Femme Friday- Moses's big sister a.k.a Miriam

 Did you have siblings growing up? Were you an older sibling that had a younger brother or sister that stood out for something? Maybe you felt that your talents and skills were overlooked or unappreciated because of a younger sibling. I know I did growing up. It didn't seem to matter that I listened better or got better grades than my younger siblings, they all seemed to shine under the light of parental approval while I was left in the shadows. That's why I'm especially excited to share our Femme Friday Heroine with you today. 

Miriam is better known as the older sister of Moses. Even worse, Miriam is a middle child between two brothers. I get her middle child needs. Wanting to be seen. Wanting to be heard. Miriam is found in the book of Exodus. This is the second book of the Hebrew Pentateuch and also the Christian Bible. Exodus is a story of a people literally exiting the land of Egypt. It's a beautiful retelling of God making real the promises he gave to Sarah and her husband Abraham. You can read about Sarah and also Hagar from other Femme Friday posts. 

Miriam was born to her Jewish parents Amram and Jacob. They were living as slaves in Egypt. The Biblical account says that though the Egyptian Pharaoh was increasingly harsh in his treatment of the
Hebrews, their numbers continued to multiply. The Egyptians were so threatened by the population of their Hebrew slaves that Pharaoh ordered that the midwives kill the sons that were born. Only daughters were to be left alive.  Sidenote: The midwives disobeyed Pharaoh. They told him that the Hebrew women gave birth to quickly and therefore the midwives were unable to determine if the babies were boys or girls. It is said that God then blessed the midwives by given them families of their own. Love always finds a way! 

That's our setting. You've got an enormous population of slaves that have been crying out for centuries for God to free them from their suffering. They remembered the old stories of their ancestors. That they were to become a great nation. Instead, they have been made into the workhorse of a paranoid Pharaoh. Miriam's parents have a third baby. When the child is born, it is found out he's a boy. Miriam's mother wraps him up in a cloth and sends him down a river. Here is where we see Miriam's first example of

pluck and leadership. Miriam follows her brother down the Nile river. His basket is discovered by none other than Pharaoh's wife! She is so excited to see a baby, that she lifts him up out of the water and calls him Moses. That's right, the future leader and architect of the Jewish faith is raised by Egyptian parents. Miriam sees the Egyptian princess holding her brother and speaks up. Miriam offers her mother, Moses's mother, to be the wet nurse that will feed her own child.

Let's fast forward about forty years. Moses has grown and fled the Egyptian palace. He's off somewhere in the wilderness. Then Moses talks to a burning bush, also known as God. Moses returns and sees his people of origin. He sees and hears the cries of the Hebrews under the enslavement of Egypt. Miriam and Moses are reunited along with their other brother Aaron. These three will be the leaders for this future nation's escape.  A lot of things happen, and then, finally! The Hebrew people are made free! They are given permission to leave the land of Egypt. Because their presence is harming the Egyptians. The Israelites begin their trek across the desert. Following a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. As they are entering into their journey, Miriam continues her role as a prophetess among her people. Just as Moses and Aaron are credited with teaching the Israelite men the Torah (laws of God), so Miriam is teaching the Israelite women. Miriam is also a song-leader, helper to Aaron and Moses and a counselor. 

Miriam was also human. She struggled with watching Moses lead this great nation. I'm sure there was a

little piece of bitterness at the brother who was raised as a prince while the rest of them were slaves. Moses got to talk directly to God. He was married. That was all a little to much for Miriam and their brother Aaron to handle. They began gossiping about Moses and his Cushite wife. The Cushite people were related to the Israelites. It was appropriate and good that Moses was married to a Cushite. Because of that, Miriam and Aaron were struck with leprosy. Which cleared upon their repentance. 

Miriam is a woman of valor. A leader to be emulated. Even when Miriam succumbed to temptation, she still shows us that repentance and honoring God are the better path over bitterness and resentment.