Numbers 27: 1 – 23
No one loses
27 Then came the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, from the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and these were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 And they stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the leaders and all the congregation, by the doorway of the tabernacle of meeting, saying: 3 “Our father died in the wilderness; but he was not in the company of those who gathered together against the LORD, in company with Korah, but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be removed from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.” 5 So Moses brought their case before the LORD. 6 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad speak what is right; you shall surely give them a possession of inheritance among their father’s brothers, and cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them. 8 And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 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 relative closest to him in his family, and he shall possess it.’ ” And it shall be to the children of Israel a statute of judgment, just as the LORD commanded Moses. 12 Now the LORD said to Moses: “Go up into this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel. 13 And when you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered. 14 For in the Wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to hallow Me at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the waters of Meribah, at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.) 15 Then Moses spoke to the LORD, saying: 16 “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, 17 who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.” 18 And the LORD said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; 19 set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight. 20 And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. 21 He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire before the LORD for him by the judgment of the Urim. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, he and all the children of Israel with him—all the congregation.” 22 So Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. 23 And he laid his hands on him and inaugurated him, just as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:37–40)
It’s easy for many people to fall into thinking of God as angry and disappointed toward humans, or at best, as passive and indifferent. Some may think that they’ve failed him so many times that he’s probably given up on them to focus on the godly and righteous people. But our Lord Jesus’ words tell a vastly different story.
Through our King and Master Jesus Christ, God’s Anointed Son, God Is actively reaching into our chaos, pain, and confusion to grasp us and rescue us from sin, evil, and ourselves. Our Holy Lord Jesus has initiated the relationship with us: “I have come down from heaven to do God’s will.” And when God grasps us, we are secure, not driven away, forgotten, or lost.
For those who trust in The Holy Lamb of God, Jesus, God Is not aggressively against you (as in judgment) and He Is not passively indifferent about you (as if you will be forgotten). Rather, he Is actively, lovingly ensuring that you will have new life: “all who believe in the Son will have eternal life” and “I will raise you up on the last day.”
Our Great God Jesus Is assured that many would indeed come to Him in faith. God does not turn any away who come to him, nor will he ever disown them. In a world of overwhelming complexities and insecurities, you can know at the very core of your being that God has decided to make you His and will not let anything get in the way. If you have put your trust in Christ, your future is not hanging in the balance; it is rock-solid. Your future is resurrection.
We are bent toward independence and unfaithfulness. If the security of our salvation depended on our ability to choose and hang on to Christ, then we would be caught on the treadmill of a self-centered scheme of works righteousness. Thankfully, Scripture teaches that it all depends on God to keep us secure:
“If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? . . . So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18:12–14)
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27–28)
“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 1:24–25)
I encourage you to trust Jesus, and rest secure. Jesus loses no one. You are in good hands with Jesus.
You may be wondering what all this has to do with today’s scripture. We will see two principal areas highlighted. One is in regards to a family who does not have any men left to be involved in the inheritance of land apportion. The other will bring to the forefront Moses being replaced by Joshua. We will see that no one loses out in these situations by our Great God. The Lord will make sure the women also receive an inheritance and that the people will still have an obedient servant leading them into the Promised Land.
This chapter divides into two sections, the provision concerning land to be granted to a man’s family posthumously where he died before entering the land and had no male heir to receive his portion; also it is time for Moses to face the consequence of his sin in the smiting of the rock. He will not be allowed to lead the people into the Promise Land. But in His Love and Mercy our Holy Fahter allows Moses to go and see the Promise Land. He commands to Moses to ascend a mountain in Abarim (Mount Nebo - Deuteronomy 32.48-52) to behold the land and possess it by sight before he died, and the appointment of a new Shepherd for the people, at Moses’ request, in the person of Joshua, a man in whom is the Spirit, in liaison with Eleazar the Priest. Joshua was one of the two men of the old generation who was not to die.I do want to mention to you that our Lord ultimately does allow Moses to set foot in the Promise Land as we read in the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus, Moses was there with Elijah.
So these incidents deal with three different types of men in their dealings with life and death. The first deals with one who was of the new generation, but who died in the wilderness (for he died for his own sins not because of the sin of the people). And yet in his daughters he would inherit the land. The second deals with the one who would die without entering the land, but not as those who died in the wilderness as a punishment had died. He (Moses) would be ‘gathered to his fathers’ as Aaron had been. But he would inherit the land by seeing it with his eyes. And the third deals with a member of the old generation who would enter the new land alive and would indeed inherit the land.
