The Daughters of Zelophehad
Numbers 27:1-2 “Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph: and these are the names of the daughters, Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah.
And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, by the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation, saying,”
Here is a story about inheritance.
The daughters of the tribes of Israel were not given inheritance themselves….for they usually married and were given an inheritance with their husbands.
But these girls came…because they wanted their father’s inheritance….for he had no sons to carry on his name, for future generations…..and they were about to enter the land of Promise.
(I have included all these names….altho for me, hard to pronounce and seemingly unimportant…..but to God, He keeps a record of those who think of Him and His honor….Malachi 3:16. It is amazing to me, the importance of every one of us, to God. He knows our name….He sees us….and He takes notice of every move toward Him, and every obedience for His glory)
These girls came forward, then and told their father’s cause:
Numbers 27:3-4 “Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah; but died in his own sin; and had no sons.
Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no sons? Give us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father.”
Their father had not joined in the wicked rebellion against God, but had died outside the land. He had no sons to inherit in his name….so….
They came before all the people. Before Moses, the high priest, and the princes of the tribes, and the congregation.
This was a matter for the whole nation to see.
Would a man, who only had daughters, lose his inheritance before the Lord?
Or would the Lord consider daughters for an inheritance?
Numbers 27:5-7 “And Moses brought their cause before the Lord.
And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession and inheritance among their father’s brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them.”
“Thou shalt surely give them a possession…among their father’s brethren…”
And they won this for every daughter, when the father did not have sons.
Numbers 27:8 “And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter. “
(They were told to marry men….whoever they wanted…among their own tribe; so that the land would stay in the inheritance of their father’s tribe)
They received the promise of an inheritance with the men, because they honored God’s Word that each man (their father) would receive an inheritance in the land God gave them…..and because they honored God’s due order….they came before Moses and the leaders, and asked.
(They did not murmur or complain behind closed doors,…..or give into resentments….but brought their request before the Lord, in front of all.)
And in the day of dividing the inheritance among the tribes (this was, at least, five years later):
Joshua 17:3-4 “But Zelophehad……had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
And they came near unto Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren.
Therefore, according to the commandment of the Lord, he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father.”
They received their inheritance.
It was their diligence and perseverance, which got them what was promised.
We, too, know many of the promises of God, in His Word….and maybe, we have seen God’s promises being fulfilled in others….and wonder, “Why not me, too?”
But have we come to Him and sought them, for ourselves?
Luke 11:9-10 “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; Seek, and ye shall find; And Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
For everyone that asketh recieveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
Again I will stress: Diligence and perseverance was the attributes of the daughters of Zelophehad……and they got what they asked for.
They wanted what God said….and they sought it in the right way, and kept it, till they got it.
Will we?
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 