This chapter begins by telling us that the daughters of Zelophehad, son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh, son of Joseph, Numbers 27:1. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah, Numbers 27:1.
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, and he wasn’t among Korah’s followers, who banded together against the LORD, but died for his own sin and left no sons, Numbers 27:1-3 / Numbers 14:31.
Zelophehad died a natural death, Numbers 27:3 / Numbers 26:33, which tells us that Zelophehad wasn’t involved in the rebellion of Korah, Numbers 16:1-50. He only has daughters, but no sons, who, under normal substances would inherit from him, Deuteronomy 25:5-10.
And so, here, they have a valid claim to the inheritance, Numbers 27:4. This law of inheritance benefited the women of Israel, because it gave them the legal rights that they didn’t have previously.
Cook, in his commentary, says the following.
‘A father, whether or not sons had been born to him, had the power either before or at his death, to cause part of his estate to pass to a daughter, in which case her husband married into her family, rather than she into his, and the children were regarded as of the family from which the estate had come. A Biblical example of this is Machir, one of the ancestors of Zelophehad; although he had a son, Gilead, he also left an inheritance to his daughter, the wife of Hezron of the tribe of Judah, by reason of which their descendants, including Jair, were reckoned as belonging to the tribe of Manasseh, Numbers 32:41 / 1 Chronicles 2:21-24.’
Moses brings their case before the LORD, and the LORD tells him that what Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right, and so, you must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance to them, Numbers 27:5-7.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following concerning Numbers 27:8-11.
‘The law, which is as reasonable as it is just, stands as follows.
1. On the demise of the father, the estate goes to the sons, Deuteronomy 25:5-10.
2. If there be no son, the daughters succeed, Numbers 27:8.
3. If there be no daughter, the brothers of the deceased inherit, Numbers 27:9.
4. If there be no brethren or paternal uncles, the estate goes to the brothers of his father, Numbers 27:10.
5. If there be no grand uncles or brothers of the father of the deceased, then the nearest akin succeeds to the inheritance, Numbers 27:11.
Beyond the fifth degree, the law does not proceed, because as the families of the Israelites were kept distinct in their respective tribes, there must always be some who could be called kinsmen, and were really such, having descended without interruption from the patriarch of the tribe.’
It was from Mount Abarim, Deuteronomy 32:49 / Deuteronomy 34:1, that God showed Moses the land of milk and honey, Numbers 27:12. Remember, Moses wasn’t allowed to enter the land because of his sin of striking the rock twice instead of speaking to it, Numbers 20:1-13, however, in His grace, God allowed him to see it, Deuteronomy 34.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘These words prepare us for an account of Moses’ death, but the last nine chapters of Numbers and all of Deuteronomy come between this announcement of it and the actual record of it in Deuteronomy 34:1-8.’
After Moses had seen the Promised Land, he too would be gathered to his people, as his brother Aaron was, Numbers 20:22-29, for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of them disobeyed God’s command to honour Him as holy before their eyes, Numbers 27:13-14 / Numbers 20:1-13. These were the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin, Numbers 27:14 / Numbers 20:12.
Moses says to God, may He, the God who gives breath to all living things, Numbers 16:22 / Acts 17:28, appoint someone over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd, Numbers 27:15-17.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘This is a beautiful expression and shows us in what light Moses viewed himself among his people. He was their shepherd; he sought no higher place; he fed and guided the flock of God under the direction of the Divine Spirit and was faithful in all his Master’s house. To this saying of Moses our Lord alludes, Matthew 9:36.’
Notice the lord tells Moses, that Joshua, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, must take his place, Numbers 27:18, so that Israel won’t be like sheep without a shepherd, Numbers 27:17. God wants His people to be led and the same still applies today, Micah 5:2-4 / John 10:11 / Acts 20:28 / 1 Peter 5:2 / 1 Peter 5:4 / John 21:15-17.
Moses is to lay his hand on Joshua and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence, Numbers 27:18-19.
The laying on of Moses’ hand was proof of his being appointed to and qualified for the work, 1 Timothy 5:22. Moses is to give Joshua some of his authority, so the whole Israelite community will obey him, Numbers 27:20 / Deuteronomy 34:9 / Numbers 11:17 / Numbers 11:28.
We see this in Joshua going before Eleazar the priest who would make judgments in reference to the Urim, Numbers 27:21. The Urim and the Thummim were to be kept in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the LORD, and so Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD, Exodus 28:30.
The breastplate was folded double to form a pocket Exodus 28:16 / Exodus 39:9. Inside the pocket, the Urim and Thummim were kept. Urim means ‘lights’ and Thummim means ‘perfections’. They were probably two jewels.
When someone had to make an important decision, the request was made known to the high priest. He would stand before the lampstand, holding the Urim in one hand and the Thummim in the other.
