Schoolmaster to Christ
NUMBERS CHAPTER 27
Schoolmaster to Christ
NUMBERS CHAPTER 27
Scripture Reading: Numbers 27 (KJV)
The conduct of the daughters of Zelophehad presents a striking and beautiful contrast to the unbelief recorded in chapter 26. They did not belong to the generation of those who are always ready to abandon God's ground, lower God's standard, and forego the privileges conferred by His grace. No; those five noble women had no sympathy with such. They were determined to plant the foot of faith on the highest ground, and, with holy yet bold decision, to make their own of that which God had given. Let us read the refreshing record: "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, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah, and they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord, in the company of Korah; but died in his own sin, and had no sons. Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family because he hath no son? Give unto us, therefore, a Possession among the brethren of our father" (vv. 1-4).
This is uncommonly fine. It does the heart good to read such words as these in a time like the present, when so little is made of the proper standing and portion of God's people, and when so many are content to go on from day to day and year to year, without caring to inquire into the things freely given to them by God. Nothing is sadder than to see the carelessness, the utter indifference, with which many professing Christians treat such great and all-important questions regarding the standing, walk, and hope of the believer and the Lord's church. It is not our purpose to go into these questions here. We merely desire to call attention to the fact that when we evince a spirit of indifferentism in reference to any point of divine revelation pertaining to the position and portion of the Lord's church or the individual believer, it is sinning against our own rich mercies and dishonoring the Lord. If in the abounding of His grace, God has been pleased to bestow on Christians precious privileges; should we not seek to earnestly know what these privileges are? Should we not seek to make them our own in the artless simplicity of faith? Is it treating our God and His revelation worthily to be indifferent regarding whether we are servants or sons; whether we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us or not; whether we are under law or grace; whether ours is a heavenly or earthly calling?
No; if there is one thing plainer than another in Scripture, it is this: God delights in those who appreciate and enjoy the provision of His love; who find their joy is Him. The inspired Word of God teams with evidence on this point. Look at the case now before as in this chapter. Here were those daughters of Joseph, bereaved of their father, helpless and desolate, as viewed from the standpoint of human nature. Death had snapped the apparent link connecting them with the portion and inheritance of God's people. What then? Were they content to give up, to fold their arms in cold indifference? Was it nothing to them whether or not they were to have a place and a portion with the Israel of God? No; these illustrious women exhibit something totally different from all this, something that we may well study and seek to imitate, something that, we are bold to say, refreshed the heart of God. They were sure there was a portion for them in the land of promise, of which neither death nor anything that happened in the wilderness could ever deprive them. "Why should the name of our father be done away from among his people because he hath no son?" Could death; failure of male issue; could anything frustrate the goodness of God? No. "Give unto us: therefore, a possession among the brethren of our father."
Noble words, that went right up to the throne and the heart of the God of Israel. It was a powerful testimony delivered in the ears of the whole congregation. Moses was taken back. Here was something beyond the range of the lawgiver. Moses was a servant, a blessed and honored servant. But, again and again, in the course of this wilderness book questions arise with which he is unable to deal. For example, the defiled men in chapter 9 and the daughters of Zelophehad in the chapter before us. "And Moses brought their cause before the Lord. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them" (vv. 5-7).
Here was a glorious triumph in the presence of the whole assembly. A bold and simple faith is always sure to be rewarded. It glorifies God, and God honors it. Need we travel from section to section, chapter-to-chapter, and page-to-page of the holy Bible to prove this? Need we turn to the Abrahams, the Hannahs, the Deborahs, the Rahabs, the Ruths of Old Testament times; or to the Marys, the Elizabeths, the centurions, and the Syro-phoenicians of The New Testament times? Wherever we turn, we learn the same great practical truth – God delights in a bold and simple faith; a faith that artlessly seizes and tenaciously holds all He has given; that refuses, even in the face of weakness and death, to surrender a single hair's breadth of the divinely given inheritance. Even though Zelophehad's bones lay moldering in the dust of the wilderness; even though no male issue appeared to sustain his name, still, faith could rise above these things, and count on God's faithfulness to make good all that His Word had promised.
"The daughters of Zelophehad speak right." They always do so. Their words are words of faith, and, as such, are always right in the judgment of God. It is a terrible thing to limit "the Holy One of Israel." He delights to be trusted and used. It is utterly impossible for faith to overdraw its account in God's bank. God can no more disappoint faith than He can deny Himself. He can never say to faith, "You have miscalculated; you take too lofty, too bold a stand; so lower down and lessen your expectations." No; the only thing in all this world that truly delights and refreshes God's heart is the faith that can simply trust Him; and we may rest assured – faith that can trust Him is also faith that can love Him, serve Him, and praise Him.
We are deeply indebted to the daughters of Zelophehad. They teach us a lesson of inestimable value. Their action gave occasion to the unfolding of a fresh truth that formed the basis of a divine rule for all future generations. The Lord commanded Moses, saying, "If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter."
