Word of Salvation – November 2013

 

Numbers 27 – THE LAND: FIVE WOMEN AND A LEADER

By Rev. John Westendorp

(Sermon 27 in a series on Numbers)

Scripture Reading: Numbers 27.

Singing: Book of Worship 505, 514, 67, 416 and Rejoysing 319

 

Introd: Imagine that last night you participated in a Bible Trivia competition.

Okay… I know, that’s a contradiction in terms. The words Bible and Trivia don’t belong together.

But you know what I mean: imagine you were taking part in a competitive Bible quiz.

Suddenly there’s a question: Who were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah?
How many of us would have got that right last night?
This morning it’s a different story… we’ve just read about them in Numbers 27.
But I suspect that few of us would have been able to answer that question yesterday.

All of us can easily rattle of a long list of famous women in the Bible.
Sarah… Ruth… Hannah… Deborah… Mary… Martha… and many others.
But Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah…? They don’t make it into the top ten.

Some people claim that these five ladies are the world’s first feminists.
These people want to read Numbers 27 this way:
These women have talked to the leaders of their clan about a property share in Canaan.
But the clan leaders say: You women just get married and have kids and do the cooking.
And just let the men of the clan worry about the real estate.
So those women then went to the leaders of the tribe with their request.
And the answer was much the same.

So now in Numbers 27 they go to the top. They approach Moses and the whole assembly.
And Moses asks the Lord and the Lord says: Of course they’ll share in the land in Canaan.
And Moses actually writes this into Israel’s legislation:
If a man dies without sons his daughters will inherit his real-estate.

And then we imagine the ladies doing ‘high fives’ all round.
“Three cheers for the sisterhood! We sure showed ’em…!”

That’s reading into the story something that isn’t there.

I want to show you that there are some quite different lessons here for us today.

A] JUSTICE FOR FIVE WOMEN.

1. It seems these five young ladies had been orphaned! There is no mention of their mother.

They relate that their father has died… and they are open and honest about the reason for that.

Their father… like so many others of his generation… died for his sins.
We’re not told specifically what that sin was… and that’s good. Why dwell on it?

Perhaps he joined those who grumbled about the manna and he died of snakebite.
Or maybe he got caught up in that sin of Baal worship with the Moabites and died of plague.
Or maybe he simply didn’t have the faith to enter the promised land 38 years earlier.
So like that whole generation Zelophehad too died in the wilderness.
What these ladies do say is that their father wasn’t part of the rebellion of Korah’s followers.

But the point is that their father Zelophehad died without sons.
Their story implies that up to that point property rights in Israel passed on through sons.
Daughters shared in inheritances through their husbands.
And that’s their concern: their parents had no sons.

These young ladies are concerned about their family missing out on property.
And there is no doubt that the decision God gives is a landmark decision.
The story in mentioned three times in the Bible.
We find it repeated in the last chapter of Numbers with some added details.
In Joshua – when the land is allocated – the story is repeated once more.
This forms a precedent for Israel in the future… and it is written into law.

2. So doesn’t that sort of make these women “feminists” who stand up for the cause of women?

Not really! I want to show you that these five women are first of all women of faith.
And we see their faith in a number of ways.
First of all because they sense an injustice and they are bold to speak out about it.
They address Moses and Eleazar and the leaders of the whole assembly at the Tent of Meeting.

Can you imagine what that would have been like?
This is not just a small handful of people that they have approached.
These are the leaders of a nation that numbers more than two million people.
Many of us here this morning dread public speaking… that takes a lot of faith.
I’ve heard people: I’d rather die than speak in public…!
Well, these five young ladies come with boldness and publicly present their case.

But their faith shines out in an even greater way.
Hebrews 11 has a wonderful definition of faith:
Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

By faith these ladies were sure of what they hoped for and certain of what they did not see.

And what they were sure of and certain about was the land.

Keep in mind that the context here is Israel has spent 40 years in the wilderness.
Only twelve people in Israel had ever seen the land and ten of them were dead.
Of all those who had walked through Canaan only Joshua and Caleb were still alive.
Yet these five young ladies have certainty that this land will soon be theirs.
And they are determined that they are not going to miss out.

These ladies belong with the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11.
With the eye of faith they already see the land of milk and honey.
And in their minds they are probably already planning their houses and gardens.

3. I need to say one other thing about the faith of these ladies.

Faith must always have a focus. But the focus of faith here is not first of all the land.

