May the mumbling commence!
Land is a moral issue. Oh, what it is to have a place for yourself! That is why it is so important to keep land distribution fair. To deny someone a place to be is to make them the most vulnerable person possible. Read from Numbers chapter thirty-six.
Then the heads of the clan of Gilead – descendants of Makir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph – came to Moses and the family leaders of Israel with a petition. They said, "Sir, the Lord instructed you to divide the land by sacred lot among the people of Israel. You were told by the Lord to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. But if any of them marries a man from another tribe, their inheritance of land will go with them to the tribe into which they marry. In this way, the total area of our tribal land will be reduced. Then when the Year of Jubilee comes, their inheritance of land will be added to that of the new tribe, causing it to be lost forever to our ancestral tribe."
So Moses gave the Israelites this command from the Lord: "The men of the tribe of Joseph are right. This is what the Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: Let them marry anyone they like, as long as it is within their own ancestral tribe. None of the inherited land may pass from tribe to tribe, for the inheritance of every tribe must remain fixed as it was first allotted. The daughters throughout the tribes of Israel who are in line to inherit property must marry within their tribe, so that all the Israelites will keep their ancestral property. No inheritance may pass from one tribe to another; each tribe of Israel must hold on to its allotted inheritance of land." (Verses 1-9)
When exceptions are made, they also need further attention. Such was the case with the daughters of Zelophehad. The tribe of Manasseh was afraid that these women would marry out of their tribe. If they did, then the land once given to the tribe of Manasseh would forever be transferred to the tribe of her husband. The land for Manasseh (or whatever tribe was in a similar situation) would see their inheritance decrease.
Moses stepped in. He commanded all women who inherited land from their fathers to marry only within their tribe. For the daughters of Zelophehad, the command was not burdensome. They married within their tribe… and continued the name of their father, as originally intended.
Yes, the way we deal with land and with one another is fundamental. The land after all belongs to the Lord. Just as the blessing of the Lord is offered to everyone – regardless of their response to it. Read from Luke chapter ten:
The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them on ahead in pairs to all the towns and villages he planned to visit. These were his instructions to them: "The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. Pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest, and ask him to send out more workers for his fields. Go now, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. Don't take along any money, or a traveler's bag, or even an extra pair of sandals. And don't stop to greet anyone on the road.
Whenever you enter a home, give it your blessing. If those who live there are worthy, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. When you enter a town, don't move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide you. Don't hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.
If a town welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you and heal the sick. As you heal them, say, 'The Kingdom of God is near you now.' But if a town refuses to welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 'We wipe the dust of your town from our feet as a public announcement of your doom. And don't forget the Kingdom of God is near!'” (Verses 1-11)
The Lord Jesus sends us ahead. We represent Christ to the people we come across. We are to bring God’s Good News to the people wherever we go. Whether or not they accept that message is immaterial. The Kingdom of God is near. Will we seek to enter the Kingdom or will it pass us by?
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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