Numbers · chapter 27 of 36
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Numbers 27 tells how the five daughters of Zelophehad ask Moses for an inheritance in the land because their father died with no sons, and the Lord rules in their favor and sets a law of inheritance. God tells Moses he will see the land from Mount Abarim but not enter it; Moses asks for a shepherd for the people and Joshua is named, commissioned before Eleazar and the congregation.
After the people are counted, chapter 27 turns to two themes: how the land is passed on and how leadership is passed on. Five women raise a case the law had not yet covered, and Moses, near the end of his life, seeks a successor so that the community will not be left without a shepherd. Both accounts show a God who cares for the vulnerable and for the continuity of his people.
The daughters of Zelophehad, of the tribe of Manasseh, are named Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. They come before Moses, Eleazar, the chiefs and the whole congregation at the entrance of the tabernacle. They explain that their father died in the wilderness, not among the company of Korah but for his own sin, and had no sons. They ask that his name not disappear from his clan and that they be given a possession among their father's brothers.
Moses brings the case before the Lord. God answers that the daughters are right, and commands that they be given an inheritance among their father's brothers. He then establishes a law for all Israel: if a man dies without a son, his inheritance passes to his daughter; if he has no daughter, to his brothers; then to his father's brothers and, if there are none, to the nearest relative in his clan. It will be a statute of justice for Israel.
The Lord then tells Moses to go up Mount Abarim and see the land he is giving the Israelites. After seeing it, he will be gathered to his people, as Aaron was, because both rebelled in the wilderness of Zin by not honoring his holiness before the people. Moses asks God to appoint someone over the congregation so that it will not be like sheep without a shepherd. God tells him to take Joshua, son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit; Moses lays his hands on him, presents him before Eleazar and the congregation and gives him some of his authority. Joshua will consult Eleazar, who will inquire of the Lord by the Urim.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The daughters ask that their father's name not disappear from his clan for lack of a son, and that they be given a possession. They boldly argue that the promise of the land must not exclude them.
The Lord says the daughters of Zelophehad are right and that he must give them an inheritance. God confirms their request and shows his care for those who might be left without legal protection.
Moses prays that the Lord appoint someone over the congregation so that it will not be like sheep without a shepherd. Instead of worrying about himself, he is concerned for the future of the people.
God tells Moses to take Joshua, son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay his hand on him. Leadership is passed on publicly and with the Lord's approval.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: The tribe of Manasseh. — Numbers 27:1
Answer: A possession among their father's brothers, so that his name would not disappear from his clan. — Numbers 27:4
Answer: He said they were right and that he must give them an inheritance among their father's brothers. — Numbers 27:6-7
Answer: To his brothers, then his father's brothers and, if there were none, to the nearest relative in his clan. — Numbers 27:9-11
Answer: The land God gives the Israelites, though he will not enter it. — Numbers 27:12-14
Answer: Joshua, son of Nun; Moses laid his hands on him before Eleazar and the congregation. — Numbers 27:18-23
The daughters of Zelophehad dare to bring a need before those in authority, and God listens. It is an example of asking for justice with respect and with confidence that God cares for those who might be overlooked. In a group you can talk about who today risks being left out by a gap in custom, and how the church can give voice to those people.
Moses, for his part, does not cling to power: he thinks of the people and asks for a shepherd. His example encourages us to prepare in good time those who will continue the work, so that no community is left without guidance. Christ is the Good Shepherd, and his followers learn from him to care for the sheep.
Numbers 27 ends with Joshua commissioned before all the people, and Moses accepting his limit. In chapters 28 and 29, God reminds the people of the calendar of offerings that will sustain their life of worship in the land.
Because the law did not yet say what happened if a man died with no sons. God confirms that daughters may inherit and establishes the principle for all Israel. It is an example of how God orders his law justly for those at a disadvantage.
The text says that Moses and Aaron rebelled against the Lord's word in the wilderness of Zin by not honoring his holiness before the people at the waters of Meribah. Moses accepted that consequence and devoted himself to preparing his successor.
It was a means of inquiring of the Lord used by the high priest, tied to the breastpiece of judgment. The text does not explain how it worked. It indicates that Joshua would depend on consulting God through the priest, not only on his own judgment.