By Christopher Dryden
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. 2 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, 3 “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. 4 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.”
5 Moses brought their case before the Lord. 6 And the Lord said to Moses, 7 “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. 8 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. 9 And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 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)
Ah well, that’s just the way things are. You’ve just got to accept that’s the way how the world works. Zelophehad was the father of five daughters and no sons. They would just have to live without getting any part of what was promised to those in the tribes. That’s just the way it was.
Clearly Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah did not receive that tablet from the mountain of the Lord.
There is something about the zeal of these daughters to keep the legacy of their father going through them. Their cause is remarkable because it’s not as though their father’s name was that honourable. Yet the issue is one of keeping the name alive to receive what is fair among others in the family. Their efforts were to set a precedent for what was right and fair in the dealings of God’s people. That would not have happened if they did not take a stand for what was fair and right to those responsible.
Likewise, it says something about Moses that rather than giving an arbitrary ruling to close the matter, he seeks God’s take on the matter. God’s affirmation of the rightness of the cause of the daughters of Zelophehad gives reason for rejoicing. Rejoicing that the fair and righteous cause held by many can be upheld by the God of all Justice. It’s this same approach to what’s right and fair that leads to other examples in scriptures where the issues of those who may feel marginalised or unfairly dealt with are taken up by the Lord. Whether that’s in the case of the Syro-Phoenician woman and her appeal to Jesus, or to the Hellenistic Jews whose widows were not being dealt with fairly in the early days of the church after Pentecost.
There is at times a sense in which people should just accept the way things are when unfairness takes place. The call is to live with it because that’s just the way the world works. This need not be the case for those who put their trust in God – male or female, young or old, whatever the background, we can trust Him to do what’s right and fair in any given situation. The mark of the community of believers is to recognise areas where justice and fairness are called for and rest on the justice of God to rule in righteousness.
Ask – What was at stake as far as the daughters of Zelophehad were concerned?
Seek – When you have a matter to be resolved that requires justice do you take it up with God first?
Knock – In your prayer today ask the God of Justice to remember the causes of those around you who look for what is right and fair to be granted to them
(Upper Photo by Karl Magnuson on Unsplash)
(Inner Photo by Becca Tapert on Unsplash)
