This week in our reading the Son of God solves a problem.

Transcription

1 Reading #295 Problem solving This week in our reading the Son of God solves a problem. Into a fiercely patriarchal world God was able to establish the position of women very fairly by this action. The old stories that women are secondclass citizens in religion are hereby refuted. 1 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. 2 And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the [high] priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, 3 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. 4 Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he has no son? Give to us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father. The daughters of Zelophehad claimed that their father was no better or worse than all the other patriarchs in Israel and therefore it was not right that his name should disappear and he not receive any land in the apportioning just because he had no sons. The Promised Land always belonged to God and He was going to give it to His people in trust, so as a wise Christian Moses immediately took this problem to the LORD and asked Him to pronounce judgment. 5 And Moses brought their cause before the LORD. 6 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 7 The daughters of Zelophehad speak [what is] right: you shall surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brothers; and you shall cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them. 8 And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter. 9 And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brethren. 10 And if he has no brethren, then you shall give his inheritance to his father's brethren. 11 And if his father have no brethren, then 1

2 you shall give his inheritance to his kinsman that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it: and it shall be to the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as the LORD commanded Moses. A quote from my library: Now, this simple narration very clearly proves that the civil, as well as the religious, privileges [of the women of Israel] were protected and ensured. Here are five unmarried women, most probably young, and acting on no guidance but their own sense of right and justice, as inculcated [taught] by the whole law of Moses, unhesitatingly addressing their great Lawgiver, in the presence of all the heads of Israel, and fearlessly stating their case. Their position must have been one of perfect freedom, or they could not have so sought Moses [as one of the leaders], and not only been heard, but, because he did not feel himself adequate to pronounce a decision on a case never before occurring, their cause was brought by him before the Lord, and God Himself deigned to reply. They had spoken right, the Eternal said; the inheritance should be as they said, not only to them, but ever after, as law in Israel. We see here, not only the daughters of Israel protected and established in their birthrights, but the practical illustration of the Eternal s gracious promise repeated in Deuteronomy 10:17-18, For the Lord your God is a God of gods and Lord of lords, a mighty and a terrible, who regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward, but doth execute the judgment of the FATHERLESS and the widow. The daughters of Zelophehad were fatherless; perchance (for such is human nature), surrounded by those who disputed their right, deeming that woman could have no civil privileges; compelled to do violence to their feminine nature, and make an appeal; whereupon God, not man, took their judgment in His own hands and gave them right. Now the LORD gave Moses a special blessing by allowing him to see the land from which he had excluded himself. 12 And the LORD said to Moses, Get you up into this mount Abarim [aka Pisgah], and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel. 13 And when you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered. 14 For you rebelled against My commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify Me at the water 2

3 before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. Satan had been trying hard to find something to accuse Moses before the angels and the people of the universe. He therefore had exulted at his success in leading him to disobey God over the striking of the rock, and he told his angels that he could likewise overcome the Son of man when He should come to redeem man, for long before this he had deciphered God s messages regarding the first advent. Because of his transgression, Moses came under the power of Satan the dominion of death (Hebrews 2:14). Had he remained steadfast in that test, the LORD would have brought him to the Promised Land allowing him to finish his work, and would then have translated him to heaven without his seeing death, for this is His desire for all Christians. But nearly all have accepted death against His word. It is written: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin AND DEATH. Romans 8:2. But Moses desired punishment for his sin, and that s what he got! He passed through death, until Michael (another name for the Son of God) came down and restored his life before his body had seen corruption. Jude 1:9. Satan tried to hold the body, claiming it as his, but Michael calmly carried on the job of resurrecting Moses and taking him to heaven. Meanwhile Satan argued bitterly against God s Son, denouncing Him as unjust in permitting his prey to be taken from him; but Christ did not rebuke His adversary, though it was through his temptation that the servant of God had fallen. He meekly referred him to His Father, saying, The LORD rebuke you [My Father will deal with you]. Centuries later, Jesus told His disciples that there were some standing with Him who would not die till they had seen the kingdom of God come with power. It was at the transfiguration that this promise was fulfilled. It is written: Verily I say to you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom. And after six days Jesus takes Peter, James, and John his brother, and brings them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with Him. Then answered Peter, and said to Jesus, LORD, it is good for us to be here: if You will, let us make here three tabernacles [places of worship]; one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Matthew 16:28; 17:1-4. 3

