Numbers 36:1 The family heads of the clan of Gilead….came and spoke before Moses and the leaders….
This chapter was not what I expected at the end of this 40 year journey. Here they were, perched on the very edge of the Promised Land, listening to concerns of one of the tribes. It is easy to pass off the concerns as trivial, though were it my inheritance in question, I wouldn’t think so. It is easy to say the tribe who brought the concerns was whiny and petulant, though there is nothing in the scripture to support that.
Numbers 36:3 “Now suppose they marry men from other Israelite tribes; then their inheritance will be taken from our ancestral inheritance and added to that of the tribe they married into. And so part of the inheritance allotted to us will be taken away.”
The tribe simply had a concern, a valid concern, and they went through proper channels to voice that concern and find a solution. And maybe that is the point. Here on the cusp of the Promised Land, perhaps this is a reminder that life on earth will never be perfect, that there will always be concerns and problems, that there will compromises, that there will be give and take, that it can be handled respectfully and with dignity to all involved.
Numbers 36:5-6 Then at the LORD’s command Moses gave this order to the Israelites: “What the tribe of the descendants of Joseph is saying is right. This is what the LORD commands for Zelophehad’s daughters….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that life on earth will never be perfect, that there will always be issues that require compromise. Thank You for the reminder that we can handle all things with dignity and respect toward all involved. Draw us closer to You and to each other, Lord. Help us to shine Your light. Amen.
Numbers 36:13 These are the commands and regulations the LORD gave through Moses to the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.
Have a blessed day.
My faith, my life, my teaching–it's all a work in progress.