As the light reflected from the Urim and the Thummim onto the stones of the breastplate, this flash of light provided up to twenty-four combinations, two by twelve. Since there are twenty-two letters in the Hebrew alphabet, the flashes of light could produce strings of letters.
As God breathed through the ark, the veil would move, permitting a breeze to flicker the flames in the Lampstand to momentarily alter the direction of the light onto the Urim and Thummim, and thence to the Breastplate. Thus, God was able to communicate directly, but not audibly, to the high priest and answer the enquiry.
The Urim and Thummim were a means of revelation entrusted to the high priest. No description of them is given. This oracular apparently consisted of a material object or objects since it was physically stored in the breastpiece of the high priest, Exodus 28:30 / Leviticus 8:8.
Most people today think that the Urim and Thummim were a lottery oracle, but this is by no means certain. Besides being mentioned by their full name, Exodus 28:30, and Leviticus 8:8, and Ezra 2:63, and Nehemiah 7:65, in reverse order with possessives, Deuteronomy 33:8, the Urim and Thummim could also be referred to by Urim alone, Numbers 27:21, and 1 Samuel 28:6.
Sometimes the mention of the ephod, on which the breastpiece housing the Urim and Thummim were fastened, includes a reference to the Urim and Thummim, 1 Samuel 23:9-12, and 1 Samuel 30:7-8. Also, the verb ‘inquire of’ followed by ‘the Lord’ or ‘God’ when no means of revelation is specified refers to a usage of the Urim and Thummim.
The Urim and Thummim were used at critical moments in the history of God’s people when special divine guidance was needed. The civil leader was expected to make use of this means for all important matters for which he needed direction.
Although referred to in Ezra 2:63 and Nehemiah 7:65, there is no convincing evidence that the Urim and Thummim were used after the time of David. The reason for the demise of the Urim and Thummim is not explicitly given.
Since the Urim and Thummim, in whatever way they functioned, were a physical means of revelation, it appears that God was taking his people away from the easy certainty inherent in a mechanical means of revelation to the more consistent use of prophecy and the Word alone.
This would require the more difficult application of the norms for true and false prophecy, Deuteronomy 13:1-4 and Deuteronomy 18:20-22 and thus necessitate a faithful teaching priesthood, Deuteronomy 33:10 / Malachi 2:7.
Although the lot theory has wide support today, there are significant difficulties in identifying the Urim and Thummim. It is questionable whether the key evidence, the Greek text of 1 Samuel 14:41, is really to be preferred over the Hebrew text.
Also, the vocabulary of lot casting is not used, and the answers contain more information than the casting of lots could yield, e.g. 1 Samuel 1:1, and 1 Samuel 5:23-24.
This last point suggests the involvement of prophecy and the divine inspiration of the high priest in giving revelation. It can also be noted that the use of the actual object(s) constituting the Urim and Thummim appears to have been self-authenticating.
Even in extremely difficult circumstances, the guidance of the Urim and Thummim is followed, Judges 20:18-28. It could be theorised that a perfect light that miraculously shone from the gem(s) constituting the Urim and Thummim, which belonged to God, Deuteronomy 33:8, gave the needed authentication to the actual answer spoken by the high priest under divine inspiration.
In this way, the judgment of the Urim, the light, may have been given, Numbers 27:21. Such authentication would not have been out of place in Old Testament times when special signs were provided more often.
Newton, in his commentary, says the following.
‘They were something in Aaron’s breastplate, but what, critics and commentators are by no means agreed. It is most probable that they were only names given to signify the clearness and certainty of Divine answers which were obtained by the High Priest consulting God with his breastplate on, in contradistinction to the obscure, enigmatical, uncertain, and imperfect answers of the heathen oracles.’
The time has now come for Moses to pass on the leadership of Israel to Joshua, in order that they can go and conquer and take possession of the land as God promised, Numbers 27:21 / Numbers 14:6-10.
Moses did as the LORD commanded him, and so he took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly, and then he laid his hands on Joshua and commissioned him, as the LORD instructed through Moses, Numbers 27:22-23. Joshua went before the assembly, and he was charged and appointed as Israel’s new leader, the one who would be Moses’ successor.
Joshua was in a position to lead Israel because he, like Caleb, was one of the only two people who gave a good report concerning the land when the twelve spies originally went to Canaan, Numbers 13:30. Moses spoke face to face with God; however, God’s communication with His main leader was now changing.
Moses, the servant, appointed by God who rendered important, faithful, voluntary, but temporary service, had finished his work, but the purpose of God must continue to go forward. Joshua was the man to whom God gave the responsibility of leading the people into the Promised Land.
Something that must be understood is that Joshua was not a replacement for Moses. Sometimes it is said that Joshua was Moses’ successor, but that is not true.
The only sense in which it may be said to be true is that Joshua succeeded him in time. He came after Moses, but he did not succeed him in office, i.e. he did not take over the position or role of Moses.