Tag: Miriam

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The Song of Miriam

Song of Miriam

Psalm 153 from Beyond Psalm 150

The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117. It weighs in at a mere two verses, serving as a reminder that our efforts to praise God need not be long or wordy. Sometimes succinct is better. Miriam’s song of praise to God, only one verse long, is a reminder that less can be more.

Miriam responds to Moses’s praise of God’s amazing rescue with a psalm of her own: The Song of Miriam. Moses’s older sister picks up her tambourine and leads the women in dancing before Yahweh. In doing so, this prophetess stands as the Bible’s first worship leader.

Sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously.
He has thrown the horse and his rider into the sea.

Exodus 15:21 (WEB)

Reflections on The Song of Miriam

We should praise God to the best of our abilities and according to how he has equipped us. The quantity of our worship doesn’t matter, only that it comes from our heart.

Does our praise to God sometimes feel like it’s less than the efforts of others? Remember that none of us can fully praise God to the extent that he is worthy. Therefore, it’s foolish to compare our worship to that of others.

Without considering other people’s actions, what can we do today to praise God for who he is and what he has done? May our acts of worship focus on God, without giving thought to what others do or say.

Explore the other psalms—sacred songs of praise, petition, and lament—scattered throughout the Bible in Peter’s book Beyond Psalm 150.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Women in the Bible: Miriam

Miriam

Learn More about Miriam

Miriam is the older sister of Moses; she’s also the sister of Aaron, but we don’t know which one is older.

At the time Moses is born, there’s a degree to kill all baby boys. Moses’s mom hides him as long as she can, then she puts him in a basket and places him in the Nile River. Mariam watches at a distance to see what happens.

When the pharaoh’s daughter finds him, Miriam pops up and offers to find a woman to nurse him; she picks her mom.

As an adult, Miriam is a prophet and worship leader of sorts, leading the women in song and dance to celebrate God’s rescue when they crossed the sea to escape the Egyptians.

Unfortunately, what we know most about Miriam is when she and Aaron oppose Moses over his choice for a wife and out of jealousy. God’s judgment is quick, instantly inflicting her with leprosy (a contagious skin disease, untreatable at the time).

Though Aaron is also at fault, he is not so afflicted, suggesting that perhaps Mariam led their tiny rebellion. When Aaron sees what happens to his sister, he immediately admits his bad attitude and begs Moses to intervene.

Moses does and implicitly God heals her. The whole nation then waits for her for seven days as prescribed by Jewish law.

A few years later Miriam dies; there’s no mention of the people mourning her death, a sad end to a promising life.

Though Mariam started well as a brave and obedient daughter and later as a prophet and worship leader, she let judgment and jealousy define her later life. God was not pleased.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Numbers 10-12, and today’s post is on Numbers 12:1-15.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in e-book, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Bible Insights

Women in the Bible: Jochebed

Jochebed

A Good Mother Can Make All the Difference

The Egyptians fear the mushrooming population of the enslaved Israelites. They command all the Israelite baby boys be thrown into the Nile River. However, one mother sees something special in her baby and hides him for several months.

When she can conceal him no longer, she does indeed put him in the Nile River, but not before protecting him in a watertight basket. Then she strategically places the basket where he might be found by a compassionate person.

Her daughter hides nearby to see what happens.

When Pharaoh’s daughter comes to the river to bathe, she discovers the baby and wants to keep him. The girl offers to find a woman to nurse the baby; she then goes and gets her mom.

Although the boy should have been killed, the Pharaoh’s daughter saves him and even pays his biological mother to care for him.

When the baby is weaned, his mother gives him back to Pharaoh’s daughter—who names him Moses.

This mother’s name is Jochebed and she has two other children, Aaron and Miriam.

Jochebed, like many moms, sees promise in her child and takes extraordinary measures to make sure he can reach his potential.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Exodus 4-7, and today’s post is on Exodus 6:20.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in e-book, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.