Hooray for Women's Day!

On this International Women's Day of 2018 it is good for us to realize that the Lord acknowledged the rights of women at least 2300 years ago. When the Israelis had reached the promised land Moses knew that he would die before they crossed the Jordan into the land of milk and honey so he began to lay out a plan as to how the land would be apportioned to the Children of Israel. There were five sisters who spoke up regarding their rights to an inheritance and Moses asked the Lord what he should do. The Lord decided that the women were right. Later when Moses died and his successor, Joshua, led the people across the Jordan to take possession of the land, the daughters stepped up again and reminded Joshua of their inheritance. Hooray for women who speak up. Don't be timid, speak your piece. It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease!

The plea of the daughters: Numbers 27:1-8

Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying,
“Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin. And he had no sons.
Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.”
Moses brought their case before the LORD.
And the LORD said to Moses,
“The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them.
And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.'"

The reminder to Joshua: Joshua 17:3-4

Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters, and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
They approached Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the leaders and said, “The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance along with our brothers.” So according to the mouth of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father.

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