ASK The Daughters of Zelophehad – and Go Get Your Inheritance!
Our great God is not called Yahweh Yireh (God Who Sees) for nothing. When we are undermined and forced to do certain things just because they are the laws of the land that He allowed us to be born into, He sees. He is aware of all the sons and daughters who grow up and rebel, causing their parents great heartache. He knows about the disadvantages that come with being a minority. He sees what subtle colonialism people experience even in the so-called new millennium. He hears the cry of every fighting baby and sees their flailing arms and legs as their body parts are pulled out and heads are crushed and dragged out of a woman’s birth canal. God is concerned about discrimination, so if you are discriminated against, take courage – He sees.
Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah were the five daughters of a man named Zelophehad, who lived in the days of Moses and the exodus from Egypt to Canaan. During this period, when a man died, his inheritance was passed on to his sons. His daughters hardly got anything from his property; I figure that was because women were married off and became members of the new families into which they were married. If the man had no sons, his inheritance was given to his brethren. Zelophehad died having no sons. The story of his daughters is found in Numbers 27:1-7.
After their father’s death, these five young women approached Moses and said to him, “Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves against the LORD in the company of Korah [**Addendum: Note the result of rebellion**]; but died in his own sin, and had no sons. Why should the name of our father be done away… because he had no son? Give us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father.”
Moses, not knowing what to do, took their petition to the LORD, and God said, “The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of the land among their father’s brethren.”
I love this story.
The first thing Moses did was take his problem to the LORD. I pray that I will learn to still my soul and seek our Father before I grab my cellphone or go over to a friend’s house to vent.
Although God expects us to respect the people that He has allowed to take up leadership (Rom 13:1), He does not will for us to blindly follow unacceptable laws and traditions just because they are laws and traditions. There is wisdom in many practices, but we must note, the fact that “they have done it for centuries” does not necessarily make it right. The laws of the land said that only men could gain an inheritance. These young women discerned that submission does not equal being a doormat. They also knew that the inheritance laws had a loophole.
We should be passionate for just causes. Action always accompanies passion. Do you want it to be said that you could have been a better and faithful servant of Christ, or that you actually were the best you could be? Faith without actions is dead. Jesus loved us, but if He had stayed in the majestic comforts of heaven and loved us from a distance, we would be lost and hopeless. He was passionate for us, and did something about it. What you are passionate for/about is what you will direct your energy toward. Passivity is just a passion for the continuation of evil. On realizing that there was a loophole in the law, the daughters of Zelophehad went straight to the leaders – Moses and Eleazar. They got out of their comfort zones and hit the turf that would cause a turnover. And they did it, not with a spirit of rebellion and hullabaloo, but with respect.
Do something about your earthly or spiritual situation. Manna from heaven ended in the wilderness. The only manna that exists today is the “hidden manna” in Rev 2:17, that will be given to saints after this life. We should not expect to see it in this life because we will not. No butler is going to bring our joy in a silver platter at the chime of a bell. In fact, even the manna in the wilderness had to be collected every morning and doubly on Fridays; God did not directly place it on anybody’s tongue and even if He had, they would have had to chew and swallow, to digest and excrete. We are not going to get anything if we get comfortable and sit on our behinds. Ye have not because ye ask not, James said in James 4:2. Ask, and it shall be given you (Matt 7:7). Don’t say God has refused to give you something if you have not asked for it. He will provide all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19), and if we know how to give good gifts to our children, we know that He who loves us more than we can love our children, will give us all good gifts if we ask Him (Matt 7:11, Luke 11:13). God will send the ravens to feed us, and give fish to the 5000, but He will not reward a lazy Christian. Stop that passivity right now. Life is a fight. The day you gave your life to Christ, things did not end, they began. His yoke is easy and His burden is light – so it is a joyful road that active Christians walk. The Bible says that the daughters of Zelophehad “stood before Moses… by the door of the tabernacle.” (Num 27:2) Hebrews says we should boldly approach the throne of grace (Heb 4:16). Go! And do not fear. We have boldness to enter the holy of holies by the blood of Jesus; we should draw near (Heb 10:19-25).
Christians discriminate against non-Christians, and vice versa. Tear down that label. Do they say God cannot love you because you sinned ten minutes, ten days, ten years ago? Do they say you should not come to Christ because you are a filthy rag? Do they say you cannot have fun except you be in the world? Tear it down; Jacob, your name is now Israel. Depressed, your name is now Joyful. Fill in the blanks as they apply to your situation: ____, your name is now ___. Be happy! You have an inheritance.
The names of Zelophehad’s daughters are arranged the same way each time they are mentioned in the Bible; but that is not the order in which they were born. It is a blessing when you realize what their names mean and why they were arranged that way. They remind me of a dear friend’s journey in this life.
Zelophehad: Possible meanings: Firstborn; Shadow (Shelter) from dread;
Mahlah – Hebrew: Machla – meaning fat, infirmity;
Noah – from Hebrew Noa – movement/wandering;
Hoglah – patridge, dancing (e.g. after mourning);
Milcah – from Hebrew Malka, meaning queen;
Tirzah – to please or be acceptable to.
We are born in infirmity, and we wander, seeking our purpose and peace. As we search for meaning and wholeness, we are beaten down by the pressures and pains of life. When we find peace and purpose, we cannot help but dance! And in knowing ourselves, we realize we are royalty – the Bride of Christ – Christ is the King, therefore as His bride, the church is royalty. We are acceptable in God’s sight because of the sacrifice that God made! God is our Father, like Zelophehad was a father. Zelophehad’s name possibly means firstborn. Jesus Christ, who is One with the Father, is the Firstborn of every creature (Col 1:15) and the Firstborn from the dead (Col 1:17). He is our Shelter and we dwell in peace in the shadow of His wings (Psalm 91). The Bible says that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).
Don’t let anybody deprive you of your God-given inheritance.
Blessings!
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Thanks very much for this. Agape love…..Shalom.