TEXT: NUMBERS 27:1-4 [Portrays Christ as “our Lifted Up One"!
Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph: and these are the names of his 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,
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 son? Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father.
God has already told us that “We are anointed”! Then He said for us to “Increase the anointing”! He also said that “Everything is alright”! Now He’s saying to us, “Go get your inheritance”!
The Book of Numbers covers a period of thirty-eight years of Israel wandering in the wilderness and their preparation for the conquest and settlement in the Promised Land. One aspect of this preparation involves two censuses. The first one meant to gauge the nation’s military strength, and the second had a dual purpose: to gauge the nation’s military and to use as a tool for land distribution.
Here they are at the entrance of the Promised Land when the second census was taken and only men were counted. At this time the inheritance customs allowed only men to own property. It was the male who was the central figure in preserving family continuity in name and in property. Women had no property rights. They were considered property themselves. They had no voice. They were “seen and not heard”.
If a father died leaving no sons, daughters did not inherit what he left. Property went to the surviving male relative. Male dominance in society was so great both secular and religiously. A great difference between the status of men and women was visible in areas of life. That same “Pharisaical spirit” is very much alive today in churches as well as in the homes.
Sadly, today in the church we still find those who persist in promoting disparity in both perception and practice between men and women. They will take a few biblical texts out of context and a few human traditions elevated to status of divine truths and use it to keep women in their place in the church.
Our text serves as a model for understanding God’s perception of rights and justice toward women.
Among the many rights and challenges women faced was a lack of inheritance. Inheritance is from the Hebrew word nahalah, meaning specific allotment or entitlement (land that has continuity with the past and ties with a sacred heritage; property received upon the death of one’s parents). It’s derived from nahal, meaning possession.