“For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of bondage; and I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam ahead of you.” (Micah 6:4).
Read: Exodus 15:20, 21; numbers 12; Micah 6:4. Miriam or Maria is a prophetess and singer of Israel. She is one of the women who, like Deborah, was chosen and trained by the Lord to contribute to the redemption of his people.
He was quite a bit older than Aaron and Moses. From her meeting with the Egyptian princess on the Nile we know that she was a clever girl. Indeed, Joquebed, her mother, could entrust her with the care and supervision of little Moses without hesitation. And although she was the one who saved Moses’ life, she is always seen in the company of Aaron and not Moses. This is perfectly natural. Moses had lived in the palace and attended the schools of the Egyptians. Then, shortly after his first public appearance, he had had to emigrate to Midian. Meanwhile, Maria and Aaron lived together in their quiet home in Amram. It was because of this that Miriam did not know Moses thoroughly.
On the contrary, there was an intimate relationship between Miriam and Aaron. He lasted all her life, and perhaps a little jealousy of her younger brother is glimpsed in her. We know, for example, that in the desert of Sinai, Miriam and Aaron opposed Moses. They did so under the pretense that he had illegitimately married a woman from the Cushites. In this opposition it was Mary and not Aaron who took the initiative. This is evident from the order of their two names in Numbers 12:1: “Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses.” Maria was the instigator and the one who spoke. It was on her that the terrible curse of leprosy fell.
That the Ethiopian wife of Moses served only as an excuse and pretext for the rebellion is evident from the content of Miriam’s argument against Moses in that the woman is not even mentioned. The protest was to emphasize that God had also spoken through them, not just Moses; it is implied that they were not quite ready to accept the superior authority of Moses. This rebellion was not seen favorably by God, as verse 6 and following show: “Moses is faithful in all my house. I will speak with him mouth to mouth and clearly and not by figures… Why, then, were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” Miriam was punished by staying seven days out of the camp and this only after “Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, ‘I beg you to heal her now.’ At last she was restored and “Maria was able to join them.”
After this incident, we are no longer told about Maria. Apparently, the gift of prophecy had abandoned her. We only know that when she died she was buried in Kades. Nothing is added to the comment that Israel mourned her death.
The brightest days of Mary’s life, then, were not those in the desert of Sinai or Kadesh, but those she spent by the Red Sea. These were the days after Moses, returning from the burning bush experience to reveal to the enslaved Hebrews God’s will for them, showed Pharaoh his signs. When they left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea there is no mention of Mary’s jealousy of her younger brother. She then believed in the vocation of Moses. She as a prophetess she joined Moses and Aaron in their common enterprise. She took her place at the head of the women of Israel and enthusiastically sang the praises of God along the dunes of the Red Sea.
This must have been an impressive scene. Israel is safe on the other shore. Pharaoh and his men and his horses have been swallowed by the waters. Moses gathers the men and Mary does the same with the women. They take a look at the calm waters now, sepulcher of the proud Egyptians, and see the other shore, to the hated Egypt. Then in a magnificent chorus of instruments and voices, they break out in praise of the Lord. Mary was old now, we are told, but her face would again shine beautiful as in the years of her youth. She, holding a tambourine in her hand and accompanied by the other women dancing, answered them: “Sing to Jehovah, because he has triumphed gloriously in the extreme; he has thrown horse and rider into the sea.”
At that time Mary believed; yet her pride and jealousy lurked in her heart. She was excited by the glory of Moses and even more by the great deeds of the Lord. Maria achieved her greatest greatness on that occasion.
But faith wavers. That is why Mary fell. She surfaced what she was carrying hidden. She murmured against Moses and rebelled against the Lord her God. God touched her heart, healed her leprosy and delivered her from her rebelliousness and unbelief.
Suggested Questions for Study and Discussion:
1. What do we know about the life of Mary in her youth?
2. With whom was she raised? Did this have any effect on her later life? In what sense?
3. Where is the summit of your faith manifested?
Source: Women of the Bible