Numbers 27: 1-7 They came forward and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among Korah’s followers, who banded together against the Lord, but he died for his own sin and left no sons. Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.” So, Moses brought their case before the Lord, and the Lord said to him, “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 to them. (NLT)
The five daughters of Zelophehad found themselves without male support in a culture in which women without a father or brothers were socially and financially vulnerable. Never had daughters been considered as heirs to land.
But realizing that a change was needed, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah courageously presented their argument to Moses and the other male leaders in a straightforward manner, believing in the justice and fairness of their cause. They put their fears aside, and they stepped forward, knowing that what they were about to do might make them disliked among their people.
But the Lord agreed when Moses took their case before Him, and the daughters changed not only their lives, but the lives of women who would come after them. They were women who influenced the world by their bravery, their sense of what was just and right, and their faith that the Lord God was on their side.
Every year during Women’s History Month, I learn new facts about the women who played vital roles in making America a more democratic and productive country. I feel such pride in being a woman and knowing that women still influence the unfolding drama of people’s lives around the world.
As women who believe and trust in God, we, too, can influence the world, and we do so everyday in our roles as mothers, wives, siblings, teachers, astronauts, cashiers, and preachers and teachers, etc. We do so in love and by speaking for those whose voices that have been silenced by fear, injustice, oppression, and violence.
Happy Women’s History Month to all the women who do the work in our homes, on our jobs, in our colleges and universities, and in our places of worship that make the world a better place for every human being. Let us be courageous and outspoken like the daughters of Zelophehad regarding the injustices we see and face.
Dear Heavenly Father,
When I think of the encounters that You and Jesus had with various women in the Bible, I am so thankful for Your compassion and unfailing love, that you always saw the women’s humanity, and that Jesus was not afraid to speak to women in public or heal them of their infirmities in the Temple. We are Your daughters, the sheep of Your pastures. Help us to be women who influence the world through our faith in You. Thank you for the love You show to us all. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
Help from Heaven 