Daily Thoughts from Numbers: Seeing As God Sees (27:1-11)

Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying, “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin. And he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.”

Moses brought their case before the LORD. And the LORD said to Moses, “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them. And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter. And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.  And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the nearest kinsman of his clan, and he shall possess it. And it shall be for the people of Israel a statute and rule, as the LORD commanded Moses.’”  (Numbers 27:1-11 ESV)

As the people once again near conquering Canaan the issue of who gets land is paramount.  A case comes up of a family with only daughters, no sons, and they assertively ask Moses to make a judgment in their favor for the land to remain with them for their father’s name.

Moses does not immediately answer no, as if he knows the answer, but takes it to Yahweh who rules in favor of Zelophadad’s daughters and Yahweh also gives further instructions for other contingencies.  Yahweh is fair and wise and does not discriminate against women, showing us that some of our culture is at odds with His justice.

It is fascinating that Zelophadad’s daughters had no doubt that Israel was going to conquer Canaan and that the land allotted would indeed be awarded to the tribe of Manasseh.  The land distribution is a done deal in their minds and the reality of that is what prompts their request.  Oh for more of their number who see what God has promised and claim it.

God is not in the business of granting wishes.  God is in the business of raising the dead, not all of whom are willing.  There is nothing wrong with letting God know what we want, as long as we do not mistake our list for the covenant.  The covenant has no conditions.  The covenant is no deal.  It is God’s promise to be our God, which contains within it the promise that we shall be God’s people – not by our consent but by our creation.  (Barbara Brown Taylor in The Ladder of Divine Ascent)