February 2 - dfree® Devotions for Financial Freedom

Verse

"What Zelophedad’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 27:7 NIV

Thought

The first house that I owned I inherited from my grandmother. She died at age 80 and when she died, she owned three houses. Two of her sons were predeceased – including my father. She left as an inheritance one house to her daughter, one house to her oldest son and the last house to her remaining son and me in lieu of my dad. It was astounding to me that my grandmother, a black woman with little education, six children and an invalid husband, died leaving so many assets for us to inherit.

No one would look at my grandmother and think she was rich. But if wealth is the measure of one’s assets compared to their liabilities, my grandmother was wealthy. Rather than to use her wealth to gratify her own desires, she made sure she provided for future generations by leaving an inheritance.

These five women - Zelophedad's daughters - had expressed to Moses the sentiment that they deserved their father’s inheritance since he had died with no sons. It was the custom of their day that males inherited father’s assets and since their father had no sons since and he had not participated in the rebellion against Moses’ leadership, they should inherit his property and keep their family name alive. Moses asked God what to do and God agreed with the women. 

Fortunately, there was an inheritance to be had. This entire discussion would have been a complete waste had there been nothing for anyone to inherit.

God may be the One to make the ultimate decision concerning who gets a particular inheritance. But whether or not there is an inheritance to distribute is decided by the choices we make while we live.

Prayer

“God, help me make choices that will result in my leaving a valuable inheritance. Amen.”