In the first eleven verses of Numbers 27, we will be studying the laws of Inheritance, and in this case we are looking at the inheritance when there is no male born to the family. Zelophehad was of the tribe of Manasseh, and here in the wilderness these laws of inheritance are not as important as they would be once the children of Israel are in the promise land, and settled on their own inherited land. Zelophehad's family was concerned and went to Moses to make a ruling that his estate would be passed on to his children. Zelophehad had five daughters and no sons.

The tribe of Manasseh grew by over twenty thousand men over the age of twenty, from the first numbering, to the second. The purpose of that first numbering was to list those for the army of the children of Israel, and those men not numbered would not have an inheritance once the Israelites entered, took and divided the land. Once Zelophehad was numbered for the army, he had the rights of inheritance for his family. Zelophehad had died in the wilderness along with all the others that were numbered in that first numbering, so what do you do where there is no son to pass that inheritance on to, for that right went to the sons, not the daughters. Now Moses has to face this problem and come up with a solution.

Numbers 27:2 "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,"

So his family went before Moses, Eleazar the High priest, the entire congregation, to have this problem solved.

Numbers 27:3 "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."

His daughters are stating that their father had the right to have an inheritance to pass on to future generations, for served in the army, and he was not in the rebellion of the two hundred and fifty men which took sides with Korah, and rebelled against Aaron and Moses. "In his own sin" means "such sin as all other men have that have died".

Numbers 27:4 "Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son? Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father."

The question here is; "Why should the name of Zelophehad our father be diminished" within our family and tribe, because he had no son. These daughters are asking Moses to give them a possession of land among the other families of the tribe of Manasseh, so that they can keep the name of their father alive in the family. Of course His name is alive today, in the Word of God.

Numbers 27:5 "And Moses brought their cause before the Lord."

This was the first time this problem had been faced, and Moses did not know what to do with this matter, for he wanted the right and just thing to be for the daughters of Zelophehad. This is the same thing that we ought to do, when we are faced with problems in our lives, for our Lord is concerned with those that love Him and try to follow His way for their lives.

Numbers 27:6 "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,"

God is giving Moses the answer to this problem.

Numbers 27:7 " "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."

The daughters of Zelophehad are just and right in what they are saying. The term "their father's brethren" is talking about the tribe of Manasseh. So the order from God to Moses was to give these five daughters a possession of land in the promise land, and cause the inheritance of land to pass from their father to these five daughters.

Numbers 27:8 "And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, `If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter."

This will be a statute from this time forth, that if a man die and he has no son, then this will cause the dead man's inheritance to go from him to his daughters. This will in turn bring another problem that will not be faced until the last chapter of Numbers. This deals with the land being passed on to the next generation when a daughter marries outside their family tribe, in this case that would be Manasseh. Say that daughter marries a man from the tribe of Gad: Then if the first born of that daughter of the tribe of Manasseh is a son, that second generation son is recorded as being of the tribe of his father being Gad; or the family that is received his mother in marriage. The land would then in turn pass to that other tribe [Gad] for taxation. That taxing power on the land would be diminished for the tribe of Manasseh in that case, and increased for the tribe of Gad of that son's father. So right in the middle of the tribe of Manasseh, there is this piece of land that part of another tribe. However this is not faced with here in this chapter.

Numbers 27:9 "And if he have no daughter, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his brethren."

So this now starts the general law of inheritance. However if there is no son or daughter, then the inheritance of land would go to his brethren. "Brethren" as stated here are those "brothers of the same womb". So if he had brothers by birth, this land would go to those brothers within his close family.

Numbers 27:10 "And if he have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his father's brethren."

However if this person that dies had no son or daughters or brothers, then the inheritance of land would go to his Father's brethren. This inheritance would go to his paternal uncles.

Numbers 27:11 "And if he have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it: and it shall be unto the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as the Lord commanded Moses."

