All God's Women

In today’s episode of All God’s Women we look at Miriam, a woman who worshiped God with all her being, but who let pride and arrogance mar her ministry. She learned the hard way God’s thoughts on pride. Miriam was blessed to be a leader in a time when women had little or no authority. She was one of only 5 women in the Old Testament to be called a prophetess, and she was the first. It was an honor bestowed by God, but with that position came a greater level of accountability. Because the other women looked to Miriam for wisdom and guidance, it was especially important that she be an acceptable role model. When she got cocky, God had to put her in her place. It’s easy for us to become sanctimonious. We can mistake it for being saintly or sanctified. But God is not fooled. He knows our hearts. He knows when we’re truly striving to serve Him and when we’re merely trying to act superior. And we need to know that God will not tolerate pride among His leaders. When we start to think we know best, when we try to upsurp power from those who have authority over us, when we engage others in our pettiness, God will get our attention, and it won’t be pretty. Just as God humbled Miriam, He will humble us and we will never be the same again. It appears that Miriam learned her lesson. While she may never again have reached the heights that she enjoyed that day on the shores of the Red Sea, we know that Miriam continued on in her role with the Hebrew nation, and that she died a beloved woman. How blessed we are that God is a God who disciplines, but who also forgives. No matter what we do, if we turn from our wicked ways and humble our hearts, and seek His face, He will hear our cries and forgive us our sins. Bible References Exodus 2:2 -9 Exodus 15:20 -21 1 Chronicles 6:3 Micah 6:4 Numbers 12:1 -5 Deuteronomy 24:8 -9 Numbers 20:1 Helpful Resources “I Changed Your Diapers!” Miriam and the Challenge of Being Older Blog post by Paula K. Parker Women of the Bible by Ann Spangler and Jean E. Syswerda God Speaks to Women Today by Eugenia Price Fearless by Angela Donadio Wicked Women of the Bible by Ann Spangler Miriam by Lois T. Henderson All the Women of the Bible by Herbert Lockyer All of the Women of the Bible by Edith Deen All the Women of the Bible by M.L. del Mastro The Woman’s Study Bible