| SUNDAY | December 13 |
Land Division
After the debacle at Shittim, a census was taken of the males 20 years of age and older (Num. 26:1–4). With just a few notable exceptions (see vss. 64, 65), the older generation had died off, and a new one had appeared.
What was one of the reasons that the census was taken? Why would this be important? Num. 26:52–56.
Once the second generation had conquered the land, it needed to be divided fairly; otherwise, this could have become a source of fighting and confusion. Fortunately, Moses was still living and could direct in this important matter. As the text states, those tribes with a lot of members were given the most land; those with fewer, less. What could be fairer than that?
Read Numbers 27:1–11. What important principles do we see being made manifest here?
A key element here is the sanctity of the family, especially in regard to property and the rights of inheritance. It’s clear that the idea was to keep the property as close as possible within the family. The land, after all, was an “inheritance,” and so it belonged in the family.
As we see, too, this was not a one-time deal. Because these women had the faith and courage to approach Moses over an issue of basic fairness, the Lord established a “statute of judgment” (Num. 27:11) that would endure for future generations and would protect women who might have found themselves in similar circumstances.
| It’s always so easy to let things like possessions dominate us so that we forget even the most basic Christian principles. How can we protect ourselves from allowing our desire for things to ruin our relationship with God and with others? |
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