In the first two verses, we see two points of contention between these siblings. Moses’ wife, probably Zipporah, is Ethiopian thus not an Israelite and Moses the younger brother has preeminence in leadership. This contention becomes so strong that God directly confronts the three of them publicly. God doesn’t even address the issue of Zipporah. Long before Moses, Judah had fathered twin sons with his Canaanite daughter-in-law, Tamar; and Joseph married an Egyptian woman, daughter of a pagan priest. God had accepted them and their offspring and would again in the future with Rehab from Jericho and Ruth from Moab - Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth all being ancestors to Christ. 

God went directly to Moses’ leadership calling Moses his servant who is faithful in all his house or all that God had called him to do. He elevated Moses by telling them that he communicates with Moses “mouth to mouth”; or that is He speaks to Moses directly. Miriam is apparently the driver in these conflicts and she suffers the consequences. 

Two pieces of scripture that immediately come to mind are James 2 and Romans 14. In James 2 we are reminded that God is not a respecter of persons and neither should we. All the things that separate us as humans in this world, race, social status, religious background, political preference, and so on, are null and void at the foot of the cross. “We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). We are all equals in our lost state, and we are all equals in our saved state. In Romans, Paul shares that within the church we have a wide range of convictions, and that this is ok, and we should respect those convictions. In verse 4 of Romans 14, we understand that we are all servants of God and He will cause (or help) each of us to stand before Him in those differing convictions. 

As we start to move toward opening up our nation and our states, we will, praise the Lord, again start to assemble as a church. It is likely that we will have differing opinions on how that should look and how fast we should move to a new normal of corporate worship. Through this time God is giving us the opportunity to exercise ourselves in His scriptural principles. Love for one another, esteeming our brother higher than ourselves, and following our authorities whether they be national, state or church authority are just a few examples. 

Bluffton North leadership will be using the safety of a multitude of counselors (Prov 11:14) as BN leadership confers with the Trustees, Ushers, First Aid committee, SS Supt, and others for input into this process. We will be using AC Elder Body recommendations as well as following our state guidelines. We appreciate your prayers, trust, patience, and input as we develop a plan for re-gathering. We are God’s children and his grace is more than sufficient, let’s all glorify God as we “love as Jesus loves”.  

God’s blessings on your day!  

Bluffton North Ministry Group