Families today come in all sizes, shapes, and forms - Step families, multicultural families, blended families, adoptive families, foster families, multi-race families, we even marry into families and kinfolk. You name it we got it in our world, our neighborhoods, our church, and our own families. It is not the circumstances that created our families that make our families dysfunctional but our reactions to our families can certainly be dysfunctional. As we look at Moses’ unique family, we will see that it is the reaction of others that creates the dysfunction in his family. Most of us know Moses as the first leader of the Israelites and one of the key leaders in the Bible. He led the people out of Egypt and to the Promised Land. He was both a leader and a prophet. We know of his humble beginnings and his miraculous rescue from an Egyptian decree to kill all male children (Ex 2:1-10).
Moses was rescued and raised by the Pharaoh’s daughter. And although he lived a privileged life, he seemingly never forgot his roots. His allegiance became clear as an adult despite his Egyptian upbringing. We really don’t know much about his childhood, but as an adult he became a fugitive from Egypt. He ended up in Midian and we do not know much about this place. Midian was someplace far enough away for Moses to feel secured from the Egyptian threat.
While in Midian, Moses stopped at well and as happened before (Gen 24:10-21) with Isaac and Rebekah and (Gen 29:9-12) with Jacob and Rachel a romantic liaison of sorts occurs. While at the well, Jethro’s seven daughters come to the well to draw water for their flocks. A group of shepherds, presumably all male, come and run them off. Moses comes to their rescue and waters their flocks (Ex 2:16-20).
I wonder if he did this while on a white horse or while wearing shiny armor? At the very least that may have been the version that the young ladies told their father.
Moses’ act of valor resulted in an invitation to travel with the family. Jethro was so grateful in fact, that he offered his daughter, Zipporah, in marriage to Moses (Exodus 2:21-22). Although they were from different cultures, and conceivably different races, Moses accepted the offer and they started a family.
By all accounts, or lack there of, their marriage was successful and gave no reason or concern for alarm.
Moses led a very public life and yet there is very little of any of Moses’ personal life recorded in the narratives until the twelfth chapter of Numbers. His career as the leader of the nation came after he was married. His wife never signed on for this public life he now lived. There is quite a bit of drama in Moses’ public life:
a burning bush, a loving wife that intervenes with God to preserve Moses’ life, a newly acquired role of leader of the nation of Israel, a series of 10 plagues, a parting of a sea, the ten commandments, a golden calf, manna from heaven, quail from heaven, water from a rock, more rules and laws (enough to fill a couple of books), and a wandering trek through the desert.
And while all of that was taking place, Aaron, Moses’ brother had been by his side helping to lead. Aaron is his right hand. In addition, Aaron’s wife Miriam – that would make her a sister-in-law - was also with them and considered a prophetess (Exodus 15). And all the while, don’t forget, Moses has his family, a wife and two sons, with him (Exodus 4:20). Moses found ways to balance his private and public life even while he was under constant scrutiny from the people as their leader.
Moses contends with differences in race and culture in his own marriage as well as dealing with the constant differences that are occurring in the nation of Israel. Moses deals with grumblings and even acts on advice from his father-in-law and sets up a system of governance for the people (Exodus 18). How many men would willingly take advice from their in-law?
Moses and his wife get along fine and by all accounts his children are well adjusted. So where is the dysfunction in this family?
Well, Moses’ family situation worked for them, but apparently not for the rest of Moses’ family. They had seemingly supported Moses and his family, but secretly they harbored unspoken resentment. Apparently there was resentment and dislike for the person Moses had selected as his wife and for her role in the family business of leading the nation of Israel. Moses now had to deal with family rivalry and jealousy.
1-2 Miriam and Aaron talked against Moses behind his back of because his Cushite wife (he had married a Cushite woman). They said, "Is it only through Moses that GOD speaks? Doesn't he also speak through us?" GOD overheard their talk.
3-8 Now the man Moses was a quietly humble man, more so than anyone living on Earth. GOD broke in suddenly on Moses and Aaron and Miriam saying, "Come out, you three, to the Tent of Meeting." The three went out. GOD descended in a Pillar of Cloud and stood at the entrance to the Tent. He called Aaron and Miriam to him. When they stepped out, he said,
Listen carefully to what I'm telling you. If there is a prophet of GOD among you, I make myself known to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But I don't do it that way with my servant Moses; he has the run of my entire house; I speak to him intimately, in person, in plain talk without riddles: He ponders the very form of GOD. So why did you show no reverence or respect in speaking against my servant, against Moses?
9 The anger of GOD blazed out against them. And then he left. 10 When the Cloud moved off from the Tent, oh! Miriam had turned leprous, her skin like snow. Aaron took one look at Miriam—a leper!
11-12 He said to Moses, "Please, my master, please don't come down so hard on us for this foolish and thoughtless sin. Please don't make her like a stillborn baby coming out of its mother's womb with half its body decomposed." 13 And Moses prayed to GOD: Please, God, heal her, please heal her.
14-16 GOD answered Moses, "If her father had spat in her face, wouldn't she be ostracized for seven days? Quarantine her outside the camp for seven days. Then she can be readmitted to the camp." So Miriam was in quarantine outside the camp for seven days. The people didn't march on until she was readmitted. Only then did the people march from Hazeroth and set up camp in the Wilderness of Paran.
Did you hear what happened? It is never going to be good when God overhears our talk. It is certainly never good when God calls you out in front of everyone.
Did you listen to what was said? “Who is this Cushite woman? She is a foreigner.” They don’t even use her name. They call her a “the Cushite woman!” She was an outsider and she was also outside the law as it had been given.
For the record, remember Moses married her before the law on mixed marriages was given. This law given was not about racism, but rather as a means to preserve bloodlines and property rights. Israel was already a nation of mixed cultures and skin colors.
Moses must have thought, “Really after all we have been through together – now is the time for you to speak up regarding my wife?”
God told Miriam and Aaron not to trouble their selves about Moses’ wife and I think they got the message. A sudden case of leprosy will do that I hear.
My question is this: When will WE get the message and begin to accept those in our own family (and for that matter or church family) that are different from us?
After all, if God loves us just as we are, is it to hard to conceive that we should do the same?
It is long past the time for us as followers of Christ to stop arguing over who belongs and who doesn't. The world will discover Christ when we learn to live and show the love we have been given to others. May we not need God to intervene before we are willing to surrender our own desires, biases, and discriminatory thoughts in seeking to love and accept our families, our friends, and our neighbors.
How about we learn to live with our dysfunctional family as it is given to us and love others just as God has loved us then the world we know that God Loves you just as you are and that Christ died for you while yet a sinner. And by the way, the way you live your faith matters in this world.
I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me. I want all of them to be one with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I also want them to be one with us. Then the people of this world will believe that you sent me. John 17:20-21 CEV
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