14 day plan

Women of the Bible You Need to Meet

Day 3 of 14

CSB

Numbers 27:5-7

5Moses brought their case before the Lord, 6and the Lord answered him, 7“What Zelophehad’s daughters say is correct. You are to give them hereditary property among their father’s brothers and transfer their father’s inheritance to them.

Reflection:   Mahlah, Noa, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah

For further reading see Numbers 27:1-11

These are five sisters who should be better known. Due to the laws of inheritance of the time, although they had come to the land promised by God, their family would receive none of it, as they had no brothers. To be given land was how you were brought into the promises of God. No-one seems to have noticed how this would affect their family, so the sisters boldly take their case before the leaders. Instead of being rebuked for being out of line, God rules for the sisters, and this opens the way for other paths to inheritance, including for daughters where there were no sons. This looks ahead to the gospel, when all people, male and female, Jew and Gentile, slave and free, are given equal footing in Christ. An encouragement here to notice when people are being excluded, boldly standing up for them.

Question:  When are people excluded within the church, and how could we address this?

Prayer:  Lord, it is so easy not to notice when some are left out. Open my eyes to this and give me boldness to ask for change. Amen.

© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

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Numbers 27:1-23

A Case of Daughters’ Inheritance

1The daughters of Zelophehad approached; Zelophehad was the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh from the clans of Manasseh, the son of Joseph. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2They stood before Moses, the priest Eleazar, the leaders, and the entire community at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, 3“Our father died in the wilderness, but he was not among Korah’s followers, who gathered together against the Lord. Instead, he died because of his own sin, and he had no sons. 4Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan? Since he had no son, give us property among our father’s brothers.”

5Moses brought their case before the Lord, 6and the Lord answered him, 7“What Zelophehad’s daughters say is correct. You are to give them hereditary property among their father’s brothers and transfer their father’s inheritance to them. 8Tell the Israelites: When a man dies without having a son, transfer 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 has no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative of his clan, and he will take possession of it. This is to be a statutory ordinance for the Israelites as the Lord commanded Moses.”

Joshua Commissioned to Succeed Moses

12Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim range and see the land that I have given the Israelites. 13After you have seen it, you will also be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was. 14When the community quarreled in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you rebelled against my command to demonstrate my holiness in their sight at the waters.” Those were the Waters of Meribah-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.

15So Moses appealed to the Lord, 16“May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all, appoint a man over the community 17who will go out before them and come back in before them, and who will bring them out and bring them in, so that the Lord’s community won’t be like sheep without a shepherd.”

18The Lord replied to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. 19Have him stand before the priest Eleazar and the whole community, and commission him in their sight. 20Confer some of your authority on him so that the entire Israelite community will obey him. 21He will stand before the priest Eleazar who will consult the Lord for him with the decision of the Urim. He and all the Israelites with him, even the entire community, will go out and come back in at his command.”

22Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua, had him stand before the priest Eleazar and the entire community, 23laid his hands on him, and commissioned him, as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers