“They married within the clans of the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in their father’s clan and tribe.”
~ Numbers 36:12
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you know what an inheritance is? Ask your dad and/or ma if they have ever gotten an inheritance. In order for a guy and/or gal to receive an inheritance, another guy or gal will have died. A heritance is a bequest. A bequest can be a thing and/or things and/or money assets that a relative – such as a ma or dad or an aunt or uncle, or a close acquaintance has specified in a document called a will that upon his or her death that the thing and/or things and/or money assets that is/are mentioned as a bequest is/are to be passed on to the guy and/or guys and/or gal and/or gals who are in the will. Because bequeathing a thing and/or things and/or money assets that a guy or gal has owned and/or has as financial reserves can sometimes cause a lot of tension between the guy and/or guys and/or gal and/or gals who are expecting to be in the will to receive whatever, this is when the document – the will, will formally designate which guy and/or guys and/or gal and/or gals or at times even a kid and/or kids will receive after a guy or gal dies. If a guy or gal never has a will written, the guy or gal will have everything that he or she owns or has claimed by the state where he or she lives. It is very important when you get older – when you own and have things, that you make a will. There are guys and/or gals who can hardly wait until a parent or relative or . . . dies so that they can get the thing and/or things and/or money assets that the parent or relative or . . . owns or has.
Do you know who was to receive an inheritance over 3400 years ago? Inheritances over 3400 years ago were passed on through birthrights. In every family unit 3400 years ago, there was just one guy – the oldest son, who had the right to claim the birthright. The birthright was to always go to the oldest boy born in a family unit. The oldest boy born in a family unit – upon the death of his dad, was to get a double portion of everything that his dad owned or had. There was an instance when this did not happen. Esau and Jacob were twins. Because Esau was born seconds before Jacob, Esau was who was to receive the birthright when his dad – Isaac, died. Esau one day had sold to Jacob for a bowl of the soup that Jacob had prepared his right to the birthright. While his dad was lying dying on his bed, Jacob – with the help of his ma – Rebecca, fooled his dad in giving to him the birthright blessing. There were family units among God’s specially chosen guys and gals who did not have a son. Who do you think 3400 years ago would get what a dad owned or had when he died if he did not have a son? This was an issue that Moses and some of the Israelite people group’s leaders had to deal with with a guy by the name of Zelophehad as Zelophehad did not have a son. God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids had not yet crossed over the Jordon River into the land that God had promised them that they would always have to live in as their very own land if . . . Israelite guys had already overrun land on the east side of the Jordon River. The Manasseh tribal clan – which was Zelophehad’s tribal clan, would end up splitting their tribal clan – with half of their tribal clan settling territory on the east side of the Jordon River with the other half deciding to go into the land that . . . Moses was by now a really old guy. Moses had been chronicling for thirty-eight years records and accounts – in what became the Numbers Book, of the different Israelite people group’s family units and the activities of God’s specially chosen guys and gals as they made the long, arduous trek from Mount Sinai to the plains of Moab. The Moab plains were located on the opposite side of the Jordon River from the land that God had promised the Israelite people group’s guys and gals that God had promised them that they would always have to live in as their very own land if . . . Moses would often note in the journal that he was keeping – that became the Numbers Book, about how shamelessly rebellious and blatantly defiant the Israelite people group’s guys and gals seemed to be always reacting to God’s grace and will. Moses would end what became the Numbers Book with a happy ending – with five gals listening to God’s voice and obeying His will.
Your grandpaa thinks that most family units today would like to have at least one son. One of your grandpaa’s bros has four daughters and no sons. When your dad’s uncle’s girls were growing up, your dad’s uncle was farming the acreage that your grandpaa’s grandpa Lengkeek homesteaded. Your grandpaa is sure that his bro really would have liked to have a son but . . . when your grandmaa and grandpaa were living in Bolivia, they had a really good friend – Raul Pedraza, who had five daughters before he had a son. A guy in Bolivia was thought of as a joven or a young guy until he had a son. Because he did not have a son, Zelophehad expressed a concern to the Manasseh tribal clan’s leaders. Zelophehad knew that if any of his five girls married a guy who was not from the Manasseh tribal clan that some of his land would – upon his death, go to Zelophehad’s daughter’s husband’s tribal clan. Because this was something that Zelophehad and the Manasseh tribal clan’s leaders did not want to see happen, the Manasseh tribal clan leaders went to Moses to ask Moses what Zelophehad should do. Moses recounts in the conclusion of his Numbers Book – in Numbers 36, the response that he gave to the Manasseh tribal clan’s leaders. Moses told them to tell Zelophehad that he was to make sure that his five girls married only guys from the Manasseh tribal clan which meant that Zelophehad’s land – upon Zelophehad’s death, would stay as Manasseh tribal clan’s land. Verse 12 says that “They married within the clans of the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in their father’s clan and tribe.” Asking for, listening to and following wise advice will always help to alleviate a lot of potential life problems. How good are you at asking for, listening to and following advice that has been given you?
Numbers 36 (254)