It is not accidental that this comes immediately after the description of those who through their unbelief died in the wilderness. They had been faced with a challenge, had been unable to trust God, and had drawn back from obedience, and had been sentenced to die miserably in the wilderness. How great a contrast there was between them and these five brave young women of the tribe of Manasseh. They too were faced up with a challenge as the Manassites began to discuss the distribution of their new possessions. They saw themselves as being frozen out, as being thrust to one side, and their father’s name as dying out from Israel. But they believed in Yahweh. They believed that He would not allow them to be treated unfairly and allow their father’s name to perish unjustly. And with great boldness and trepidation they approached Moses and the congregation of Israel to seek to have this great wrong righted. We cannot imagine what huge courage it would have taken, for rarely did young women such as they come to the door of the tent of meeting. But they believed in Yahweh and refused to be daunted, and He saw and gave them what they asked.
They also stand in stark contrast to the women of Moab. It was not theirs to seek to lead men astray after other gods, and to drag men to destruction. Rather they would fight to ensure the preservation of their father’s name, and were deeply concerned for the inheritance that Yahweh had for them. This was the quality of the new generation, and Moses knew that the story would serve as an inspiration to Israel to take their courage in both hands and move forward to establish their names in the land which Yahweh had in store for them.
What follows deals with an important question? Here was a man who had obeyed Yahweh and fought for Him, and yet whose name would die because he died without a male heir before land could be granted his family. Thus no land would be allocated to his name, and his name would die out in Israel. And his family would seemingly receive no lasting inheritance. Would this be right?
A further reason behind this passage was to encourage Israel as they sought to enter the land by making them see that Yahweh would ensure that all were blessed and no one would lose out. Even if they were slain in battle and had no male heir, their family would not be allowed to suffer. When the portions were allocated, none of the new generation would be omitted except those who had openly rebelled, even if they had died prior to the distribution without a male heir. Land would be allocated to them for their families.
27 Then came the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, from the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and these were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
In these passages five women of one family approached Moses concerning their rights of inheritance, and the continuing of the name of their father. As he had had no son the continuation of his name would depend on their receiving land in his name. So taking their courage in both hands they appealed to the tribunal of Israel. They were alone in the world. There was no male ready to come and stand with them. But they had each other, and they trusted in Yahweh.
The details are given of their tribal and clan connections in view of the matter in hand, that is, their share in the inheritance of the land. Manasseh was the tribe, Gilead the sub-tribe, Hepher the clan and Zelophehad the family head. All would be important in determining what they inherited. This information would thus be laid before the judges.
It should be noted that this was at this time a red hot issue. The lands of Gilead and Bashan from the Arnon northwards were being allocated to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the descendants of Machir, one of whom had been the father of these five young, unmarried women. And they thought that they had reason to fear that they would be excluded from receiving a portion of that land. Discussion would undoubtedly already be taking place, and they may already have been informed that in view of their position they did not come into the reckoning. Their quality was shown in that they were not willing to accept this situation which would mean their father’s name being forgotten in Israel because no land was connected with it for it was in order to obtain land that Israel had journeyed all this way. It was the hope of land that had partially sustained them. Surely then, just because he had died without a male heir, that did not mean that his family was excluded from owning land?
2 And they stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the leaders and all the congregation, by the doorway of the tabernacle of meeting, saying: 3 “Our father died in the wilderness; but he was not in the company of those who gathered together against the LORD, in company with Korah, but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons.
What courage they had. Following correct procedure they brought their request officially so that it could be considered by all Israel, although more strictly by Moses, Eleazar and the chieftains. That it was at the door of the tent of meeting demonstrated that they sought a decision before Yahweh. They came hesitantly and shyly, bolstering each other up, as the representatives of their family name. They clearly had a deep certainty that Yahweh would deal rightly with them. What could have been a better example to Israel at this time than this? In context it is full of meaning. Out of context it becomes just another dispute about land.
You can be sure that it would not be easy for them. Standing in that holy place, facing the great men of the nation, they must have quailed. The courage that they mustered exceeded far that which was required to face up to the Anakim. These men of Israel whom they had to face were ‘giants’ indeed. But they believed that they were in the right. And they believed in Yahweh.
As a father I love their concern. It was that the name of their father might be taken away, because no portion of land would be allocated to him and his family when the distributions were made now that they had conquered the land of Gilead and Bashan. If only males could inherit there would be no portion of land for his name to be attached to, because he had no male heir. But we need not doubt that they were also interested in possession of the land. Then they could take it with them when they married.
They sought to establish their father’s credentials. They pointed out that he was not one of those who had rebelled against Yahweh in the company of Korah. He was not barred as a rebel. Note their mention of that here. It confirms that that incident was long remembered and that all recognized that such people did not deserve a part in the land. By their behavior they had excluded themselves. But that was not true of their father. Nor had he died for the sin of unbelief at Kadesh. He was not one of those doomed to die in the wilderness because of gross disobedience. Rather he died for his own sin, as all sinners must die.
