Seder 111: Numbers 12---Moses' "Cushite Wife" and the Jealousy of Miriam and Aaron

A wise saying has been attributed to the 19th century American financier J.P. Morgan:  "There are two reasons for everything----a good reason, and the real reason."

Moses' older siblings, Miriam and Aaron, at one point "spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married" (Num 12:1).  Since the "Cushite woman" is mentioned in the Bible only in this verse, her identity has been the subject of much speculation. 

We know that Moses had a wife named Zipporah, daughter of Jethro the Midianite (Ex 2:21-22; 3:1).  When Moses returned to Egypt he did not bring his family into the dangerous situation he would be facing, but he was reunited with his family at Mt Sinai (Ex 18:2,5).  

In Hab 3:7, we read, "I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble."  This parallelism in this verse indicates that "Cushan" is another name for "Midian" or some part of Midian.  Based on this verse, one possibility is that the "Cushite wife" is Zipporah, with "Cushite" meaning "from Cushan."  Perhaps some friction had developed between Miriam and Zipporah, the two most important women in Moses' life.  

On the other hand, the adjective "Cushite" is usually a reference to Cush, the region south of Egypt in today's Sudan.  Some have speculated that Zipporah's mother was a Cushite, so that Zipporah could also be called a Cushite.  

Another possibility is that Moses had married a Cushite who was part of the "mixed multitude" that joined the Israelites on the Exodus.  Perhaps Zipporah had died, or perhaps they had had a falling out related to the "circumcision incident" recorded in Exodus 4, or perhaps this was just an additional wife.  Miriam could have been critical of this second marriage.  

There was also a body of legend surrounding the first 40 years of Moses' life, before he fled to Midian.  Stephen seems to make reference to this in Acts 7:22 when he says that Moses "was mighty in his words and deeds."  Josephus records a legend in which Moses, while acting as an Egyptian military leader, marries a Cushite princess.  Perhaps this was the Cushite wife, and Miriam  was criticizing something about this marriage.  

Some today wonder if there was a racist aspect to the criticism of the Cushite wife.  It is known that ancient Egyptians tended to harbor some prejudice against Cushites.  

Rabbinic tradition proposes an elaborate and imaginative scenario meant to portray everyone in the best possible light.  In this scenario Miriam and Aaron are saying that Zipporah is special and distinctive in the same way that a Cushite's dark skin is distinctive, and they are critical of Moses because he has become so focused on spiritual matters that he has stopped sleeping with Zipporah.  

Whatever the identity of the Cushite wife, the real reason for Miriam and Aaron's complaint is that they wanted a more prominent leadership role in Israel.  They said, "Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses?  Has he not spoken through us also?" (Num 12:2)

Moses is described here as "very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth" (v 3).  The word for "meek" could be a reference to humility, or it could be a reference to how weighed down he was by the burden of leading the Israelites.  In any case, he didn't reprimand his older sister and brother.  

But God did.  God made it clear that Moses had a special relationship with him and was to be treated with appropriate respect (vv 4-9).  And he struck Miriam with a serious skin condition.  Her skin became "like snow," perhaps a sort of poetic justice if Miriam had said something derogatory about the skin color of the "Cushite wife."  

Moses interceded for his sister.  "O God, please heal her---please" (v 13).  And God did so after a week of punishment.  In Num 11-12 God's mercy is prominently displayed, as Rob Wilson pointed out in a sermon at Church of the Messiah on Aug 6, 2022.

Seder 82: Lev 10:8-20---Aftermath of the Deaths of Nadab and Abihu

 After the deaths of his sons Nadab and Abihu, Aaron received instruction from God:

"Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die" (Lev 10:9).

God also explained the reason for this rule:  "You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses (vv 10-11).  The priests would need to be in complete control of their faculties to make important distinctions and teach effectively.  

