Another Reason to Obey.  (Numbers 36:1-13)

Transcript

There are any number of reasons we could give for why we should obey the Lord. I think if I asked most Christian believers to create a list of those reasons they would probably boil down to two basic categories.

The first is to avoid the consequences of disobedience. I sure you can imagine a whole load of reasons under that category. The second major category of why we should obey is to enjoy the benefits of obedience. 

It seemed to me that you could put just about everything under one of those two categories.

In the book of Numbers, in the last chapter, it talks about some people who obeyed some new commands. In the process—and it's subtle but embedded in the story—I think there is another example of why people should obey the Lord. 

So, what I want to do tonight is go through our last chapter of Numbers. It’s a shorter passage than many we looked at in this book, in fact ,it’s actually a short story, but it seems to me that the basic message of the passage has to do with obedience. 

There’s a little twist in the tail here that I think is an additional reason for people to obey the lord. With that in mind, turn with me to Numbers chapter 36, in todays episode of TBPDP….

The family heads of the clan of Gilead son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, who were from the clans of the descendants of Joseph, came and spoke before Moses and the leaders, the heads of the Israelite families.

(Numbers 36: 1)

Before we go any further as you know when the children Israel conquered the land, they divided it and each of the 12 tribes 11 of the 12 tribes got some of the land.  What this verse is talking about is that there was the half of the tribe of Manasseh that was on the east side of the Jordan river that's where they settled and the leaders of that tribe came to meet with Moses and the leaders of all the other tribes they call for a special meeting because there was something that concerned them and the concern is explained in verse two.

They said, “When the Lord commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance to the Israelites by lot, he ordered you to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. 

(Numbers 36: 2)

Alright, this bears some explanation. This verse is saying two things. The first thing it says is that the Lord commanded Moses to give the land by lot. 

Just trying to think of a way to explain this—when you read the Old Testament, you get hung up on names and geography, wading through some of the names and stuff. The whole geography thing can be a bit foreign to us. So, I was trying to think of a way to make this a little more understandable for us.

What I'm going to suggest is this: the land of the Holy Land, as we call it—Palestine or the Kingdom—goes from Dan to Beersheba. That's an expression that appears in the Old Testament rather frequently to describe the length of the land. The furthest city in the north was Dan, and the furthest city in the south was Beersheba. The distance between the two is only 150 miles.

Now, that's not a very big piece of what my American friend call real estate, but it was very valuable to the tribes who got part of it. The width of the land varied from 30 miles in the north to 90 miles in the south, so not that big again. That’s 8000’s square miles, a little less than the size of New Jersey in the US or the County of North Yorkshire in the UK. In fact 47 of the US states are geographically bigger than Israel.

So, what this is saying is that this relatively small land was divided by lots. 

But there was a problem. The problem was this: if a man got this portion of land, and he died, who got the land? This is very important. In the Old Testament, his son would get the land. The idea was that if his son got the land, it would carry on in the family. The family would keep the land that was originally given to them.

Well, there is a case where a fellow died, and he didn't have a son. He's mentioned in verse two. His name is Zelophehad. 

Back in chapter 27, this becomes an issue before because we saw this man had no sons, only five daughters. So, who gets the land? If you don't have any sons. So, back in Numbers chapter 27 we saw that Moses has to make this decision. He goes before the Lord, and—shock of shocks—the Lord says to give it to the daughters. So, his daughters inherited the land.

I must admit, until recently, I've never paid much attention to what that scripture said. This time when I came across this passage, I decided to do some digging in the scripture about the place of women in the family and in the church.

So, I went back to the Old Testament, and there are some interesting references to women in the Old Testament. One was what happened in this case we see a great illustration where God says to give it to the daughters, to the women—no problem. Alright, that was in chapter 27.

What we're dealing with here is that the tribe that had those five daughters got some of the land. Now, there's another problem. They call a meeting of all the tribes and lay this problem before them. What's the second problem? Look at verse three:

Now suppose they marry men from other Israelite tribes; then their inheritance will be taken from our ancestral inheritance and added to that of the tribe they marry into. And so, part of the inheritance allotted to us will be taken away.

(Numbers 36: 3)

Oh, you gave it to the daughters, and there are five of them—we're told their names in verse 11, where they're named. If they marry somebody from another tribe, then it would belong to the son, and they would get part of our inheritance.

