The Daughters of Zelophehad
We find ourselves still in the last throws of the wilderness wanderings of Exodus. Zelophehad was from the Manasseh tribe, the line descended from Joseph of colourful coat fame. He had five daughters and no sons, and he died a natural death (because of his own sin we are told). This is rather than in the ugly situation with Korah who led a rebellion against Moses. So he was a man of average piety, nothing shameful, a decent man and from the devotion of his daughters we can assume a decent Father.
Moses and the Elders are deep in conversation about the division of the promised land the Israelites are preparing to enter as the five daughters approach them. This is a very brave and very unusual thing
to do in this time and they petition Moses that in the interests of Justice they too should be allotted the land that their father would have been entitled to. Till this point only Male heirs could inherit or even own land.
Moses, takes it to God and God agrees, that yes they should have a share of the land, but they need to marry within their own tribe to preserve the inheritance and continue the Father’s name. (Clever this really as it maintains the original intention to continue the Fathers name, purifying the motive). This becomes a historic moment and changes the laws forever.
This could easily be taken as one of those ‘a-spiritual’ Leviticus law stories, that, although a show of courage, bears no real relevance to us as the reader. But (and isn’t there always a but when we dig deeper) several other things are called to mind, at least for me.
Firstly our own inheritance, from Our Father God. We too are offered a promised land, one that blood was shed for us to access. I wonder if we would courageously fight for it. If it were to look like being lost what would you do to reclaim it? Sometimes it’s as simple as one heartfelt confession, another, it might take all we have. How badly do we want to cross our own version of the Jordan and stake a claim on a little spot in heaven?
Another point is Legacy, the legacy Zelophehad left his daughters wasn’t just his name and good reputation, but something much richer. Their character. He must have taught his daughters a trust in God’s righteousness, a sense of worth and the courage to stand up for justice and fairness. What bigger legacy can we be given and, in turn, give our children but that?
Challenging the status quo with courage is another theme we could look at in this story. I wonder how often I have shrugged and thought, “It is what it is” or “how could I possibly change anything” accepting that injustice is just the way of the world and we have to somehow accept it and walk alongside it, maybe moaning but doing little about it. Zelophehads daughters show us something different, that doing ‘something’, maybe as simple as asking politely and with a well-reasoned case, might just deliver incredible change that ripples down through History. The Jewish women are still living out of this legacy today.
And the last point, but perhaps the most important is the courage to ask God for big things, even seemingly impossible things. It takes courage, it takes vulnerability and it takes faith. I seem to find myself negotiating down with the Lord.
“This is what I’d like, Lord, but perhaps just this would be ok, or even I would be happy with….” I manage my expectations of Him. I never allow Him the joy of answering the big desires. Maybe because I know I’m not worthy of them, maybe because I am already in debt to Him, so what right do I have to even ask? What if He says ‘No’? Maybe it’s safer to scale down the request. And sometimes the fear lies in “What if He says yes” and I didn’t really know the full extent of what it was I was asking for? There will be 1000 unconscious reasons that we fail to trust Him enough with our hearts. None of which are valid.
What I do know though is that He holds armfuls of graces for us, waiting for us to ask for them, a father who delights in giving gifts to His children.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Perhaps we fear He is a reflection of us, rather than us striving to be a reflection of Him. So with courage, let’s approach the throne of grace with open hands to receive the very things He may well have placed on our hearts Himself, to draw us ever closer.
Oh and The daughters do marry within their clan (Num 36:10–12) and eventually receive their inheritance (Josh 17:3–6).
Download the Small group resource here
