10 NovemberNumbers 36

Our inheritance in the Promised Land is an act of mercy and grace.

Numbers 36:1-7 (ERV) “Manasseh was Joseph’s son. Makir was Manasseh’s son. Gilead was Makir’s son. The leaders of Gilead’s family went to talk to Moses and the leaders of the tribes of Israel. They said, “Sir, the Lord commanded us to get our land by throwing lots. And sir, the Lord commanded that the land of Zelophehad our brother be given to his daughters. Maybe a man from one of the other tribes will marry one of Zelophehad’s daughters. Will that land leave our family? Will the people of that other tribe get the land? Will we lose the land that we got by throwing lots? People might sell their land, but in the Jubilee year, all the land is returned to the tribe that really owns it. At that time who will get the land that belongs to Zelophehad’s daughters? Will our tribe lose that land forever?” Moses gave this command from the Lord to the Israelites: “These men from the tribe of Joseph are right. This is the Lord’s command to Zelophehad’s daughters: If you want to marry someone, you must marry someone from your own tribe. In this way land will not be passed from tribe to tribe among the Israelites. Each Israelite will keep the land that belonged to their own ancestors”.

God previously rewarded Zelophehad’s daughters for asking in faith for their father’s share of the Promised Land. As an act of grace, God granted them an unearned spiritual inheritance. Numbers 27:7 (ERV) “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. They should share the land with their father’s brothers. So give them the land that you would have given to their father”. Under the laws of that time, neither the daughters nor the tribe had any legal right to inherit in the Promised Land. Only by God’s grace did they receive an inheritance.

Like the daughters and the male relatives of Zelophehad, we have no legal right to an inheritance in heaven. Because of our sins, none of us are righteous before God. Paul confirms this in:

Romans 3:10 (AMP) “As it is written and forever remains written, “There is none righteous [none that meets God’s standard], not even one”.

Romans 3:23 (AMP)” since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God”.

Romans 6:23 (AMP) “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God [that is, His remarkable, overwhelming gift of grace to believers] is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”.

Like the daughters of Zelophehad, our inheritance in the Promised Land is an act of mercy and grace.

In conclusion, the story of Zelophehad's daughters highlights God's incredible mercy and grace in granting an inheritance to those with no legal right to it. Just as God showed compassion and grace to these daughters, giving them a share in the Promised Land despite the laws of the time, so too does He extend His grace to us. We, who are sinners and fall short of God's glory, have no right to an inheritance in heaven. Yet, through His mercy and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we are given the gift of eternal life and a place in His kingdom. Our inheritance is not something we have earned; it is a divine gift, an unmerited favour from a loving and merciful God. Like the daughters of Zelophehad, we can rejoice in the knowledge that God’s grace has secured us a place in the eternal Promised Land.