Numbers 36:1-13: a reflection

1The heads of the fathers’ households of the family of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the princes, the heads of the fathers’ households of the children of Israel. 2They said, “The LORD commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot to the children of Israel. My lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. 3If they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of our fathers, and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they shall belong. So it will be taken away from the lot of our inheritance. 4When the jubilee of the children of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they shall belong. So their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.” 5Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the LORD’s word, saying, “The tribe of the sons of Joseph speak what is right. 6This is the thing which the LORD commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, ‘Let them be married to whom they think best, only they shall marry into the family of the tribe of their father. 7So shall no inheritance of the children of Israel move from tribe to tribe; for the children of Israel shall all keep the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8Every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel shall be wife to one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may each possess the inheritance of his fathers. 9So shall no inheritance move from one tribe to another tribe; for the tribes of the children of Israel shall each keep his own inheritance.’” 10The daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD commanded Moses: 11for Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to their father’s brothers’ sons. 12They were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph. Their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father. 13These are the commandments and the ordinances which the LORD commanded by Moses to the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

This passage resolves a question of inheritance. The daughters of Zelophehad had earlier been granted the right to inherit their father's land, since he had no sons. But now a concern is raised: if they marry into another tribe, their inheritance will pass to that tribe, and be lost to their own. God gives a just resolution: the daughters may marry whom they wish, but within their own tribe, so that they keep their inheritance and each tribe keeps its own. Both the daughters' right and the tribes' inheritance are preserved.

Notice God's care that no one's rightful inheritance be lost. The daughters had a genuine right to their father's land; and the tribes had a genuine interest in keeping their inheritance intact. God's resolution honored both, arranging matters so that the daughters kept their portion and the tribes kept theirs, no one wronged, everyone's rightful inheritance preserved. God attends to fairness, to seeing that what rightly belongs to each is not lost.

That reflects something of God's character: his care for justice, for seeing that each receives and keeps what is rightly theirs. God is not indifferent to fairness; he attends to the rightful claims of all, even in matters of inheritance and property, arranging things so that no one is cheated of what is theirs. And notice, too, the daughters' willing obedience: they did as the LORD commanded, accepting his arrangement. Trust the God who cares that your rightful inheritance is not lost, who attends to justice and fairness; and, like the daughters of Zelophehad, receive his arrangements willingly, trusting that the God who orders such matters orders them justly, and preserves for each what is rightly theirs.

Lord, when a concern arose that the daughters of Zelophehad might lose their inheritance, you gave a just resolution that preserved both their right and their tribe's inheritance, so that no one was wronged and each kept what was rightly theirs. Thank you that this reflects your care for justice, your attention to seeing that each receives and keeps what is rightly theirs. You are not indifferent to fairness; you attend to the rightful claims of all, even in matters of inheritance and property, arranging things so that no one is cheated. And thank you for the daughters' willing obedience, that they did as you commanded, accepting your arrangement. Help me trust the God who cares that my rightful inheritance is not lost, who attends to justice and fairness; and, like the daughters of Zelophehad, help me receive your arrangements willingly, trusting that you who order such matters order them justly. You preserve for each what is rightly theirs; help me trust your justice.