Is it through Moses alone that the Lord speaks? Does he not speak through us also? Today’s First reading presents us with a case of sibling rivalry. Moses’ older siblings, Aaron and Miriam, seem to be jealous of all the attention their brother is getting. “Why must it be that it is only Moses that gets all the attention? We are just as important as he is for God uses us too.” Such appears to have been their cry. The Lord did not approve of their sentiment and, for a reason that only the Lord knows, decided to punish Miriam and not Aaron. But I believe it was not because of sibling rivalry that the Lord was upset with the two. At any rate, the two were too old to be involved in sibling rivalry.
As the Lord later revealed to them, when Aaron and Miriam decided to speak against Moses, it was not Moses that they were despising but rather the Lord God. Moses had been chosen by God for a singular purpose. It was a privilege that no other prophet after him was granted (cf. Deuteronomy 34:10). But that didn’t mean that Moses was more important to God than the other members of his nation. Moreover, Moses’ special role did not mean that the rest were ‘useless’ to God. Aaron was a priest who doubled as Moses’ assistant (cf. Exodus 4:10ff), while Miriam was herself a prophetess (cf. Exodus 14:20). The two certainly had their roles in the great work that God was doing among his people. As such, when they got jealous of Moses, they were in essence challenging God who is the dispenser of gifts and talents.