Numbers 27

         Verses 1-11: The four daughters of Zelophehad first mentioned in the previous chapter now take center stage in the beginning of Chapter 27. (v.1) They come before Moses, Eleazar, and all the congregation of Israel at the door of the tabernacle to present a legal case involving the law of inheritance. (v.2-4) Zelophehad had died in the wilderness as part of the faithless generation that came out of Egypt. He was not involved in Korah’s rebellion, and he had no sons. It’s unclear from the text why this specific distinction is made, but perhaps it has something to do with dilemma that his four daughters now face. If Zelophehad had been part of Korah’s rebellion, perhaps God wouldn’t have allowed his daughters to inherit their family’s portion of the promised land?
            Whatever the reason, the daughters come before Moses with a bold request. Under the current Levitical law, if there are no living sons to inherit a man’s land and/or goods, the inheritance would pass on to the nearest male relative, starting with his brothers, or his uncles if no brothers remained living. Because of this, the man’s name and lineage could be forever lost since his daughters would be taking on the family name of their husbands when they married. (Deuteronomy 25:6) What Zelophehad’s daughters are requesting now of Moses is a change to the inheritance law that would give them equal property rights to those of a son regarding their father’s inherited portion of the promised land. (v.4)
            There is a magnificent demonstration of faith on the part of these four women. Unlike their father’s generation, these children believe in the promise of God to Abraham that they will, indeed, inherit the promised land. There is no doubt in their minds about this, and that faith is what emboldens them to come forward with this request. The Moody Bible Commentary states it this way:
         “This request by the daughters models what the author of Numbers wanted to highlight, namely, great faith. These daughters so trusted the LORD that they were confident of receiving an inheritance of their father’s estate. They took the effort to deal with the issue of property rights before any property in the promised land was actually parceled out. Earlier they expressed concern that they did not want their father’s name to be withdrawn from among his family (v. 4) so they seem to have believed in the LORD who established the Abrahamic covenantal blessing, and they did not want their father’s household to miss out on the legacy that covenant provided. In spite of the murmuring and rebellion of the nation in the wilderness, these daughters exemplified great faith in God’s promises to Israel, and they wanted to lay hold of them. They provide a role model as to how this new generation should respond to God’s promises.”
           Moses, in a familiar demonstration of wise, godly leadership, promptly takes their case to the Lord. (v.5) God rewards the faith of these four daughters, granting them their request. (v.7) Furthermore, He amends the law to allow for a man’s inheritance to pass to his surviving daughter(s) if he has no living sons. (v.8) If he has no children at all, then his land and goods will pass to his brother(s) (v.9), and if he has no brothers, then his inheritance will pass to his paternal uncle(s) (v.10). If he has no uncles, then it will go to the nearest surviving kinsman. (v.11)
 
            Verses 12-23: The last half of this chapter deals with the impending death of Moses. God tells Moses to ascend Mount Abarim, which is actually a range of mountains east of the dead sea. (Deuteronomy 32:49-50 names Mount Nebo, which is part of this range, as the actual site of Moses’ death.) From this peak Moses will be able to view the promised land, and after that “…thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered.” (v.13) Because of Moses’ sin of rebellion in the desert of Zin, at the rock of Meribah in Kadesh, both he and Aaron were forbidden by God to enter the promised land. (v.14) (Numbers 20:12, 24, Deuteronomy 1:37, 32:51, Psalm 106:32-33)
            In another display of humility and true leadership character, Moses has one last request for the LORD: the selection of a new leader for the children of Israel. (v.16-17) Moses has no concern for himself but instead is worried “…that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.” (v.17) Moses recognizes the need for a godly, upright, strong leader because of the nation’s propensity to go astray so easily. Once again, he is assuming the role of a mediator between the Israelites and God, pleading on their behalf that the LORD not leave His chosen people without a man to take Moses’ place as they enter the promised land.
            Moses, as we see him here towards the end of his life, is a radically different man than the one we met at the beginning of Exodus. That man was a coward, quick to anger, rash, impulsive, and utterly lacking in any of the characteristics required for true, godly leadership. Moses, along with Abraham and Joseph and King David, is an excellent example of the old saying, “God does not call the qualified, but instead qualifies the called.” Moses initially threw up every excuse in the book for why he wasn’t the man to confront Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. And he was absolutely right. He wasn’t an eloquent, persuasive orator. He lacked self control, he was impatient and quick to anger. And his only experience in leadership was as a sheep herder. But none of that mattered to God, and Moses eventually surrendered his will and his life to the LORD. God used him in a mighty and miraculous way, transforming Moses into one of the greatest and godliest leaders of Israel.
            The man that we see now displays the opposite of all those characteristics that I listed above. He is wise, humble, and unselfish. He isn’t perfect by any means, as proven by his sin at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, but God changed him over the years, refining Moses’ upright qualities, and teaching him how to subdue his faults to bring them under the will of God. It was only after Moses surrendered to the LORD’s calling for his life that God began to work in him in a mighty way. Moses is the prefect example of how every believer today must first surrender, beginning at the point of salvation. We must set aside our pride and all other excuses, humble ourselves and seek God’s face, and acknowledge our need for a savior if we are to be truly saved. After that, as we continually surrender ourselves daily (Romans 12:1-2), God will begin to work in us to qualify us for whatever calling He has already given us at the time of our salvation. The more that we allow God work in us and through us, the more that we study His word and grow in faith, the more we will see of His transforming power in our lives.
            That day at the burning bush, on the backside of the desert where he had spent forty years, Moses must have thought his life was pretty much done. He was then eighty, and he probably assumed his remaining years would be spent with his family in Midian, herding sheep and watching his children grow into adulthood, get married, and father children of their own. He could not have imagined the wild, crazy, radical new adventure that was about to begin when he first spied the sagebrush that was on fire, yet not consumed.
            Now, as he nears the end of his life, Moses pleads with the LORD to not leave His chosen people without a leader. God tells Moses to bring Joshua, son of Nun, “…a man in whom is the spirit…”, before Eleazar to lay hands on him in the presence of all the congregation of Israel. (Deuteronomy 34:9) Moses is to “…give him a charge in their sight…” (v.19) and “…transfer some of thine honour upon him…” (v.20). (Deuteronomy 3:28, 31:3, 7-8, 23) Furthermore, God will not speak directly with Joshua as He did with Moses. Instead, Joshua will seek the LORD’s counsel through Eleazar who will use “…the judgment of Urim before the LORD…” (v.21). This references the Urim and Thummim that are kept in the breastplate of judgment worn by the high priest. (Exodus 28:30, 1 Samuel 28:6)
          The reference in verse 18 of Joshua possessing the spirit indicates that God had already chosen Joshua to succeed Moses. (Genesis 41:38, Judges 3:10, 1 Samuel 16:13) Joshua has been Moses’ faithful servant ever since the exodus from Egypt (Exodus 17:9), and he has demonstrated all of the same qualities of true, godly leadership the LORD instilled in Moses. Moses has taught Joshua well, as is seen by Joshua's obedience in the last two verses of this chapter, as well as the book that bears his name.
            Verse 22: “And Moses did as the Lord commanded him…”. Though Moses’ story is not yet finished, this phrase accurately sums up his life from the moment God called and ordained him at the burning bush. In the forty years since that time, there are only two instances of disobedience on record (Exodus 4:24-26, Numbers 20:10-12), demonstrating a career of genuine faithfulness and striving for godliness that has set an example for all the children of Israel to follow. It is an epitaph that every believer today should strive for. Because of his submission and obedience, God used a violent, angry, coward in a mighty way, making Moses one of the greatest leaders that Israel has ever known, even to this present day.