The conduct of the daughters of Zelophehad, as recorded in the opening
section of this chapter, presents a striking and beautiful contrast to
the unbelief on which we have just been commenting. They most assuredly
belonged not to the generation of those who are ever ready to abandon
divine ground, lower the divine standard, and forego the privileges
conferred by divine grace. No; those five noble women had no sympathy
with such. They were determined, through grace, to plant the foot of
faith on the very highest ground, and, with holy yet bold decision, to
make their own of that which God had given. Let us read the refreshing
record.
“Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of
Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of
Manasseh the son of Joseph: and these are the names of his daughters;
Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah. And they stood before
Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the
congregation, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,
‘Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them
that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of
Korah; but died in his own sin, and had no sons. Why should the name of
our father be done away from among his family because he hath no sons?
Give unto us, therefore, a possession among the brethren of our father.’”
(Ver. 1-4.)
This is uncommonly fine. It does the heart good to read such words as
these at a time like the present, when so little is made of the proper
standing and portion of God’s people, and when so many are content to go
on from day to day and year to year without caring even to inquire into
the things which are freely given to them of God. Nothing is more sad
than to see the carelessness, the utter indifference, with which many
professing Christians treat such great and all-important questions as
the standing, walk, and hope of the believer and the Church of God. It
is not, by any means, our purpose to go into these questions here. We
have done so repeatedly in the other volumes of the series of “Notes.”
We merely desire to call the reader’s attention to the fact that it is
at once sinning against our own rich mercies, and dishonoring the Lord,
when we evince a spirit of indifferentism in reference to any one point
of divine revelation as to the position and portion of the Church or of
the individual believer. If God, in the aboundings of His grace, has
been pleased to bestow upon us precious privileges, as Christians, ought
we not to seek earnestly to know what these privileges are? ought we
not to seek to make them our own, in the artless simplicity of faith?
Is it treating our God and His revelation worthily to be indifferent
as to whether we are servants or sons—as to whether we have the Holy
Ghost dwelling in us or not—as to whether we are under law or under
grace—whether ours is a heavenly or an earthly calling?
Surely not. If there be one thing plainer than another in Scripture,
it is this, that God delights in those who appreciate and enjoy the
provision of His love—those who find their joy in Himself. The inspired
volume teems with evidence on this point. Look at the case now before
us in our chapter. Here were those daughters of Joseph—for such we must
call them—bereaved of their father—helpless and desolate, as viewed from
nature’s stand-point. Death had snapped the apparent link which connected
them with the proper inheritance of God’s people. What then? Were they
content to give up?—to fold their arms in cold indifference? Was it
nothing to them whether or not they were to have a place and a portion
with the Israel of God? Ah! no, reader; these illustrious women exhibit
something totally different from all this—something which we may well
study and seek to imitate—something which, we are bold to say, refreshed
the heart of God. They felt sure there was a portion for them in the land
of promise, of which neither death nor any thing that happened in the
wilderness could ever deprive them. “Why should the name of our father
be done away from among his people because he hath no son?” Could death,
could failure of male issue, could any thing, frustrate the goodness
of God? Impossible. “Give unto us, therefore, a possession among the
brethren of our father.”
Noble words!—words that went right up to the throne and to the heart of
the God of Israel. It was a most powerful testimony delivered in the ears
of the whole congregation. Moses was taken aback. Here was something
beyond the range of the law-giver. Moses was a servant, and a blessed and
honored servant too; but again and again, in the course of this marvelous
book of Numbers—this wilderness volume, questions arise with which he is
unable to deal, as for example, the defiled men in chapter ix, and the
daughters of Zelophehad in the section before us.
“And Moses brought their cause before the Lord. And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying, ‘_The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt
surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father’s
brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass
unto them_.’” (Ver. 5-7.)
Here was a glorious triumph, in the presence of the whole assembly. A
bold and simple faith is always sure to be rewarded. It glorifies God,
and God honors it. Need we travel from section to section and from page
to page of the holy volume to prove this? Need we turn to the Abrahams,
the Hannahs, the Deborahs, the Rahabs, the Ruths, of Old-Testament times?
or to the Marys, the Elizabeths, the centurions, and the Syrophenicians
of the New-Testament times? Wherever we turn, we learn the same great
practical truth, that God delights in a bold and simple faith—a faith
that artlessly seizes and tenaciously holds all that He has given—that
positively refuses, even in the very face of nature’s weakness and death,
to surrender a single hair’s breadth of the divinely given inheritance.