Aaron would have important decisions to make, starting right away, and the sacrifices had to carried out correctly.  Moses was initially upset with Aaron for not properly completing the purification offering for the people that day.  A portion was to be eaten by the priests, symbolizing the transfer of sins from the people to the priests and completing an atonement process for the people.  But  the offering  had been allowed to burn up on the altar  (v 16).   

Aaron explained to Moses that it wouldn't have been proper for them to eat their portion that day.  How could they participate in the people's atonement when they were to some extent to blame for what had happened with Nadab and Abihu?  That offering was for them as well, so it would not have been proper for them to eat a portion from it (as in 4:1-12).  Alternatively, how could they eat their portion if  they could not do so with joy?  They were not visibly mourning, but they could pretend that nothing had happened.  After hearing Aaron's explanation, Moses concurred (v 20).  

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on Dec 11, 2021, Kyle Kettering brought out both the blessings and the dangers associated with alcohol.  As a "kingdom of priests" ourselves, we are to make sound decisions about these things, including being flexible and accommodating about our individual approaches to the use of alcohol.

Seder 81: Lev 9--Worship at the Tabernacle Begins

 Months of work on the tabernacle culminated on the eighth day of the ordination of Aaron and his sons.  "The eighth day" is often a time of new beginnings and of dedicating things to God---e.g., newborn boys are circumcised on the eighth day. 

This was Aaron's first day on the job as high priest, and he was to begin by offering sacrifices for himself (Lev 9:2) so that he could then serve on behalf of the people.  The author of Hebrews would later point out that this was one drawback of human priests that Jesus did not share (Heb 7:27-28).  In particular, Aaron was to offer "a bull calf for a sin offering," another reminder of Aaron's role in the golden calf incident.

The offerings for the people including purification offerings, burnt offerings, fellowship offerings, and grain offerings (vv 3-4).  With them the nation could be cleansed and totally dedicated to God, then could have fellowship with God and dedicate their work to him.  

This was a dramatic moment.  Would God find Israel's work and worship acceptable?  Aaron and Moses would have prayed for this when they went into the tent (v 23), and God accepted the offerings (v 24).

Lev 9:24 is one of a number of times when God appeared in fire or sent fire.  Rob Wilson listed them in a sermon at Church of the Messiah on November 27, 2021:  Ex 3:2; 13:21; 19:18; Judges 6:21; 13:20; 1 Kings 18:38; 1 Chron 21:26; 2 Chron 7:1.   

Rob explained that God wants his people to keep the fire going--Lev 6:12.  As Paul encouraged Timothy, "fan into flame the gift of God" (2 Tim 1:6).  

Seder 69: Exodus 32---The Golden Calf Incident

 While Moses was receiving revelation from God on Mt Sinai, the Israelites camped at the foot of the mountain became more and more worried.  Would Moses be coming back?  

Eventually some large group of Israelites confronted Aaron, who was in charge in Moses' absence.  When they "gathered themselves together to Aaron" (Ex 32:1). the Hebrew implies that this was a hostile gathering.  Hur had been left in charge with Aaron (Ex 24:14), but he is not mentioned here, leading to a later tradition that this mob murdered Hur.  

With Moses, their mediator before God, seemingly having disappeared, the mob seems to have wanted a replacement for Moses.  Other peoples tried to deal with their gods by building images.  After the image was built, there would be a ceremony designed to have the spirit of the god enter the idol.  The god would then be "localized for purposes of worship and bargaining," as Michael Heiser puts in The Unseen Realm.

It is not made clear exactly what the mob was thinking.  Whatever it was, it clearly violated the commandments God had stated aloud to them just weeks before.  Jewish tradition wonders to what degree the mob was composed of members of the "mixed multitude" that now was joined to Israel.  One midrash suggests that the mixed multitude were the "they" speaking to the Israelites in Ex 32:4.  

