Daily Devotion | Numbers 27:1–11 | 2026 June 09

Title: Daily Devotion | Numbers 27:1–11 | 2026 June 09

Scripture: Numbers 27:1–11 (ESV, reference only)

Date: 2026 June 09

Speaker: Rev. John Chen

Transcribed, translated & edited by: Joseph Wang (Yufan)

Dear brothers and sisters, peace be with you. We thank God for His grace as we come to a new day and continue our Daily Devotion. Today we will study Numbers 27:1–11. Let us pray.

O God, we thank You. We thank You for Your mercy and grace. You are the God who gives wisdom. Every time a passage of Scripture is set before us, we are so overwhelmed, because we are unable to fully grasp its true meaning. But Lord, Your Spirit fills us and leads us, so that in Your Word we may receive heavenly strength and power. We see Your grace and mercy toward us. May You show grace among us, guide us, and help us come to a deeper understanding of Your love toward us.

In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Today we come to the story of the daughters of Zelophehad. In fact, this story has two parts. What we are looking at today is the first part, which concerns the daughters of Zelophehad seeking an inheritance. The second part of this story appears at the end of Numbers 36, where the issues of whom they marry and how their inheritance is to be retained are addressed.

Within the Book of Numbers, the insertion of the story of Zelophehad’s daughters is truly something rather unique. From a human perspective, it seems as though whether this story is included or not would make no difference to the overall story of redemption. It appears not to affect the larger narrative at all. But clearly that is not the case. The final chapter of Numbers speaks again about the daughters of Zelophehad. Chapter 27 lays the groundwork and explains why this event occurs, and then the book concludes with the daughters of Zelophehad. Therefore there is obviously a significance here that we need to interpret.

First of all, let us remember that Numbers is a book about the numbering of the people. Throughout this book, the Israelites are counted. We see how they go to war, how they fail, and of course there are also some successes. Now we have come to the second census. In this second census, it is obvious that these daughters of Zelophehad were not counted among those numbered. Therefore the daughters themselves must step forward and make an effort so that their father’s name may continue to remain among the people. That is the story viewed from the perspective of Zelophehad’s daughters. In the end, God truly responds to their request according to His faithful promise. This is a story of God’s mercy.

Therefore, if we are going to interpret the story of Zelophehad’s daughters, the first thing we must do is view it from the perspective of the entire Book of Numbers and the census that is taken in the book. What does that mean? Why does God number the people? Why does God count them one by one?

Yesterday we mentioned that the first census was for war, and the second census was for the distribution of the land. We have already discussed that. But there is a deeper meaning in the numbering of the people. God intends to grant them an inheritance according to their names. This comes from Numbers 26:52–56. We must pay special attention to this passage. God says that the land is to be divided according to the number of names. To the larger groups more shall be given, and to the smaller groups less shall be given. Therefore Numbers 26:52–56 is an extremely important passage. It shows that when God distributes the land, He does so entirely according to the number of people, according to His election and redemption of Israel, thereby demonstrating His love for His people.

I believe that if we are to understand the story of Zelophehad’s daughters, we must approach it from this angle: God’s love for Israel. We must understand both the story of the census and the story of Zelophehad’s daughters from the perspective of God’s love for His people. Only then can we find the true source and foundation of the narrative.

God is the One who will not allow even one of His people to be lost. We know that in the New Testament this truth is repeated again and again: not one of those who belong to Him will perish. The story of Zelophehad’s daughters is precisely a demonstration that not one of God’s children will be lost. Through the laws of inheritance, God illustrates that New Testament doctrine and teaching. How is the truth that none of Christ’s own will be lost expressed? We often speak of the perseverance of the saints. From the standpoint of Reformed doctrine, that is how we formulate it. But in the Old Testament, what does that doctrine look like in concrete form? One concrete expression of it is the story of Zelophehad’s daughters.

Therefore, when we read this account and connect it with the doctrine that none of God’s people will be lost, when we think about the love of Jesus Christ for us and God’s love for His people, then we begin to discover the proper background for interpreting the story of Zelophehad’s daughters.

