Numbers 27:1-11

Godly Gumption and Covenantal Justice Text: Numbers 27:1-11

Introduction: The Righteousness of Case Law

We live in an age that is allergic to distinctions, suspicious of authority, and addicted to the idea of abstract, disembodied rights. Our modern notions of justice are frequently untethered from reality, floating in a sea of sentimentality. But the Bible is an earthy book. It deals with land, with lineage, with livestock, and with life as it is actually lived. And God's law is not a set of abstract philosophical principles; it is a case law system. It provides specific rulings on specific cases, from which we are to derive the principles of equity. This is what the Westminster Confession means when it says the judicial laws of Israel have expired, "further than the general equity thereof may require."

This means we must pay close attention to the stories, to the specific legal challenges that arise in the life of God's people. In these narratives, we see how the law is to be applied with wisdom, how it is not a brittle, deadening code, but a living framework for a righteous society. The story of Zelophehad's daughters is a premier example of this. It is a story about five faithful women, a potential legal crisis, a humble leader, and a just God. It is a story that reveals the heart of God's law, which is to preserve the covenantal inheritance of His people.

Our culture, steeped in feminism, will want to read this story as a proto-feminist manifesto, a tale of women smashing the patriarchy. But that is to read our own pathologies back into the text. These women were not fighting to overthrow the patriarchal order; they were fighting to be included within it. They were not demanding autonomy; they were demanding a place in the covenantal line of their father. Their concern was not for "equal rights" in the abstract, but for the preservation of their father's name and his stake in the promised land. They wanted to ensure their family's legacy was not erased. This is a profoundly conservative and covenantal impulse.

This passage teaches us about godly initiative, the nature of true justice, the importance of inheritance, and the way God's law is meant to grow and be applied in new situations without ever contradicting its foundational principles. It shows us a legal system that is not static, but responsive to the needs of the people under the direct guidance of God Himself.


The Text

Then 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, came near; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah and Hoglah and Milcah and Tirzah. And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the leaders and all the congregation, at the doorway of the tent of meeting, saying, “Our father died in the wilderness, yet he was not among the congregation of those who gathered themselves together against Yahweh in the congregation of Korah; but he died in his own sin, and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be withdrawn from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.” So Moses brought their case near before Yahweh. Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “The daughters of Zelophehad are right in their statements. You shall surely give them a possession for an inheritance among their father’s brothers, and you shall have the inheritance of their father pass on to them. Further, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall have his inheritance pass on to his daughter. And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his blood relative in his own family, and he shall possess it; and it shall be a statutory judgment to the sons of Israel, just as Yahweh commanded Moses.’
(Numbers 27:1-11 LSB)

A Principled and Public Appeal (vv. 1-4)

The story begins with a formal approach to the highest court in the land.

"Then the daughters of Zelophehad...came near; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah and Hoglah and Milcah and Tirzah. And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the leaders and all the congregation, at the doorway of the tent of meeting..." (Numbers 27:1-2)

Notice the detail here. The narrator takes pains to establish their lineage, tracing it all the way back to Joseph. This is not incidental. Their entire case rests on their identity as members of the covenant family of Manasseh. They are not random individuals demanding something for themselves; they are daughters of a specific man, from a specific clan, in a specific tribe. Their identity is tied to their fathers. The fact that their names are listed is also significant. These are real women, with real concerns, and God honors them by recording their names in His eternal Word.

Their approach is entirely proper. They don't start a protest march or a whisper campaign. They come to the legitimate authority, Moses, Eleazar, and the leaders, and they do so publicly at the door of the tent of meeting. This is the place where God's presence dwelt and where justice was to be administered. They are not rebels; they are petitioners. They are operating entirely within the established structures of authority. This is a model of godly appeal. They are bold, but they are not insubordinate.

Their argument is laid out with precision and wisdom in verses 3 and 4.

"Our father died in the wilderness, yet he was not among the congregation of those who gathered themselves together against Yahweh in the congregation of Korah; but he died in his own sin, and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be withdrawn from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers." (Numbers 27:3-4)

They make three key points. First, they acknowledge their father's mortality and sin. "He died in his own sin." This is a crucial admission. They are not claiming their father was perfect. They are acknowledging the reality of the curse that fell on that generation in the wilderness. They are not making excuses. But, second, they make a vital distinction. His sin was his own; it was not the high-handed, corporate rebellion of Korah. Korah's rebellion was an explicit attack on God's chosen leadership, and God judged it by swallowing the rebels and their entire households into the earth. Their father was not part of that apostate company. His sin did not merit the complete erasure of his family line. This is shrewd and theologically sound. They understand the difference between common human sinfulness and outright apostasy.

Third, based on this distinction, they ask a penetrating question: "Why should the name of our father be withdrawn?" This is the heart of their concern. In the Old Testament economy, a "name" was not just a label; it was a legacy, a reputation, a continuation of one's existence through posterity. To have one's name blotted out was a terrible curse. And the primary way a name was preserved was through land inheritance, which was passed down from father to son. With no sons, Zelophehad's name and his stake in the promised land were facing extinction. Their plea is not fundamentally about property as a commodity, but about property as the basis for covenantal continuity. They are arguing from the spirit of the law, which is to preserve the families of Israel within their inheritance.


