Day 8 — The Daughters Who Spoke Up

“The daughters of Zelophehad speak correctly. You certainly must give them property as an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer their father’s inheritance to them.”

— Numbers 27:7 (BSB)

Here’s a story from the Bible that many people have never heard!

When God’s people were about to enter the Promised Land, the land was going to be divided among the families. But there was a rule: land was passed down from fathers to sons. So what happened if a father had no sons?

A man named Zelophehad had died. He had no sons, but he had five daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. Under the rule, their family would get no land at all. Their father’s name would disappear, and the sisters would have nothing.

So the five sisters did something very brave. They walked up to the entrance of the Tabernacle, God’s holy tent, and stood in front of Moses, the priest, all the leaders and the whole congregation of Israel. And they spoke up.

“Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan because he had no sons? Give us property among our father’s brothers.”

Can you imagine how nervous they must have been? Five young women, standing before the most important leaders in the nation, asking for something no one had ever asked for before.

Moses didn’t know what to do. So he took their question to God.

And God answered: “The daughters of Zelophehad speak correctly.” In other words, They’re right! God told Moses to give them their father’s land. And He even made it a new rule for all of Israel, so other daughters in the same situation would be taken care of too.

These five sisters show us something beautiful. They didn’t complain or grumble behind people’s backs. They didn’t throw a fit. They went respectfully to the right people and asked. And God listened, and agreed with them.

God cares about fairness. He cares about daughters. And He honors girls who speak up with courage and respect.

Think about it: Why do you think it took courage for the five sisters to speak up? What does God’s answer tell you about how He sees girls?

Try this: If there’s something unfair in your life that you’ve been grumbling about, think about how you could bring it respectfully to the right person.

Dear God, thank You for the five brave sisters who spoke up. Thank You that You care about fairness, and that You listened to them. Give me courage to speak up respectfully when something isn’t right. In Jesus’ name, Amen.