Paul wrote that everyone who belongs to Christ is an heir, girls and boys alike (Galatians 3:28-29). Long before Paul, five sisters in Israel asked for an inheritance of their own.
Five sisters. The Bible names each one: “these were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah” (Numbers 27:1). This Noah was a girl, not the Noah of the ark.
A family with no sons. Their father, Zelophehad, had died in the wilderness, “and he had no sons” (27:3). In Israel, a father’s land was passed down to his sons.
A problem. Without sons, their family would have no share in the promised land, and their father’s name could be forgotten.
In front of everyone. The sisters “stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the leaders and all the congregation” (27:2). They brought their problem openly to the leaders God had given.
At the tabernacle. They stood “by the doorway of the tabernacle of meeting” (27:2), the place where God met with His people.
Their request. “Why should the name of our father be removed from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers” (27:4).
Faith in God’s promise. Israel had not yet entered the land. The sisters asked for a share of a land God had promised but no one had received yet. Most likely they trusted God to keep His promise.
Moses asked God. Moses did not decide by himself. “So Moses brought their case before the Lord” (27:5).
Fair to everyone. The sisters did not ask to take land from anyone else. They asked for their father’s share, so that his family would not be left out.
Bring it to God. When something seems unfair, the best place to take it is to God in prayer, just as Moses did.
God listens. No question is too small or too hard to bring to God. He listened to five sisters, and He listens to you.
A family that lost a father. These sisters had lost their father. God cares for every child who has lost someone they love. If you are sad about someone who has died, tell God and a grown-up you trust how you feel.
Our sin. No one can earn a place in God’s family by being good. We have all sinned.
Jesus. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Everyone who trusts Him becomes an heir of God.
What to do. Bring your needs to God in prayer. Ask Him with courage, and trust Him to answer what is right.
Moses brought the sisters’ question to the Lord. God answered, and His answer is still in the Bible today.
God’s answer. “The daughters of Zelophehad speak what is right” (Numbers 27:7). God agreed with the five sisters.
A share of the land. God said, “you shall surely give them a possession of inheritance among their father’s brothers” (27:7). The sisters would have land of their own.
Their father’s name. God said to “cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them” (27:7). His name would not be forgotten.
A rule for everyone. Then God gave a rule for all Israel: “If a man dies and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter” (27:8).
Every family. God also told what to do if a man had no daughter, no brother and no uncle (27:9-11). No family was left out.
God sees daughters. God did not treat the sisters as less important because they were girls. He gave them a full share.
Asking was right. The Lord did not scold the sisters for asking. He said they were right, and He also gave a rule to protect every family.
Kept His word. Years later, when Joshua divided the land, the sisters received their land, just as God had said.
Our inheritance. Paul wrote about “giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light” (Colossians 1:12).
Qualified. To be qualified means to be made fit and allowed to have something. God the Father qualifies us; we cannot qualify ourselves.
The saints in the light. The saints are all of God’s people. Their inheritance is life with God in His light.
A full share. In God’s family, every child who trusts Jesus receives a full share. No one is left out.
Thankful heirs. Paul says to give thanks. An heir who knows the gift was free becomes a thankful heir.
Our sin. We did not deserve any share. Our sin kept us out of God’s family.
Jesus. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Through faith in Him, we become heirs.
What to do. Thank your heavenly Father today for making you His heir.
Complete all sections to finish!
Read each section and answer the questions correctly.