Here, regarding the question of inheritance, a great principle is laid down, a principle we would have heard nothing about if it had not been for the faith and faithful conduct of these remarkable women. If they had listened to the voice of timidity and unbelief; if they had refused to come forward, before the whole congregation asserting the claims of faith; then not only would they have lost their own inheritance and blessing, but future daughters of Israel in a like position would have likewise been deprived of their portion. However, by acting in the precious energy of faith they preserved their inheritance; they got the blessing; they received testimony from God; their names shine on the page of inspiration; and by divine authority their conduct furnished a precedent for future generations.
Such is the marvelous result of faith. But, we must remember that there is moral danger arising out of dignity and elevation that faith confers on those who exercise it – a danger that must be carefully guarded against. This is strikingly illustrated in the further history of the daughters of Zelophehad, as recorded in the last chapter of Numbers. "And the chief fathers of the families of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near, and spake before Moses, and before the princes, the chief fathers of The children of Israel: and they said, The Lord commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters. And if they be married to any of the sons, of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then shall their inheritance be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and shall be put to the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they were received: so shall it be taken from the lot of our inheritance. And when the jubilee of the children of Israel shall be, then shall their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers. And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the Lord, saying, 'The tribe of the sons of Joseph hath said well'" (Num. 36:1-5).
The "fathers" as well as the "daughters" of the house of Joseph must be heard. The faith of the latter was most lovely; but there was a danger that they might forget the claims of others, and remove the landmarks guarding the inheritance of their fathers. This had to be thought of and provided for. It was natural to suppose what the daughters of Zelophehad would marry; and it was possible they might form an alliance outside the boundaries of their tribe Thus, instead of adjustment in the year of Jubilee, that grand adjusting institution, there would be confusion and a permanent breach in the inheritance of Manasseh. This would never do. Therefore the wisdom of those ancient fathers is apparent. In order that the integrity and testimony of faith may be maintained, we need to be guarded on every side. Though our faith may be strong, we are not to carry things with a high hand and strong will. Rather, we should always be ready to yield to the adjusting power of the whole truth of God.
"This is the thing which the Lord doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best, only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry; so shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe; for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers . . . Even as the Lord commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad; for they [the five daughters] were married unto their father's brothers' sons. And they were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh, the son of Joseph; and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father" (vv. 6-12; emphasis added).
So all is settled. The activities of faith are governed by the truth of God, and individual claims are adjusted in harmony with the true interests of all; while at the same time the glory of God is fully maintained, so that at the time of the Jubilee, instead of any confusion in the landmarks of Israel, the integrity of the inheritance is secured according to the divine grant.
Nothing can be more instructive than this history of the daughters of Zelophehad. May we profit by it.
The closing paragraph of this chapter is full of deep solemnity. Before our eyes, the governmental dealings of God are displayed in a manner eminently calculated to impress the heart. "The Lord said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. For ye 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" (vv. 12-14).
Moses could not go over Jordan – not officially as leader of the people or personally. Such was the enactment of the government of God. But on the other hand, we see grace shining with uncommon luster – Moses is conducted by God's own hand to the top of Pisgah and from there he sees the land of promise in all its magnificence, not merely as Israel later possessed it, but as God had originally given it.
This fruit of grace comes out more fully in the close of Deuteronomy, where we are also told that God buried His dear servant. This is indeed wonderful; there is nothing like it in the history of the saints of God. Moses spoke unadvisedly, and for that he was forbidden to cross the Jordan. This was God in government. But Moses was taken up to Pisgah, there, in company with Jehovah, to get a full view of the inheritance. Then Jehovah made a grave for His servant and buried him there. This was God in grace – marvelous, matchless grace. How precious to be the subject of such grace. May our souls rejoice more and more in the eternal fountain from whence it emanates, and in the channel through which it flows.
We close this chapter by briefly referring to the unselfishness of Moses in the matter of appointing a successor. An exquisite spirit of self-surrender always characterized this blessed man of God. We never find him seeking his own things; on the contrary, again and again, when opportunity came for him to build up his own fame and fortune, he distinctly proved that the glory of God and the good of His people so occupied and filled the heart of Moses that there was no room for selfish considerations.
So it is in the closing scene of this chapter. When Moses hears that he is not to go over Jordan, instead of being occupied with regret, he thinks only of the interests of the congregation. "And Moses spake unto the Lord saying, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd."
What unselfish breathings. Moses was content, provided Israel's needs were met. If only the work was done he cared not who did it; he calmly left his interests and destiny in the hand of God. He would take care of him, but his loving heart yearns over the beloved people of God; and the moment he sees Joshua ordained as their leader, he is ready to depart and forever be at rest. In our age, we could use a few characterized by his spirit of self-abnegation, and jealous care for God's glory and the good of His people. But we must repeat the words of the apostle, "All seek their own, not the things that are Jesus Christ's." O Lord, stir up our hearts to desire a more earnest consecration of ourselves, in spirit, soul, and body, to Your blessed service. May we, in good truth, learn to live not for self but for Him Who died for us – Who came from heaven to earth about our sins; and is gone back from earth to heaven about our infirmities; and Who is coming again for our eternal salvation and glory.
