Numbers 36 (Listen)
36:1 The heads of the fathers’ houses of the clan of the people of Gilead the son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of the people of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the chiefs, the heads of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel. 2 They said, “The LORD commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot to the people of Israel, and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. 3 But if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the people of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of our fathers and added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry. So it will be taken away from the lot of our inheritance. 4 And when the jubilee of the people of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry, and their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”
5 And Moses commanded the people of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying, “The tribe of the people of Joseph is right. 6 This is what the LORD commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: ‘Let them marry whom they think best, only they shall marry within the clan of the tribe of their father. 7 The inheritance of the people of Israel shall not be transferred from one tribe to another, for every one of the people of Israel shall hold on to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8 And every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the people of Israel shall be wife to one of the clan of the tribe of her father, so that every one of the people of Israel may possess the inheritance of his fathers. 9 So no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another, for each of the tribes of the people of Israel shall hold on to its own inheritance.’”
10 The daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD commanded Moses, 11 for Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to sons of their father’s brothers. 12 They were married into the clans of the people of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of their father’s clan.
13 These are the commandments and the rules that the LORD commanded through Moses to the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
Devotional:
These are the command and ordinances the LORD commanded the Israelites through Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho (Numbers 36:13 CSB).
The Book of Numbers ends with the people of Israel about to cross the Jordan River and fight the city of Jericho. The 36 chapters of this book have been a story of God’s wrath and love, shown side by side. It serves as a warning to those who stand against God or complain about His blessings and ways, and as an encouragement that God is faithful and will guide and protect us as we follow Him. Which side do you need to hear today? Are you being faithfully obedient to the giver of all good things, or are you murmuring against Him and standing in defiance with your heels dug in? If you sense the latter, make today a day of surrender to His good and perfect will for your life and you will be in for a wonderful journey. Know that He continues to call us back to Himself.
Pray It: Father, I thank you that you are a just and merciful God, that you both punish the sin you find in this world but also offer mercy and grace so that we can find forgiveness through Jesus. Amen.
Share it: Share a verse or thought from this passage with someone today.