Numbers 12:5-16 - Miriam was leprous

12:5-9

The Lord appeared in a pillar of cloud. God then makes it clear that Moses is special. God decides who He speaks to, not us. When God spoke to other people it was through dreams and visions, but with Moses He spoke directly. The relationship was special. We should remember that Moses was a type of Christ. With Christ, being the Son of God, there was an even closer relationship. The Lord rebukes Miriam and Aaron for speaking against the Lord’s servant. We see here that God speaks highly of Moses, later on He will severely rebuke Moses.

12:10-16

The Lord was angry with Miriam and Aaron, and after He had departed Miriam was leprous. Aaron appeals to Moses, who, in turn, calls upon the Lord. The Lord says that she will stay like that for seven days. It was important that Miriam and Aaron appreciated the seriousness of what they had done. The incident being over, the people continued on their way.