The Church as a Worshipping Congregation

Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because of the Cushite woman he married (for he had married a Cushite woman). They said, "Does the LORD speak only through Moses? Does He not also speak through us?" And the LORD heard it. Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on the face of the earth. Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, "You three come out to the tent of meeting." So the three of them went out. - Numbers 12:1-4 HCSB

God is concerned about decency and order.[1] Since the very first act of worship, God has always wanted things done the right way.[2] Unfortunately, since the very first act of worship, Humanity has been rebelling to that authoritative chain of command. Cain rebelled and ended up killing his brother Abel over it.[3]

In Numbers, we read that Miriam and Aaron, out of jealousy, failed to submit to and criticized the properly gifted, called leader. Now, to get how seriously God took this, you need to understand that they were actually PART of the chain of command! Aaron was the high priest[4] and Miriam was a worship leader![5] God actually stated that He had sent all three to rescue the people of Israel from Egypt.[6]

Yet when Miriam and Aaron grumbled, “Does the Lord speak only through Moses? Does He not also speak through us?”, the Lord heard it and called them on the matter. He reinforced Moses’ leadership and afflicted Miriam with leprosy. Once Aaron properly submitted to Moses’ God-ordained authority and addressed him as “my lord”, God healed Miriam, though she still had to remain outside the camp for seven days.[7]

The worshipping assembly was not everyone who lived among the Israelite people. Only those who met certain qualifications were allowed to enter the “qahal” and offer sacrifices.[8] They could be neither temporary dwellers nor permanent dwellers who refused to submit to the laws of the land.[9] In today’s congregational terms, that would imply “church hoppers” or “church attendees living in unrepentant sin.” How much less those who fail to attend at all?

Clearly, the qahal is the qualified, authorized, submissive, worshipping and voting community.[10] Anyone may worship at any time, anywhere. We can worship God in prison! We can worship God in catacombs, open fields and cow sheds! But worship is not the sole criteria for the formation of a church, any more than shooting bullets is the sole criteria for the formation of an army!

Many try to circumvent the qualifications necessary to be a church leader[11] by starting a little home Bible study and then using THAT as their soap box for their personal views. This way, they can bypass the clear teachings of the apostles and the authority of the elders.[12] They’d rather be big fish in a small pond.

All we can say to such is, “Remember what the Lord Your God did to Miriam on the journey…”[13]


[1] 1 Corinthians 14:40
[2] Genesis 4:3-7
[3] Genesis 4:8
[4] Exodus 28:1
[5] Exodus 15:20-21
[6] Micah 6:4
[7] Numbers 12:1-16
[8] Deuteronomy 23:1
[9] Numbers 15:15
[10] Numbers 16:3, 33 cp 18:4
[11] 1 Timothy 3; Titus 1
[12] 1 Timothy 4:14
[13] Deuteronomy 24:9