“Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan just because he had no sons? Give us property along with the rest of our relatives.” So Moses brought their case before the Lord. And the Lord replied to Moses, “The claim of the daughters of Zelophehad is legitimate. You must give them a grant of land along with their father’s relatives..” Numbers 27: 4-6

There are some misconceptions about women and submission in the Bible, but I want to be very clear and say that in the eyes of God, men and women are equally seen as His children.

This point is beautifully illustrated with the daughters of Zelophehad in the book of Numbers.

When their father died, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah had a sister huddle and decided they were going to present a special request to God.

They said to each other, “Hey, we know the line of succession is to give land to surviving sons, but if a man doesn’t have a son, are the daughters to just be discarded from the line of succession as though they’re not human?”

Here’s what I found most profound about their decision to present their petition to God:

They understood God’s goodness and His love for them well enough to know that He would listen to them and respect their request.

And being the wonderful God that He is, He honored the daughters’ request and acknowledged their right to inherit land.

God created family order, and he puts certain people in places of authority, but His order and authority does not constitute oppression for anyone.

Women have just as much right as men to pray to God, heal, intercede for others, prophesy, and spread the Gospel of Christ.

And if God sees us equally as we present our requests to Him, we should also carefully listen and consider the requests of others without regards to their sex.

After all, we’re all here for the same purpose:

To love and honor God!

Be blessed,

Alexia