Bible Study With Jairus - Numbers 27

The Mercy and Justice of God
Numbers 27
As we consider Numbers 27 today, it may seem puzzling that the story of Zelophehad’s daughters is juxtaposed with the story of Moses not getting to enter the promised land. Why are these stories put together in the Bible?
Moses’ Lack of Gentleness
Perhaps when dealing with Zelophehad’s daughters, Moses made the same mistake he may have made when striking the rock for the second time: he did not honor the Lord God as holy.
What does it truly mean to honor God? It means correctly representing God’s kindness and compassion in front of the second generation of Israelites. Although the Bible does not say that Moses was impatient with Zelophehad’s daughter, like he was when he struck the rock, we can surmise that he may have ignored the daughters of Zelophehad. Both stories reveal the compassion of God.
Why do I say that? Let’s look at the second section of this chapter. The Bible says that this decision took place “standing at the door of the tabernacle, in front of Moses, the priest Eleazar, the leaders and the whole congregation.” This is a very meaningful verse. Let me illustrate with a modern example.
In the 2020 US election, the right-wing population in some states believed that the election was unfair. They began to bring charges in the district courts. State courts did not accept the cases, and the cases were brought before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court didn’t take the case, either. Under normal circumstances, all complaints are brought first to the district courts, then gradually move up to the Supreme Court.
If Moses truly cared about Zelophehad’s needs, he should have been able to handle this matter before the daughters appealed to the Supreme Court. When Moses first heard that Zelophehad of the tribe of Manasseh did not get any land, he should have asked God how to deal with it at that time, but he did not. When he finally asked God what to do about it, God immediately raised the matter of Moses' disobedience to God after he clarified how to deal with the matter. Was this happening by chance? Moses also lacked compassion for the second generation of Israelis and said something impatient as he struck the rock. Perhaps his way of handling Zelophehad’s daughters’ needs was not gentle enough, either.
Although the leadership responsibility of Moses was transferred to Joshua here, the actual authority was not immediately transferred to Joshua. Moses was still the leader who guided the people’s itinerary. Numbers 27-36 speak of Moses leading the Israelites. The death of Moses is not recorded until Deuteronomy 34, at least 44 chapters later.
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