When people begin to worship God on their terms rather than God's, anything can happen, and those who celebrated around the golden calf that Aaron made quickly got out of hand (v 6).  God alerted Moses to what was going on and suggested that it might be appropriate to have the Israelites destroyed and start from scratch with Moses (vv 7-10)

God seems to have raised this suggestion as a test for Moses.  (If he had really wanted to destroy the Israelites, he could have just done so.)  Moses passed the test, arguing that the people should be spared by appealing to God's reputation and his covenant (vv 11-14).  

Seder 67: Exodus 29---Ordination of the Aaronic Priests

The children of Israel were called to be "a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation" (Exod 19:6).  From among the Israelites God chose the family of Aaron for a special priesthood at the tabernacle and temple. 

Moses would briefly serve as God's proxy to install Aaron and his sons into this priesthood.  God laid out the details of the ordination procedure to Moses on Mt. Sinai (Exod 29), and these details were carried out after the construction of the tabernacle (Lev 8).  

The elaborate ordination would last for a week (v 35), during which time something important would be created---a new priesthood.  Aaron would be anointed with oil (v. 6), making him an "anointed one", a messiah. 

Several sacrifices were included in the process.  There was a sin offering that would symbolically remove sin from Aaron and his sons and take it outside of the camp of Israel (vv 10-14).  The instructions for this offering specify that the "long lobe of the liver" and the kidneys of the bull be burned on the bronze altar (v 13).  Some commentators (e.g., Nahum Sarna) have observed that in the Ancient Near East, livers were often used for divination.  One effect of the instructions in v. 13 is that this practice would not be adopted in Israel. 

There would also be a burnt offering of a ram (vv 15-18) that would symbolize the total dedication to God that would be required of the priests.

Blood from a second ram would be applied to the right ears, right thumbs, and right big toes of Aaron and his sons (vv 20-21).  The priests would listen to the people, act for their good, and walk among them.  They were to be dedicated to God in every aspect of their lives.  

Questions are raised by the last sentence in verse 37:  "Whatever touches the altar shall become holy."  Here the meaning probably is not that profane things become holy by coming in contact with the altar.  Haggai 2:10-14 indicates that impurity spreads through contact, but that holiness does not.  Instead, the meaning may be that the only things that should come in contact with the altar are those that are already holy.  

Chapter 29 ends by repeating the purpose of the tabernacle and its service, emphasizing God's desire to dwell among his people.  Exodus 25:8 and Exodus 29:45-56 form a pair of bookends setting off chapters 25 through 29.  

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on August 7, 2021, Rob Wilson reflected on what it means to be consecrated to serve God in a sinful world, as Aaron was and as we are today.  I John 2:20-27 discusses the anointing with the Holy Spirit that Christians receive.  

Seder 48: Exodus 6-7---A Fuller Revelation of the Meaning of God's Name

 Moses was very discouraged when he prayed at the end of Exodus 5.  God answered in Exodus 6:1, 

"Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land."  

The wording in this verse may be significant.  Egyptian kings were said to have mighty arms and hands.  God is saying here that he is the real king.  A few verses later God refers to his own "outstretched arm" (v 6).  [For more on this imagery, see James Hoffmeier's paper, "The Arm of God Versus the Arm of Pharaoh in the Exodus Narratives," Biblica 67 (1986), pp. 378-387.] 

God went on to tell Moses, "I am the Lord.  I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty [Heb. El Shaddai], but by my name the Lord [Heb. Yahweh] I did not make myself known to them" (vv 2-3).  

This passage has puzzled readers, since God's name Yahweh is used often in the Genesis narrative, many times in the mouths of the patriarchs.  One explanation, championed by Australian biblical scholar Francis Andersen, is that the verse should be a question:  "Did I not make myself known to them by my name the Lord?" 

Another possibility is that God was announcing that Israel would now experience a fuller revelation of the meaning of his name.  The patriarchs had been blessed by God and had received God's promises, but the complete fulfillment of those promises was still in the future---in particular, the promise of the land.  Now Israel would experience God as covenant keeper.  (Kyle Kettering developed this theme in a sermon at Church of the Messiah on March 13, 2021.) 

