Have you ever noticed that God often likes and helps those who dare? Women (and men) in the Bible who were like, “Ya, that’s cool that this goes against all reason but, my God has me”.
I can’t tell you how many times I have read about Daniel in the lion's den to my daughter and just thought this is crazy! Or read about Ruth who dared to propose to a man. I couldn’t even tell my husband I liked him until he told me first!
But the women I want to talk about today were not only daring. They were persistently daring.
“The daughters of Zelophehad … came forward and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, “Our father died in the wilderness…Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”
Numbers 27: 1-4
Woah woah woah! Do you mean they just walked up and demanded property? In a day and age where women WERE property? Yes and no.
In order to get to Moses in the first place, these five daughters had to first go through lesser courts, pleading their case and daring to demand what they thought was right.
Something else to know about their ask is that it’s not just a simple, “here is some land”. If they get this land, they have to cultivate it, work it, and protect it. They aren’t asking for an easy task. They want the work.
I wonder how many times one of them got nervous or scared and wanted to back out. I wonder how many times they contemplated quitting altogether, but they didn’t, and God blessed them for it:
“Moses brought their case before the Lord, and the Lord said to him, “What Zelophehad’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: 5-7
This short story in the Bible gives us a glimpse into daring acts that set things apart for a whole family. It goes against customs and norms, but God chose to honor and bless them for their daring. So, what are you daring for?
For me, I’m daring to put my trust in God as I work on side projects that I always thought I wasn’t good enough to do. To fail, mess up, and keep pushing. To do the work and choose to be persistently daring.
Are you ready to be persistently daring? Are you brave enough to do the work and face the courts as Zelophehad’s daughters did? Are you brave enough to go to God?
I pray that each of you makes time today to just listen to God. To what He has called you to be daring for! I pray that He renews you with strength and continues to help you push and be like these five daring women.
Heather is a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a believer, a wife, and a mother to a wonderful (and sometimes crazy) toddler. She enjoys reading, playing video games, and listening to podcasts. She can usually be taking care of the home and playing on the floor with her daughter.
Photo by John Thomas on Unsplash