Tambourines and Leprosy

Miriam, the prophetess:

"Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."

And Miriam:
"..Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?"

Miriam, the prophetess, tambourine in hand, leading the women in song and dance out of Egyptian captivity.

And Miriam, with brother Aaron, speaking against brother Moses, whose pitch-daubed basket she once watched through reeds in the Nile. 

"And the LORD heard it." 

A family meeting, called by the LORD Himself:

""Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting."" 

A pillar of cloud and a Father's firm: 

"Hear 
my 
​words." 

God, Mighty Defender:

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

The LORD's cloud lifted and Miriam's face white as snow
Once lit up with joy as she danced forward in freedom
Now leprous 

Walking on dry ground in the midst of the Red Sea
She departed 
As the LORD brought the waters back 
Shattering her enemies with His mighty hand

Standing before the tent of meeting shrouded by cloud
He departed
And her face revealed
The devastation and gravity of her sin

The LORD
Holy
Moses' face
Shone
Miriam's face 
Drained

Siblings divided 
Now brothers united
Grieving and pleading for their sister
Shattered by sin 

Moses 
Pleading 
"O God
Please heal her-
Please." 

And Miriam, 
The prophetess, 
Separated in her sin,
Examined by Aaron the priest, 
Pronounced clean,
And not left behind,
But instead,
Brought back in. 

And us,
Blessing our God and Father 
And cursing our brother
Made in the likeness of God
With the same mouth. 
Hearts crusted over with leprosy,
Dancing with death,
Drained of lifeblood
And infected with
Bitter jealousy and selfish ambition.

And Jesus,
The Greater Moses,
Our Brother,
Not only interceding for us,
But giving His very life
And spilling His blood for us
So we are not cast out.
We are not left behind.

Our Great High Priest,
Declaring us clean 
And our sin,
Though once as scarlet,
Now white as snow. 

And this Jesus,
Shattering disorder
And every vile practice,
Redeeming
Even the most hopeless,
Painful,
Irreconcilable of circumstances,
Bringing unity
From the unlikeliest of circumstances,
Like taking what was meant for evil
And turning it for good
And just like Jesus
Reconciling us 
To God
So that
We
Too
May carry out
His ministry of reconciliation. 

Miriam, Numbers 12 ​

---

WRITTEN BY: Olivia Caldwell

Photo by Stéfano Girardelli on Unsplash