The Danger Of Dishonouring God's Anointed People

At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "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 summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward,

he said, "Listen to my words: "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 and 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 them, and he left them.

When the cloud lifted from 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 so foolishly committed.

Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away."

So Moses cried out to 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.

3. DAVID AND SAUL

The Lord wants us honour our leaders even when they have strayed from their calling. We should not stretch our hand against God’s anointed servants . We should let the Lord deal with them. David was careful not to Kill Saul with his hand even though he had a good opportunity to do so. Even though Saul had strayed from his calling and was rejected by God , still David was careful not to put his hand against God’s anointed servant. We must let God deal with His servants when they go astray. We should not be careful not to touch God’s anointed servants.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

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I SAMUEL 24:1-7

After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, "David is in the Desert of En Gedi."

So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.

He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave.

The men said, "This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, ’I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’ " Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe.

He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD."

With these words David rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.

4. ELISHA AND THE YOUTHS