In the culture of the ancient Near East, to have no son was considered a curse. Without a son, a man’s name would be cut off. But the daughters of Zelophehad appeared to be people living under such a curse. There was no son. The family name should have been erased. It should have disappeared. Yet because of God’s mercy and love, their family and their inheritance were preserved.

Through these two major sections of the story, stretching from chapter 27 to chapter 36, and especially considering that the Book of Numbers ends with the story of Zelophehad’s daughters, what is being emphasized? It is emphasizing that the obtaining of salvation comes entirely from grace. When we interpret this story from that perspective, we finally discover the key point. Otherwise the story feels rather strange. We might be tempted to think it is simply teaching something like gender equality—that daughters are no less valuable than sons. If that is how we read it, then we have probably gone in the wrong direction, because we are not interpreting it within the framework of redemptive history.

What, then, is the most fundamental lesson this story is teaching us? Numbers begins with the numbering of the people and ends with the story of Zelophehad’s daughters. What does that signify? It signifies God’s mercy and grace. God’s grace and mercy have not departed from His people, and that is why the nation can be saved. In themselves they were just like the daughters of Zelophehad. They were like the family of Zelophehad. They were under a curse. How can that curse be resolved? They need a Messiah.

When we understand the story from that angle, we begin to see why it is recorded. Why is it included? Why are we told that these were the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph, and then the descendants through Machir, Gilead, Hepher, and Zelophehad? Why is their genealogy recorded? In fact, it is telling us that every one of us is weak, just as the family of Zelophehad was weak. In reality, we have no ability to save ourselves before God.

There may have been so many people counted in the census. There were hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Yet all those hundreds of thousands eventually fell in the wilderness. Then in chapter 26 another census is taken. Can victory be achieved simply because there are many people? Certainly not. The book ultimately concludes in chapter 36 with the story of Zelophehad’s daughters. In reality, all of Israel was weak like women. How could a nation that is weak like women ever conquer and prevail in battle? Only because a Messiah would come.

When we interpret the story in this way, we lift up Jesus Christ within the narrative. This is not because Pastor Chen is intentionally trying to force Jesus into the story or artificially connect everything to Christ. Please do not misunderstand me. That is not what I am doing. Rather, I genuinely believe this is the true meaning of Scripture.

Because otherwise, especially in the second part of this story, placed at the end of Numbers, it is clearly not incidental or sudden. It illustrates the story of redemption. Tomorrow we will also study the story of Joshua, which similarly demonstrates redemption. Although at first glance Numbers may appear harsh, showing Israel’s sin and God’s judgment, within this story, if you carefully read Numbers 26:52–56, you can deeply perceive God’s mercy and love for Israel—He ensures that not one person is overlooked. God counts the people and allocates the land, even before any battle takes place. This demonstrates God’s faithfulness and His promises.

Why do the daughters of Zelophehad receive an inheritance? It is because of God’s mercy. Now as we read, it may seem that gender equality plays a role, that daughters inherit when there are no sons. That may feel normal to us today, especially after decades of teaching that sons and daughters are treated equally. Yet in the context of the ancient Near East, it was far from normal. Women had no legal right to inherit property. The family of Zelophehad would have been erased. Their name would have been lost. But God’s promise—that not one of His people would be lost—remains. Although the first generation of Israelites perished in the wilderness, the second generation inherits. Thus, the family name and covenant people continue. Here again, we see love exercised within God’s discipline.

Even though many people fell in the wilderness, their names are still remembered by God. The reason for recording the genealogy is to remind us that the first generation was disciplined, not abandoned, and the second generation inherits as one people. They are all God’s people. The first generation was punished for disobedience to God’s statutes. The second generation is blessed, yet the name remains unified.

It is important to note that I personally do not believe that every individual who perished in the wilderness necessarily went to Sheol. That is not the main point the Old Testament wishes to convey. In the Old Testament, the emphasis is on God’s relationship with Israel as a nation. The covenant with Israel was not broken. The covenant continued. Our modern focus on individuality and individual salvation is valuable, but the main message in the Old Testament is the redemption of the nation, the continuity of the covenant people. In terms of individuals, those who believed in the sacrificial system could still be saved by God’s grace.

