Two men and a woman stand at the entrance to the dark tent, clad in the simple, long robes worn by nomads to ward off the scorching desert sun. As the family concludes their conversation, the woman wanders a little way from the tent to watch the setting sun.
She carries her head held high. Her noble countenance bears lines from harsh weather and deep suffering and weighty concerns.
As a young girl, she’d proved her mettle by guarding her infant brother when all little Hebrew boys suffered under Pharaoh’s order of death. With bold, quick insight, she made a request of Pharaoh’s daughter which reunited her little brother with their mother.
Now she helps lead her people.
In Old Testament times, the Spirit of God came upon prophets to speak God’s words to his people in a clear, unmistakable way. Some of the prophets’ words recorded in Scripture, beginning in the Old Testament, issued from women.
Along with her brothers, Moses the lawgiver and Aaron the priest, Miriam the prophet served as part of Israel’s three-part coalition of leadership.[i] This means one-third of Israel’s main national leadership during the nation’s formative years was female.
The prophet Micah reiterated this critical part of Israel’s story centuries later by speaking of three national leaders during Moses’ time: “I brought you up out of the land of Egypt; I redeemed you from the house of slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before you (Micah 6:4 CEB).”[ii]
Miriam carried monumental responsibility as the people faced hardship and uncertainty on their journey across hostile, uncharted territory.[iii] As one of Israel’s spiritual leaders, she led the Israelites in worship after their deliverance from the clutches of Pharaoh, “Sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted; he has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea (Ex. 15:21).”
Miriam’s prophetic song serves as a prototype of the gospel, which would later be heralded by many other women (see Ps. 68:11).[iv] New Testament scholar Scot McKnight notes the song of Moses recorded prior to these words may have been composed under inspiration by Miriam.[v] Other women also sang words recorded in Scripture, including Deborah (Judges 5:1-31), Hannah (1 Sam. 2:1-10), and Mary (Luke 1:46-55). Often Scripture connected singing and prophesying.
Miriam became jealous of her younger brother Moses’ increasing power. When she and Aaron criticized him, the Lord punished her with temporary leprosy (Num. 12:1-16). Her sin was envy, however—not being a woman.[vi]
(God also punished sin in male Old Testament leaders. He forbade Moses from entering the Promised Land, and David suffered consequences for his egregious actions.)[vii]
Israel did not travel until Miriam was restored to her leadership responsibilities (Num. 12:15). Hebrew biblical scholar Wilda Gafney emphasizes the strength of her governance demonstrated in the people’s refusal to leave her behind, noting they would not continue to the Promised Land until she could join them.[viii]
The account of her death in Numbers 20 also suggests her status in the community.
Even if Miriam led only the women in worship, this does not diminish her role as one-third of Israel’s leadership in her day. In fact, the charismatic singing and dancing led by women playing hand drums in Exodus 15:20 represents the first religious musical performance in post-Exodus Israel.[ix]
Miriam’s words, taught as a song to the redeemed people of Israel, offered the nation an interpretation of the Exodus event.[x] And music continued to be an integral part of worship for Israel.
Miriam is one example of female leaders in the Old Testament who spoke for God and led his people,[xi] and whose words canonized in Scripture comprise part of God’s authoritative Word.[xii]
Since we now live under the new covenant, experiencing the barrier-breaking power of the gospel and the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can expect an increase in God calling women to leadership among his people.
This post is an excerpt from my upcoming book, Prophesying Daughters: How Prophetic Ministry and Women in Leadership Strengthen the Church, which releases in March.
[i] Scot McKnight, The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 167.
[ii] This demonstrates that “Miriam’s role was traditionally and historically understood as a leadership role by the community of faith,” even in a much later era (Linda Belleville, “An Egalitarian Perspective” in Two Views on Women in Ministry, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), 51.
[iii] Loren Cunningham and David Joel Hamilton, Why Not Women? (Seattle, WA: YWAM Publishing, 2000), 53.
[iv] Terran Williams, How God Sees Women: The End of Patriarchy (Cape Town, South Africa: The Spiritual Bakery Publications, 2022), 201.
[v] McKnight, 167. See Ex. 15:1-18.
[vi] McKight, 168.
[vii] McKnight, 168.
[viii] Wilda Gafney, Daughters of Miriam: Women Prophets in Ancient Israel (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2008), 85. See also Linda Belleville, “An Egalitarian Perspective” in Two Views on Women in Ministry (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 51.
[ix] Gafney, 80. “Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand. All the women followed her playing tambourines and dancing.” Ex. 15:20 (CEB).
[x] McKnight, 234.
[xi] McKnight, 174-175.
[xii] Individual women who spoke prophetic words recorded in the Old Testament include Hannah (1 Sam. 2:1-10), Abigail (1 Sam. 25:28-31), and King Lemuel’s mother (Prov. 31:1-9). See https://margmowczko.com/prophetesses-bible/.
Image: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/miriam-water-under-the-bridge/
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