Numbers 27
McGeeCHAPTER 27THEME: The women’s problem; God grants their request; Moses is to prepare for deathWe are in the section of the Book of Numbers which we have labeled “A New Generation.” We saw last time that when the census was made, Joshua and Caleb were the only persons living who were enlisted in the census the first time. In other words, every one twenty years and over had died in that forty-year period. Those were rigorous years out on that desert, and they had perished. Now Israel is comprised of a new generation, and this new generation will have new problems. It has always been a problem for one generation to understand another generation because each generation faces its own particular problem. It is quite interesting that someone has divided it this way. When you are young, you criticize the old generation, and when you are old, you criticize the young generation. That seems to be human nature. As we come to this twenty-seventh chapter of the Book of Numbers we see that the new generation is presented here with a new problem. Actually, Moses didn’t know what to do. He had to appeal to the Lord, because according to the laws of other nations the women just didn’t count. In fact, they were treated as chattel.
Numbers 27:1
THE WOMEN’S PROBLEMIf you have a lot of daughters in your family, friends, and you run out names, and you don’t like ordinary names, here is a list I’d like to suggest to you: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah! I have never heard of a woman named any of these names, and I think I know why! But these were the daughters of Zelophehad.
Numbers 27:2
You can see the problem. This man Zelophehad died in the wilderness. He had five daughters and no sons. According to the Mosaic Law, it looked as if a son were the one who inherited the property, and the women were just left out. Certainly the laws of the other nations did leave them out. They did not count at all. Now what are they to do? These daughters of Zelophehad are very aggressive. We are hearing a great deal today about women’s rights. Well, they certainly got their rights in the Bible. There are those who said years ago that the Bible was a man’s book. However the more I read the Bible, the more I see that the Word of God gives women their rights. And I believe that they should have their rights, by the way. Moses didn’t really know what to do. I suppose he said to them, “Well, girls, I don’t know what to say to you. I can see that you have a just cause, but according to the laws and customs of the day you certainly would not get anything.” So Moses brought their case before the Lord.
Numbers 27:6
GOD GRANTS THEIR REQUESTThe Lord is on the side of women’s rights, you see. This is one of the most remarkable laws that is imaginable. We live in a day when a ruling such as this is commonplace. It is difficult for us to put ourselves back in that day when women were treated like chattel. Missionaries who work among the tribes on the Orinoco River were telling me recently that in Venezuela a little girl in the family is sold to a man even before she reaches the age of ten years. Girls are traded just as one would trade an animal.
This custom still exists among primitive people. Every woman today ought to be thankful for the Word of God because it is the Bible that first gave women their rights. I think this is a marvelous thing. “The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance.” Now, on the basis of that, God puts down a principle and a law for them.
Numbers 27:8
This is a marvelous step forward, and it was made about 1500 years before Christ came into the world. I marvel at the aggressiveness and the forwardness of these women. I marvel at the faith of these women. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb_11:6). The five girls wanted to possess their father’s inheritance. It was not the custom of the day nor a written law that they could have it. Therefore, they asked by faith, and by faith God gave the inheritance to them. There is a marvelous lesson in this for us today. We are told that we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Eph_1:3). I believe that God hears and answers us, not only in the spiritual blessings but also in the material things. I’m of the opinion that most of us are more or less paupers because we do not come to God as his children and ask Him for things. God wants to be good to us. In my Christian life I have always hesitated to ask God for any material thing. When I was attending seminary, I worked for a Memphis newspaper, taking in ads at night. When there was an ad to sell a car, I’d go out and look at the car. If it was a bargain, I would buy it. I would drive it a year or so, then sell it for what I had paid for it. When I graduated from seminary, I asked the Lord to give me a good second-hand car. Do you know what the Lord did? He gave me a new car. Now, why didn’t I ask Him for a new car? Perhaps we are poor because we just don’t know what to ask for. More than this, we have possessionswonderful spiritual possessions in Christ Jesus. He would like for us to claim these in faith. The daughters of Zelophehad came and asked for the possession that was their father’s. Today we have spiritual possessions which we should ask for. Let’s tell our Father that we want our inheritance and that we want these spiritual blessings. He wants to bless us! How wonderful He is!
Numbers 27:12
MOSES IS TO PREPARE FOR DEATHWe come to a sad note here. We’ve been following Moses for a long time. Actually, because he is the writer of Genesis, we have been with him from Genesis until now. At this point he is to prepare to pass from this earthly scene. God is referring to the time Moses smote that rock twice after God had told him to speak to it. God says here that it was rebellion against His commandment. Because Moses did this, he is only permitted to take a look into the land; he is not permitted to enter the land. I used to ask my classes a trick question. Did Moses ever enter the Promised Land? Most of the students would say that he did not. Every now and then a sharp student would say, “Yes, he did.” And, of course, he did. He was there on the Mount of Transfiguration with the Lord Jesus. That was after his death. Here he only got a view of the Promised Land. God will not permit him to enter into the land. You see, disobedience keeps many of us from entering into our spiritual possessions. Disbelief will always lead to disobedience. That is exactly what happened to Moses.
Numbers 27:15
There is to be a successor appointed to take the place of Moses. He must be a Spirit-filled man. Now I want to make it clear that the laying on of hands did not make him Spirit-filled, nor did it give him any power. The only thing that can be communicated by the laying on of hands is disease germs. What it does indicate is succession or partnership in the enterprise. You will remember that the church put their hands on Paul and Barnabas and sent them out from Antioch. Did that give them power? Not at all. The power came through the Holy Spirit of God. It was to show that the church was acknowledging their association with these two men in the missionary enterprise. That is the meaning of the laying on of hands. Joshua is to be the successor of Moses. After Moses lays down the work, Joshua will pick it up. We will learn a great deal about this man when we get to the Book of Joshua. I want to say here that I think Joshua was the most surprised man in the camp when he was chosen to succeed Moses. In one sense he was the most unlikely one to succeed Moses. Do you know why? He was an average man. No one went around saying that Joshua had great potential, great leadership ability, and all that sort of thing you hear today. Apparently Joshua didn’t have that. He was an ordinary individual. Joshua reveals what God can do with an ordinary man. I must tell you that the Books of Joshua and Judges have always been a great encouragement to me. I love those two books because they reveal what God can do with ordinary men. If a person will be yielded to Him, God can take him and use him. That means He can use me, because He can use the ordinary. It means He can use you. So Joshua is the chosen one. He is appointed to take the place of Moses. We will see that in due time, after the death of Moses at the end of the Book of Deuteronomy, Joshua takes over.