Numbers 12:9-16. God is angry with Miriam and Aaron for having spoken against their brother Moses and having presumed that they had a similar relationship with God. So he calls them all to the tent of meeting, chastises Miriam and Aaron, and when he departs, Miriam is struck with leprosy. Aaron begs "do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned." Moses cries out "Heal her, O God, I beseech thee." God says she must be shut up outside the camp for seven days and then she may be brought back in. So she is, and the people remained camped there for the seven days that Miriam is put out.

God is rightly angry with both Aaron and Miriam, so why is Miriam the one who is punished? This makes me think about the unfairness of suffering - we are all sinners, so why do some people suffer so much more than others? I have been thinking of this a lot lately, and have taken some consolation in the lessons I am learning that only through our suffering do we truly turn back to God. But still, it often seems quite random and unfair, such as here. Aaron and Miriam were both speaking against Moses for marrying a Cushite woman, and both questioning whether God did not speak through them in the same way he spoke through Moses. God is angry with both of them, but only Miriam is struck by leprosy and is put in isolation for seven days. This seems so unfair!

As I thought about it, a couple of things occurred to me. First, we only have a few words (in Numbers 12:1-2) about what Miriam and Aaron were saying, but God knows the whole story, and everything that was in their hearts. Maybe Miriam was the instigator of the conversation, or maybe she had more treacherous thoughts in her heart than her words let on. We don't know, but God does. Secondly, men are driven to take care of women (thank goodness!), it is a God created, biological trait that keeps humanity going. Brothers, especially, want to care for their sisters. So maybe Miriam's suffering was just as hard on Aaron as it was on Miriam, because he knew he helped bring it about. He would probably have rather suffered the leprosy himself! He could do nothing for Miriam while she suffered - she had to be removed from them -  so Aaron had seven days to think about what he did and fret about Miriam.

Suffering comes in many forms and affects us all differently. God knows how to dispense his justice in just the right way for each of us. Even when it seems unfair, we have to trust that he knows what he is doing (he always does!).