(Numbers 27:1) Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and these are the names of his daughters--Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
In chapter 26 of Numbers there was a census taken of all the able-bodied men of war 20 years and older. In verse 33 we were told of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher (Gilead's son who was the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh), and that Zelophehad had no sons, only daughters. Here these daughters were mentioned again--Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
(2) And they stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, (3) “Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of those who gathered together against the LORD, in the company of Korah, but died in his own sin, and had no sons."
The five daughters of Zelophehad came before Moses and Eleazar (Aaron's son) the priest, and before all the princes of the people, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were gathered by the door of the tabernacle. They spoke about their father who had died in the wilderness, making it a point to say that he had not been in the company of Korah who had rebelled against the Lord, but had died in his own sin, meaning that sin that is common to all men, and he had died in the wilderness under that general sentence that the Lord had passed upon the older generation that none of them would enter the promised land. They explained that their father had had no sons.
(4) “Why should the name of our father be removed from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.”
Because inheritance in the promised land was based upon the number of able-bodied men of war, and did not include women, they reasoned that their father's name should not be erased from his family just because he had only daughters and no son. They requested that they be given a possession in the promised land, as representing their father among his brothers. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, pointed out how this showed great faith in the word of the Lord since Canaan had not yet been conquered, and an earnest desire to have a part in that promise, as well as respect for their father's name. Additionally, Mr. Henry compared these five daughters to the five wise virgins that Jesus would later use in a teaching parable. The promised land was a symbol of the Kingdom of God, and these five wise virgins showed diligence in seeking to obtain their part in that heavenly inheritance.
(5) And Moses brought their cause before the LORD.
Moses did not try to answer this himself, but took their case to the Lord.
(6) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (7) “The daughters of Zelophehad speak right; you shall surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren; and you shall cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them."
The Lord told Moses that the daughters of Zelophehad had spoken what was right and just, and that he was to give them the inheritance of their father just as their father's brothers' inheritances fell to their sons. In this the Lord demonstrated that when you seek, you shall find. Those who seek an inheritance in the heavenly land of promise, shall receive it.
(8) “And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter.'"
The Lord went on speaking to Moses, to furthermore tell the children of Israel what to do in the case of a man who died with no son; his inheritance was to pass to his daughter.
(9) "'And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.'"
The Lord went on to instruct that if a man died with no children at all, his inheritance was to pass to his brothers.
(10) "'And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. (11) And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the relative closest to him in his family, and he shall possess it.’” And it shall be to the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as the LORD commanded Moses.
If a man died with no children and he had no brothers, then his inheritance was to be given to his father's brothers. In the event his father had no brothers either, then the inheritance was to pass to the man's closest relative. This was to be the law for inheritances as the Lord had commanded to Moses.
(12) And the LORD said to Moses, “Go up into this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel."
The Lord then told Moses to go up this mountain... Abarim was actually a range of mountains; the mountain Moses was told to ascend was Mount Nebo, as was later recorded in Deuteronomy 32:49. The Lord wanted Moses to go up that mountain to see the land that He was giving the children of Israel.
(13) “And when you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered."
The Lord continued, telling Moses that once he had seen the promised land, he would then die, as his brother Aaron had died.
(14) "For you rebelled against My commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify Me at the water before their eyes"; that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.
The Lord went on to explain to Moses why he would die before entering the promised land. In Numbers 20:12, the Lord had told both Moses and Aaron that because they did not believe Him, to sanctify Him in the eyes of the children of Israel, they would not bring the people into the promised land. This was the event at the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin when the people had complained about having no water. Moses and Aaron did not obey the Lord to sanctify Him in the eyes of His children. Rather they seemed to imply it was they who would give them water by Moses's action by striking the rock, which was not what the Lord had told him to do. Aaron had already died as the Lord had promised after this episode, and now it was Moses's time, but the gracious Lord would allow Moses to see the promised land.
(15) And Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, (16) “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, (17) Who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep which have no shepherd.”
Moses then entreated the Lord, acknowledging that He, the Father of spirits who knew the spirits of all men, place a man in Moses's stead to lead the people so they would not wander about as sheep without a shepherd. This request by Moses showed a tender concern for the children of Israel. This same metaphor was later used in Matthew 9:36 when describing Jesus Christ's compassion for the multitudes who fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd.
(18) And the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; (19) And set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and give him charge in their sight."
In answer to Moses's request, the Lord told him to take Joshua with him, a man in whom was His Spirit, and set him before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation. Moses was to lay his hand on Joshua, signifying the transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua, and give him formal charge in their sight.
(20) “And you shall put some of your honor on him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient."
By his words and actions, Moses was to transfer to Joshua his honor as leader in government so that the children of Israel would regard Joshua as their leader and obey his commands.
(21) "And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the LORD; at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, he, and all the children of Israel with him, all the congregation."
The Lord continued to speak to Moses with regard to Joshua. Joshua was to stand before Eleazar the priest, who would ask counsel of the Lord through the use of the Urim and Thummim that were kept inside the fold of the breastplate of judgment worn by the priest (Exodus 28:30). In this way it was the Lord who determined when the people moved out or came back in. At "his" word may refer to Joshua's word or that of Eleazar, or even at the Lord's word. If it was Joshua or Eleazar, it was to voice the will of the Lord as shown through the Urim and Thummim.
(22) And Moses did as the LORD commanded him, and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; (23) And he laid his hands upon him and gave him a charge, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.
Moses did just as the Lord had commanded he do. He brought Joshua before Eleazar the priest and before all the children of Israel, and laid his hands upon him and ordained Joshua as his successor. According to the medieval French rabbi and Torah commentator, Jarchi, Moses "did this cheerfully, and did more than he was commanded; for the Lord said to him, 'lay thine hand', but he laid both his hands" (John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible).
Moses showed us a great example of humility. This might have ordinarily been seen as a demoting of himself and a diss to his own family. Think about it--the priesthood was given to his brother Aaron's family, and now he was to pass the civil government on to his servant from the tribe of Ephraim. His own posterity were only common Levites who waited on the priests. However, Moses cheerfully ordained Joshua. As Matthew Henry so beautifully stated, "...this was such an instance of self-denial and submission to the will of God as was more his glory than the highest advancement of his family could have been; for it confirms his character as the meekest man upon earth, and faithful to him that appointed him in all his house. This (says the excellent bishop Patrick) shows him to have had a principle which raised him above all other lawgivers, who always took care to establish their families in some share of that greatness which they themselves possessed; but hereby it appeared that Moses acted not from himself, because he acted not for himself."
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