The focus of their faith was on God’s promises.
God had promised them the land of Canaan over and over.
That was an age-old promise that went all way back to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

So what these ladies are doing here is not just upholding the cause of the sisterhood.
No! By faith they are claiming their family inheritance.
They are – as it were – holding God to His promises.
And in their special case – where there are no sons to inherit – they want justice done.

That by the way is the difference to a feminist reading of this story.
The feminist reading of this story is all about individual rights and privileges.
This is about a concern that a family in Israel does not miss out on the blessings of God.

The upshot is that the outcome pronounced by God is enshrined in Israelite law.

Moses actually makes this a legal requirement. And twice more this story is mentioned in Scripture.

That also gives us a lovely angle on the grace of God.
These young ladies were orphans… orphans because of the sin and unbelief of their parents.
And now here was the new generation… a generation of faith… blessed by the Lord God.

That is especially encouraging for some of us here this morning.
Some of you in church this morning had parents who were anything but godly.
They were not people of faith… and they certainly didn’t walk through life with Jesus.
And yet here you are as the next generation… as believers… trophies of God’s grace.
Like Zelophehad’s daughters you walk by faith in the promises of God and enjoy His blessings.

B] ISRAEL’S INHERITANCE.

1. When I first read this chapter of Numbers I thought I might divide it into two and do two studies on it.

In our studies from Numbers I have each time consistently taken a whole chapter.

I have repeatedly searched for a unifying theme by which to hold the chapter together.
I found that particularly challenging here in Numbers 27.
What is the common idea in this chapter?

Numbers 27 seems to be made up of three unrelated events.
There’s this story of Zelophehad’s daughters claiming their family share of Canaan.
There’s a second story of Moses being told by God that he must prepare to die.
And then, thirdly, there’s the story of Joshua being appointed as Moses’ successor.

I came across one attempt someone made to draw the whole chapter together.
This person suggested that the common theme is inheritance.
This business about Zelophehad’s inheritance triggered for Moses the matter of leadership.
Who was going to inherit the leadership role… perhaps it might even be his own sons.
But no! The leadership inheritance goes to Joshua. It’s about inheritances.

Well, that’s neat! But I’ve believe there’s a more important unifying theme.
What particularly unites this chapter is ‘the land’.
The context here is not only that all this is the final preparation for entering Canaan.
And all three stories – in one way or another – relate to the land.

Let me put it this way: In the language of the Bible Israel is about to take up its inheritance.
That’s what the land of Canaan actually is: Israel’s inheritance.
God promised it centuries earlier – on oath – to Abraham.
And now Israel is about to take up that inheritance… to receive it as a gift from God.

2. So central to this chapter is the Land of Canaan as Israel’s inheritance.

Now think again of each of those three stories in the light of that.

First there are these five daughter of Zelophehad
They… by faith… are claiming their share in that inheritance, promised them by God.
It’s as if they are publicly testifying: The land is now ours and we are claiming our share.

Second there is Moses being told that he must prepare to die.
Moses has forfeited the right to lead people into that land that Israel will inherit.
But God is gracious… He tells Moses to climb the Abarim mountain range.
And from there God will show him this wonderful land.
He will actually see the inheritance that Zelophehad’s daughters have just claimed.

Third there’s the commissioning of Joshua as the new leader. He’s famous for his conquest of the land.
The whole reason for his appointment is so that he will lead Israel into their inheritance.
Joshua is appointed so that what God promises Zelophehad’s daughters will actually happen.

3. That may leave you wondering how relevant all this is for us in the 21st century.

What is there here to encourage us as we go into this new week.
Is this just some irrelevant information about Jewish inheritance rights?
And some ancient history telling us about Israel’s leadership change?

No! We need to take this theme of the inheritance of land on board in our own lives.
Because this is such an important theme in the Bible.
Over and over God stresses that the land… this bit of territory in the Middle East…
is the inheritance God has entrusted to His people Israel.

The O.T. is full of it.
When Israel lives by faith and serves God they enjoy the land as their inheritance.
When Israel sins and worships idols they are driven from the land into exile.
The land… the land has a central focus throughout the Old Testament.

The Psalms are full of it. Consider only Psalm 37.
It says: Those who hope in the Lord shall inherit the land.
And another five times it draws attention to the land… Israel’s inheritance.

