____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER ____________________________________________________ "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ April 25, 2004 ____________________________________________________ Contents: 1) Miriam (Tom Edwards) 2) They Would Not Listen (Larry Ray Hafley) 3) ?You Know What? [on "free will"] (Robert Turner) ____________________________________________________ -1- Miriam by Tom Edwards The first mention by name of Miriam in the Bible is seen in Exodus 15:20. It states, "Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took the timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dancing." This was soon after the Lord had brought the Israelites out of their Egyptian bondage; made a miraculous passageway for them through the Red Sea; which, shortly thereafter, He also used to destroyed the Egyptian army that was pursuing them. In view of all that, Miriam led the women in a triumphant song of victory. She states, "Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; The horse and his rider He has hurled into the sea" (v. 21). Three things we learn about her from just verse 20 are: 1) she was a prophetess, 2) she was Aaron's (and, therefore, also Moses') sister, and 3) she appears to have had a leadership role among the women (as we will also see elsewhere). Though Exodus 15:20 is where her name is first cited, it is also thought that the "sister" of Moses referred to in Exodus 2:4 would most likely be this same Miriam who had watched her little brother from a distance, while he remained in a wicker basket, placed there by his mother, "among the reeds by the bank of the Nile" (v. 3). When the daughter of Pharaoh, along with her maidens, came to the river and found the basket, it was Moses' sister who asked, "Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?" (v. 7). Pharaoh's daughter responded affirmatively; and Moses' sister, therefore, notified her mother so that she would be able to take care of her son -- which, I imagine, to Moses' mother, was exceedingly good and joyful news. Some have speculated Miriam to have been about 10 to 12 years old at this time. An incident of disapproval by God is recorded in Numbers 12. Miriam and Aaron appeared to have had a strong disagreement with Moses on the basis of the Cushite woman that he had married; but that could have quite possibly been merely the surface of the matter. For inwardly, it appears it was because of envy and jealousy that they had challenged Moses' authority. It can also be pointed out that Miriam was probably the real instigator behind this. Not only is her name mentioned before Aaron's in this matter, but it was also only Miriam who was temporarily stricken with leprosy for her rebellion. The passage states: "Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman); and they said, 'Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?' And the LORD heard it. (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.) Suddenly the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and to Miriam, 'You three come out to the tent of meeting.' So the three of them came out. Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tent, and He called Aaron and Miriam. When they had both come forward, He said, 'Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household; With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?' So the anger of the LORD burned against them and He departed. But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous" (Num. 12:1-10). God had clearly made known his choosing of Moses for that particular leadership entrusted to him. The Lord would speak with Moses in a way He would speak to no other -- not even to Aaron nor the prophetess Miriam. To Moses, Aaron had acknowledged his and Miriam's action as having been a foolish sin; and he beseeches his brother to be concerned for their sister. Moses prays for her, and God hears. She would be healed, but not until she bore the punishment of being "shut up for seven days outside the camp" (Num. 12:1-14). During that time, "...the people did not move on until Miriam was received again" (v. 15). We can also read of others in the Bible who were inflicted with leprosy, due to their sin: Elisha's servant, Gehazi, for lying (2 Kings 5:20-27); King Uzziah, for taking upon himself a priestly duty that he had no right to (2 Chron. 26:17-21). He is also referred to as "Azariah" (2 Kings 15:1-6). Consider Matthew Henry's observation: "The plague of the leprosy, it is likely, appeared in her face, so that it appeared to all that saw her that she was struck with it, with the worst of it, she was leprous as snow; not only so white, but so soft, the solid flesh losing its consistency, as that which putrefies does. Her foul tongue (says bishop Hall) is justly punished with a foul face, and her folly in pretending to be a rival with Moses is made manifest to all men, for every one sees his face to be glorious, and hers to be leprous. While Moses needs a veil to hide his glory, Miriam needs one to hide her shame." This incident took place near the beginning of the Israelites' departure from Egypt, and prior to the sending in of the twelve spies to check out the promised land; but it is the last public event of Miriam's life that the Bible records. It is rare when the Bible's genealogical records include women; but Miriam is listed, along with her brothers Moses and Aaron, as one of the children of Amram in 1 Chronicles 6:3. She was a prominent woman. In thinking more of this leadership capacity she had among women, consider the last reference in the Bible that cites her name: The Lord says through Micah, "Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt And ransomed you from the house of slavery, And I sent before you Moses, Aaron and Miriam" (Micah 6:4). Just as the Lord had sent Moses and Aaron, He had also sent their sister Miriam. As a prophetess, she had an important duty from God to carry out; and we can safely assume she did that. It is also reasonable to believe that the Lord's dealing with her (through the leprosy) was a sufficient means to help her see the error of her way and motivate her to make the necessary correction. Miriam lived through virtually all of the period of the wilderness wanderings, having died in about the last year of it, prior to Israel crossing over into the Promised Land. Her death is mentioned in Numbers 20:1: "Then the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people stayed at Kadesh. Now Miriam died there and was buried there." It is said that she passed away just a few months before her brother Aaron did (Num. 33:38); and just several months prior to Moses. As pointed out in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, "This Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, is different from Kadesh-barnea, lying in, or adjoining to the wilderness of Paran, about eight leagues south of Hebron." In the book of the Law, shortly prior to his own death, Moses cites his sister Miriam as a warning to Israel: "Be careful against an infection of leprosy, that you diligently observe and do according to all that the Levitical priests teach you; as I have commanded them, so you shall be careful to do. Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam on the way as you came out of Egypt" (Deut. 24:8,9). According to Josephus (Antiq. III. Ch. II), Miriam had been the wife of Hur (also cited in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia); and Hur being declared in Easton's Bible Dictionary as being the "husband of Miriam, Moses' sister"; but the Bible does not mention whom she was married to -- or even if she was. Her being married to Hur was, rather, a Jewish tradition (Smith's Bible Dictionary). I would think that the good in Miriam's life had far outweighed the bad, but for most of that the Bible is silent. Still, she had been a woman sent by God as a prophetess, and one who served as a leader among women, and a declarer of His word. ____________________________________________________ -2- They Would Not Listen by Larry Ray Hafley "Therefore they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the Lord; and they testified against them, but they would not listen" (2 Chron. 24:18, 19). Observe the order that has been repeated through the years. First, there is departure from the Lord. Second, there is an attempt to redeem. Third, the saddest of all, "they would not listen." Leaving the house of the Lord is rarely, if ever, a sudden, one time event. No, it usually is preceded by a number of steps which slowly and gradually lead one astray. At first, the signs of going away are small and insignificant. There are a series of stops and starts, most of which are unseen by close friends and brethren. Only later, upon reflection, do we recognize the subtle signals that pointed to apostasy and abandonment of faith. Bringing one back is fraught with tears and fears. Tears of sadness and fears of doing and saying the "wrong" things -- these feelings are in the hearts of those who seek to bring them back to the Lord. Those who are sent to "rescue the perishing" often blame themselves if their rescue is not successful. That may be true in some limited cases, but; generally speaking, it is not the fault of the one who is seeking to restore and return the lost to his proper place. What is the trouble? "They would not listen." That was what pained the prophets. That was the Lord's lament, "And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life" (Jn. 5:40). "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not" (Lk. 13:34). Resolve now that if you find yourself apart from God that you will not refuse to hear pleas for penitence. Pray to the Lord that your heart may be ever open "for reproof, for correction, (and) for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). ____________________________________________________ -3- ?You Know What? [on "free will"] by Robert Turner From History of the Reformation by Merle D'Aubigne, Bk. 5, Ch. 4, read his account of a debate between Eck (Roman Catholic) and Carlstadt (Protestant). D'Aubigne favored Carlstadt. ------------------- "Man's will, before his conversion," said Carlstadt, "can perform no good work: every good work comes entirely and exclusively from God who gives man first the will to do, and then the power of accomplishment." This truth had been proclaimed by the Scripture, which says: "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure;" and by Saint Augustine, who, in his dispute with the Pelagians, had enunciated it in nearly the same terms...Now there is in man a natural opposition to God -- an opposition that the unaided strength of man cannot surmount. He has neither the will nor the power to overcome it. This must therefore be affected by the Divine will... "I acknowledge," said Eck, "that the first impulse in man's conversion proceeds from God, and that the will of man in this instance is entirely passive." Thus far the two parties were agreed. "I acknowledge," said Carlstadt, "that after this first impulse which proceeds from God, something must come on the part of man -- something that St. Paul denominates will, and which the fathers entitle consent." Here again they were both agreed: but from this point they diverged. "This consent of man," said Eck, "comes partly from our natural will, and partly from God's grace." "No," said Carlstadt; "God must entirely create this will in man." ----------------------- The basic issue is "free will" (so poorly understood today); and how this affects the nature of "conversion." Honestly, do you agree with Eck, the Catholic, or with Carlstadt, the Protestant; or with neither? And what is your "Bible" explanation? Note that both men agreed that man was so depraved before his conversion he could do "no good work." The issue then becomes: does God affect man directly and immediately, or intermediately (through media of the word and human facilities)? If by "first impulse" (par. 2) both mean God's love and preparation for man's redemption (Christ's sacrifice and the inspired gospel message) we are "with" them. But we deny a depravity that erases man's capacity to receive truth; and we believe the unconverted man's will can be changed by the inspired word of God (His instrument), no other or direct Divine influence being needed. Augustine (an earlier Catholic theologian) and Carlstadt say, "No, God must entirely create this will in man" -- and cite Phil. 2:13. We believe that passage recognizes the moral influence of God on saints (as Satan affects children of disobedience, Eph. 2:2) without negating individual responsibility. "Work out your own salvation" clearly calls for human response. God works to the end that we choose, and we work to obey Him. The inspired verse itself (Phil. 2:12-13) is an excellent example of how God works to bring about obedient saints. If we made greater effort to grasp such basic matters we would not be so confused by today's "spirit" issues. -- Via Plain Talk, September 1983 ____________________________________________________ MYRTLE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST 1022 Myrtle Street Denham Springs, LA 70726 (225) 664-8208 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM Wednesday: 7:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ____________________________________________________