So, say these daughters want to get married, but they marry men from another family in another allocated land the problem then arises: the descendants in one part of the allocation will own part of the land that belongs to the tribe in the other area. As a result, the second tribe will in effect lose part of their inheritance. That's the issue at hand: these five daughters getting married outside of their tribe and how that affects their land inheritance.

There's an additional wrinkle here to iron out. Look at verse four: 

 When the Year of Jubilee for the Israelites comes, their inheritance will be added to that of the tribe into which they marry, and their property will be taken from the tribal inheritance of our ancestors.

(Numbers 36: 4)

Now, as you may recall, the Jubilee was the 50th year when everything reverted back to the original owner. The argument in this verse is that if a daughter with an inheritance marries into another tribe, her inheritance will then permanently go to that other tribe and at the year of Jubilee, with no way to reclaim it. 

So, that is the concern they brought to Moses and all the leaders of the other tribes. They needed a solution, almost like needing a family law lawyer today. 

But they didn't have a lawyer; what they had was the Lord. So, let's keep reading. Verse 5:

Then at the Lord’s command Moses gave this order to the Israelites: “What the tribe of the descendants of Joseph is saying is right. This is what the Lord commands for Zelophehad’s daughters: They may marry anyone they please as long as they marry within their father’s tribal clan.

(Numbers 36: 5-6)

I find this verse fascinating for a reason not directly related to the story. There are two little phrases in this verse I want to focus on. Notice it says in verse six, “They may marry anyone they please.” Now, I really want to follow up on this little statement.

First Corinthians Chapter 7 talks about widows. Verse 39 says, “A widow can marry whomever she wills.” The rest of the verse says, “But only in the Lord.” That led me to the conclusion that you can marry whomever you will, but it should be someone who is a believer, nothing more, nothing less.

Maybe in the Providence of God, God put people together, or better still allows them to grow together, but there’s no explicit scripture saying God picks out a mate for you.

In fact, it specifically says that a widow can marry whomever she wills, as long as it’s in the Lord. 

So this brings us back to the daughters of Zelophehad. They were given the freedom to marry whomever they thought best, but only within their father’s tribe to preserve the inheritance.

Of course maybe she needs some advice from outside sources like her mother, father, or friends. But be that as it may, they are free to choose her mate. Do you see that? 

The second thing we need to glean from that verse is the restriction—she must marry within her tribe. This restriction is similar to what is found in 1 Corinthians 7:39 and 2 Corinthians 6:14: in that a believer should marry a fellow believer. 

So she could marry anyone as long as it was a fellow tribe member and the purpose of this restriction was to keep the inheritance within the tribe. God wanted those tribes to retain their inheritance.

Now, let’s look at verse 7: 

7 No inheritance in Israel is to pass from one tribe to another, for every Israelite shall keep the tribal inheritance of their ancestors. 8 Every daughter who inherits land in any Israelite tribe must marry someone in her father’s tribal clan, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of their ancestors.

(Numbers 36: 7-8)

Verse 7 explains why this rule exists: to keep the inheritance within the tribe as originally allotted. Verse 8 states that the individual case being addressed applies to all the tribes.

This is not unusual, even in our legal system today. A judge may make a ruling on one case, and it then applies to everyone, some systems call it judicial precedent.

Alright, verse 9: 

No inheritance may pass from one tribe to another, for each Israelite tribe is to keep the land it inherits.

(Numbers 36: 9)

That’s what’s going on in this passage the concern is: what happens if a father dies and doesn’t leave sons? That was already settled in chapter 27, give it to the daughters. The new concern now is, what if the daughters marry outside their tribe? What happens then? 

Moses says the word of the Lord is that they must marry within their tribe.

Now, put yourself for a minute in the shoes of one of those five daughters. How would you respond to such a decision? What would be your reaction if you were given that kind of restriction on whom you could marry? 

With five daughters, you can just imagine that three of them might go one way and two the other: three might marry within the tribe, and two might marry outside, or vice versa. How did they respond? Look at verse 10.

10 So Zelophehad’s daughters did as the Lord commanded Moses. 11 Zelophehad’s daughters—Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milkah and Noah—married their cousins on their father’s side. 12 They married within the clans of the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in their father’s tribe and clan.13 These are the commands and regulations the Lord gave through Moses to the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.

(Number 36: 10-13)

You see, oObedience is the focal point of Numbers 36. This chapter highlights the obedience of the daughters of Zelophehad, whose names are explicitly listed. Commentators suggest this detailed account serves a dual purpose: it pays tribute to these women and their obedience and is there to provides encouragement to others. 

