The God Who Sees

1 Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying, 3 “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin. And he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father's brothers.”

5 Moses brought their case before the Lord. 6 And the Lord said to Moses, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father's brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them. 8 And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter. 9 And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father's brothers. 11 And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the nearest kinsman of his clan, and he shall possess it. And it shall be for the people of Israel a statute and rule, as the Lord commanded Moses.’” – Numbers 27:1-11 ESV

The Israelites were a patriarchal society in which the male was considered the head of the family, clan, and community. The historical context of the biblical narrative covers a lengthy time in which virtually all societies were led exclusively by men. There were occasions when a woman would ascend to the throne as the queen but this was rare and usually only after her husband had died. For the most part, women played subservient roles in society and were relegated to relative obscurity. In most cases, they could not own property, file a lawsuit, testify in court, or hold public office, and because women had few rights and little power, this inequity was rarely challenged.

But the 27th chapter of Numbers presents the surprising case of when a group of Israelite women dared to bring their demands for equal rights before Moses. Sometime after the census was taken and the size of the tribes was determined, the daughters of a man named Zelophehad came forward and presented their grievance to Moses. Their father, a member of the tribe of Manasseh, had died sometime during the last 38 years. Their reference to Korah’s rebellion (Numbers 16) seems to indicate that their father’s death took place around that time, but they stress that he died of natural causes. The phrase, “died for his own sin” simply indicates that his death was not the result of God’s judgment.

The five sisters also inform Moses that their father died without leaving behind a legal heir. They had no brothers, so the women understood the precarious nature of their position; as daughters, they were prohibited from inheriting their father’s goods or property. This posed a difficult dilemma for Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

When Israel entered Canaan and began the conquest of the land, each tribe would receive its allotment, which would then be divided among the members of that tribe. Since Zelophehad was deceased and had no sons, he would receive no land. That meant that the five unmarried sisters would be left homeless and impoverished. Unless they quickly found husbands, their prospects for survival would be dim. That is what led them to appeal their case before “Moses, Eleazar the priest, the tribal leaders, and the entire community at the entrance of the Tabernacle” (Numbers 27:2 NLT).

These five sisters knew they had nothing to lose and everything to gain, so they risked ridicule and rejection by bringing their predicament before the all-male leadership of their community. This action took courage and demonstrated the level of their concern. As the day grew closer when the nation would begin its conquest of the land of Canaan, these women knew their time was running out. So, they made their desperate appeal.

“Our father died in the wilderness,” they said. “He was not among Korah’s followers, who rebelled against the Lord; he died because of his own sin. But he had no sons. Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan just because he had no sons? Give us property along with the rest of our relatives.” – Numbers 27:3-4 NLT

They portrayed their father as a relatively good man who had not disqualified himself through acts of rebellion against God. He had simply died and left them with no hope of owning any land in Canaan, and they were appealing for the “court” to make a special dispensation in their case.

It seems likely that there were murmurs of disagreement and shock among the men as they heard the words of the five women. This would have been unprecedented and unthinkable to many of them. To do such a thing, they reasoned, would have been without protocol and would establish a dangerous precedence that could disrupt the social fabric. There were likely some among the leadership of Israel who were ready to deny the women’s request with no further discussion. But Moses wasn’t ready to pass judgment or sentence. Instead, he “brought their case before the Lord” (Numbers 27:5 NLT)

As the God-ordained leader of Israel, Moses could have used his authority to settle the matter without debate. However, the unique nature of this situation required input from the Almighty. Moses was not ready to treat this matter lightly or settle it too quickly.

The text does not reveal how Moses brought the matter before the Lord, but it does state that he received an answer.

“The claim of the daughters of Zelophehad is legitimate. You must give them a grant of land along with their father’s relatives. Assign them the property that would have been given to their father.” – Numbers 27:7 NLT

God spoke and He came down on the side of the five sisters, ordering that they be awarded a portion of land among their father’s relatives. This news must have come as a shock to the rest of the tribunal and left some of them shaking their heads in disagreement. One can only imagine how the male relatives of Zelophehad must have felt when they heard God’s decree; this divine decision was going to cost them. It would result in each of them receiving less land in Canaan. So, while the women rejoiced in God’s good graces and their good fortune, their relatives were probably muttering under their breath.

God Almighty had intervened and provided for these helpless women. He had heard their cry and was determined to care for their needs. But He didn’t stop there. This was not to be an isolated incident but, instead, it was to become a permanent part of Israelite case law with additional clauses that covered other potential circumstances.

