THE FAITH OF THESE SISTERS – DREAM BIG!
The story of Zelophehad daughters is hidden between the pages of the Bible. Few preachers take real interest in it. But there is great encouragement for us all. Especially when we are in need and none can help but God alone. Their faith in God is worthy of admiration. They confessed that their father was a sinner, an unbeliever. They did not come in the name of their father. They did not hold on their natural inheritance. They also said that their father was not an unrepentant, rebellious sinner like Korah. It is possible that the girls were witnesses that he repented before he died in the desert. The girls trusted God, the Righteous Judge of all men, knowing that the children shall not be punished for the sins of their fathers (Ez 18:20).
Their faith was bold. Like we said, it was not easy for women to come and speak in public. It was even more difficult to come and ask for something that was not recorded in ‘the constitution’, in the law of Israel. They asked for an amendment!!! Possibly they discussed these matters for a long time, on how to go to Moses and explain their need and their desire. The tradition of men was against them. Religion was against them. The risk was that ‘old’ Moses will just dismiss them as ‘foolish girls who dream big dreams’. What was their secret? Apparently they believed in the God of all grace! They trusted that God will show them favor because they humbled themselves. They also loved the Promises of God. They wanted to preserve the name of their father. They succeeded to do that for the name and ‘the memory of the righteous is a blessing….’ (PV 10:7)
One of the lessons here is that not all blessings come to us ‘automatically’. There are times in which we must exercise a sanctified imagination and dream big! We are to see ahead what God is willing to give, even if He did not specify the particular blessing in His Word. We are commanded not ‘to limit God’ (Ps 78:41). These girls allowed themselves to see God big, as He really is, the Almighty! True faith trusts God, for whom nothing is impossible! I often ask myself before I pray: ‘Lia, what do you lose if you believe big?’ The answer is nothing, except my fears and my doubts. And that is what I desire anyway…
Just imagine what could have happened if Moses ignored them and their request. That is the reaction of the evil spirit of religion. Many churches have grieved the Holy Spirit by holding too tight to the rules and traditions of men that are not Biblical. It takes great faith to challenge these strongholds. Few are ready to pay the price for their destruction. During revival, as the Spirit moves upon the hearts of men, as the true Word of God is preached in the pulpit, more will be willing to come forward and ask for changes in the religious structures. These girls challenged the status quo, as it is said. Please observe that they were not rebellious. They come to Moses in a very different attitude than Miriam, for example, who complained about her brother’s foreign wife. Mariam was chastised by God, for coming with a familiar spirit of rebellion, with leprosy and untimely death.
Another great lesson is that we should have faith to come before God with all our requests. Even if men ignore us, persecute or punish us, we should never forget that God is above all and His Word overrules all other decisions. He is the God of Justice. He is also the God of mercy. Like the widow coming to the judge and asking for justice against her adversary, we should believe that God hears and eventually answers the cry of his needy people (Lk 18:1-8). The best example is our Lord, who persecuted, He did not retaliate but found comfort in the fact that the Father is the God of justice (1Pet 2:21-23). We need faith mixed with boldness to approach the throne of God and be confident to always find grace and mercy our times of need (Heb 4:16).
‘Christ is the end of the law’ (Gal 3:28). In Christ, there is no discrimination, no male or female, no Jew or foreigner; they are all one (Rom 10:4). For as long as you depend on a law for the answers to your prayers, you will be disappointed. It is Christ and His grace to men that we should trust in, just like these young women. He alone takes the credit for giving them joy! If you consider the fact that this discussion about inheritance and land has taken place on the east side of the River Jordan outside the Promised Land, then you will appreciate their faith even more. Moses did not give them the land. He only gave them a promise that they will have land after they conquer it. Now, they could rest their souls on that Word. That is faith!
Later we see that the men in their father’s family came to Moses with a complaint. They became bold like their sisters. They said that if these girls receive land and if they marry outside the tribe, they will take their property to their husbands. In this way, the tribe shall lose land because of marriage and even the year of Jubilee cannot nullify that transfer. Moses also prayed and God confirm the men’s request. The girls are free to marry ‘whoever they desire’, from any tribe. But if they insist to inherit their father’s land, according to the promise they just received, then they should marry only men from their father’s clan. This restriction on marriage is so that the land will not pass from one tribe to another. All five decided to obey the Word of God and to fulfill the conditions for family inheritance and decided to marry their cousins, proving that they were indeed women of God!
There is another peculiar quality about these sisters faith. It is violent! Religious people fear this type of faith but it is Biblically recommended. The Lord said that ‘the violent take the Kingdom of God by force’ (Mt 11:12). The word ‘violent’ in Greek means the power of life that pushes itself into the area of death and conquers it. It is to force your way, to press on thru the crowd destroying illegal hindrances. The best way to describe this wonderful faith is to apply the power of resurrection that opens the grave. The entrance into the Kingdom is not easy; it is thru spiritual warfare. May the spiritual violence be revealed!
All this revelation is the proof that Zelophehad’s daughters prayed hard and long before they decided to approach Moses, in front of the congregation and at the entrance of the tabernacle of God. Any presumption, any pride, any display of flesh could have killed them. The power of resurrection, the active faith in the grace of God, the seal of the Spirit upon their words and requests, these were undeniable. The God of Justice gave them the victory! They are an inspiration to us all. If our motives are right, if we study the Word of God and believe His promises, then we shall enter the fullness of the Spirit! Selah!
May our faith in the God of all grace increase! May our desire to conquer new territories for the Kingdom of God increase! May our boldness to come before the Throne of God increase! May we love God more than all other things, including marriage and children! May sanctified imagination be our portion! May the fear of God replace the fear of man and of religion! May God send faithful harvesters to collect His harvest and prepare this land for revival! In Jesus name, amen!