Now we come specifically to the story of Zelophehad’s daughters. Why does this story not evoke much feeling in us today? Because we have been conditioned to think sons and daughters are treated equally. However, in the historical context of the ancient Near East, the uniqueness of this story is evident. Without sons, inheritance was impossible. These daughters, however, spoke and God listened. This clearly demonstrates God’s mercy and grace toward a family and a people that were already fallen.

The mercy and grace extended to the family of Zelophehad illustrates God’s love for the people of Israel. Israel had no rightful claim to the land because of repeated failures and disobedience. Yet God counts them in chapter 26, assigning land according to each name. In chapter 27, when there are no sons, daughters may inherit; their names are not to be erased. This demonstrates God’s mercy and His love for Israel.

Looking at the specific passage, at the entrance of the tabernacle, Moses and Eleazar present the case. What is said? Our father died in the wilderness and did not join Korah’s rebellion against the Lord. He died in his own sin. This indicates that Zelophehad’s death was not one of active rebellion. We know Israel’s people believed in the twelve spies, and surely Zelophehad followed along with the crowd. He did not act rightly, yet he did not actively join Korah’s rebellion. Therefore, his death in sin highlights that all those who die in sin are, by nature, unqualified to inherit the land.

Remember that he died in his own sin and had no sons. According to Scripture, this is a curse. No sons means the line is cut off. Yet God’s mercy and grace are present. Moses brings their case before the Lord. And the Lord says, the daughters of Zelophehad are right. What does it mean that they are right? It is not human logic. Women had no right to inherit; Israel had sinned; they should be cut off. But the daughters’ claim is right in Jesus Christ, because they have a Redeemer. Israel sins and falls, yet through the Redeemer, they may inherit. How could the family of Zelophehad, under sin upon sin, receive an inheritance? Because in Christ, the curse is reversed.

The daughters’ plea is valid, and the Lord confirms to Moses that this is righteous. In truth, we all have no merit; our salvation is without reason. We sin, we offend God, we are disciplined, and without sons we are cursed. The daughters, the weak, should have been abandoned. Yet they were not. Israel was not abandoned, because of the logic of Jesus Christ, because of Christ’s unchanging love for His people. Every curse is reversed in Christ. This is the story we are to consider: the daughters of Zelophehad are granted the inheritance—the land of their father.

When a man dies without a son, what happens? If no sons, daughters inherit. If no daughters, the inheritance goes to the brothers. If no brothers, to the father’s brothers. If the father has no brothers, then to the nearest relative in the clan. This is the principle of inheritance. Notice that the law primarily favors sons. If no sons, then daughters inherit. If no daughters, then brothers inherit, then the father’s brothers, and so on. Therefore, male inheritance remains the norm. Yet in this case, a provision for daughters is added. God commanded Moses that this should be the law for the Israelites. Why is the story of Zelophehad’s daughters placed at the conclusion of chapter 36? It demonstrates God’s mercy. God’s mercy and grace extend even to those under curse. From this perspective, the story of Zelophehad’s daughters becomes particularly important. It is not incidental. It is placed at the end of Numbers and connects to the promise of the woman’s offspring in Genesis 3:15.

Indeed, the entire Old and New Testament points toward the coming of the promised offspring, sustained by God’s immense mercy and love. To read the Old Testament without this perspective is to lose the proper direction. The stories of the Old Testament are stories of the weak, stories of those about to perish who are saved. Later examples include Rahab in Joshua, Ruth in Ruth, and Jael in Judges. These women were originally outside the covenant and should have perished. Yet by God’s mercy and love, they were brought into the covenant. This is the lesson given by the story of Zelophehad’s daughters.

Therefore, in this story, each of us should reflect carefully and give thanks to God. God has opened this story to us so that we may enter into its depth. We should thank God for allowing us to understand the story. What does this story mean? If we do not understand, let us pray and seek God. He opens our eyes, and we see that this is about the redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the story of these women receiving an inheritance, we come to a deeper gratitude for the salvation we have received. Praise God.

All right, today’s sharing will simply stop here. Thank you, everyone.