“And Moses commanded the people of Israel according to the word of the Lord, saying, ‘The tribe of the people of Joseph is right. This is what the Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: “Let them marry whom they think best, only they shall marry within the clan of the tribe of their father. The inheritance of the people of Israel shall not be transferred from one tribe to another, for every one of the people of Israel shall hold on to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. And every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the people of Israel shall be wife to one of the clan of the tribe of her father, so that every one of the people of Israel may possess the inheritance of his fathers. So no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another, for each of the tribes of the people of Israel shall hold on to its own inheritance.” ‘ ” (v5-9)
Long story short, these daughters of Zelophehad received inheritance (eg. land) from their father because there weren’t any sons in the family. They were now concerned their inheritance would be transferred to another of the 13 tribes if they intermarried with those tribes. A decree was passed stating they must marry within their tribe so the tribe’s inheritance would not be lost.
First, a quick note to say these early women’s rights advocates (daughters of Zelophehad) were well ahead of their time asking to receive inheritance (see Num 27) since women were not culturally allowed to own property (in fact, they were seen as property in most cultures). They were brave to even approach Moses, since women did not receive much respect and were often not allowed to speak directly to leaders (they were expected to have their husbands/fathers to speak on their behalf).
That being said, our main focus is on inheritance. Similar to today, inheritance was often defined as property (land, cattle, money, etc.), kept in the family for future generations. Though this is an important practice, property can be lost through any number of life’s circumstances – marriage, divorce, death, theft, bankruptcy, etc. There is another kind of inheritance the Bible also speaks about which is even more important and cannot be stolen.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Pt 1:3-5) “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Rm 8:16-17)
Peter and Paul inform us that through Jesus’ death and resurrection we have become children of God, co-heirs with Christ, so we have a share of His inheritance. This inheritance is everlasting, cannot be stolen, never loses value, and is guarded by God Himself in heaven. I’m not sure about you, but to me that sounds far more valuable than a little bit of land or money that will be stolen or will lose value over time.
My challenge for today is to invest in an inheritance that is eternal: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt 6:19-21) Sure, leaving some earthly inheritance for our future generations is a good thing and Im not suggesting we shouldn’t do that – I’m suggesting we don’t forget the eternal inheritance and make it our primary focus for a legacy.
The key is, we must share this eternal inheritance before we leave this earth, and since only God knows when that’s going to happen, let’s not waste any time dispersing this it. Don’t worry, this inheritance has an infinite source, and cannot be exhausted, so it can be shared with everyone we know, not just our families. Let’s be recklessly generous with our eternal inheritance, just as our Heavenly Father is recklessly generous.
Father God, Almighty Lord of Israel, we come before You today and ask for Your wisdom and guidance. Father we recognize the temporal nature of this world – worldy wealth perishes in a heartbeat. Please help us to primarily focus on that which is eternal – Your provision and steadfast love. Father please embolden us to share You with the world. Please help us to give generously, without holding back. Please dampen any fears of what people may think when we speak Your name. Please remove any barriers that prevent us from proclaiming Your greatness to those around us. Father we cannot do this without You. Jesus, please show us the way. Amen.
~ Conqueror in Training