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History records many instances of great men whose achievements and fame owe much to
their wife’s help. Though Moses was one of the greatest men in history, the preceding was not true
of him. In fact his wives are almost forgotten. The great woman in the life of Moses was his sister
Miriam (Num. 26:59).
Miriam may be listed last in the preceding scripture, but that does not mean she was the
youngest. In fact she was older than Moses, as was Aaron. Miriam's helpful role in her younger
brother's life, began soon after Moses was born. She helped her mother save baby Moses from the
death decreed by the Pharaoh, for he had declared that all male Hebrew infants should die. To spare
the life of Moses they placed him in a basket and left him in the river Nile. When Pharaoh's daughter
saw Moses there, she decided to adopt him. Then Miriam approached the princess and offered to find
a nurse for the baby. The princess accepted her offer and Miriam returned with her mother, who was
engaged to take care of her own child (Exodus 2: 1-10).
Many years later, Moses led the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage and gained undying
fame. Even then Miriam was with him, giving her help and encouragement. When Moses had
successfully led the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, Miriam sang her victory song of
thanksgiving to God (Exodus 15: 20-22).
Later Moses married an Ethiopian woman, which apparently met with the disapproval of
Miriam. She left his side to join their older brother Aaron. They spoke against Moses and for that
God struck Miriam with leprosy (Num. 12:8-10). But Moses was mindful of her many years of help
and prayed for his sister. Within seven days Miriam was cured of the disease (Numbers 12: 13-15).
I know of no scriptures that tell of her marriage or children. Yet there is no reason to assume
that she never married. Probably like Moses, she did marry but was always close to her brother. After
many years of faithful encouragement to Moses, Miriam died in the desert of Zin (Numbers20:1).
Perhaps the most important of all qualities required in the Christian wife and mother is the
virtue of unselfishness. Certainly this virtue was one possessed by Miriam during those years she
helped her brother Moses.
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