What though Zelophehad’s bones lay mouldering in the dust of the
wilderness? what though no male issue appeared to sustain his name? faith
could rise above all these things, and count on God’s faithfulness to
make good all that His Word had promised.
“The daughters of Zelophehad speak right.” They always do so. Their
words are words of faith, and as such, are always right in the judgment
of God. It is a terrible thing to limit “the Holy One of Israel.” He
delights to be trusted and used. It is utterly impossible for faith
to overdraw its account in God’s bank. God could no more disappoint
faith than He could deny Himself. He can never say to faith, You have
miscalculated; you take too lofty—to bold a stand; go lower down, and
lessen your expectations. Ah! no; the only thing in all this world that
truly delights and refreshes the heart of God is the faith that can
simply trust Him; and we may rest assured of this, that the faith that
can trust Him is also the faith that can love Him and serve Him and
praise Him.
Hence, then, we are deeply indebted to the daughters of Zelophehad. They
teach us a lesson of inestimable value. And more than this—their acting
gave occasion to the unfolding of a fresh truth, which was to form the
basis of a divine rule for all future generations. The Lord commanded
Moses, saying, “If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause His
inheritance to pass unto his daughter.”
Here we have a great principle laid down, in reference to the question of
inheritance, of which, humanly speaking, we should have heard nothing had
it not been for the faith and faithful conduct of these remarkable women.
If they had listened to the voice of timidity and unbelief—if they had
refused to come forward, before the whole congregation, in the assertions
of the claims of faith; then, not only would they have lost their own
inheritance and blessing, but all future daughters of Israel in a like
position would have been deprived of their portion likewise. Whereas, on
the contrary, by acting in the precious energy of faith, they preserved
their inheritance; they got the blessing; they received testimony from
God; their names shine on the page of inspiration; and their conduct
furnished, by divine authority, a precedent for all future generations.
Thus much as to the marvelous results of faith. But then we must
remember that there is moral danger arising out of the very dignity and
elevation which faith confers on those who, through grace, are enabled
to exercise it; and this danger must be carefully guarded against. This
is strikingly illustrated in the further history of the daughters of
Zelophehad, as recorded in the last chapter of our book. “And the chief
fathers of the families of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir,
the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near,
and spake before Moses, and before the princes, the chief fathers of
the children of Israel: and they said, ‘The Lord commanded My lord to
give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel; and
my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad
our brother unto his daughters. And if they be married to any of the
sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then shall their
inheritance be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and shall be
put to the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so
shall it be taken from the lot of our inheritance. And when the jubilee
of the children of Israel shall be, then shall their inheritance be put
unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall
their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our
fathers.’ And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the
word of the Lord, saying, ‘The tribe of the sons of Joseph hath said
well.’” (Num. xxxvi. 1-5.)
The “fathers” of the house of Joseph must be heard as well as the
“daughters.” The faith of the latter was most lovely; but there was just
a danger lest, in the elevation to which that faith had raised them, they
might forget the claims of others, and remove the landmarks which guarded
the inheritance of their fathers. This had to be thought of and provided
for. It was natural to suppose that the daughters of Zelophehad would
marry; and moreover, it was possible they might form an alliance outside
the boundaries of their tribe; and thus in the year of jubilee—that grand
adjusting institution—instead of adjustment, there would be confusion,
and a permanent breach in the inheritance of Manasseh. This would never
do; and therefore the wisdom of those ancient fathers is very apparent.
We need to be guarded on every side, in order that the integrity of faith
and the testimony may be duly maintained. We are not to carry things with
a high hand and a strong will though we have ever such strong faith,
but be ever ready to yield ourselves to the adjusting power of the whole
truth of God.
“This is the thing which the Lord doth command concerning the daughters
of Zelophehad, saying, ‘Let them marry to whom they think best, only
to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry; so shall
not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to
tribe; for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the
inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.... Even as the Lord commanded
Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad; for they [the five daughters]
were married unto their father’s brothers’ sons. And they were married
into the families of the sons of Manasseh, the son of Joseph; and their
inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.” (Num.
xxxvi. 6-12.)