If his Father has no brethren, for this man that dies has no uncles, then the inheritance at death would go to his kinsman that is next to him of his family. This is talking about his "kinsman redeemer" which is the closest relative that is next to him at the time he passed away. This would be his cousins, and closest relation to him.

Numbers 27:12 "And 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."

This mount Abarim is also know as Pisgah, or mount Nebo, for this will be the place where Moses will be able to look out across the Jordan and see the promise land. No Moses will not be able to lead or even enter the promise land, but will die up there on mount Pisgah. Before Aaron died, God took him to the top of mount Hor, where he could view the promise land without entering it, and then he died up there.

Numbers 27:13 "And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy People, as Aaron thy brother was gathered."

This is letting Moses know that before you go up there on mount Abarim, get your affairs in order because you are not coming down alive. Just like Aaron, you will die up there.

Numbers 27:14 "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."

This was the reason that God would not allow Moses to enter into the promise land. This was also the reason that Aaron did not enter the promise land as stated back in Numbers 20:24. When God told Moses to speak to the rock, and the water of Meribah that the children of Israel had asked for would come forth. God wanted to be sanctified in the eyes of the people, to see His protective power in the act of providing this water in the wilderness for them. But in Moses' act of striking the rock twice and claiming that he was the one giving the water, God never received the credit. Moses will pay a dear price for claiming something that belong to God.

Moses lost sight of what God wanted him to do at that critical time. These things are written to you and I in these end times of this earth age, as a warning. When that time comes, Jesus instructed us in detail that when we are delivered up before the rulers of this world, we are to rely completely upon the Holy Spirit of God to place the words in our mouth and minds as to what we were to say for that hour of time. No, we are not even to premeditate on that moment ahead of time as to what we will say.

Mark 13:11 "But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost [Spirit]."

Moses was very special to the Lord, and when he did not follow what the Lord told him, God would not allow him to go into the promise land. Moses in his anger at the people, lost sight of what he was to do, and in that hour of testing, Moses tried to take the credit that belonged to the Lord, and get back for the rebellion that the people had caused in their lack of faith. Sure Moses knew that the water would come forth, just as you and I of the Elect know that we are to be delivered up to allow the Spiritual water of truth, or words of that tongue, that the whole world will hear and understand at the same time. Yet who is going to get the credit for the Spiritual water that flows by the Holy Spirit out of your mouth. Moses had carried the burdens of the children of Israel on his heart for a very long time, yet in that moment of testing, he allowed his emotions to take over his mind.

Sure God was very harsh on Moses and Aaron over this matter, but remember that everything that has happened here is given as a warning to the Elect living in these end times. I Corinthians 10:11 "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." They are [examples] written here as a warning ["admonition"] to those Elect living in the days when the ends of this world age of flesh man are present. When God tells you to speak, you speak, you say only what God gives you to speak at that moment in time. Moses was angry at the people, and he spoke his own mind, and not what God told him to say.

Most of the signs of the end times are past, they are history to you and I living today. We are living in the period of the fifth trump of Revelation 9, for the Jews have gone back to their homeland, the nations of the world today are under the control of a one world government. Even our wars are fought in coalitions of nations in the name of that one world government. Friend, it's time to take notice of this warnings of the past, for we will face similar ones in our day. When the elect elect are sealed in their minds with the truth of the Word of God of the events of these end times, they will be called up before the synagogue of Satan, to give a reason why they will not bow to worship Satan the Antichrist as the true Christ. When its time to speak, God is telling us to speak.

Numbers 27:15 "And Moses spake unto the Lord, saying,"

Numbers 27:16 " "Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,"

Moses knew how much the people depended upon him, and he asked God for just a little more time. Moses asked God to allow him to set a man over the people to lead them. Moses was continually smothered with the problems of the people, and he wanted the people to have order in their camp.

Numbers 27:17 "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."