God tells Moses more about the concrete meaning of his name in verses 6-8.  He announces to Israel that 

• I will free you from bondage.
• I  will deliver you.
• I will redeem you.
• I will take you as my people (in a marriage relationship).
• I will be your God.
• I will bring you into the land.
• I will give the land to you.

At this point the Israelites were too weighed down with their burdens to care much about what God was revealing through Moses (v 9).  Moses faced a problem:  How could be go to Pharaoh as a representative of the Israelites when he didn't have the support of the Israelites?  This may be part of what Moses was saying in verse 12, along with his worries about his speaking ability.  

God has a solution to this problem.  Moses would be going to Pharaoh not as a representative of the people, but as a representative of the supreme God of the universe (Exod 7:1).  

The rest of Exodus 6 contains genealogical information about the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, concentrating in particular on the Levites and the family of Aaron.  Why were the rest of the tribes not mentioned here?  One midrash says that Moses and Aaron went to the tribes of Israel, starting with Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, trying to drum up support for what they were doing.  No one was interested.  When they saw that not even their own tribe was interested, they gave up this effort.  

It is worth noting that the genealogical information in Exodus 6 is not exhaustive.  Biblical genealogies often do not include every generation.  In particular, the text just mentions four steps from Levi to Moses:    Levi--Kohath--Amram--Moses.  But there probably were a number of additional links.  One evidence of this is that in the tribe of Ephraim, there are 11 links between Ephraim and Joshua ( 1 Chron 7:23-27).  

Seder 47: Exodus 5---The Initial Confrontation with Pharaoh

 After conferring with the elders of Israel, Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh (Exod 5:1).  God had mentioned that the elders of Israel should accompany them (Exod 3:18).  A midrash proposes that the elders started out with Moses and Aaron but dropped out along the way, finding excuses to leave.  This tradition highlights how intimidating it would to confront the ruler of Egypt.  

God had also instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh, "Israel is my firstborn son.  If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son" (Exod 4:22-23).  Exodus 5 does not record Moses and Aaron conveying this threat.  Dennis Prager proposes that perhaps Moses did not yet have faith sufficient to pass along this message.  Alternatively, Moses and Aaron may have perceived, from the way the meeting started, that it would have not have worked to say such a thing to Pharaoh at this point.  

Pharaoh saw no reason to listen to the representatives of a group of slaves (Exod 5:1-5).  To silence them, Pharaoh increased the burden on the Israelite slaves.  His actions had the desired effect.  The Israelites in their suffering turned against Moses and Aaron.  

God had told Moses that Pharaoh would not listen to him, but things went even worse than Moses had imagined.  Not only had Pharaoh not listened; in addition, Moses' actions had made things worse for the Israelites.  In his role as intercessor for Israel, Moses in despair prayed about his people's worsening situation (vv 22-23).  Where was the deliverance that God had promised?  

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on March 6, 2021, Rob Wilson noticed a "blame game" going on in Exodus 5.  Pharaoh blames the Israelites for having too much time on their hands, the Israelites blame Moses and Aaron for their increased affliction, and Moses passes the blame along to God. It is tempting to participate in the "blame game." 

Seder 47: Exo 4:18-31---Moses Accepts and Begins His Commission

 After his commissioning at the burning bush, Moses returned to his father-in-law to let Jethro know his intention to return to Egypt.  At this point Moses apparently did not say anything about his conversation with God (Exo 4:18).

God provided more encouragement for Moses to return, letting him know that he was no longer wanted for murder in Egypt (v 19).  Verse 20 notes that "Moses took the staff of God in his hand", an indication that he was accepting the position to which he had been called.  He headed back toward Sinai with his wife Zipporah and sons Gershom and Eliezer.  