“And give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If a man dies and has no son, then give his inheritance to his daughters. And if he has no daughter either, transfer his inheritance to his brothers. If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. But if his father has no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan. This is a legal requirement for the people of Israel, just as the Lord commanded Moses.” – Numbers 27:8-11 NLT

By boldly speaking up, these five women had appealed their case before God and had helped to establish new legal parameters for other women in their community. Up until this moment, no one had bothered to think about what to do in these kinds of scenarios. No one had considered the plight of the countless women whose fathers had died during the nearly 40 years Israel had been in the wilderness. Many of those women remained unmarried and without any hope of survival once they entered the land of Canaan. Yet the determination of Zelophehad’s daughters resulted in a divine decree that corrected an oversight in the system. 

This story is similar to that of Hagar recorded in the book of Genesis. This Egyptian slave girl served as the maidservant to Sarai, the wife of Abram. When Sarai had been unable to provide Abram with a male heir, she gave him Hagar to use as a surrogate. This innocent young woman was treated like property and forced to bear a son for Abram. But when Sarai saw how quickly Hagar had conceived, she abused and cast out the pregnant mother-to-be. Hagar found herself in the wilderness all alone and with no hope for the future. But God saw her plight and made her a promise.

“Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.” Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count…You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress.” – Genesis 16:9-10, 11 NLT

And, as a result of this divine encounter, Hagar declared, “You are the God who sees me…Here I have seen one who sees me!” (Genesis 16:13 NET).

God had seen her plight and had intervened, and God had seen the plight of the five daughters of Zelophehad and done the same thing. He is the God who sees ('ēl rŏ'î). Nothing escapes His attention. No one gets overlooked. He is the God who cares for and intercedes for His own. The very fact that these five sisters were emboldened to speak up in a society where women were expected to remain silent appears to indicate the sovereign hand of God working behind the scenes. God was well aware of all the other women in the Israelite camp who found themselves in similar situations. Their plight had not been overlooked by God and He intervened by having these five women do the unthinkable and speak on behalf of all those for whom the land of promise would be anything but promising or fruitful.

For the men who sat on the leadership board that originally heard this case, God’s answer must have surprised them. But His adjudication of their plight was meant to reveal the nature of His character. The Israelites had a God who was just, righteous, and cared deeply for all of His people.  The psalmist would later declare the goodness of Israel’s God and His unwavering care and concern for “the least of these.”

But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them.
    He keeps every promise forever.
He gives justice to the oppressed
    and food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
    The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
    The Lord loves the godly.
The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
    He cares for the orphans and widows,
    but he frustrates the plans of the wicked. – Psalm 146:5-9 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Remember. Renew. Restore.

But you, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures to all generations. Why do you forget us forever, why do you forsake us for so many days? Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old—unless you have utterly rejected us, and you remain exceedingly angry with us. – Lamentations 5:19-22 ESV Jeremiah was living in what was the ruins of Jerusalem. He is surrounded by a rag-tag remnant of individuals who were left behind by the Babylonians after they took tens of thousands of their fellow Israelites into captivity. In the earlier part of Jeremiah's prayer, recorded in chapter 5, he gave God a vivid description of their circumstances. They were living in disgrace. In keeping with the book's name, Jeremiah laments, “Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners. We have become orphans, fatherless; our mothers are like widows” (Jeremiah 5:2-3 ESV). They were having to pay for clean water to drink and wood to burn. They had resorted to alliances with Egypt and Assyria just to be able to have bread to eat. Crime was on an upswing. It wasn't safe to go into the wilderness. Jeremiah reported, “Women are raped in Zion, young women in the towns of Judah” (Lamentations 5:11 ESV). Everyone was forced to work in order to exist. There was no longer any joy or any reason to celebrate or dance. And Jeremiah knew that their circumstances were the result of their own sin and rebellion against God. While the remnant that remained had escaped captivity, they were trapped in an endless cycle of poverty and despair. They were living in the land of Judah, but without any of the blessings or benefits they had known before.

