When I sat down to look up the next desert verses, I didn't find what I expected to find. I thought we were going to jump right into the discussion of the succession of leadership.
I'd forgotten about this little episode.
The next 'desert' verse is Num 27:3; the daughters of Zelophehad, of the tribe of Manasseh, came before the leaders at the Tent of Meeting and said
'Our father died in the desert. He was not among Korah's followers, who banded together against the LORD, but he died for his own sins and left no sons. Why should our father's name disappear from his clan, because he had no son? Give us property among our father's relatives.' (vs 3 - 4)
Property was inherited from father to son; but Zelophehad did not have any sons. It was quite possible, then, when the property was divvied up by tribe and clan and family, that his daughters would have nothing...and their family name would have no inheritance.
Their request sent Moses to inquire of the LORD what to do about such things...what if a man had no sons? What happened to his property?
The LORD responded, and the law was established:
'Say to the Israelites, "If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his inheritance over to his daughter. If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers. If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to be a legal requirement for the Israelites, as the LORD commanded Moses." ' (vs. 8 - 11)
That, more or less, settled that, but God spoke to Moses concerning those ladies before giving him the instruction for the nation.
'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' (v 7).
My friends, this is remarkable. God commended these ladies, said they were right, and made sure they had an inheritance.
Can I just offer one little opinion? That if the God of the Old Testament was a product of misogynistic old patriarchs who saw women as less valuable then men, less able to manage, as servants, then this pronouncement would not have happened? The women would have been scorned for daring to suggest that they should have any claim to an inheritance.
But Moses took their question seriously.
And God said they were right. And He gave instructions that for all generations to come...women had the right to inherit if they had no brothers. The rights of daughters superseded that of uncles.
Their father died in the desert, but there would be an inheritance passed along to his descendants because his daughters dared to ask...securing the inheritance not only for themselves, but for other women in similar circumstances in years to come.
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