On that trip God let him know that he needed to fully embrace his calling and identity as a member of the covenant people.  Apparently one of Moses' sons was not yet circumcised, and God confronted him on that issue.  Verse 24 says that God "met him and sought to put him to death" (v 24).  Zipporah, who knew what the issue was and how to do a circumcision, circumcised the son and saved Moses' life.

Different scenarios have been proposed for the background of these mysterious events.  In one of them, Zipporah has previously resisted having the son circumcised and now grudgingly does so.  In this scenario, her statement that "surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me" (v 25) was meant derisively.  

In another scenario, Moses himself also had not been circumcised properly as an infant because of the threat of death that hung over Israelite children at the time.  In this scenario, Moses was the one who had dragged his feet on the issue, and Zipporah was actually happy to have it resolved.  When she removed her son's foreskin, she "touched Moses' feet" ( v 25), "feet" being a euphemism for his genital area.  In this way, she hoped that God would accept her action as a "circumcision by proxy" for Moses, so that their marriage would be considered a covenant marriage with Moses now a valid "bridegroom of blood."  

In a third scenario, it is Moses' firstborn son Gershom whose life is in danger.  Moses has dragged his feet on the issue, perhaps having given Gershom only a partial "Egyptian-style" circumcision in the past.  Zipporah touches the foreskin to Gershom's genitals and declares Gershom a blood relative as part of the circumcision ceremony, saving Gershom's life (see Douglas Stuart's commentary on Exodus).

In any scenario, Zipporah is the heroine in this episode.

Moses and Aaron had a joyful reunion at Sinai.  At this point, Zipporah and her sons may have been sent back home, perhaps at Aaron's urging.  Aaron would have known what dangers might be awaiting them in Egypt and may have advised Zipporah to go back (see Exod 18:2-4). 

Moses and Aaron went on to Egypt, where they met with the elders of Israel and convinced them  through the special signs that God had given Moses that their deliverance was at hand (Exod 4:28-31).  

A midrash identifies an additional factor that might have helped convince the elders.  Verse 31 mentions that the elders "heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel" (v 31).  This language about God's "visiting" them previously had been used by Joseph at the end of his life.  "God will surely visit you," Joseph had said (Gen 50:25).  In the midrash, the Hebrew phrase for "surely visit", pakod pakad'ti, was known as a kind of password that would identify their deliverer.  Serah the daughter of Asher had preserved the memory of the password, God had passed it on to Moses at the burning bush (Exod 3:16),  and Moses and Aaron's knowledge of the password helped convince the elders. 

Seder 26: Psalms 121 and 133---Faith and Fellowship on the Journey

 Psalms 121 and 133 are two of the "psalms of ascents", the psalms from 120-134.  These psalms are traditionally associated with the journey to Jerusalem for one of Israel's pilgrimage festivals---Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.  A number of books have been written about these psalms, and these books often reflect on the guidance these psalms give for people at various stages of life's journey.  

Two such books are Eugene Peterson's A Long Obedience in the Same Direction and Walter Kaiser's The Journey Isn't Over.

In Psalm 121 the pilgrim looks up to the hills (the journey to Jerusalem was uphill), perhaps with a mixture of anticipation (of coming into God's presence at the festival) and anxiety (of what dangers may lie ahead on the journey).  At this point the pilgrim either (a) states that the source of his help comes from those hills (as in the KJV); or (b) asks (perhaps rhetorically) about the source of his help.  Either way, the psalm makes clear that the pilgrim puts his faith squarely in God as the source of help.  The same God who is in covenant with Israel is also the creator and ruler of everything.    The Psalm goes on to poetically state that God's help is available at all times and places, now and forever. 

At the festivals people came together from many places to worship God in unity, celebrating a common heritage of redemption.  Psalm 133 reflects upon how sweet and refreshing that unity is.  It looks back to a time when Israel enjoyed great unity, at Mt Sinai when Aaron was anointed Israel's first high priest (Lev 8).