4 On the mountain the countenance of Jesus was changed and shone like the sun and His clothing was white and glistening. A very much alive Moses was present to represent those who will be raised from the dead at the second appearing of Jesus. (In this way Moses received a blessing he did not expect.) Elijah, who was translated without seeing death, represented those who will be given everlasting life at Christ's second coming and who also will be taken to heaven without seeing death. The disciples beheld with astonishment and fear the excellent majesty of Jesus and the cloud that overshadowed them, and heard the voice of God in terrible majesty, saying, This is My beloved Son; hear Him, and thought only of worshipping all three. Verse 5. Back to Moses on Mount Pisgah: 15 And Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, 16 Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh [the Source of the breath of all flesh, Torah], set a man over the congregation, 17 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 [he was still hung-up on the notion of a man leading the church]. The LORD announced to Moses that the appointed time for the possession of Canaan was at hand, and as the aged prophet stood upon the heights overlooking the river Jordan and the Promised Land, he gazed with deep interest upon his people. How would they get on without him? he wondered. Would it be possible that the sentence desired by him for his sin at Kadesh might now be revoked? With deep earnestness he pleaded, O LORD God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness, and Your mighty hand; for what god is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to Your works, and according to Your might? I pray You, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon. Deuteronomy 3: But there was more at stake than just his desire. He had accepted the result of his sin before this and had chosen to die by rejecting his Saviour as a Saviour from death as well as sin, and now if he had been allowed to go into the Promised Land, all of the Son of God s attempts to focus the peoples eyes onto Himself would have been negated. Moses would have become their saviour! 4

5 The answer was, Let it suffice you; speak no more to Me of this matter. Get you up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up your eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with your eyes; for you shall not go over this Jordan. Without a murmur Moses again submitted to the decree of God. And now his great anxiety was for Israel. Who would feel the interest for their welfare that he had felt? From a full heart he poured forth his prayer and it was answered Joshua could do the job. 18 And the LORD said to Moses, Take you Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand upon him; 19 and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. 20 And you shall put some of your [civil] honour upon him [also], that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. Through the laying on of hands by Moses, accompanied by a most impressive oath, Joshua was solemnly set apart as the religious leader of Israel. He was not to talk face-to-face as had Moses but would receive his instructions from the Son of God through the high priest. He was also admitted to a share in the civil government. 21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the LORD. At His word shall they go out, and at His word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation. 22 And Moses did as the LORD commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation: 23 and he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses. At the right and left of the breastplate of the high priest s uniform were set two larger stones called Urim and Thummim, which shone with great brilliancy. Exodus 28:30. When difficult matters were brought to the judges which they could not decide, they were referred to the priest, and he inquired of God, who answered them. If He favoured it, and if He could grant them 5

6 success, a halo of light and glory especially rested upon the precious stone at the right. If he disapproved, a vapour or cloud seemed to settle upon the precious stone at the left hand. When they inquired of God in regard to going to battle, the precious stone at the right, when circled with light, meant, Go, and prosper. The stone at the left, when shadowed with a cloud, meant, You shall not go; you shall not prosper. Also, tradition tells us that when the high priest entered within the most holy apartment and ministered before the ark in the awesome presence of God and he asked a question, the Son of God was often able to answer him with an audible voice. When the LORD could not answer by a voice, He let the sacred beams of light and glory rest upon the cherubim upon the right of the ark, in approval, or favour. If their requests were refused, a cloud rested upon the cherubim at the left. In these ways at least, the people of the Old Testament times were able to receive messages from God clearer than many Christians do today. Till next week, Bye, Ron Jesus said, To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone that is of the truth hears My voice." John 18:37. Christ affirmed that His word was in itself a key which would unlock the mystery to those who were prepared to receive it. It has a self-commending power, and this is the secret of the spread of His kingdom of truth. Some of the comments in these readings are adapted from books in my library. No recognition is given because they are not intended as authorities, but are used because they express my understanding clearly. All the ideas expressed in these readings, right or wrong, are my own. 6