Year 1, Day 151: Numbers 36

Dividing Up the Land: Where’s Our Focus

At first pass this chapter leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.  I am naturally reacting quite strongly against this chapter’s intent.  You might ask, what’s so wrong with this chapter?  Well … simply put I think it is horrible advice.  The women have to marry from within their own tribe in order to preserve the inheritance?  Isn’t that a bit … restrictive and out-of-focus?

I’m not talking about this from a genetic angle.  Even if we divide the total population into the 12 tribes there is still a big enough population within each tribe to have a successful gene pool.  So that isn’t my big concern – or any concern, really – at all.

No, I’m also not looking at this from a “women’s rights” perspective, either.  The truth is that a ruling such as this affects women as much as men.  Think about it.  If no women who have any kind of land inheritance can marry outside their tribe, then no man can marry them, either.   Since marriage is between a man and a woman, if no women can do it then by definition no men can take them in marriage, either.  So this objection of mine has absolutely nothing to do with gender rights or even gender equality.  This passage is wonderfully balanced from a gender equality perspective.

Also, let me remind everyone at this point of the mistake I made when I wrote this blog post originally three years ago.  We’re not talking about all women, here.  A Hebrew woman could marry any other Hebrew man.  The woman would receive a dowry and then be sent off on her merry way to become a part of the new tribe’s family.  The only women we’re talking about here are women who have rights to land.  We’re talking about women who have no brothers to carry on their father’s family name.  Those are the only women about whom we’re speaking in this passage.

That being said, my strong reaction is to the concept of “maintaining the status quo.”  This rule of restrictive marriage is all about keeping the property in the “right clan.”  This rule is actually about establishing that “blood is thicker than water.”  This ruling is all about making sure that we take care of our own before we think about others.  That bothers me.  I’ll wrestle with this for a while because I know it is in the Word and I believe the Word is inspired unerringly from God.  But right now I still don’t have to like it.  {Ooooh, human rebellion is deep and strong, isn’t it?}

The Problems with the Advice of Numbers 36

Having declared the possibility that today I am a rebel against God’s Word, let me at least lift up a few legitimate reasons why.  Hopefully in seeing the reasons you’ll understand that I am sour to this chapter not because I desire to go away from the Word but rather to bring out nuances of perspective within the Word and how this chapter compares to New Testament agendas.

Here’s what I am wondering: Why it is more important that the twelve tribes maintain their boundaries within Israel than it is important that Israel as a whole maintain its integrity?  Is it really more important that each tribe of Judah maintain its land than having the land continue under the influence of the Hebrew people in general?  A ruling like this seems to enforce the belief that we have 12 different tribes banding together for a common goal rather than a united people under a single God.  That bothers me.

In a faith that is plagued by as many “Christian denominations” as we have, I tend to desire unity rather than schism.  I don’t think the answer is ever “form another denomination” – although sometimes the ways of the world force that unfortunate reality upon church organizations.  But I believe more in the body of Christ than I do in the division of denominations.  I would rather sit down and listen to someone tell me about what God is doing in their life than how their life is enriched by their denomination.  For me, unity in Christ through the Holy Spirit far outweighs any self-inflicted division we may put upon ourselves.

I think of the New Testament passages where we are told that there is no distinction among mankind (Galatians 3:28).  I think of the passages that enforce our status as priesthood within the new covenant over and above our worldly connections (1 Peter 2:5-9).  I know what you are saying.  Those are New Testament references and they come from a different perspective than the Old Testament.  Certainly they do.  But I think it is important here to state that there are subtle differences in perspective on the matter of property ownership – or even what’s really important in life – between the New Testament and the Old Testament.  I’m not saying one is absolutely right and the other is absolutely wrong.  I’m not trying to separate God’s Word.  I’m just saying there are multiple perspectives offered on certain topics.

Reaching Effects of Policy

This idea of what is really important bleeds into other aspects of life as well.  How many times are we as a church most interested in our “property concerns” before things like making disciples?  Or, how many times do you hear people saying “I can’t go worship there, I’m not Lutheran.”  (Or Baptist, Methodist, whatever).  We as human beings are naturally concerned about keeping our stuff and associating with people who are most like us.  I find that Jesus actually taught exactly the opposite.  We shouldn’t be concerned with our stuff and we should be willing to go to those who are different than us because they probably need us the most.  I find the fundamental thrust of Jesus’ teaching to be unconcerned with issues like “which tribe gets to keep the land in perpetuity.”  When we get tied up into policy, we easily lose sight of what is really important.

Any way, I struggle today with this passage.  From my perspective, what is important is that the land is God’s land rather than the actual tribe to which the land belongs.  But then again, from my perspective the fact that those are God’s chosen people is more important than knowing which individual tribe they come from. 

Personal Confession

Maybe I need to grow a little bit in my faith before I can understand why maintaining the individual land division among the tribes is important in the greater scheme of things.  After all, let’s say a woman marries into a different tribe – from the perspective of this chapter all of the offspring would be members of the joined tribe anyway!  They would still be Herew.  They would still have a chance of growing up in relationship with God. 

I don’t know.  Maybe that is the real heart of the issue.  I suppose after many years it might be possible for a tribe to eventually become non-existent if they have more female babies or if their male babies die young.  Maybe this chapter is about making sure that all twelve tribes continue to “exist.”  But even if that is the heart of the issue, I am left asking the question as to why a person’s tribal designation is more important than the fact that they are a member of God’s people in the first place!

For Christians, why is my denominational name more important than the fact that I am a Christian?  Every time we say we won’t go to a church because it isn’t _____, we are precisely saying that my denomination is more important than my place in the body of Christ. 

I don’t know.  I doubt I’ve been very helpful today.  I don’t think I’ve been very pastoral, either.  This chapter leaves me with far more questions than answers.  I hope you fared better than I.  But if you didn’t, at least today you get a chance to see my struggle.

<><