So do we apply this by supporting the nation of Israel in the Middle East over against the Palestinians?
No! In the N.T. Jesus applies this teaching about the land in quite a different way.
We’re not Zelophehad’s daughters wanting a bit of real estate in Israel.
Our goal is not a terrace house in the back blocks of Jerusalem or a shack by the Dead Sea.

When Jesus in the N.T. teaches about the land he has something far more wonderful in mind.
Listen to these words from The Beatitudes: Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.
The focus shifts from a patch of dirt in Canaan to God’s marvellously restored creation.
That is your inheritance… that is my inheritance.
Your destiny is not just heaven when we die… although that too. But think bigger!
Your destiny is nothing less than a renewed and glorious planet earth.

But like Zelophehad’s daughters you must lay claim to that heritage by faith.
In fact by faith you already see it… by faith you are certain of sharing in it one day.

C] THE NEW LEADER.

1. With that in mind let’s take a closer look at the story of Joshua’s appointment.

The appointment arises out pf Moses’ expressed concern that the nation not be leaderless.
And especially not at this crucial point of time as the land is to be taken.

That shows that Moses… despite 40 years of hardship… has a passion for these people.
He wants to make sure that they will receive their inheritance.
He’s concerned not just for Zelophehad’s daughters but for every Hebrew family’s inheritance.

Above all Moses is concerned for the glory and the honour of God.
God is glorified as His people take up their inheritance.
God is honoured when Zelophehad’s daughters build their houses and plant their gardens.
Because in that way God is seen to glorify Himself in His people.
But for that to happen a new leader is needed.

When God tells Moses to take Joshua the son of Nun and appoint him as leader we’re not surprised.
Joshua is a most suitable appointment
He had been mentored by Moses as his personal assistant for almost 40 years.
Can you imagine it? A forty-year apprenticeship.
But it most adequately prepared Joshua for the task.

2. One of the interesting things about the appointment of Joshua is the way God tells Moses to do that.

Moses is told to “give him some of your authority”.
The reason given for that is so that the whole community will obey him.
The way that Moses then actually does that is that he take Joshua before the whole assembly.
And there he publicly lays hands on Joshua and so commissions him as the new leader.
This is a visible demonstration to Israel that Joshua will replace Moses.

OTOH this is not a substitute Moses.
There was only ever one Moses who spoke with God face to face.
Joshua’s ministry will be different.
God always has the right man for the right task at the right time.
For the Exodus and wilderness wandering God prepared and singled out Moses.
For the entry into Canaan and for its conquest God prepared and singled our Joshua.

But OTOH there is also continuity.
Joshua will simply enforce the law and the instructions given by God through Moses.
Okay, he will also receive guidance from God through Eleazar the Priest.
But essentially he will bring to fulfilment what Moses had begun.

There is continuity.
That’s why it’s not surprising that we again read of Zelophehad’s daughters in Joshua.
Joshua later implements the decision that is made about these women here in Numbers 27.

3. Now let me relate this once more to what I believe is the unifying theme of our chapter.

Joshua is appointed to lead Israel into the land.

He will guide them as they take up their inheritance.

It seems hugely significant that this is done by Joshua and not by Moses.
Moses was the lawgiver and prophet.
Joshua was the general who led the army.

But there is another more important difference.
In many ways it was sad for Moses not to be able to enter Canaan.
For forty years he led Israel through the wilderness but he never set foot in the Promised Land.
The reason for that was that he lost the plot at the waters of Meribah.
He disobeyed God and took the glory upon himself.

Yet God graciously allowed Moses to see the land from the mountain tops.
And Moses had to be content with that. Not he but Joshua would bring them in.

However it’s highly appropriate that Joshua leads Israel into the land of milk and honey and not Moses.

It seems to me that the Lord God had a special reason for that.
And that reason is especially relevant for us as NT Christians.
You see, the name Joshua is a Hebrew name.
But the meaning of that name is the same as the Greek name Jesus.
Both names mean: Saviour, or Yahweh saves.

IOW Joshua, as he leads Israel into the promised land is a type of Christ.
He is the OT Christ figure who gives his people rest in the promised land.
That means that today we have a far greater Joshua as our Leader.
And He gives to us that more glorious inheritance: God’s glorious new creation.

The O.T. Joshua led the people in war to drive out the enemy and take over the land.
But Jesus did battle against the forces of evil to win for us an eternal inheritance.
You can now go into this new week assured that because of Jesus
and by faith… that inheritance is yours for ever and ever. Amen