Manassites Needed
“Now Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons but only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. They went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, ‘The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our relatives.’ So Joshua gave them an inheritance along with the brothers of their father, according to the LORD’s command.”
Today’s Text: Joshua 17:1-13 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
The Manassites provide a great example of pursuing God’s covenant promises in the promised land. The only mark against them is that they too had failed to completely root out the idolatry of the land (verse 12-13), but none of the tribes were completely successful in doing that.
On the positive side, not only did the eldest of the Manassites (Makir) lead the charge in claiming the land not just for his own clan but for the whole tribe, they also gave an inheritance of land to the daughters of Zelophehad, since he had no sons. The patriarchal system didn’t provide an inheritance for the daughters, so the LORD provided an inheritance for them within the patriarchal system (Numbers 27:1). However, they were to marry within the tribal clan, or their inheritance would become part of another tribe (Numbers 36:2).
Of course, today, God’s provision for Zelophehad’s daughters would seem to be an unfair, misogynistic compromise. Why not simply keep the daughters’ inheritance within the tribe of Manasseh and the clan of the Makirites no matter who they married?
The simple answer, I suppose, is: That’s just now how their society worked, and to introduce exceptions to the common practice could and would complicate matters tremendously.
Looking at the issue deeper, matters could and would become complicated because God’s purpose is to restore and promote shalom among His people and on the earth. And so, God’s plan was to give all the tribes of Israel a fair and equitable distribution of the inheritance. An unbalanced distribution of the inheritance could and would encourage excessive profiteering and foster resentment.
In a way, we can see the entire history of God’s people as a cycle: (1) God establishing shalom with His people through covenant provisions, (2) His people making a mess of God’s shalom because of greed and pride—that is, sin, (3) God exercising patient warnings through His word until the people’s idolatry reaches a tipping point, (4) God’s wrath unfolding upon His people because of their sin, and (5) God re-establishing shalom with a remnant of His people through covenant provisions.
The cycle will be completed when Jesus returns and restores shalom once and for all for His people, the Church.
Until Jesus returns, God’s people are called to live our lives as the faithful remnant, pursuing GOD’s plan of shalom and not our own corrupted and idolatrous versions of it. That is what the Manassites did, and we should follow their example.
Father, You have provided us with abundant riches in this world. But let us never take YOUR blessings for granted. Let us never suppose that we can hoard YOUR blessings for ourselves. And let us help others to receive their blessings from YOU too! You have so much to give. Help us to gain more riches by pursuing YOUR shalom. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
