1/8/12 ZELOPHEHAD’S DAUGHTERS

Sunday, January 8, 2012  Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
Numbers 27:1-11    Key Verse: 27:7

“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.”

Dear Lord heavenly Father, thank you for your love and your grace. Thank you that you do not reject us, even though we fall into sin daily, but you patiently wait and help us to grow up mature, spiritually. Please protect my heart. I repent of my sins. I pray to be able to stand as your servant. Lord, we are unworthy…I am unworthy, but help me to stand as your servant today and Jenn’s church. Please help all of us to decide to start the year out right with humble repentance and a new indwelling of you Lord in our hearts. You are the Holy Spirit. Please bless the relationship with my kids. Help us to love one another and to co-work in the work of God. Please raise up willing volunteers in the land. Please grant me one word of God to hold onto through this passage. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

1. Inheritance rights (1-4).

Verses 1-4 read, “The 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 2 and 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. 4 Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”

In those days, property passed through sons. Zelophehad had five daughters, but no sons. The census in the previous chapter implied that these five daughters would receive no inheritance of the land, for only men were counted. Any land that would have been given to Zelophehad’s descendants would have instead been distributed to others. The five daughters came to Moses and the leaders of Israel with their case. They asked for property among their father’s relatives; otherwise, they would have nothing in the promised land.

I like the fact that these women were very bold. They knew what was just and they knew that if they didn’t speak up they would be looked over in the allotment of the inheritance. They needed to act fast and they needed to act by faith. They could act this way because they knew God’s character. A lot of people back then thought that God was this awesome God that will bring down his judgment on all who approached him. He is awesome and powerful and a righteous judge, but he is also a compassionate shepherd who wants to hear our prayer requests and our grievances and who cares about what we think. “Every story is important.” They knew the character of God and they could come before Moses and the elders with confidence to make the request regarding their inheritance.

We need this kind of faith. We just need to step up and ask. I need to ask. I ask the Lord to send workers into his harvest field of NIU. I pray for my kids to be joyful Gospel workers who love Jesus and who love serving Jesus. I pray for 15 sws attendants, 20 1:1 Bible studies and 6 Bible teachers among us. I pray that all of my kids may continue in their spiritual life after they graduate from high school. I pray that I may be re-invented as I grow as a shepherd and Bible teacher in this Northern Illinois Region. I pray for my parents and my sister and her kids to all meet Jesus very personally. I pray to grow deeper in love with my wife. I thank God that I can come to Jesus and pray these things.

2. Moses’ prayer (5-11).

Verses 5-11, “ “So Moses brought their case before the LORD, 6 and 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. 9 If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 If 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.’”

Moses did not trivialize the matter. He brought the issue before the Lord. God told Moses to give Zelophehad’s daughters property as an inheritance. God further stipulated that in all such cases, property was to remain within a man’s family. In this way, God helped Israel to establish a just society and to protect women and families in the new land.

God is very just. It is very revolutionary in that time. You can imagine what kind of injustices permeated the society at that time (and all times for that matter). But our God was a just God and his people must be just leaders. In a world filled with injustices we need to do something about it and stand up for the down trodden. Moses also did something about it. He instated laws. He moved foreword to make permanent changes in society and in leadership. We need to not just think about justice. We can not just pay lip service to it. We need to make significant changes that affect the world around us. We are learning that in our ministry nowadays.

Contrary to peoples’ ideas, the Bible does stand up for woman’s rights. The Bible cares about women. Jesus cared about women and they played a key role in his ministry. I thank God that we serve a God who cares.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your compassion for the vulnerable in society. Help me to be prayerful about every problem and work to make permanent changes.

One Word: Come to God who truly cares.