ODJ: be the winner
September 5, 2009
Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t He spoken through us, too? (v.2).
READ: Numbers 12:1-15
I can’t think of a time when I’d pay to watch sibling rivalry in action—well, maybe one. It would be fun to witness in person a match between tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams. Before the two sisters competed at Wimbledon in 2008, Venus remarked, “It’s every Williams for herself.”
Venus and Serena battle as professional athletes. But many of us endure similar intense back-and-forth volleys—emotionally speaking—between ourselves and our siblings, even as adults.
As the leader of Israel, Moses certainly had enough challenges without taking on a grumpy brother and sister. Aaron and Miriam became jealous of Moses and criticized Him, complaining, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” (v.2).
Moses, however, refused to take them on. And like Moses, when it comes to quibbling siblings, we should respond humbly and remember that “avoiding a fight is a mark of honor” (Proverbs 20:3). Although we may have to lovingly set the record straight, we should model Moses’ meekness. He was “very humble—more humble than any other person on earth” (Numbers 12:3).
Since “[God] favors the humble” (James 4:6), it shouldn’t shock us that He appeared in person to defend Moses against his siblings. And check out what happened next: “There stood Miriam, her skin as white as snow from leprosy” (v.10). When we’re serving God humbly, we don’t have to take the conflict into our own hands. We can count on Him to make things right in His way, in His time.
No matter how bad the conflict gets, we’d (hopefully) never wish leprosy on a sister who exasperates us. Like Venus and Serena, we probably just want to win the match. Still, staying humble and asking God to guide us is the best way to “be the winner” when it comes to sibling rivalry. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Why is it so important to stay humble during conflict? From your experience with siblings—or even a brother or sister in Christ, what role does jealousy play in sibling disputes?
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