I wouldn’t suppose that many people, if anyone, would think that gossip could bring about a death sentence. Yet, that is exactly what happened in Numbers 12.

The story begins with Miriam and Aaron, sister and brother of Moses, complaining about Moses and his marriage to a Cushite woman. She is also referred to as an Ethiopian. There has been much controversy about who this woman was, but that is a study for another day.

It is interesting that Miriam is mentioned first. She was, evidently, the instigator of this complaint. She was also the oldest of the three, Aaron being in the middle; and Moses was the youngest.

In verse 2, they discussed that the Lord had communication with them as well as Moses. As they continued their discussion, the Lord heard it. Then, the writer inserts this: “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” The indication is that the Lord heard this complaining, and he knew that Moses would probably ignore it. Moses had been dealing with the complaints of the people about the manna, and there had been sin in the camp. He had been busy dealing with much more important issues than problems with his brother and sister.

The Lord “suddenly” called the three of them to the tabernacle, and He came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle. Then He called Miriam and Aaron to come close. Verse 9 says that the Lord was angry with them, and He left. The cloud left from the tabernacle, and Miriam stood before her brothers, leprous.

That must have been quite a shock for Moses and Aaron to see her with decaying skin and undoubtedly a look of fear on her face. The Lord left her standing there with a death sentence. There was no cure for leprosy. She would have to be exiled from the camp and all the people. She would have been left to die as the Children of Israel moved on toward the Promised Land.

Aaron begged Moses to intercede for her. He confessed that he and Miriam had acted foolishly, and they had sinned. Moses did pray to God and beg for Him to “heal her now.” The Lord’s answer was that a child who had been difficult to deal with would have suffered the public humiliation of having her father spit in her face. That was a common punishment for an unruly child. This was humiliating, and the Lord said that Miriam’s sin could not go unpunished. He told Moses that she should be shut out of the camp seven days. There she had to live alone, away from the people and her family.

This humiliating incident would not have happened if Miriam and Aaron had not gossiped about Moses. It did result in a death sentence for Miriam. Because of Moses’ petition to God, her death sentence was commuted.

Proverbs 21:23 says, “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from trouble.” I suspect most of us are guilty of gossip, sometimes without realizing it. We think that if what we tell is true, it is alright to share it. That is not at all true. James 1:26 says, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” James provides us with warnings about our tongue in chapter 3. He says it is a fire, a world of iniquity, defiles the whole body, and it stains the whole body.

Verse 10 is one of the most compelling verses concerning the tongue. James says, “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” This can be true, not only of gossip, but also other sins of the tongue. There is no doubt that it can be a death sentence.

Miriam and Aaron were struggling with losing position with the people. They were jealous of the wife of Moses, so they joined forces to discuss what could be done. We need to understand that “We all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body” (James 3:2). May we be more aware that gossip could be our death sentence.

Sandra Oliver