Monday Memo 1274: Look for the Source

The Daughters of Zelophehad — Numbers 27:1-11

So far in our women of purpose in the Bible series, we have seen a woman press through barriers, another woman allow purpose to come looking for her, and a young servant girl fulfill her purpose in circumstances she certainly would not have chosen. Now we come to five sisters who teach us another important lesson: Sometimes a problem gets your attention because it represents something much larger that your purpose can help address.

Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah, the daughters of a man named Zelophehad. Their father had died in the wilderness and had no sons. That created a problem because the inheritance system as it then operated would leave their father's family without an inheritance in his name. They could have accepted the situation as unfortunate but unchangeable, but instead they recognized that something wasn't right and decided to do something about it.

THEY CAME FORWARD

Numbers tells us,

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. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. 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. He was not among Korah’s followers, who banded together against the Lord, but he died for his own sin and left no sons. Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives” (Numbers 27:1-4).

I love the words “they came forward.” Nobody invited them to present their case, and there's no indication that Moses was looking for women who had concerns about Israel's inheritance practices. These five women recognized a problem that directly affected them, discussed it among themselves, and then came forward to do something about it.

Notice where they went. They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the entire assembly. That must have required courage, but they weren't disrespectful or rebellious. They clearly stated the facts, identified the problem, and proposed a solution: “Give us property among our father's relatives.” There’s a lesson here for anyone pursuing purpose. It's easy to identify what's wrong, but purpose often goes beyond observation and asks, Why does this problem exist, and what can be done about it?

MOSES DIDN'T KNOW

What happened next is also important: “So Moses brought their case before the Lord” (Numbers 27:5). Moses didn't have an answer. He was the leader of Israel, the man who had received God's Law and who regularly heard from God, but these five women brought him a situation for which he apparently had no established answer.

Moses did something every good leader should be willing to do: he listened. He didn't dismiss them because they were women, tell them this was the way things had always been done, or pretend to have an answer because he was the leader and leaders are supposed to know everything. Instead, he took their case to God. Their situation revealed a gap that apparently hadn't yet been addressed, and Moses was willing to consider that something needed to change.

GOD AGREED WITH THEM

Then came God's response:

And the Lord said to him, “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance to them” (Numbers 27:6-7).

What a remarkable statement: “What Zelophehad's daughters are saying is right.” Yet what God said next is just as important. He didn't simply tell Moses to give these five women an inheritance and consider the matter settled. He continued, “Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, give his inheritance to his daughter’” (Numbers 27:8).

Do you see what happened? The sisters brought God one case, but God addressed the source of the problem. He established a principle that would apply when the same situation occurred again. These women received their inheritance, but women they would never meet would also benefit because they had the courage to come forward.

That's an important distinction when you're considering your purpose. Your purpose isn't necessarily to solve one problem and then go looking for another unrelated problem to solve. Instead, a particular problem may get your attention because it represents a larger condition, injustice, need, or recurring source of problems that you are equipped to address. The problem in front of you may simply be your introduction to something much bigger.

LOOK FOR THE SOURCE

Think of the difference between treating a symptom and addressing what is producing the symptom. You may begin by helping one person and discover an entire group with the same need. You may correct one injustice and discover a system that keeps producing the same injustice. You may teach one person and discover there are thousands who need the same information. The first problem isn't necessarily your purpose; it may be the clue that helps you recognize the larger need your purpose is equipped to address.

That doesn't mean every irritation is a purpose assignment or that you're responsible to correct everything that's wrong around you. It does mean you should pay attention to patterns. What kinds of problems repeatedly get your attention? What group of people do you consistently notice? What condition causes you to think, Someone needs to do something about this? Your response may be giving you valuable information about your purpose.

SPEAK UP

The daughters of Zelophehad wanted what was rightfully theirs, but their courage affected people they would never meet. Their personal experience exposed something larger, and God used their initiative to establish an answer that remained after they were gone. That's one of the great privileges of purpose: your purpose begins with you, but it doesn't have to end with you.

Those sisters didn't set out to rewrite Israel's inheritance practices. They simply recognized that their situation exposed a problem, came forward, and asked the right question. God then showed them that what affected their family was part of something larger that needed to be addressed. Look for the pattern, identify the source, and consider whether what troubles you is pointing toward a larger need you were created and equipped to address.

Purpose Principle: A problem may get your attention because it points to a larger need your purpose equips you to address. Don't just ask how to solve the problem in front of you; ask what is producing it and whether your purpose can help bring lasting change for others.