So they did admit that he was a sinner, but only, they stressed, like all who were around him. He died because of his own sin, like all men and women die because of their sins, yet they wanted it recognized that he was no more blameworthy than any other sinner. They did not consider that his death without a male heir demonstrated that Yahweh was angry with him and was cutting his name off from Israel. And they sought confirmation of that fact.
This fact being so did his family not deserve their portion in the land just like everyone else? Yet as he had died without a son there would be no male in the family for the portion to be allocated to. Thus unless their plea was heeded there would be no allocation to his close family. This seemed wrong to them. There would be no way to perpetuate his name.
The principle behind their statement is interesting. There was a clear recognition that he died for his own sin, not for the sins of the tribe or of others. They were acknowledging individual responsibility. They also refused to accept that his early death had been due to his being under judgment. It had happened, but it did not prove that he was worse than anyone else. Here were five young women who knew what they believed. And they recognized the distinction between those whose sin permanently barred them from God’s mercy, and those whose sin which, while having its own consequences, did not cut people off from His gracious provision. Here was the difference between ‘unwitting sin’ and ‘sin with a high hand’.
4 Why should the name of our father be removed from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.”
Now if he had had a son that son would have received his portion in Gilead and Bashan. No one would have argued. He would also have maintained the name of the family in the clan and in Israel. Furthermore he would have seen to the marriage settlements for the girls, so that they could make good marriages. They would not have had to be married empty handed. But by his death without a male heir it was being suggested that this would not now happen. Not only would no land be attached to his name, but his daughters would in fact lose out greatly. For the fact that he had had no son would result in no land being allocated to his immediate family as a result of their victories. His name would therefore be lost, having no land for it to be attached to, and his daughters would be bereft of the support that he had deserved. The head of a related family would, of course be expected to take them under his wing, but they would go there as dependants and suppliants with no property. What they wanted was to ensure that their deceased father would posthumously receive an allocation of land, which would then be passed on to them so that they could take it with them as dowry, with his name permanently attached to the land so that he was remembered for ever.
We shall see later the leaders of Manasseh were concerned that if these young women received land in their father’s name, they married within the clan so that the land might be preserved to Manasseh, and this they gladly agreed to do The story would have a happy ending..
This suggests that after the conquest when land was passed on it still retained its attachment to the family name of the original recipient throughout the generations. This was why the prophets were so angry at those who took advantage of bad times to add land to land, thus blotting out the memory of the land’s original owner forever. It was a crime against the memory of Israel.
5 So Moses brought their case before the LORD.
Moses clearly acknowledged that they had a case for he brought the matter before Yahweh, probably by entering the inner sanctuary and standing before the veil.
6 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad speak what is right; you shall surely give them a possession of inheritance among their father’s brothers, and cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them.
Our Holy God Yahweh confirmed to Moses that the land in Gilead and Bashan having been conquered they should be given the portion that would have fallen to their father, or to his male heir, if either had been alive. They would be able to inherit in their father’s name and take with them into their marriages land which would ever be seen as was having been their father’s. So would his name be remembered in Israel? He would not have died without just reward for his service for Yahweh.
For us this is a reminder that God Is always faithful. No man or woman will ever serve God and then through unfortunate circumstance lose their reward. None will ever be forgotten. So we too must have courage and go forward, and never flinch whatever is demanded of us.
This solution would settle the concerns of many still living fathers who only had daughters. Some who had as yet no male heir would undoubtedly have been concerned about what would happen to their name, and what would happen to their families, if they were slain in the forthcoming warfare before having a male heir. Their close family would still receive their portion posthumously after their death.
8 And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.
The point being established was twofold. Firstly that the family of every ‘head of family’ of the new generation would receive a portion in the land whatever happened to him and whether he died or not, or whether he had a male heir or not. It was a guarantee that as long as he had children his name would thus be preserved and his family’s welfare ensured. If he had a daughter, she would receive his portion. And if he had no daughter his own brothers would receive it, with of course the responsibility to remember his name and look after his widow.
10 If he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers.
And if he had no brothers then the land would pass to his uncles who would bear the same responsibility.
11 And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the relative closest to him in his family, and he shall possess it.’ ” And it shall be to the children of Israel a statute of judgment, just as the LORD commanded Moses.
If he also had no uncles, his nearest male relative would inherit it, and would possess it. So would the inheritance remain in the family who would have a responsibility for the remembering of his name? At least in theory, no man of the new generation would ever die forgotten (unlike the old who died in the wilderness).
Having established that all of the new generation who had died (in contrast with the old. The old died as a punishment. The new did not) would have their names remembered in receiving a portion of land in the future from the conquered lands. But his death was not like that of the old, it was like that of the new. Even though he too ‘died for his sin’ with which he had sinned at Kadesh, it was not a punishment for the sin at Kadesh thirty eight years previously. It was not his destiny to die under that sentence.