Amidst a book characterized by recurrent disobedience, this closing narrative stands out as a commendable example of adherence to divine instruction, and by the woman described here.

The emphasis on the daughters' compliance is not coincidental. In a national context where leaders from various tribes gathered to determine the Lord's will, and the obedience of these women was a demonstration of faith and dedication. 

Therefore this story closes the Book of Numbers on a positive note, offering a contrast to the numerous instances of rebellion and disbelief throughout the text.

One commentator I read noted that the daughters exemplified unwavering faith in the Lord, and their obedience became a national example that set a precedent for all of Israel.

Their actions demonstrated how individual obedience can inspire and influence an entire community.

Numbers 36 concludes with a summary of these events: the daughters of Zelophehad married within their tribe, as commanded, ensuring their inheritance remained within the tribe of Manasseh. This not only resolved their immediate concern but also served as an enduring example of faithful obedience to everyone.

You see I think Number Chapter 36 is meant to serve as a microcosm of the broader lessons found in the Book of Numbers. 

The Book of Numbers, rich with spiritual lessons, emphasizes the importance of trust and obedience to God. Early in the narrative, the Israelites, having left Egypt and received God's instructions at Sinai, but then faced a pivotal moment at Kadesh Barnea.

Despite God's promise, ten of the twelve spies doubted their ability to conquer the land, leading the nation into unbelief and disobedience. This resulted in wandering the wilderness for 40 years, highlighting the dire consequences of failing to trust and obey God.

However, a key lesson from Numbers is that human failure does not thwart God's overarching plan. Despite the initial generation's disobedience, God raised a new generation to fulfil His promise, underscoring His faithfulness and sovereignty.

This teaches that while disobedience brings discipline, it will not derail God's ultimate purposes.

In conclusion, I believe the big picture lesson in Numbers is that it teaches that obedience is vital, not only to avoid negative consequences but also to positively influence others. 

The daughters of Zelophehad provide a powerful example of obedience, showing that following God's commands can serve as an inspiration and guide for the community. This reinforces the idea that we should strive for obedience, understanding its broader impact.

As we conclude the Book of Numbers and move into we will soon encounter a foundational verse: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." This verse, often considered the John 3:16 of the Old Testament, remains central to Judaism today. 

It is the verse still quoted by Jews in various contexts, signifying God's revelation of Himself to Israel.

We are also then commanded to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and strength. These commandments are to be deeply embedded in our hearts and we are to teach these commandments diligently to our children and make them visible in our daily lives.

This underscores a critical principle: obedience begins with us but extends to us teaching our children, demonstrating that truth is more than something conveyed through instruction, but must also be passed  on by  example.

Research supports this principle. A study revealed that when both parents regularly attended church, a high children remained faithful to the church. If only the father attended, this number dropped to by a third; and if only the mother attended, it fell by another 3/4rs  Only 6% of the people in the church today come from a background where one or both of their parents didn’t attend.

 We all know that believers are meant to be examples to others. But it should start in the home. 

The Apostle Paul explicitly instructed, "Follow me as I follow Christ." In Philippians 2, Paul not only lays out directives but also presents the example of Jesus and Epaphroditus to model the behaviour he advocates. Elders, too, are to be examples to the flock.

Personal spiritual growth often involves learning from others. Each person gifted by God in a particular area can serves as a model in that particular aspect of the spiritual life, as well as in general. This concept of multiple examples enriches our understanding and practice of faith.

The five daughters in Numbers 36 exemplify this principle by obeying God's command, thereby providing a model for the rest of the nation.

Believers must also exemplify their faith to unbelievers. Colossians 4 advises walking in wisdom towards outsiders, and 1 Peter 3 encourages believers to be prepared to explain the hope within them to anyone who asks, particularly in the context of suffering.

Our lives can be a powerful testimony to unbelievers.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a notable 19th-century preacher, aptly stated, 

"A man's life is always more forcible than his speech. When men take stock of him, they reckon his deeds as pounds and his words as pennies. If his life and doctrine disagree, the majority of onlookers will accept his practice and reject his preaching."

This highlights the profound impact of living a godly life.

In conclusion, obedience serves not only our own spiritual growth but also as an example to others—children, fellow believers, and unbelievers. Our actions often speak louder than words. 

As we strive to live obediently, we become living testimonies of God's transformative power, encouraging others to do the same.