Jos 17:3-4 | KingComments | STEP | As happens more often, here too the enumeration of names is interrupted by a short history. Such histories have an important place. In this case, something is told that is present in the hearts during the distribution of the cities. We saw that with Caleb and Achsah. Here we see it with the daughters of Zelophehad. The daughters of Zelophehad consciously choose for an inheritance “among our brothers” in the land and not in the other half of the tribe that has chosen the wilderness side of the Jordan. Women share as much in the inheritance as men. Their public conduct may be regulated by God in a different way than that of men, but their share in spiritual blessings is not. Normally only the sons inherit. Daughters who marry share in the inheritance of the man they marry. Zelophehad has only daughters. Zelophehad died in the wilderness, so he can’t go to Joshua. His daughters can, and they do. Before going through the Jordan, they went to Moses to ask for an inheritance ( ). Now they come to Eleazar and Joshua to claim the promised inheritance. In the four times Joshua and Eleazar are mentioned together in this book ( ; ), Eleazar always comes first. The daughters show faith. They could have said: ‘What do we need an inheritance for? When we get married, we will get it.’ But they have understood God’s thoughts that He wants to give each family an inheritance. The women show an interest in what God has in mind for their family. There is not only a general interest in the land among them, but they wish a portion of the land which God has specially destined for them. They give God the opportunity, as it were, to fulfill His purpose. They have, so to speak, a twofold faith that argues: 1. God has something for us and we don’t want to miss it. 2. We will not be prevented from asking for it because of poor conditions. We can apply this to listening to or reading what a brother passes on from Scripture. This is good and important, but that is not yet what God has for us personally. This brother can only pass on what he has taken possession of himself. His service will encourage us to take possession of what the Lord has given us each personally. A sister should therefore read the Word herself and not leave it to her husband or the brothers of the local church. We should not be satisfied with what others have collected for us. If we desire to receive from God what He has personally in mind as blessing for us, He will give it. Weakness and want are no reason to renounce the part God has personally assigned us. The faith of these women gives them each an inheritance and the five sons each receive one. This way the tribe of Manasseh gets ten portions.

‏ Joshua 17:3-4

The Daughters of Zelophehad

As happens more often, here too the enumeration of names is interrupted by a short history. Such histories have an important place. In this case, something is told that is present in the hearts during the distribution of the cities. We saw that with Caleb and Achsah. Here we see it with the daughters of Zelophehad.

The daughters of Zelophehad consciously choose for an inheritance “among our brothers” in the land and not in the other half of the tribe that has chosen the wilderness side of the Jordan. Women share as much in the inheritance as men. Their public conduct may be regulated by God in a different way than that of men, but their share in spiritual blessings is not.

Normally only the sons inherit. Daughters who marry share in the inheritance of the man they marry. Zelophehad has only daughters. Zelophehad died in the wilderness, so he can’t go to Joshua. His daughters can, and they do. Before going through the Jordan, they went to Moses to ask for an inheritance (Num 27:1-11). Now they come to Eleazar and Joshua to claim the promised inheritance. In the four times Joshua and Eleazar are mentioned together in this book (Jos 17:4; Jos 14:1 ; Jos 19:51 ; Jos 21:1), Eleazar always comes first.

The daughters show faith. They could have said: ‘What do we need an inheritance for? When we get married, we will get it.’ But they have understood God’s thoughts that He wants to give each family an inheritance. The women show an interest in what God has in mind for their family. There is not only a general interest in the land among them, but they wish a portion of the land which God has specially destined for them. They give God the opportunity, as it were, to fulfill His purpose. They have, so to speak, a twofold faith that argues:

1. God has something for us and we don’t want to miss it.

2. We will not be prevented from asking for it because of poor conditions.

We can apply this to listening to or reading what a brother passes on from Scripture. This is good and important, but that is not yet what God has for us personally. This brother can only pass on what he has taken possession of himself. His service will encourage us to take possession of what the Lord has given us each personally. A sister should therefore read the Word herself and not leave it to her husband or the brothers of the local church.

We should not be satisfied with what others have collected for us. If we desire to receive from God what He has personally in mind as blessing for us, He will give it. Weakness and want are no reason to renounce the part God has personally assigned us.

The faith of these women gives them each an inheritance and the five sons each receive one. This way the tribe of Manasseh gets ten portions.