What If

O. T. #366  "What If"
Sept. 17, 2014
Numbers 36
And if they...  Numbers 36:3

LET IT GLOW

Can't we spend all our time, energy, and thoughts focused on the what if's in this world and in our life? What if my husband or children die young? What if my business fails? What if I loose my home? What if I get a deadly or debilitating disease? What if we loose our freedoms? What if..? What if...?
There comes a time when we have to lay it down at the feet of Jesus and let Him solved the problem or possible situation. I must not waste my time dwelling on those worries, but live by faith today for Him. Israel did that in this chapter.

The question came up again. The leaders of the tribes raised the question concerning those women. They were talking about the five daughters of Zelophehad, who was of the tribe of Manasseh, so of Joseph. You may recall that Ze had no son to inherit his land, so God Himself gave it to Ze's girls. (Numbers 27:11)

So these leaders presented a "what if" situation dealing with this tribe. If these daughters married into another tribe, the original tribe's land would be depleted. All that the gal owned would be given to her husband and family. Sounds to me like these leaders were more concerned with "the land" than with the tribe staying pure.

Since a tribe would lose an allotted inheritance in the year of Jubilee if an inheriting woman had married into another tribe, the woman of any tribe who inherited land must marry within her own tribe.  (MacArthur)

Again, the LORD was a problem-solver. In verse 6, the daughters of Zelophehad were instructed:
Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry.

It was permissible that she could marry her cousin on her father's side of the family. This was permissible back then, but not advisable today. God Himself had directed this, so how could the gals do otherwise? If this is done now days, the children might have mental problems do to the close relations, the DNA. Besides, Gentiles have such a wide choice in the world today that they should not need to marry a close relative. I would think that it would be frowned upon.

The point is, do we do what God directs us to do?

LET IT GROW

Numbers began with the children of Israel being in the wilderness and finishes as close to the Promised Land as you can get without actually being there.  (Guzik)

Here they are, camped in the plains of Moab, beside the Jordan River, near Jericho. The old generation was passed away, except for Moses, Caleb, and Joshua, and those under age twenty when the wilderness journey began.  This was the new generation would have similar problems, but they did have faith to follow God into the land He promised their ancestors to give them.

Many Christians die in their wilderness because they will not trust God and will not enter into what He has set before them. They came this far by faith, and would need faith to take them the rest of the way.  (Guzik)

What happens to our faith while we experience our wilderness? Does our faith continue to grow stronger in God or do we fall by the wayside? I pray that we will continue to read the Word, obey it, and experience God's love and peace with a growing faith.


LET IT GO

Let go of complaining, murmuring, and rebellion, and the fleshly desires.

Let go and let God.

Trust and obey Him.