And in the midst of all the pain and suffering, Jeremiah called out to the only one who could do anything about it. He turned to God, acknowledging His power and sovereignty. “But you, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures to all generations.” Everything else was unstable and insecure, but not God. The temple may have been destroyed, but the one for whom it had been built was alive and well. The city of Jerusalem may have fallen and the king of Judah taken captive and humiliated, but God remained King of the universe. God remained the one stable factor in Jeremiah's topsy-turvy world. But Jeremiah couldn't help but feel that God had somehow forgotten them. He knew that God had promised to restore the people to the land, in spite of all that they had done. But each day Jeremiah woke up to the same sad circumstances. Poverty, injustice, pain, suffering, and hopelessness. He wondered when God was going to keep His word. When would God step in and do what He had promised to do? Jeremiah pleaded with God to restore them and to renew things back to the way they used to be. He longed for the good old days. But he knew that any hope of restoration was up to God. He would have to do it. As a people, they were completely incapable of saving themselves. Those in captivity were helpless to do anything about their situation. Those left behind in Judah were powerless to change their circumstances. They needed God.

It is amazing how quickly we can become God-focused when we find ourselves in a jam from which we can't escape. Nothing improves our prayer lives like troubles and trials. The feelings of helplessness and hopelessness are great motivators when it comes to our spiritual lives. We seem to operate on the maxim: when all else fails, try God. But Jeremiah wasn't turning to God as a last resort. He was appealing to his one and only hope. Without God, all was lost. There were no other viable options. God alone was capable of doing anything about their predicament. But sadly, many Christians always have another trick up their sleeve or another option to turn to other than God. Whether through pride or a lack of faith, far too many of us make God our desperation destiny. When all is lost, we turn to Him. And amazingly, He is always there. He is the one consistent, unchanging and constantly reliable reality we can count on. Jeremiah ended his prayer and his book with the words, “Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old—unless you have utterly rejected us, and you remain exceedingly angry with us.” I don't think Jeremiah believed that was the case. He knew his God all too well to think that He would abandon them forever. He had heard God promise to restore them. He had obeyed when God told him to purchase land in Judah as an investment for the future. He knew in his heart of hearts that God was going to remember, renew and restore. But that did not stop him from wondering when it would all happen. It did not prevent him from asking God to move the timeline up.

And we know that God kept His word. He did eventually restore the people to the land. He brought them back out of captivity and allowed them to rebuild the temple, restore the walls of Jerusalem and repopulate the land. He did exactly what He had promised to do. Catastrophe and captivity were no match for God. The hopelessness and helplessness of men were poor indicators of God's capabilities. To Him, the circumstances were nothing more than an opportunity, not an obstacle. At no point was God worried, concerned, or sitting up in heaven wringing His hands, wondering what He was going to do. He was and is the Lord God, who reigns forever. He is the King of the universe, the all-powerful God for whom nothing is too difficult. He will remember. He will renew. He will restore. We can rely on Him.

The Work of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. – 1 Corinthians 1:30 NLT

After warning the Corinthians about the danger of division within the body of Christ, Paul reminded them that the work of salvation had nothing to do with man. Paul, Apollos and Peter were nothing more than messengers of the Good News. Their role was to tell what God had done through Christ on the cross. Paul made this point quite emphatically when he wrote, "Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not!" (1 Corinthians 1:13 NLT). Salvation was not man's idea, but God's. In fact, left to their own devises, mankind had not been able to come up with a way to restore their relationship with God. No amount of good works, sacrifices, worship or religious rituals had ever fixed the problem created by the sin of mankind. So God had come up with His own plan, and it appeared as nothing less than foolish from man's perspective. God chose to send His sinless Son to die on a cross for the sins of mankind. And to those who are lost, "The message of the cross is foolish" (1 Corinthians 1:18 NLT). It appears ridiculous. It sounds far-fetched, too hard to believe. To the philosophers, scholars and the brilliant debaters of this world, the message of the cross sounds like superstitious nonsense – the creation of pathetically simpleminded people.

"But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24 NLT). To those who humbly accept the message of Christ's substitionary death on the cross as real and life-transforming, the power of God is self-evident and non-debatable. It is clear that the work of salvation is the work of God – from beginning to end. Man has nothing to do with it. God chose us. God called us. God united us with Christ. And it was Christ who made us right with God. It was He who made us pure and holy. It was He who freed us from sin, not Paul, Apollos or Peter. So there is no reason for anyone to boast – either in themselves or any other human being. Salvation is God's work and He accomplished it through the death of His own Son. The only role we played was that of the foolish, powerless, helpless, despised and sin-enslaved human being. We brought nothing of value to the table. We had no worth or merit in God's eyes. God didn't look down from heaven and select the best and the brightest. He didn't choose the rich, famous or successful ones. He wasn't impressed with anyone's talents, efforts, resume or attempts at self-righteousness. Because in God's eyes, all men were sinners. All men were separated from Him. All men were deserving of His wrath and destined to spend eternity being punished for their rebellion against Him. But God had a plan. He had a solution to man's problem that didn't involve man at all. It was His work. It required the death of His Son. It was His plan and "this foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human reason" (1 Corinthians 1:25 NLT). So there is nothing for us to boast about, except in the fact that God has chosen us. We need to boast about God. We need to brag about Him. We need to constantly remind one another that, without His plan of salvation – as foolish as it may sound – none of us would have any hope.

