Those five girls were on a camping trip that lasted for forty years. There were no roads and no cars or trucks, and there also were no stores to buy food or clothes. There must have been a million campers, and somewhere in that crowd was one tent for Zelophehad, his wife and his family of five daughters.
They had many adventures in those forty years that the Bible tells us about. Best of all, they had a promise from God that He would give them a good land when their camping trip ended, and each man would have a good, valuable spot to raise his family. Believing God’s promise made them feel secure and happy.
But those five sisters did some thinking. Every man? they said. But our father died along the way and we have no brothers. Is there not any land for us girls?
Maybe some of you girls feel dissatisfied like that too. And maybe you are asking, “Does God have nothing for us girls?” Wait and see what happened.
Those five sisters did not get angry and make a fuss. They went to their leader Moses and explained the problem to him. Moses did not know what to do, so he asked God for the answer.
That was the very best thing to do. Will you do that too? If you want a place in God’s home in heaven, talk to God about it, and He will give you a promise from His book - an unbreakable promise written in love long ago for you. The only ones who are going to miss out are the ones who don’t care. Will you read His Word and find His special promise for you?
Moses told the girls God’s answer. Yes, the five sisters may each have a place in the promised land, and this would be true for every girl without a father or brothers.
The others in the tribe thought it over. It won’t work, they said, because if they marry someone from another tribe, they’ll take the ownership of the land with them. So then our tribe will be losers!
Moses told them God’s answer to that problem: Let them marry someone from their own tribe, and no one will be losers. What a perfect solution!
Now those five sisters had a poor start in life with the loss of their father, but suddenly they became rich - real land owners. And when they would marry a man from their own tribe, they would have two pieces of land! They and their husbands would end up doubly rich!
Yes, and if you trust God, whether you are a boy or a girl, you’ll be rich too. And if you marry someone who wants to put Jesus first, you’ll be doubly rich too. Don’t trust yourself or your religion; trust the all-wise God who wrote the Bible. He is the One who has all the promises and blessings stored up for you. It is Jesus who said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you” (John 14:22In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2)).
But when the five sisters went back to their tent, they still had nothing. Their father was dead, and there was nobody but girls to do the work. But they had a promise! If they were absolutely sure of the truth of God’s promise, they went home smiling and they would be happy doing their work. They were rich girls, and eventually doubly rich - even with only work ahead right now.
Yes, and we Christians are rich too. Maybe we have lots of work and no fancy clothes or expensive cars, but we already HAVE our promised home in the Father’s house, and we can enjoy what’s coming right now. God’s Word has made us rich!
It all came true for those five girls. They all followed God’s instructions and married in their own tribe, and their promise of double riches became real!
If you are a real Christian, why not enjoy your riches right now? They are all yours! “Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:99For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)).
Think About God’s Word!
1. How could the girls become doubly rich?
Project: Hebrews 11 gives a very unusual example of “riches.” What are these “riches,” and why should we value them?