God has built in to brothers and sisters a kind of rivalry that is healthy. Of course siblings maneuver for love and attention, for the best shows they want on TV, for who sits by the window in the car or plane. I come from a family of 7 children. Plus I have had 6 children of my own. I could tell you stories. But for our purpose here, let me say that one of the reasons why God put sibling rivalry into place is to make sure that brothers and sisters do not get too close. Perhaps you have seen on the screen a scene where the boys kisses a girl and says to himself: "There was nothing there. I was like kissing my sister!" Good. That shows that God's invisible laws are working fine.
When is sibling rivalry bad? Well, for sure Cane and Abel come to mind; that was deadly. Then, there were Esau and Jacob. And of course there are Jacob's sons who do not like Joseph, the then youngest and sell him into slavery in Egypt. But there was one that may have slipped from view: Moses, Miriam, and Aaron. Moses was chosen by God to speak to him directly. Miriam and Aaron wanted to get a peice of the action and let God speak through them as well. What they should have done was to celebrate the great gift given to their brother, Moses. But instead they did not. Let's take a look at them from the account given in Numbers 12: 1-13: "Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had mrried a Cushine. 'Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?' They asked. "Hasn't He also spoken through us?' And the Lord heard this. Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on face of the earth. At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miram, 'Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you.' So the three of them came out. Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud; He stood at the entrance to the Tent and summonded Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward, He said,
"When a prophet of the Lord is among you,
I reveal myself to him in visions,
I speak to him in dreams.
But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.
With him I speak face to face,
clearly not in riddles;
he sees the form of the Lord.
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses.'
The anger of the Lord burned against htem, and he left them. When the cloud lifted from the above the Tent, there stood Miriam--leprous, like snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy; and he said to Moses, "Please, my lord, do not hold against us the sin we have foolishly committed. Do not let her be like a stillborn infant..." So, Moses cried out the Lord, "O God, please heal her!" The Lord replied to Moses, "If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.' So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back."
Well, it is rare that the Parent in this case, God Almighty, would step in to settle sibling rivalry. But nontheless He did. Moses was set apart by God who talked to Moses face to face. Should not Aaron and Miriam just rejoice in Moses' vocation?
In our own families, perhaps one or more members become a movies star, or gets a Ph.D. or becomes a doctor, or has 10 children. I have a brother, John, who made some very kind comments on my poetry. He did not hesitate to show kindness. My brother loves me and loves every gift God has given me. I feel the same about him. Let us rejoice in the gifts and talents of our brothers and sisters! God knows what He is doing in selecting those whom He wishes to speak through. We miss sometimes when Children have a word from God. Such was the 5 year old child of McCaulley when she told her mom: "Momma, don't go up in space. It is not safe in space!" Had this child-prophet been listened to, the NASA Challenger would not have taken off and no one would have died. Let us listen to one another. God may be speaking His Word to us!
Love, Pio
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