14 day plan

It Matters That You're Here

Day 10 of 14

NIV

Numbers 27:1-8

Zelophehad’s Daughters

1The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. They came forward 2and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, 3“Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among Korah’s followers, who banded together against the Lord, but he died for his own sin and left no sons. 4Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”

5So Moses brought their case before the Lord, 6and the Lord said to him, 7“What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance to them.

8“Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, give his inheritance to his daughter.

Reflection: Heroines-Five

Sometimes the ‘little people’ are actually little. Sometimes they’re unnamed. But a curious thing about the little-known people in today’s passage is that they’re mentioned five times (four out of five times, by name).* That’s a lot, considering they were women…and that there were five of them.

Essentially, it’s a story about the legalities of inheritance. Here are five determined women in a man’s world. Five sisters whose petition positioned disempowered women, as people of promise and inheritance. The impressive thing about the story is not that it’s a model for women’s rights. It’s a story of faith.

God is all about Covenant-love. He was…and still is. In love, he chooses people. In love, he promises them an inheritance. And in love, he promises to bless. His promised inheritance here in the Old Testament is The Land. It’s apportioned, according to the census, by tribe and family—family being the male head of the household. No man—no land. No land—no promise-kept. Simple as that.

No doubt the sisters have conversed and bemoaned around the family campfire. Without Dad, we’re doomed. Without brothers, we’re abandoned. Except, they affirm, in faith, We’re not! Plucking up courage they head for the camp epicentre: the tabernacle, Moses and the gathered assembly. With one voice, they present their case. They appeal to their father’s ‘good name’ (in that he died of natural causes), and to their claim on God’s faithful covenant-love. And for that, they’re remembered again, again, again and again.

Prayer:

Just as real as they, are desperate-we and those for whom we plead. God of covenant love, our hope is in you. Help us to be every bit as tenacious and heroic in hanging on to your promises to bless.

*Numbers 26,27,36; Joshua 17; 1 Chronicles 7

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

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Numbers 27:1-23

Zelophehad’s Daughters

1The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. They came forward 2and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, 3“Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among Korah’s followers, who banded together against the Lord, but he died for his own sin and left no sons. 4Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”

5So Moses brought their case before the Lord, 6and the Lord said to him, 7“What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance to them.

8“Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, give his inheritance to his daughter. 9If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. 10If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to have the force of law for the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.’ ”

Joshua to Succeed Moses

12Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up this mountain in the Abarim Range and see the land I have given the Israelites. 13After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, 14for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes.” (These were the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)

15Moses said to the Lord, 16“May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community 17to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

18So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him. 19Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. 20Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him. 21He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in.”

22Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. 23Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the Lord instructed through Moses.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.