Yesterday we read how the people became bored with what God had given them, and began to crave the luxuries they had enjoyed in Egypt. Today, we read about another kind of craving – Miriam and Aaron’s craving to have the status that Moses had.

We are told that their grumbling began because of the woman that Moses had married, but when we read what they actually said in verse 2, we can see that this is not really their main complaint. The grumbling about Moses’ wife was just a soft opening before they began to express what they really felt, which was envy of Moses’ position and the favour that God had shown to him.

Sinful thoughts are like icy water. They seep into the tiniest cracks and, once there, freeze and expand, forcing the cracks wider and wider. Miriam and Aaron may have started out with a little grumble about Moses’ wife, but once that sin had crept in, the cracks in their hearts were forced open to reveal the envy and jealousy that was hiding within.

The Israelite’s grumblings about manna and their cravings for fine food exposed their rebellious hearts. Miriam and Aaron’s whispered words about Moses’ wife exposed their jealousy and their own rebellion. This is why Paul warns believers in Ephesus to “not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:27). When a person finds themselves broken by serious sin, it will always have started with a tiny crack through which a little grumble, a little craving, a little rebellion entered in.

So, may we remember to ask the Lord to search our deepest thoughts and feelings to see if little cracks are forming through which sin can creep in (Psalm 139:23-24). Thankfully, we have a saviour who has dealt with sin once and for all!

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH