This was about the inheritance of Zelophehad’s daughters. There was no son to pass the inheritance to; however, this brought up a potential problem. What happens to the inheritance when the daughters marry? Does that daughters inheritance mover outside the clan? This would upset the balanced distribution declared by God.
God solved this problem in 36:8, “This is what the Lord has commanded concerning Zelophehad’s daughters: They may marry anyone they like provided they marry within a clan of their ancestral tribe. No inheritance belonging to the Israelites is to transfer from tribe to tribe, because each of the Israelites is to retain the inheritance of his ancestral tribe. Any daughter who possesses an inheritance from an Israelite tribe must marry someone from the land of her ancestral tribe, so that each of the Israelites will possess the inheritance of his fathers. No inheritance is to transfer from one tribe to another, because each of the Israelite tribes is to retain its inheritance.”
The daughters of Zelopherhad did as commanded, and their inheritance remained within the tribe of their father’s plan. As the Israelites transition from the wilderness to the promised land of Canaan, if they are faithful and obedient, the blessings of the covenant relationship in the inheritance and productivity of the land will be theirs, but if they do not follow the Lord’s commands, their lives will be filled with opposition from without – foreign enemy attacks – and from within – plague, civil war, and natural disaster.
What are God’s commands for me, and am I listening and following his instructions for my life? This morning, and for the last several years, I’ve heard to wake up at 4am and pray, to fast and eat better. I have yet to follow through without grumbling or making excuses. I need to work on this!