Miriam: Snapshots of a Leader

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Miriam Snapshots of a Leader

• Exod 2.1-15 15.20-21 Num 12

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Gender Issues in the Church

• Reuther In Germany, France, Norway and Ireland,
  women make up 60-65 of active churchgoers and in
  Korea, India, and the Philippines, they
  constitute 65-70 of congregations.

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Gender Issues in the Church

• Weekly Church attendance in the USA (ABC News)
• In General (M/F) 32/44
• Catholic (M/F) 26/49
• Protestant 42/50

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Micah 64

• For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
• From the house of bondage, I redeemed you.
• I sent before you Moses, Aaron and Miriam.

• The verb sent is often used as a word to
  commission a prophet or a leader

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His Sister Exod 2.1-10

• Exod 2.4 "His sister stationed herself at a
  distance, to see what would be done to him.

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His Sister Exod 2.1-10

• Exod 2.7 "His sister said to Pharaoh's daughter,
  "Shall I go and call a woman, a nurse from the
  Hebrews so that she would nurse the child for
  you?"

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His Sister Exod 2.1-10

• And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go!" So the
  young woman went and called the mother of the
  child."

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The Sister Exod 2.1-10

• Naming "his sister," "the young woman" remains
  nameless in this story.
• The story is about Moses
• An Ironic twist.

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Dancing Prophetess Exod 15.20

• Then Miriam the prophetess, sister of Aaron took
  up a tambourine in her hand and all the women
  with tambourines and dancing went after her.

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Dancing Prophetess Exod 15.20

• Now Miriam answered them
• Sing to Yahweh
• For He has risen indeed
• Horse and rider, He hurled into the Sea.

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Dancing Prophetess Exod 15.20

• Here Miriam is named!
• Sister of Aaron
• Prophetess
• Worship "answer," tambourine, dance.

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Jealousy Envy Num 12.1

• Now Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because
  of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he
  had indeed married a Cushite woman.

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Jealousy Envy Num 12.10a

• When the cloud departed from over the Tent,
  hinneh Miriam was stricken with snow-white
  scales. . . .

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Jealousy Envy Num 12.1, 10

• Who is this Cushite/Ethiopian woman? (An early
  Jewish tradition)?
• What happened to the Midianite Zipporah? (Exod
  2.15b-22 4.24-26 18.1-7)?
• The verbal form of "speak against" is a feminine
  plural, which may imply that Miriam was primary
  and Aaron secondary.

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Cushite Woman 18 Dynasty Egypt (1570-1320 B.C.)?

• Queen Hatshepsut
• Queen Tiye, mother of Akhenanten
• Queen Nefertiti, wife of Akhenanten

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Jealousy Envy
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Jealousy Envy

• Envy begins with the perception of an unfavorable
  difference in advantage.
• Envious person tends to think in terms of class
  and rank.
• Envy can have an affective response, with a
  contagious result.
• Envy can cause malicious intentions.

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General Flow of Num 12

• Num 121-5 Complaint of Miriam . . . and Aaron
• Num 126-8 Yahwehs Response
• . . . your prophets of Yahweh
• . . . my servant Moses he is entrusted with all
  my house.
• Num 129-15 Miriam becomes white Moses
  intercedes so that Miriam is healed
• Num 12.16 from Hazeroth in the Wilderness of Paran

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Spiritual Envy Num 12.2

• And they said, "Has Yahweh indeed spoken only
  through Moses? Has He not spoken through us
  also?" But Yahweh heard.

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Spiritual Envy Num 12.4

• Then Yahweh suddenly said to Moses and to Aaron
  and to Miriam," Come out, the three of you to the
  Tent of Meeting" So the three of them went out.

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Spiritual Envy Num 12.5

• Then Yahweh came down in a pillar of cloud and
  stood at the entrance of the tent of and called
  to Aaron and Miriam. So the two of them came
  forward.

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Spiritual Envy Num 12.8b

• Why were you not afraid to speak against my
  servant Moses?

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Spiritual Envy

• Recognize that it is God that gives spiritual
  gifts, so there is no "unfavorable advantage" in
  normal terms.
• If ministries and gifts are to equip and
  strengthen the community of God then class or
  rank issues should be non-issues.
• The affective response is not necessary nor
  actions that come from malicious intention.

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