Day 149: Numbers 36

Inheritance - Keep it in the Family

SCRIPTURE LINK: Numbers 36

BACKGROUND:
In Numbers 27:1-8 we read about the five daughters of Zelophehad who came to Moses to ask an inheritance question. Zelophehad had died without any sons, and his daughters thought they should receive the inheritance. God agreed, and Zelophehad's possessions were transferred to his daughters.

Now, in chapter 36, Zelophehad's family has another question. Since the daughters of Zelophehad are to receive an inheritance, they will inherit their father's portion of the land. Whenever they get married, whatever land they own will become the property of their husbands, thus transferring the land to their families. If, down through the ages, women who held titles to land kept marrying into other tribes, the land of some tribes would be diminished while others would increase. So the Lord commanded that a woman who is in such a situation must marry a man within her own tribe. This would prevent the permanent transfer of land from one tribe to another.

REFLECTION:
Just as the Israelites received an inheritance of land that would be passed down from generation to generation, as a believer, I have received an inheritance through Jesus. My inheritance is not land but is faith and salvation and a place reserved in heaven. I can also pass that inheritance to others by telling them about salvation through Jesus. I have children, so I can teach and lead them so that they can receive the same inheritance, thus passing it down to the next generation. Peter describes our inheritance in 1 Peter 1:3-5.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Our inheritance is better than land. It is not perishable, is undefiled, and will not fade away.

APPLICATION:
Spend some time today contemplating the inheritance you have received as a child of God. As you consider the various aspects of your inheritance, thank and praise God for all He has given you.

PRAYER:
Father, I praise you, for you have made me your child and accordingly given me an inheritance. It's a perfect inheritance that will last forever. Thank you for the faith you have given me. Use my faith to keep making me grow and to bring others to you. The salvation you have provided through Jesus is so rich that I don't even fully grasp it. Thank you for the hope I have because you have saved me and have secured a future for me. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

CONGRATULATIONS!
You have finished another book of the Bible!