Seder 123: Numbers 26-27, Joshua 17: Evidence of the Inheritance of Zelophehad's Daughters

 Preparation to distribute the land among the clans of Israel is one of the main topics in Numbers 26-36.  Commentator Michael Morales discusses two Hebrew words that appear repeatedly in these chapters.  

One of the words is achuzza, a word for a possession or holding.  The other is nachalah, a word for a holding that is passed down through inheritance.  

Both words appear in the case of Zelophehad's daughters, who ask for an achuzza in the land distributed to Zelophehad's brothers (Num 27:4).  God responds to their request by granting them an achuzza that is also a nachalah (verse 7).  They will be granted land that can be passed down to their descendants.  

The distribution of land to the tribe of Manasseh, including Zelophehad's daughters, is described in Joshua 17.  It appears that the clan of Hepher, to which Zelophehad belonged, would receive land west of the Jordan, while the other clans of Manasseh would receive land east of the Jordan.  The portion west of the Jordan was divided into ten portions, five of which would go to the daughters of Zelophehad (verses 5-6).  So the daughters were granted a large tract of land.  

It is interesting that evidence has been found corroborating the biblical account.  Dr. Aaron Demsky reports on evidence linking the names of the daughters with the region in which their possessions were located.  

The name Tirzah became attached to a town, apparently a Canaanite town that was renamed for her (Joshua 12:24).  This town was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel until the building of Samaria (1 Ki 14:17; 15:21, 33; 16:6, 8, 9,15, 17, 23).  It is said to be lovely in Song 6:4.  Archaeologists have identified Tel el Far 'ah as its location.  

Demsky connects Mahlah with Abel-Meholah (Judges 7:22; 1 Ki 4:12; 19:16).  

In excavations at Samaria in 1910-12, 63 ostraca from the eighth century BC were found.  The ostraca mention seven clans of Manasseh.  Number 50 mentions Noah, and Hoglah is mentioned on numbers 45 and 47.

Seder 94: Luke 9:57-63---Setting Priorities

 In chapters 9-19 of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem, where he will face his crucifixion.  On the journey, he prepares his disciples for what lies ahead.  

Jesus lets his disciples know that following him will mean facing rejection.  "Foxes have holes, and bird of the air have nests," he tells a potential disciple, "but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head" (9:58).  

Disciples will also have to make God's Kingdom their highest priority.  One potential disciples responds to Jesus' invitation by saying, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father" (v. 59).  Jesus responds, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead.  But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God" (v. 60).

Different explanations have been offered for what Jesus means by the saying, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead."  Perhaps Jesus is saying, "Leave the spiritually dead to bury the dead."  Another explanation is based on first-century burial practices in Jerusalem.  If a family had a family tomb, they placed the body there.  A year later they gathered up the bones and placed them in a stone ossuary.  In this context Jesus may be saying that the other bodies in the family tomb should take care of these details.  

In any case this is one of Jesus' "hard sayings," because taking care of a parent's burial was an important part of honoring a parent.  Jesus is saying that one's commitment to God is even more important than that commitment to parents. 

The following exchange is similar to this one.  Another potential disciple says, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home" (v 62).  Jesus answers, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (v 63).  

This answer reminds us of an incident from the lives of the prophets Elijah and Elisha (1 Ki 19:19-21).  When Elijah picks Elisha to succeed him, Elisha is doing some plowing.  Elisha asks Elijah for permission to first wrap up some details, including saying farewell to his parents.  Elijah agrees, and Elisha quickly settles his affairs.  Here Elisha is not trying to delay; he is clearly committed to accepting his calling.  Disciples of Jesus can look to his example and imitate his commitment.  Jesus is not telling us to neglect our families, but to have our priorities in order.

New Testament scholar Paul Sloan points out that in Jewish tradition, if one is authorized to carry out some important task, the things needed to carry out that task take precedence over other Torah obligations.  Jesus had been sent by the Father as a herald of the Kingdom of God to the nation of Israel (see Luke 4:43).  People's lives depended upon their response to his message (Lk 13:3).  So the task of proclaiming the kingdom was even more important than the responsibility of burying one's father.  Jesus was not showing disdain for the Torah here, as some commentators have claimed.  

Seder 9: Psalm 12--Praying for Deliverance from Deceivers

Psalm 12 has been classified as a community lament, a prayer for deliverance from the deceptions of the godless.  For the psalmist, as with Elijah in 1 Kings 19, it seems that there are no righteous people remaining (v 1).  All around him he sees people who are

• lying
• flattering
• hypocritical
• boastful
• do not accept wisdom
• recognize no authority and believe they are accountable to no one.

In contrast God is faithful, reliable, and speaks with pure words.  God will arise, as in the Exodus, to defend the needy.  The psalmist knows that God is the one he can count on (vv 5-7).

The reading in the prophets for this Seder in Zephaniah 3 looks forward to a time, under the Messianic kingdom, when God will "change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech" (v. 9).  At that time, the remnant of Israel "shall do no injustice, and speak no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue" (v 13).  Instead of uniting in defiance of God like the rebels at Babel (Gen 11), people will be united in serving God (v 9).  Zephaniah 3 describes the ultimate answer to the prayer in Psalm 12.