12 Now the LORD said to Moses: “Go up into this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel.
Our Loving and Longsuffering God Yahweh Was merciful to His old servant. While Moses had forfeited his right to enter the land because of his sin, he was to be allowed to possess it with his eyes. We can compare here Genesis 13.14-16. Abraham too possessed with his eyes what would one day belong to his descendants. And now Moses was having the promises confirmed. He was not as one who was excluded from the land to die in the wilderness because of the rebellion of unbelief. He would die in a place prepared by God, having seen the land with his own eyes, knowing that it would soon belong to his people, for that was why Yahweh had caused him to bring them there.
Moses was faithful in all his house, but he was a sinner. For when the greater Moses came, our Lord Jesus Christ, He would not fail or be discouraged (Isaiah 42.4). It would seem so at first when they hung Him, obedience intact, on a cross, but from that ‘failure’ would come forth the salvation of the world. He would say, ‘Lo, I come to do your will, O my God’ (Hebrews 10.7, 9), and die for us all and rise again, a resurrection which would bring new significance to the death of Moses.
13 And when you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered.
Once Moses had seen the land with his own eyes he would then be ‘gathered to his people’ as Aaron had been.
14 For in the Wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to hallow Me at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the waters of Meribah, at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.)
His punishment, though milder, was due to the fact that he too had been guilty of a form of rebellion. He had not ‘believed’ fully and had rebelled against Yahweh’s word, and had thus failed to ‘reveal Him as holy’ at the waters in the eyes of the people, because of the people’s strife (meribah). He had allowed his view of the people to cause him to disobey Yahweh.
For that was what the waters of ‘Meribah’, of strife, in ‘Kadesh’, in the place of sanctification, were all about. Please note the play on words with the previous sentence. It should have been a place of sanctification, but it became a place of strife both for the people and for Moses and Aaron. What God had intended to be for everyone’s good had brought misery to everyone because of how they took it? If only all had looked only to Yahweh, how blessed they would have been!
For all of us we need to take notice of the heart of Moses as revealed in his reaction. The people had caused his downfall, but he still yearned that they might be watched over and cared for. And he pleaded with God to provide them with a suitable shepherd.
15 Then Moses spoke to the LORD, saying: 16 “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, 17 who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.”
Moses thought back over his long experience of these people and he pleaded with Yahweh to provide someone who would be as patient with them as he had been. It would have to be a man of patient spirit, of tender spirit, of compassionate spirit, of merciful spirit. Who better to provide such a man than Yahweh, The Lord God Most High.
What was needed was a man who, like a shepherd, would go out in front of them to protect them and watch for the dangers that lay ahead. He would also need to be one who came in among them to bring Yahweh’s message to them and to encourage them. He had to be one who could lead them out to face their destiny, and who could lead them in the right way, and he had to be one who could bring them in again safely to the shelter of the camp. So he prayed that God would appoint such a man.
And now we come to the one who can enter the land alive, the one chosen by Yahweh to replace Moses. Joshua had been Moses ‘servant. He had been with Moses in Mount Sinai (Exodus 24.13). He had watched over the old tent of meeting where he had probably done scribal work for Moses (Exodus 33.11). He had led Israel to victory in its first battle (Exodus 17.9-10). He had believed and stood firm when ten of the scouts had discouraged the people (14.6-9). So he was well trained for his new position, for Yahweh had overseen his training. And he was a man in who was the Spirit.
18 And the LORD said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; 19 set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight.
In response to Moses’ plea Yahweh pointed to his man. He was to take Joshua, the son of Nun, a man full of the Spirit of God. God would work through him as He had worked through Moses. And Moses was to lay his hand on him. The laying on of hands was the sign that a man had been set apart for God’s service. It was also a way of identifying with the person concerned. By this all would know that he was Moses’ chosen replacement.
Then the whole congregation of Israel were to be gathered together, and there he would be set before ‘the Priest’, Eleazar, and given his charge to fulfill his responsibility faithfully.
20 And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.
Thus would the honor in which Moses was held be placed on Joshua. And he would be recognized as honored by God. And thus the people would (hopefully) obey him as they had obeyed Moses.
21 He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire before the LORD for him by the judgment of the Urim. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, he and all the children of Israel with him—all the congregation.”
To Joshua was given the right to enquire of Urim and Thummim, coming to the High Priest in whose breast pouch they were, and arranging for their use. He was thus to replace Moses as God’s mouthpiece to the people. And whatever he decreed they would do. At his word they would come in, and at his word they would go out. They would go in and out together.
22 So Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation.
Moses did exactly as Yahweh told him. He took Joshua and set him before Eleazar ‘the Priest’, and before the entire congregation.
23 And he laid his hands on him and inaugurated him, just as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.
And Moses laid his hands on him and charged him with his responsibility to lead the people as Yahweh’s shepherd, just as Yahweh had said to him. Even before Moses was dead God was ready to move forward.
