Lindsay Roberts
In Numbers 12 the Lord tells us what we should do when people do us wrong. Verse 1 says that Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman he had married. Now frankly, it was none of their business who Moses married, and they even went so far as to say, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also (v. 2 NKJV)?” They were treading on dangerous ground, and the Bible says in verse 9, The anger of the Lord was aroused against them. As a result, Miriam was struck with leprosy.
Now when somebody decides to judge you and stick their two cents’ worth into your business, your human instinct might be to say, “Let’s take ‘em down!” Moses could have easily said, “It serves you right for talking about my wife that way!” But look at verse 13: Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “Please heal her, O God, I pray!” Instead of crying out for vengeance, Moses prayed for mercy! So God healed Miriam and blessed Moses for his forgiving spirit.
It takes a big person to pray for someone who is coming against them. But God is saying, “Release that person. Don’t hold it against them.” We’ve all been hurt, lied to, or made fun of. But when you forgive those who have done you wrong and pray for them, it does two things: First, it allows them to see the love of God in operation, and they may get saved as a result. Second, it releases you from the terrible bondage of unforgiveness, and nothing will be held against your account. Forgiveness can be your path to freedom!