Thus all is settled. The activities of faith are governed by the truth
of God, and individual claims are adjusted in harmony with the true
interests of all; while at the same time the glory of God is so fully
maintained that at the time of the jubilee, instead of any confusion in
the landmarks of Israel, the integrity of the inheritance is secured
according to the divine grant.
Nothing can be more instructive than this entire history of the daughters
of Zelophehad. May we really profit by it.
The closing paragraph of our chapter is full of deep solemnity. The
governmental dealings of God are displayed before our eyes in a manner
eminently calculated to impress the heart. “The Lord said unto Moses,
‘Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given
unto the children of Israel. And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt
be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. For ye
rebelled against My commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of
the congregation, to sanctify Me at the water before their eyes: that is
the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.’” (Ver. 12-14.)
Moses must not go over Jordan. It is not only that he cannot officially
bring the people over, but he cannot even go himself. Such was the
enactment of the government of God. But on the other hand, we see grace
shining out, with uncommon lustre, in the fact that Moses is conducted
by God’s own hand to the top of Pisgah, and from thence he sees the land
of promise, in all its magnificence, not merely as Israel afterwards
possessed it, but as God had originally given it.
Now this was the fruit of grace, and it comes out more fully in the close
of Deuteronomy, where we are also told that God buried His dear servant.
This is wonderful. Indeed there is nothing like it in the history of
the saints of God. We do not dwell upon this subject here, having done
so elsewhere;[21] but it is full of the deepest interest. Moses spake
unadvisedly with his lips, and for that he was forbidden to cross the
Jordan. This was God in _government_. But Moses was taken up to Pisgah,
there, in company with Jehovah, to get a full view of the inheritance;
and then Jehovah made a grave for His servant and buried him therein.
This was God in _grace_—marvelous, matchless grace!—grace that has ever
made the eater yield meat and the strong sweetness. How precious to be
the subjects of such grace! May our souls rejoice in it more and more, in
the eternal fountain whence it emanates, and in the channel through which
it flows.
We shall close this section by a brief reference to the lovely
unselfishness of Moses in the matter of appointing a successor. That
blessed man of God was ever characterized by a most exquisite spirit of
self-surrender—that rare and admirable grace. We never find him seeking
his own things; on the contrary, again and again, when opportunity was
afforded him of building up his own fame and fortune, he proved very
distinctly that the glory of God and the good of His people so occupied
and filled his heart that there was no room for a single selfish
consideration.
Thus it is in the closing scene of our chapter. When Moses hears that
he is not to go over Jordan, instead of being occupied in regrets as to
himself, he only thinks of the interests of the congregation. “And Moses
spake unto the Lord, saying, ‘Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all
flesh, set a man over the congregation, which may go out before them, and
which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may
bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which
have no shepherd.’”
What unselfish breathings are here! How grateful they must have proved
to the heart of that One who so loved and cared for His people! Provided
that Israel’s need were met, Moses was content. If only the work was
done, he cared not who did it. As to himself—his interests and his
destinies, he could calmly leave all in the hand of God. He would take
care of him, but, oh! his loving heart yearns over the beloved people of
God; and the very moment he sees Joshua ordained as their leader, he is
ready to depart and be at rest forever. Blessed servant! happy man! Would
there were even a few amongst us characterized, in some small degree,
by his excellent spirit of self-abnegation, and jealous care for God’s
glory and His people’s good. But alas! alas! we have to repeat, with
deepening emphasis, the _words_ of the apostle—“All seek their own, not
the things that are Jesus Christ’s.” O Lord, stir up all our hearts to
desire a more earnest consecration of ourselves, in spirit, soul, and
body, to Thy blessed service. May we, in good truth, learn to live, not
unto ourselves, but unto Him who died for us—who came from heaven to
earth about our sins, and is gone back from earth to heaven about our
infirmities, and who is coming again for our eternal salvation and glory.
CHAPTERS XXVIII. & XXIX.
