Numbers 36

God’s message to me: God has a plan for all His children. It is a plan of prosperity. None of the Israelites was permanently poor with no ability to regain his losses. The year of Jubilee returned property to it’s families ensuring that no family would be disinherited for financial gain. The plan of inheritance ensured that the property and legacy of the family would pass on from generation to generation. I have no doubt that God will provide for me as well. No matter how bad finances have gotten He has kept me fed and sheltered and I know that better days will come if I don’t reject them.

Of all the major players in the bible only a very small number were poor for their entire lives. Most, including all the ones we have studied, so far, on this blog, were exceptionally wealthy, Including a prince and a prime minister of one of the most powerful kingdoms of the time, Egypt. If God has called us to a life of poverty and suffering, as so many insist, why is that not what we see in the examples He gave us in the bible. Christ has told us that the world will hate us for His sake and we may suffer for His sake in our lives but, living a poor life does not mean your “suffering for Jesus” unless that life is a direct result of religious oppression. The bible has four times as many verses on managing your money as it has on prayer. Before you decide poverty is your lot in life you should find out if your ignoring God’s advice.

Promises: God does not fail in His promises. Zelophehad died without sons but his inheritance and legacy continued through His daughters. It did not require others to give up their inheritance.

Commands: It’s hard to find a direct command in this passage. It is clear that God does not intend His law to be used for taking advantage of people. The Daughter usually shares in the inheritance of her husband. The idea that a daughter could inherit the wealth of two families and undermine another tribe was a concern among some. This ruling clarified the matter so that it could not be used to such an end.

Timeless principles: Pass on your legacy. While not specific here the bible continues to refer to inheritance. While I have no use for those who are so concerned with their inheritance that they don’t consider their parents and alienate their siblings, I don’t believe it is honorable to avoid leaving a legacy.

Some people are not blessed with wealth or lose it near the end of life. Others have it eaten up in medical expenses. This is understandable. The people I refer to are those who praise the idea of leaving nothing to their heirs on purpose, for whatever reason. It has become fashionable for some of the rich to donate their money and make arrangements for their estates to go to charity. This is fine but to many are making it their entire estate and leaving nothing to their heirs. This is not biblical or honorable. Nor is it proper for the lower income folks to intentionally burn through their estate to leave nothing behind. I believe we all seek to live comfortably and retire more comfortably but, intentionally eliminating any inheritance for your heirs is not what God demonstrates.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: Understand the importance of family legacy. Some family traditions and legacies are best forgotten, particularly if there are a lot or criminals or otherwise anti-social people in your lineage. The Hitler family would just as soon forget his legacy, for example. Remembering Where you come from and what it means and passing on your legacy and family wealth is important though. The census of Old Testament Israel wasn’t just a head count but a documentation of the family trees to ensure that family heritage was preserved.

more to learn for in-depth study: A short and basic passage. The daughters Zelophehad had no brothers when their father died. God ruled that they could carry on the family legacy and inherit the lands that would have gone to the family. Others considered this dangerous because the wife inherits from the husbands family. This could allow their line to inherit land from two tribes and, if it continued, one tribe could eventually own all the land, or at the least, the lands would be mingled enough to eliminate tribal boundaries.

In order to settle the matter of inheritance, the ladies had to marry cousins from within their own tribe. While modern law extends the rules against marriage to family out to first cousins the bible does not. Biblical rules eliminate Siblings, Parents, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles from the dating pool. First cousins and beyond are accepted. The fact of genetic defects and certain hereditary illnesses being increased when close kin reproduce has led society to rethink this and expand the circle of kin to close to marry for the sake of improved health.

I realize there is a redneck joke in here somewhere but, I happen to come from a long line of folks you might call rednecks. Outside of the usual rumors of European Royalty and Some of the Old Money families in the US I know of only one person I can identify as marrying a known relative on purpose. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd president of the United States, married Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, his second cousin. Face it. This is redneck country.

tomorrow: Deuteronomy 1-2