Numbers 27-30, Zelophehad's Daughters

by, Jane Scanlon

     Zelophehad’s five daughters, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah had a dilemma when their father died on their way to the Promise Land.  Their father’s inheritance would have been lost because there was no son to inherit the property.  The Mosaic law excluded daughters from their father’s inheritance, therefore they would have had no place in Israel.

    

     The daughters’ request required boldness and risk because they were challenging a law that had been given by God. Regardless of their fear, and without grumbling nor manipulation they presented their case to the authorities God had put in place over them, Moses, Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly. The daughters had knowledge of the law and history. They established their father’s integrity in that he was not involved in Korah's rebellion, when the men of Israel banded together against the Lord. They asked, “Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son?  Give us the property among our father’s relatives.” (Numbers 27:4)

     When the daughters presented their problem to Moses, he could have solved it in different ways. He could have said that women can’t own property, and have they to obey the law. He could have punished them for challenging the Mosaic Law. God’s word tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6 “ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him.” That is exactly what Moses did. He listened to the five sisters, brought their case before the Lord, and sought His will first.

      The Lord said to him: “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an  inheritance among their father’s relatives and turn their father’s inheritance over to them.” (Numbers 27:7)

     Then the Lord changed the law and issued a legal requirement for the Israelites that would take care of the five sisters’ need and also provide for future generations.  Because they made their petition known, God honored their appeal and they received their rightful inheritance. A new set of inheritance laws changed forever.

     This story of Zelophehad’s five daughters offers lessons that we can apply today. God’s word tells us in 2 Tim 1:7, “He did not give us a spirit of fear;  but of power, and of love and a sound mind.”  Although risky, the daughters asked for what they thought was right in a correct manner. Their example can encourage us when we feel we are acting with the power of the Holy Spirit to be able to ask the hard questions. Like the daughters we are empowered to ask with boldness and respect, to those God has placed in authority over us in our family, work, or government. 

     As Moses, we should ask God first because God promises to give us wisdom. (James 1:5).  The daughters were able to bring about change even with the Mosaic Law.  This story provides a message of hope, that when faced with obstacles that seem unjust, handling them in a biblical way could change the future and bring blessings to many.