These two chapters must be read together; they form a distinct section
of our book—a section pregnant with interest and instruction. The second
verse of chapter xxviii. gives us a condensed statement of the contents
of the entire section. “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ‘Command
the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering, and My bread for
My sacrifices made by fire, for a sweet savor unto Me, shall ye observe
to offer unto Me in their due season.’”
In these words the reader is furnished with a key with which to unlock
the whole of this portion of the book of Numbers. It is as distinct and
simple as possible. “_My_ offering,” “_My_ bread,” “_My_ sacrifices,” “_A
sweet savor unto Me._” All this is strongly marked. We may learn here,
without an effort, that the grand leading thought is, Christ to Godward.
It is not so much Christ as meeting our need—though surely He does most
blessedly meet that—as Christ feeding and delighting the heart of God.
It is God’s bread—a truly wonderful expression, and one little thought
of or understood. We are all sadly prone to look at Christ merely as the
procuring cause of our salvation, the One through whom we are forgiven
and saved from hell, the channel through which all blessing flows to us.
He is all this, blessed forever be His name. He is the Author of eternal
salvation to all them that obey Him; He bore our sins in His own body
on the tree; He died, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God; He
saves us from our sins, from their present power, and from their future
consequences.
All this is true; and consequently, throughout the whole of the two
chapters which lie open before us, and in each distinct paragraph, we
have the sin-offering introduced. (See chap. xxviii. 15, 22, 30; xxix. 5,
11, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34, 38.) Thirteen times over is mention made
of the sin-offering of atonement, and yet for all that it remains true
and obvious that sin or atonement for sin is not by any means the great
prominent subject. There is no mention of it in the verse which we have
quoted for the reader, although that verse plainly gives a summary of the
contents of the two chapters; nor is there any allusion to it until we
reach the fifteenth verse.
Need we say that the sin-offering is essential, inasmuch as man is in
question, and man is a sinner? It would be impossible to treat of the
subject of man’s approach to God, his worship, or his communion without
introducing the atoning death of Christ as the necessary foundation. This
the whole heart confesses with supreme delight. The mystery of Christ’s
precious sacrifice shall be the well-spring of our souls throughout the
everlasting ages.
But shall we be deemed Socinian in our thoughts if we assert that there
is something in Christ and in His precious death beyond the bearing of
our sins and the meeting of our necessities? We trust not. Can any one
read Numbers xxviii. and xxix. and not see this? Look at one simple
fact, which might strike the mind of a child. There are seventy-one
verses in the entire section, and out of these, thirteen allude to the
sin-offering, and the remaining fifty-eight are occupied with sweet-savor
offerings.
In a word, then, the special theme here is, God’s delight in Christ.
Morning and evening, day by day, week after week, from one new moon
to another, from the opening to the close of the year, it is Christ
in His fragrance and preciousness to Godward. True it is—thanks be to
God, and to Jesus Christ His Son—our sin is atoned for, judged, and
put away forever—our trespasses forgiven and guilt canceled; but above
and beyond this, the heart of God is fed, refreshed, and delighted by
Christ. What was the morning and evening lamb? was it a sin-offering,
or a burnt-offering? Hear the reply in God’s own words,—“And thou shalt
say unto them, ‘This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer
unto the Lord; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a
_continual burnt-offering_. The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning,
and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even; and a tenth part of an ephah
of flour for a meat-offering, mingled with the fourth part of a hin of
beaten oil. It is a continual burnt-offering, which was ordained in Mount
Sinai, for a sweet savor, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord.’”
Again, what were the two lambs for the Sabbath? a sin-offering, or a
burnt-offering? “This is _the burnt-offering_ of every Sabbath.” It
was to be double, because the Sabbath was a type of the rest that
remaineth for God’s people, when there will be a twofold appreciation of
Christ. But the character of the offering is as plain as possible,—it
was Christ to Godward. This is the special point in the burnt-offering.
The sin-offering is Christ to usward. In this, it is a question of the
hatefulness of sin; in that, it is a question of the preciousness and
excellency of Christ.
