Tag: machir

49. Wilderness – 13.f. “Marriage of Female Heirs”

 

Num 36:1-5  The heads of the fathers’ houses of the clan of the people of Gilead the son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of the people of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the chiefs, the heads of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel. They said, “The LORD commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot to the people of Israel, and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters.  But if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the people of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of our fathers and added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry. So it will be taken away from the lot of our inheritance. And when the jubilee of the people of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry, and their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.” And Moses commanded the people of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying, “The tribe of the people of Joseph is right.

The book of Numbers ends with a concern about inheritance when a daughter would marry someone outside her father’s tribe. It is a valid concern and was recognized as such. It appears this was not done with grumbling but with the intent to bring up a concern. Their concern was valid and addressed appropriately and in agreement with everyone. 

We can learn from this. Church leaders do not spend time thinking of ways to complicate or short-change various members of their congregation. However, sometimes there are unseen consequences and they arise after the fact.  There are two ways to approach this; 

Inappropriately

  1. Grumble 
  2. Speak badly about the decision
  3. Become upset 
  4. Be divisive 
  5. Cause factions and divisions
  6. Point out blame
  7. Become jealous
  8. Become resentful
  9. Find others who can be swayed by your thoughts

Appropriately

  1. Kindly
  2. Respectfully
  3. Open minded
  4. Willing to listen
  5. Willing to compromise
  6. Willing to do what’s best
  7. Supportive
  8. Humbly
  9. Keeping unity

Far too many times people always think the worst and display actions as if the decision was solely designed to harm them. This is not the case but certainly is a playground for Satan to launch attacks. 

The approach we take will reflect our commitment to honor and glorify Jesus Christ. You can see clearly the path that does this and the path that does not. 

It is good for us to be ever-growing in our desire and commitment to honor and glorify Jesus in all our thoughts, words, and actions.

48.k. “Wilderness” – 12.q. “Moses brought their case before the LORD”

 

Num 27:1-7  Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying, “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin. And he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.” Moses brought their case before the LORD. And the LORD said to Moses, “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them.

In the orders for the division of the land, just given, no provision had been made for females, in case of failure of male issue. The five daughters of Zelophehad, therefore, considered themselves as destitute, having neither father nor brother, and being themselves entirely overlooked; and they agreed to refer the case to Moses and the rulers, whether it were not equitable that they should inherit their father’s portion. This led to the enactment of an additional law to the civil code of Israel, which satisfactorily ascertained and amply secured the right of succession in cases of inheritance. This law, which is as reasonable as it is just, stands thus –

1. On the demise of the father, the estate descends to the sons.

2. If there be no son, the daughters succeed.

3. If there be no daughter, the brothers of the deceased inherit.

4. If there be no brethren, or paternal uncles, the estate goes to the grand uncles, or brothers of his father.

5. If there be no grand uncles, then the nearest of kin succeeds to the inheritance.

Beyond this fifth degree the law does not extend, because there must always have been some among the Israelites who could be called kinsmen.

 “For it was a hard case; and though their plea seemed reasonable, yet Moses showed his humility and modesty, that he would not determine it himself without God’s particular direction.” (Poole)

 “Allowing daughters to inherit, where there were no sons in the family, created another problem though. When they married, they would take the family land with them, thus destroying the father’s estate. To deal with this, Numbers 36 brings in additional rules governing the marriage of heiresses.” (Wenham)

These laws were made in anticipation – in faith – of coming into the inheritance of land in Canaan. This was only an issue for the daughters of Zelophehad because they were women of faith, who really believed Israel would possess the land of Canaan. (Guzik)

40.g. “the Book of Beginnings – ends”

 

 

Genesis 50:22  So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s house. Joseph lived 110 years. And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation. The children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were counted as Joseph’s own. And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Joseph lived a life of dramatic faith. Yet in the end, this is how he was remembered in the Hebrews 11 Museum of Faith: By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones (Hebrews 11:22). This was faith, because it trusted God’s promise to His people, it knew where God’s people belonged, because it looked to the future, and it proclaimed God’s faithful promise in any way possible – even through a dead man’s bones! This promise was fulfilled some 400 years later, when Israel left Egypt (Exodus 13:19). This command showed that Joseph’s heart was in the Promised Land. It also proved him to be a man of great faith, trusting in things not yet seen. 

Some promises of God take a long time to fulfill, and we must persevere in trusting God. George Mueller was a remarkable man of faith who ran orphanages in England. In a sermon preached when he was 75 years old, he said 30,000 times in his 54 years as a Christian he received the answer to prayer on the same day he prayed it. But not all his prayers were answered so quickly. He told of one prayer that he brought to God about 20,000 times over more than 11 years, and he still trusted God for the answer: “I hope in God, I pray on, and look for the answer. Therefore, beloved brethren and sisters, go on waiting upon God, go on praying.” 

Joseph died looking forward to God’s unfolding plan of redemption, and that is where the Book of Genesis – the Book of Beginnings – ends. It concludes looking forward to the continuation of God’s eternal, loving, wise plan. (Guzik)