“Our father died in the wilderness; he was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin, and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.” -Numbers 27:3-4

This week we will continue our look at unlikely heroes of the Bible. These individuals are inspirational to us for often, the last thing we would consider ourselves to be is heroic or life changing. But we are called by Christ and equipped by the Holy Spirit and we are recipients of God’s grace so indeed, God’s beloved are capable of things beyond our wildest dreams.

The daughters of Zelophehad made a claim for their rightful share of property upon entering the promised land. In a collective stand of unity these five courageous sisters approach Moses, Eleazar the priest, and other leaders with a full crowd looking on and spoke they  out for what they deemed just and right. It was an unprecedented request.

As scholar Rev. Donna Owusu-Ahnsa puts it, for the daughters of Zelophehad, this was a risky move that made the first crack in the process of shattering the glass ceiling in ancient Israel. “If Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah were granted the land, their uncles would receive less property. If they were not granted the land, the sisters would be beholden to the care of those whom they had challenged.”

Moses took the matter to God directly and The Lord made a change. “The daughters of Zelophehad are right in what they are saying; you shall indeed let them possess an inheritance. . . (Numbers 17:7).

On Sunday we will explore a few key points that arise from this incredible story. 1) With courage, average folks can accomplish amazing things. 2) God is capable of change when it is warranted. 3) Justice is possible so keep in pursuit. 4) Humans are stronger together than we are on our own.

Unlikely heroes are all around us. Scratch that. Unlikely heroes are us. We are capable of life changing things when we can band together. I look forward to worshiping with you in person or on our YouTube channel as we remind ourselves of our collective purpose as disciples of Christ.