So also at the beginnings of their months (ver. 11), in the feast of the
passover and unleavened bread (ver. 16-25), in the feast of first-fruits
(ver. 26-31), in the feast of trumpets (chap. xxix. 1-6), in the feast
of tabernacles (ver. 7-38). In a word, throughout the entire range of
feasts, the leading idea is, Christ as a sweet savor. The sin-offering is
never lacking; but the sweet-savor offerings get _the_ prominent place,
as is evident to the most cursory reader. We do not think it possible
for any one to read this remarkable portion of Scripture and not observe
the contrast between the place of the sin-offering and that of the
burnt-offering. The former is only spoken of as “_one_ kid of the goats,”
whereas the latter comes before us in the form of “fourteen lambs,”
“thirteen bullocks,” and such like. Such is the large place which the
sweet-savor offerings get in this scripture.
But why dwell upon this? why insist upon it? Simply to show to the
Christian reader the true character of the worship God looks for, and in
which He delights. God delights in Christ, and it should be our constant
aim to present to God that in which He delights. Christ should ever be
the material of our worship; and He will be, in proportion as we are led
by the Spirit of God. How often, alas! it is otherwise with us, the heart
can tell. Both in the assembly and in the closet, how often is the tone
low, and the spirit dull and heavy. We are occupied with self instead
of with Christ; and the Holy Ghost, instead of being able to do His own
proper work, which is, to take of the things of Christ and show them unto
us, is obliged to occupy us with ourselves, in self-judgment, because our
ways have not been right.
All this is to be deeply deplored. It demands our serious attention,
both as assemblies and as individuals—in our public reunions and in our
private devotions. Why is the tone of our public meetings frequently so
low? Why such feebleness, such barrenness, such wandering? Why are the
hymns and prayers so wide of the mark? Why is there so little that really
deserves the name of worship? Why is there such restlessness and aimless
activity? Why is there so little in our midst to refresh the heart of
God?—so little that He can really speak of as “_His_ bread, for _His_
sacrifices made by fire, for a sweet savor unto Him”? We are occupied
with self and its surroundings—our wants, our weakness, our trials and
difficulties; and we leave God without the bread of His sacrifice. We
actually rob Him of His due, and of that which His loving heart desires.
Is it that we can ignore our trials, our difficulties, and our wants? No;
but we can commit them to Him. He tells us to cast _all_ our care upon
Him, in the sweet and tranquilizing assurance that He careth for us. He
invites us to cast our burdens upon Him, in the assurance that He will
sustain us. He is mindful of us. Is not this enough? Ought we not to be
sufficiently at leisure from ourselves, when we assemble in His presence,
to be able to present to Him something besides our own things? He has
provided for us; He has made all right for us; our sins and our sorrows
have all been divinely met; and most surely we cannot suppose that such
things are the food of God’s sacrifice. He has made them His care,
blessed be His name; but they cannot be said to be His food.
Christian reader, ought we not to think of these things?—think of them in
reference both to the assembly and the closet? for the same remarks apply
both to the one and the other. Ought we not to cultivate such a condition
of soul as would enable us to present to God that which He is pleased
to call “His bread”? The truth is, we want more entire and habitual
occupation of heart with Christ as a sweet savor to God. It is not that
we should value the Sin-offering less (far be the thought!); but let us
remember that there is something more in our precious Lord Jesus Christ
than the pardon of our sins and the salvation of our souls. What do the
burnt-offering, the meat-offering, and the drink-offering set forth?
Christ as a sweet savor, Christ the food of God’s offering, the joy of
His heart. Need we say it is one and the same Christ? Need we insist upon
it that it is the same One who was made a curse for us that is a sweet
savor to God? Surely, surely, every Christian owns this. But are we not
prone to confine our thoughts of Christ to what _He did for us_, to the
virtual exclusion of what _He is to God_? It is this we have to mourn
over and judge—this we must seek to have corrected; and we cannot but
think that a careful study of Numbers xxviii, xxix. would prove a very
excellent corrective. May God, by His Spirit, use it to this end.
Having, in our “Notes on Leviticus,” offered to the reader what God has
given to us in the way of light on the sacrifices and feasts, we do not
feel led to dwell upon them here. That little volume can be had of the
publishers, and the reader will find in chapters i.-viii. and chapter
xxxiii. what may interest and help him in reference to the subjects
treated of in the two chapters on which we have been dwelling.