This leader then would go our before them, and go in before them in their daily activity. This leader would be a man that the people would trust, and the congregation would follow in order so that the people would not become as sheep without a shepherd. There were a lot of decisions to be made for this nation of Israel, and again we see Moses here as a type for Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our Shepherd; Matthew 15:24 "But He answered and said, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Then at His death this was extended out to all the people of the World, of every race and tongue.

Sheep without a shepherd scatter in every direction, for there is no order. There is complete confusion, and that is what Moses was trying to prevent, once he went to face his death.

Numbers 27:18 "And the Lord said unto Moses, "Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;"

Joshua had a spirit of a higher power, insired by God from within him. God is telling Moses to take Joshua, lay your hands on him and anoint him to fulfill this position. Joshua in the Hebrew is "Yashua", which means the same as Jesus, "YHVH's Savior" for Joshua is a type of Jesus.

Numbers 27:19 "And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight."

Joshua was made their leader, and that event took place before Eleazar the high priest, and the entire congregation. So here we see the consecration by God on Joshua, and the charge and duty of his office that he is to follow presented before the entire congregation. That charge tells the congregation, as well as Joshua that he will be the commander of the army and the leader of the people as they enter into the promise land.

Numbers 27:20 "And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient."

God is also telling Moses to build this man Joshua up by your own words and praise in front of the congregation, so that the congregation of the children of Israel will respect and be obedient to his leadership, just as they were to yours. God was telling Moses to put some of your dignity and majesty on the head of Joshua, so that the people will want of follow Joshua, and trust in what he has to say.

Numbers 27:21 "And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the Lord: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation." "

What this is saying is that when Joshua had to make a serious decision to make, he was to go to Eleazar the High priest, and ask of the Lord for direction. That was what the Urim and Thimmim was for, God's leading in decision making. This will be done in the same manner as the drawing lots for the land, once they are in the promise land, and dividing the land into tribes and families' inheritance. The reason that it would be at Eleazar's word, was that Eleazar would get that word direct from the Lord. The old chain of command was God to Moses, to Aaron, to the people. Here the chain of command under Joshua, would be God to Eleazar through the Urim, then to Joshua, and on to the people.

As the people form the ranks, and bring their families through the Jordan river, and they fight battle after battle; there will be many important discussions to be made. This is why God is making it clear from the start where the orders are coming from, and who is leading the people. It lets Joshua off the hook, for it there is a decision that is to hard to make, just go to Eleazar, and he will tell you which way to go. That is a good way to organize our lives also, by consulting the Word of God before making that decision, and let God control our path.

Numbers 27:22 "And Moses did as the Lord commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation:"

Moses took Joshua and presented him before the high priest Eleazar, and all the congregation. When "All the congregation" is spoken of, it refers to the tribal leaders and the elders of the people.

Numbers 27:23 "And he laid his hands upn him, and gave him a charge, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses."

Though the line of authority is passed here from Moses to Joshua, he still had a lot to do before making that trip up mount Abarim. But the leadership is passed here on to Joshua, and witnessed by the high priest and all the people. Remember that those words of the entire book of Deuteronomy came after this time of the transfer of authority. The book of Deuteronomy was a summary of the law given in layman's terms. It was given in several speeches in the eleventh month of the fortieth year after coming out of Egypt. So it was given within a few days following this consecration of Joshua into the leadership role.

Then in Deuteronomy 32:48-52, at the close of giving his speeches which we call Deuteronomy, God tells Moses that its time to head for mount Abarim. "And the Lord spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying," [48] "Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession:" [49]

God wanted Moses to see the land very clearly that was promised to the children of Israel.

Deuteronomy 32:50 "And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy father died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people."

Then after Moses had view the land, he would die there and God would take him to his fathers that had died before him. Then God gives Moses the reason again why he will not lead the people into the promise land.

Deuteronomy 32:51 "Because ye trespassed against Me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified Me not in the midst of the children of Israel."

Deuteronomy 32:52 "Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither into the land which I give the children of Israel."