questioning his spiritual authority and, by extension, God's appointment of Moses as their leader. They had the audacity to suggest they were on equal footing with Moses in terms of spiritual leadership.
Now, the Bible doesn't record Moses responding to this criticism. In fact, verse 3 tells us, "Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth." But while Moses remained silent, God certainly didn't.
The Lord summoned all three siblings to the tabernacle and made it abundantly clear that Moses held a unique position. Then came the consequences: "And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow" (Numbers 12:10).
Imagine that! One minute you're complaining about your brother, the next you're covered in leprosy. Talk about immediate consequences! Thankfully, Moses interceded for his sister, and after seven days of being shut out of the camp, she was healed and restored.
I often think about how fortunate we are that God doesn't typically respond to our complaints and gossip with such immediate and visible punishment. I shudder to think how many times I might have been struck with some ailment had God chosen to deal with me as He did with Miriam!
Yet, the principle remains: God hears. Whether we're muttering under our breath about the slow driver in front of us, criticizing church leadership, or gossiping about a fellow believer, God is listening. Every word, every complaint, every criticism passes through His ears before it reaches anyone else's.
Perhaps we should consider this the next time we're tempted to speak ill of someone. Would we say what we're about to say if we visualized God standing right beside us with His ear inclined toward our lips? Would we voice our complaints if we knew divine consequences might follow?
The truth is, He is there, and He does hear. And while He may not respond with immediate leprosy, He is grieved by our critical spirits and divisive words.
May we learn from Miriam's mistake and guard our tongues, remembering always that "the Lord heard it."