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MiraclesAid to Bible Understanding
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God. (Ex. 4:1-9) Both with Moses and Jesus people drew this correct conclusion. (Ex. 4:30, 31; John 9:17, 31-33) Through Moses, God had promised a coming prophet. Jesus’ miracles aided observers to identify him as that One. (Deut. 18:18; John 6:14) When Christianity was young, miracles worked in conjunction with the message to aid individuals to see that God was behind Christianity and had turned from the earlier Jewish system of things. (Heb. 2:3, 4) In time miraculous gifts present in the first century would pass away. They were a necessity during the infancy of the Christian congregation.—1 Cor. 13:8-11.
In reading the history of the Acts of Apostles we see that Jehovah’s spirit was working mightily, speedily, forming congregations, getting Christianity firmly established. (Acts 4:4; chaps. 13, 14, 16-19) In the few short years between 33 and 70 C.E., thousands of believers were gathered in many congregations from Babylon to Rome, and perhaps even farther west. (1 Pet. 5:13; Rom. 1:1, 7; 15:24) It is worthy of note that copies of the Scriptures then were few. Usually only the well-to-do possessed scrolls or books of any sort. In pagan lands there was no knowledge of the Bible or the God of the Bible, Jehovah. Virtually everything had to be done by word of mouth. There were no Bible commentaries, concordances and encyclopedias readily at hand. So the miraculous gifts of special knowledge, wisdom, speaking in tongues, discernment of inspired utterances, and so forth, were vital for the congregation then. (1 Cor. 12:4-11, 27-31) But, as the apostle Paul wrote, when those things were no longer necessary, they would pass away.
A DIFFERENT SITUATION TODAY
We do not see God performing such miracles by the hands of his Christian servants today, because all necessary things are present and available to the literate population of the world and, to help illiterate ones who will listen, there are mature Christians who have knowledge and wisdom gained by study and experience. It is not necessary for God to perform such miracles at this time to attest to Jesus Christ as his appointed deliverer, or to provide proof that he is backing up his servants. Even if God should continue to give his servants the ability to perform miracles, that would not convince everyone, for not even all the eyewitnesses of Jesus’ miracles were moved to accept his teachings. (John 12:9-11) On the other hand, scoffers are warned by the Bible that there will yet be stupendous acts of God performed in the destruction of the present system of things.—2 Pet. 3:1-10; Rev. chaps. 18, 19.
In conclusion, it may be said that those who deny the existence of miracles either do not believe there is an invisible God and Creator, or they believe that he has not exercised his power in any superhuman way since creation. But their unbelief does not make the Word of God of no effect. (Rom. 3:3, 4) The Biblical account of God’s miracles and the good purpose that they accomplished, always in harmony with the truths and principles found in his Word, give confidence in God. They give strong assurance that God cares for mankind and that he can and will protect those who serve him. The miracles provide typical patterns and the record of them builds faith that God will, in the future, intervene in a miraculous way, healing and blessing faithful humankind.—Rev. 21:4.
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MiriamAid to Bible Understanding
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MIRIAM
(Mirʹi·am) [perhaps, rebellion].
1. Daughter of Amram and his wife Jochebed, both of the tribe of Levi; sister of Moses and Aaron. (Num. 26:59; 1 Chron. 6:1-3) Though not specifically named in the account, she was undoubtedly the one termed “his sister” who watched to see what would become of the infant Moses as he lay in an ark placed among the reeds of the river Nile. (Ex. 2:3, 4) After Pharaoh’s daughter discovered the babe, “felt compassion” for it and recognized that it was “one of the children of the Hebrews,” Miriam asked if she should summon a Hebrew woman to nurse the child. Being told to do so by Pharaoh’s daughter, “the maiden went and called the child’s mother” (Jochebed), who was thereafter employed to care for Moses until he grew up.—Ex. 2:5-10.
LEADS ISRAEL’S WOMEN IN SONG
Years later, after witnessing Jehovah’s triumph over Pharaoh’s military forces at the Red Sea and upon hearing the song of Moses and the men of Israel, “Miriam the prophetess” led the women of Israel in joyful tambourine playing and dancing. Responding to the song led by Moses, Miriam sang: “Sing to Jehovah, for he has become highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has pitched into the sea.”—Ex. 15:1, 20, 21.
COMPLAINS AGAINST MOSES
While the Israelites were in the wilderness, Miriam and Aaron began to speak against Moses because of his Cushite wife. Moses’ prominence and influence with the people may have created in Miriam and Aaron a jealous desire for more authority, so that they kept saying: “Is it just by Moses alone that Jehovah has spoken? Is it not by us also that he has spoken?” But Jehovah was listening and suddenly instructed Moses, Miriam and Aaron to go to the tent of meeting. There God reminded the murmurers that their brother Moses was His servant, the one with whom God spoke, not indirectly, but “mouth to mouth.” Jehovah next asked Miriam and Aaron: “Why, then, did you not fear to speak against my servant, against Moses?” God’s anger got to be hot against them and, as the cloud over the tent moved away, “Miriam was struck with leprosy as white as snow.” Aaron made a plea for mercy, Moses interceded for her, and Jehovah allowed Miriam to return to the camp after a humiliating seven-day quarantine.—Num. 12:1-15.
The fact that only Miriam was stricken with leprosy may suggest that she was the instigator of wrong conduct on that occasion. Her sin in murmuring against Moses may have been greater than Aaron’s, possibly even being a case of jealousy of a woman against another woman (since they began to speak against Moses on account of his Cushite wife), with Aaron siding in with his sister rather than his sister-in-law. Since Miriam was viewed as a prophetess, she may have enjoyed the standing of first woman in Israel. So Miriam perhaps feared that Moses’ wife would eclipse her as to position. Regardless of such possibilities, however, and while it was grossly improper for both Miriam and Aaron to murmur against Moses, it was especially wrong for Miriam to do so because of woman’s God-assigned place of subjection to the man. (See Genesis 3:16; 1 Corinthians 11:3.) Miriam’s sinful conduct was later used as a warning example, for at the end of the wilderness trek Moses told the people to comply with priestly instructions regarding leprosy and urged them to remember what Jehovah did to Miriam when they were coming out of Egypt.—Deut. 24:8, 9; see AARON.
Miriam died and was buried at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, shortly before Aaron’s death. (Num. 20:1, 28) Centuries later, through his prophet Micah, Jehovah called to remembrance the privilege Miriam enjoyed in association with her brothers when Israel came out of Egypt, saying: “For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and from the house of slaves I redeemed you; and I proceeded to send before you Moses, Aaron and Miriam.”—Mic. 6:4.
2. A descendant of Judah.—1 Chron. 4:1, 17, 18.
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MirmahAid to Bible Understanding
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MIRMAH
(Mirʹmah) [deceit].
A paternal head of the tribe of Benjamin and son of Shaharaim by his wife Hodesh.—1 Chron. 8:1, 8-10.
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MirrorAid to Bible Understanding
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MIRROR
Ancient hand mirrors (Isa. 3:23) were sometimes made of polished stone, though they were generally made of metal, such as bronze or copper,
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