talks to Yahweh, and once received the commandments from Yahweh on Mount Sinai,” Noah was thinking aloud. We all fell silent at that thought.
“So, will Yahweh condemn us for daring to ask, and will he remember our loss?” Hoglah asked, unafraid of the hard question.
We all looked at each other. One of us would have to be very brave. But all of us together, we knew, could be braver still.
The Tent of the Tabernacle must be approached only with fear and reverence. Yahweh had given many laws concerning who had anything to do with it; people have been known to die if they came near inappropriately (Num 1:51). The tent that enclosed the tabernacle was made with precious fabrics and was surrounded by a fence made of linen curtains. From camp to camp, for almost forty years, the priests disassembled and rebuilt the whole complex at every new location. Hidden within the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant, a gold-plated chest that was carried by the Levites before the procession of the Israelites, whenever we moved. It represented the presence of God leading the way throughout all the travels. It was constructed many years ago, and it was made of the finest materials by skilled artisans according to the exact instructions given directly from Yahweh to Moses.
We hesitated at the gate when the curtain was pulled aside for us to enter. Compared to the dullness of our dusty, everyday lives, we seemed to be looking into the splendor of heaven. The morning incense had already been burned, leaving behind a fragrance that assaulted our noses with a heady sweetness.
“We are the daughters of Zelophehad,” Mahlah told the guard at the gate of the enclosure. “May we approach Moses with a special request concerning our father’s inheritance?”
“Come nearer, daughters of Zelophehad,” we heard a voice from within call us. We hesitated to put one foot ahead of the other and progress into the enclosure. “I knew your father; I am sorry for your loss. Is there anything I can do?”
This was the first time that we had seen Moses up close.
He wore the years of desert life in his deeply creased face. He and several other priests formed a line of gold-trimmed, heavily embroidered robes. Eleazar, Aaron’s son, was the high priest. He was dressed in the ephod, or a sort of apron that was decorated with large gems of precious stones. Each stone represented one of the twelve tribes. We had never seen ruby, topaz, and sapphire stones, which reflected the morning sun with dazzling light. The whole effect of the tabernacle made us quite dizzy with its awesome majesty.
“Our father died in the desert, and he was a good man. He did not participate in the rebellion of Korah but died of old age,” Mahlah said, daring to break the silence.
“He taught us well to serve Yahweh with fear and reverence. He told us all the stories of the Exodus and the forty days at Mount Sinai when you, Moses, received the law from the hand of Yahweh,” added Noah.
“We are five sisters, without any brothers. Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son?” Hoglah continued.
“The tribe of Manasseh should not lose this land. We wish to receive our father’s portion along with his male relatives in the Promised Land of Canaan,” Milcah finished the request.
“Well, it is rather irregular that women would receive an inheritance of land. I will have to ask Yahweh about this unusual request,” Moses thoughtfully replied.
“When do you next talk to Yahweh?” our littlest sister piped up. We had forgotten to tell her not to talk.
“Ahem,” Moses had a rather shocked look on his tired old face. We were horrified that our whole cause could be lost. After an impossibly long pause, Moses spoke up again, “I can’t really say; Yahweh speaks in Yahweh’s own time, but I should get in one more talk before I see him face to face.”
“What did he mean by that?” we gazed at each other. No one sees God face to face and lives to tell about it.
We retreated backwards a few steps before turning around. We were somewhat dejected. “Well what kind of answer did we get? Moses did not refuse us. We have to wait on Yahweh,” Hoglah said, breaking the silence on the way to our tent.
“Were we too bold to ask for this exception?” we questioned among ourselves.
“You know women don’t inherit land,” some men taunted us. “There will be more land for us if you don’t inherit. After all, do you know what to do with land?”
“Well none of us knows how to plant grains and vineyards. Our generation has never been settled in one place,” Milcah reminded them.
“Will Moses die without giving us an answer?” we discussed that evening. It is amazing how the ancient evil one raised all kinds of doubts in our imaginings. The whole camp was aware that Moses would die before we moved over the Jordan. Moses would not set foot into the Promised Land, because of his disobedience at Kadesh many years earlier when he struck the rock for water instead of simply using speech (Num 20). Yahweh demands strict obedience and total trust, and his justice is fearful. Had we daughters of Zelophehad offended Yahweh by making an outrageous request?
Yahweh answers in Yahweh’s own time, as Moses had said. In the evening, huddled around our campfire, we wondered. Was Yahweh as near as our breath or as far away as the stars? Can we approach Yahweh directly, or only the priests? Would Moses receive word before he died? Our request began to seem rather meager in contrast to much bigger questions; would we be lost in these cosmic events?
We heard that Moses was indeed getting words from Yahweh. He was receiving multitudes of words including commands about many kinds of sacrifices and numerous festival days, and laws about crossing the Jordan and entering the Promised Land. We learned that Joshua would be anointed Moses’ successor. The scribes were busy with all the writing. Would the request of the daughters of Zelophehad be remembered in all the more important legislation?
Finally, though it was only a few days later, but seemed much longer, a messenger called us to the tabernacle. We were beyond mere fear; we were terrified until Moses opened his mouth. “My daughters, the word of Yahweh is thus: ‘What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives, and give their father’s inheritance over to them.’”
Our weak knees barely carried us back to our tent. “Imagine, out of all the words of Yahweh that Moses has received and recorded, Yahweh has not forgotten us! Of all the grains of sand who are the children of Abraham, he has heard our request,” we rejoiced together wildly. For the first time since the death of our father, we felt like we were just the width of the Jordan away from a new life in a new land.
Moses, at 120 years of age, died a short time after he delivered the message to us. We watched him ascend to the top of Mount Nebo with a spring in his step because he knew where he was going. But first Yahweh allowed him to look into the Promised Land. He never came back down. Yahweh buried him in a place that no one knows, and the Children of Israel wept for him thirty days. We, the daughters of Zelophehad, will always have this story to tell about how Moses heard our request. It was our privilege to have asked him personally. We will also learn how to plant grains, fruit trees, and vines, maybe even flowers.
Points to Ponder on the Daughters Who Asked
The daughters of Zelophehad did eventually marry. Be sure to read Joshua 17:4 to find out how this story ends. Cities named Tirzah and Hoglah are still
