No 12

(Miriam)

Miriam was the daughter of Amram and Jochebed and the older sister of Moses and Aaron, all of whom were Levites. Miriam was a prominent participant in the Exodus from Egypt and many of the key events of the Israelites' time in the Sinai after their escape from slavery. We first read of Miriam in Exodus 2:3-10, when Moses' mother could no longer hide the infant after the Pharaoh had ordered that all of the male Hebrew newborns were to be slaughtered. Moses’ mother put him in a basket in the Nile and he was found by the Pharaoh’s daughter. “This is one of the Hebrew babies, she said. Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you? Yes, go, she answered. And the girl went and got the baby's mother.” (Exodus 2:7,8).

The incident illustrated two of Miriam's qualities that stayed with her throughout her adult life – boldness and intelligence. God was of course responsible for the saving of Moses' life, but He chose to do it by means of a little girl who wasn't afraid to go where she was needed and who could think fast when she got there. Years later, at the time of the Exodus, after the crossing of the sea when Pharaoh’s chariots and horses were destroyed in the waters, Miriam had developed her leadership qualities as a prophetess and songleader - “Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them, Sing to The Lord, for He is highly exalted. The horse and its rider, He has hurled into the sea.” (Exodus 15:20-21) Miriam died and was buried at Kadesh before the Israelites entered the Promised Land. She, along with her brothers Moses and Aaron did not cross the Jordan into the Promised Land back then, but she will in due time. God does not forsake those who serve Him well.