The Humility of Moses and the Justice of God (vv. 5-7)

Moses' response is as instructive as the daughters' appeal.

"So Moses brought their case near before Yahweh." (Numbers 27:5 LSB)

Moses does not know the answer. The existing law, which stipulated inheritance through the male line, did not cover this specific contingency. A lesser leader might have blustered, or dismissed them based on precedent, or made a snap decision based on his own wisdom. But Moses, the humblest man on earth, does not pretend to have all the answers. He doesn't form a committee. He doesn't take a poll. He takes the case directly to God. This is the essence of godly leadership. True authority is not found in knowing everything, but in knowing where to go for the answer. Moses models a complete dependence on divine revelation for the administration of justice.

And God's answer is swift and decisive.

"Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 'The daughters of Zelophehad are right in their statements. You shall surely give them a possession for an inheritance among their father’s brothers, and you shall have the inheritance of their father pass on to them.'" (Numbers 27:6-7 LSB)

God's verdict is a ringing endorsement of their petition. "The daughters of Zelophehad are right." The Hebrew is literally "have spoken rightly." Their reasoning was sound. Their appeal was just. God affirms their logic and their faith. He does not just grant their request; He validates the principle behind it. The purpose of the inheritance laws was to keep the land within the tribes and families, and to deny these women would have violated that very principle. God's justice is not a rigid, unthinking application of rules, but a wise application of principle to maintain covenantal faithfulness.

The solution is simple and elegant. The inheritance that would have gone to a son will now pass to them. The property stays within the clan, and the father's name is preserved through his daughters. This ruling demonstrates that the patriarchal structure of Israelite society was not intended to be oppressive or dismissive of women, but was a framework for order and preservation. When a gap in that framework appeared, God did not abolish the framework; He amended it to ensure its purpose was fulfilled.


From Case Law to Statute (vv. 8-11)

God then takes this specific ruling and elevates it to the level of a general statute for all of Israel.

"Further, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall have his inheritance pass on to his daughter...'" (Numbers 27:8 LSB)

This is how case law works. A novel situation arises, a judgment is sought from God, and the resulting verdict becomes a precedent, a binding statute for future generations. God is teaching His people how to build a just society. It is built not on human reason alone, but on divine revelation applied to the real circumstances of life. This new law establishes a clear order of succession for property when there is no male heir.

The order is logical and designed to keep the property as close to the original family line as possible.

This cascade of inheritance ensures that the land, which is God's gift to the tribe, remains within that tribe. It prevents the alienation of the land and the dissolution of the family units that were the building blocks of the nation. This is not about abstract equality; it is about covenantal stability. Later, in Numbers 36, another issue will arise from this ruling: what if these daughters marry men from other tribes? The leaders of Manasseh will rightly point out that this would cause their inheritance to be transferred out of the tribe. The solution, again given by God through Moses, is that these heiresses must marry within their own tribe. This further underscores the point: the goal is the preservation of the covenantal order, not the promotion of individual autonomy.


The Gospel of Our Inheritance

Like every part of the Old Testament law, this story finds its ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This account of earthly inheritance is a type and a shadow of our spiritual inheritance in the gospel.

First, we, like Zelophehad, have all "died in our own sin." We have no claim on God's inheritance. Our spiritual lineage is from Adam, and through him we have inherited only sin, death, and condemnation. We were without sons, without heirs, without hope, and without God in the world (Ephesians 2:12). Our name was destined to be blotted out from the book of life.

But these daughters, in faith, came to the mediator, Moses, and appealed for a possession. They did not have a legal claim based on the existing letter of the law, but they appealed to the spirit of the covenant. In the same way, we come to our greater Mediator, Jesus Christ. We have no claim based on our own righteousness. The law condemns us. But we appeal on the basis of God's covenantal promises, on the basis of His character. We ask for an inheritance not because we deserve it, but because God is a gracious Father who desires to preserve His name by adopting sons and daughters.

And what is God's response? Through Christ, He declares that we are right to ask! He doesn't just give us an inheritance; He makes us His children. "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). The law is expanded, not to include just daughters, but to include Gentiles. It includes rebels and enemies. All who are in Christ, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, are now Abraham's offspring, "heirs according to promise" (Galatians 3:28-29).

The issue for the daughters of Zelophehad was the preservation of their father's name. The glorious result of the gospel is the preservation and exaltation of our Father's name. By adopting us as sons and daughters, God ensures that His name, His legacy, will fill the whole earth. Our inheritance is not a plot of land in Canaan, but "an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1:4). It is the new heavens and the new earth. And just as these daughters had to marry within the tribe to secure their inheritance, so we must be married to Christ. We must be found "in Him," united to our covenant Head, to have any share in that glorious possession that He has won for us.