September 20 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Numbers 27:1–5

Devotional

It would not be long before the people of Israel would enter into the Promised Land. They had been in the wilderness forty long years, but now the end of the journey was in sight. As we can read in the previous chapter, everyone received his inheritance according to the tribes and families. The sons of Israel would receive their inheritance from the Lord Himself, so that each one could say: “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage” (Ps. 16:6).

That was the perspective for the sons. But what was to be done for the daughters? If there were unmarried daughters, would they not receive an inheritance? That was the great question for the five daughters of Zelophehad. Their father had died in the wilderness, but he had no sons, only daughters. Consequently, the name of this deceased father could not continue to exist, since there were no heirs, for the inheritance could only be passed on to the sons and not to the daughters.

The Promised Land had been divided among the sons. The daughters of Zelophehad had to be excluded. There they stood alone, as orphans, without hope for a place in the land of promise. For others it was fine, but not for them. They had no rights. They had to be left out. The land was only for the sons. That became such a great burden for these five daughters that they wanted to have something done that in reality could no longer happen, because the land had already been parceled out to the sons. But in spite of this, they went to Moses and Eleazar, the priest, to ask for an inheritance in the land of Canaan.

What prompted these daughters to so resolutely pursue an inheritance in that land? Did they take such pains just for a small plot of land? No, that was not their motivation. They had more in view than just a parcel of earth. They had a holy intention. Their goal was to receive an inheritance from the Lord. That inheritance would be a sign of God’s favor. It meant more than just having a place to live. It meant to receive a place from God, and that is, to have a place with God. That was their purpose. At the heart of the matter, their need was a spiritual need.

Think of the vineyard of Naboth. Ahab wanted to buy it from Naboth. The king offered him much money for it, or if Naboth wished, he would give him a better vineyard in its place. Why did Naboth refuse this offer? He could not accept it because the land was the inheritance of his father. That land was really received from God as a token of His favor. The Lord’s favor was worth more to Naboth than a better vineyard from the king, even if that would cost him his life.

The daughters of Zelophehad also understood this. They were not concerned about a plot of land, but about an inheritance from heaven. That is why they were so distressed. They did not say, “Oh well; it’s too bad, but that’s the way it is. There is nothing to be done about it. If you are not one of the elect, you will never get there.” They did not say that, for true need will even scale walls of impossibilities.

Do you understand this? Has there been a time in your life when your need became so great that something impossible had to happen? Do you know that you, by birth, have no inheritance from God? Do you know that you have forfeited your place with God? You have become a sinner without any rights. You must be excluded from God’s inheritance, if no divine miracle takes place. Have you ever faced this reality?

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.