Here is a lesson in parenting, an insight on how to make life easy for your children such that they d not have to suffer unnecessarily on account of your actions after you are gone. And it is a lesson from the example of Mr Zelophehad.

Then came the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher…And they stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the leaders and all the congregation, by the doorway of the tabernacle of meeting, saying: “Our father died in the wilderness; but he was not in the company of those who gathered together against the Lord, in company with Korah, but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be removed from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.” So Moses brought their case before the Lord. – Numbers 27:1-5

The second lesson for our meditation from this passage is the legacy of the man called Zelophehad, whose five daughters tabled their case before Moses and the elders of Israel.

The first striking lesson about Zelophehad was that he had a good testimony. See what his children said about him, “Our father died in the wilderness; but he was not in the company of those who gathered together against the Lord, in company with Korah, but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be removed from among his family because he had no son?”

Zelophehad conducted himself in a proper manner during his lifetime such that his daughters could publicly defend his integrity without anyone disputing them. At a time when Moses and Aaron seemed like the villain and the other priests of Levi’s lineage, led by Korah, felt that they knew better and could commune with God more effectively, Zelophehad did not join them. He respected the authority of Moses and Aaron and refrained from toeing the path of rebellion as his peers. He was man enough to stand his ground and did not allow himself to be influenced by peer pressure or to do what everyone else was doing.

He must have also been a very good father too who allowed his female children to grow in an atmosphere of freedom and respect, without making them feel less human because they were not boys. He must have given them the same affection and discipline he would have invested in raising a male child, that was why they grew up to appreciate themselves and to demand what was theirs in such matured manner.

Zelophehad did well as a father, faring better than some notable father figures in the Bible. He died a righteous man and gave his children the chance to talk. Moreso, he left a name that his children were eager to continue. We should learn from his example.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/getting-a-divorce/
https://daily-dew.com/the-wisdom-of-a-child/
https://daily-dew.com/purpose-created-to-preach/