Father, thank You for Your incredible plan of salvation. Without it, I would have no hope. I would have no future. But because You sent Your Son to die on a cross in my place, and You chose to open my eyes so that I could see the futility of my situation and the reality of salvation made available through His death, I now stand as right and righteous before You. I have nothing to boast about, except You. Don't ever allow me to make it about me again. Don't allow me to make more of anyone than I do of you. Amen.

The Lord Is Willing. Are You Ready?

Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16

“Lord," the man said, "if you are willing you can heal me and make me clean.” – Matthew 8:2 NLT

How would you react if someone covered in contagious sores and possibly having a disfigured face came to you begging for help? What would you do? How would you feel? In Jesus' day, leprosy was a horrible disease with no known cure. Those who contracted it were shunned by society and forced to live in isolation with other lepers, far from their families and friends. They were considered unclean according to the Law and unable to be restored to a right standing unless their healing from leprosy could be verified by a priest. These people were forced to call out, "Unclean, unclean!" if they came within shouting range of any normal person. This was in order to warn the other person to stay away. They were despised, rejected, unclean, unwanted, and helplessly burdened with a disease that had no known cure.

And yet, in our passages today, we read about one of these unfortunate souls who had the rare opportunity to come into contact with Jesus, the Messiah. He was taking a huge risk making his way into the crowds that surrounded Jesus. He shouldn't have been there. He was an outcast and had no place among these people and in the presence of Jesus. But he came and he cried out, "Lord, if you are willing you can heal me and make me clean!" He somehow knew that Jesus could heal him. The question was whether or not Jesus would. But back to the original question. How would you react in this situation? What would your response be? Revulsion? Fear? Anger? I'm sure the crowds backed away as quickly as possible when they saw who it was that was kneeling at Jesus' feet. They were horrified, shocked and probably a little bit put out that this social outcast had dared to ruin what had been a perfectly good day. But Mark tells us that Jesus was "moved with compassion" and He reached out and touched the man! You can almost hear the audible gasp come from the lips of the shocked onlookers as Jesus reaches out and purposely touches him. To do so was to not only risk contracting this man's dreadful disease, but to make yourself ceremonially unclean. How could Jesus do this? Why would Jesus do this? Couldn't He have healed the man with just a word from His lips? Was contact necessary?

Jesus always had a way of turning the status quo on its ear. He was a radical at heart. He never seemed to do what was expected or what was considered the usual. There is so much wrapped up in the imagery of this story. It reveals so much about Jesus, the healer, and Jesus, the Savior. This is less a story about restoration from leprosy, than a picture of redemption from sin. In this man we have pictured the state of every human being who has ever lived. All men are diseased, infected with sin, highly contagious, and unclean in the eyes of God. Their state is helpless and hopeless. There is no known cure for their malady. Their future is bleak. Their outcome assured. Death is all that awaits them. And yet, like this man, if they come to Jesus in complete submission and faith, and ask Him to heal them, His response will be, "I am willing, be healed!" And just as the man's leprosy immediately disappeared, the sinful state of every man and woman who turns to Jesus for healing with be immediately healed and they will receive new life. Their uncleanness will be turned into holiness. Their certain death will be replaced with assurance of eternal life. Their condemnation will turn into forgiveness. Their isolation into full acceptance. And their healing will be complete and fully verifiable. The change in their condition will be easily recognizable to all who see them. Jesus healed this man's physical condition. But the real reason He came was to heal mankind's spiritual condition. And He is as willing today as He has ever been. All we need say is, "Lord, if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean."

Jesus, I am so grateful that You were willing to heal me. I know that my state was far worse than the man in this story. My sin was going to have a devastating effect on my future. I was diseased and destined to die as a result. But my death would have been an eternal one, separated from You forever. And yet Jesus, You showed me compassion, and reached out and touched me "while I was yet a sinner" and healed me. Thank You!  Amen.