Читать книгу Bold Girls Speak - Mary Stromer Hanson - Страница 7

Numbers 27:1–11; Joshua 17:3–6

Alone in the Wilderness

We huddled together in the frigid desert, staring into our meager fire. What a sight we were, the five daughters of Zelophehad—Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah—sunken in deep, silent sorrow. Many dozens of small lights surrounded us far into the horizon, each warming a family, some of them laughing together.

Tirzah, the youngest sister, interrupted our thoughts. “I don’t even remember mother anymore. Now father’s memory is also fading away, and we buried him only a few days ago.”

“The older generation is almost all gone now including Miriam and Aaron.” said Mahlah, the oldest, and the sister who reminded us of the traditions. “We are the new Children of Israel.”

“Daughters, forty years ago, it seems like yesterday,” we could remember Father’s words. “Moses sent spies into the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. They returned carrying a huge cluster of grapes, but reported that giant people, whom we would never be able to conquer, inhabited the land. We were all afraid, except for Caleb and Joshua.” At this point in the story Father always sighed. “Because of our lack of trust, God said all people twenty years or older will die in the desert and not see the Promised Land. That was the reason God declared we would wander in this wilderness for forty years.” Father’s words remained with us.

“I can see the fire hovering in the sky above the Tent of the Tabernacle. That means we will be setting out again in the morning. We will also leave our father’s grave site,” observed Hoglah, the realist among us. “Yahweh, have mercy on us! What does the future hold?” The last remark struck our hearts cold, and again we were gripped with sorrow.

A fire by night that hovered over the Ark of the Covenant, or a cloud by day, was the sign of Yahweh’s leadership of the Children of Israel through the wilderness. A life of wandering was all we sisters have known, a life of nomads because we were all born in the wilderness. We could not imagine staying in a place long enough to plant a tree or a vine and see it grow to produce fruit.

The blast of trumpets woke us the next morning. “Pack up quickly, we are moving on toward the Jordan River,” men shouted at us. Without our father, they think we can be bossed around.

“All this talk about the Promised Land,” we complained among ourselves as we painfully got onto our feet. “We have only heard rumors our entire lives. Will we ever finally stop wandering?”

One of us gathered the fresh growth of manna that miraculously fell like rain every night around the camp. The little white flakes of vegetation were fresh and sweet every morning. “How many more ways can we cook manna?” Noah asked. “Remember the time we ate our fill of meat when flocks of partridge suddenly blew in from the west?”

“Now stop the complaining,” Mahlah warned. “It never brings any good.”

“Oh, yes, remember the snakes. The people complained, and they wished to have stayed in Egypt,” said Milcah who was not fond of snakes. “We know what Father told us about Egypt. He was still a boy during the Exodus, but he remembered the terrible times when the Israelites were captives. The Egyptians were cruel slave masters.”

“Well, the people forgot to be thankful, so venomous snakes appeared. They bit many people who died horrible deaths,” added Mahlah.

“So much death, must we always talk about death? I am tired of the fighting, the plagues, and our mothers who give birth, only to see their children die,” sighed Hoglah.

“But Yahweh sends mercy, too. Remember when Moses made a snake out of bronze and raised it high on a pole. Everyone who looked at that bronze snake and repented would live,” Noah added a lighter note.

We took down our tent and loaded up our wagon, which we had to pull ourselves. Our poverty was evident compared to the other travelers. We did not have a donkey or oxen to pull our load, as many families did. With heavy hearts, we joined the procession that started creaking forward. We took one more glance back at the small mound where our father was buried, never to see him again.

“Hey, get moving. We are sorry your father died, but you can’t hold up the caravan,” the men behind us shouted. “We are moving toward Moab.”

Every day we made progress toward the Jordan River. Sometimes we lugged the wagon uphill, other times we braced our backs against the front of the wagon to keep it from rolling downhill. Travel by itself was hard enough, but frequent fighting would also occur with the local inhabitants of whatever land we were passing through.

A cloud of dust rolled over the horizon toward us. It was the first frightful omen of an impending battle. Soon the ground would start to shake with the pounding of feet, a blast of trumpets, and then a crescendo of clanking weapons would follow.

“Why is Sihon, king of the Amorites, coming toward us with a huge army?” Tirzah asked. “Yahweh please, I don’t want to see any more fighting.”

“Sihon will not allow us to pass through his land, even though we promised not to use any water or take fruit from the fields,” said Mahlah. She always knew these things.

“The lands of Ammon, Moab, and Edom are not promised to the Children of Israel, so they should know there is no danger that we will try to take them. The land of Canaan is our Promised Land. We would not be fighting them if they did not attack us first.” Noah added. We had learned to trust that Yahweh would bring us victory, but it was hard to hold back the terror that gripped our dry throats.

The Israelite warriors rushed passed us to the front of the column with slings, bows, javelins, and swords. All of the rest of us fell back to relative safety, but we could certainly hear the cries and shouts of battle.

“How can we be sure that Yahweh really wants us to move on into this Promised Land? He constantly allows us to be attacked from all sides,” Hoglah said. She always asked the hard questions.

“But Yahweh also always sees us through the hardships, doesn’t he? The land may be promised to Israel, but the current residents refuse to acknowledge the rule of Yahweh. We have to strive toward possession with hardship and tears,” Mahlah said, always putting things into perspective for us.

It was enough to trudge forward day after day, one weary step at a time. Suddenly foreign armies appeared, angry shouts and fighting broke out, and we watched helplessly from a distance until Yahweh turned the tide and the battle was won. Afterward, when the fighting stopped, we had to walk past the field strewn with enemy bodies, injured horses, and broken chariots. We gathered bits of iron from broken enemy swords, which was a precious find. The Israelites only had weapons of softer bronze, and we did not have chariots drawn by horses. The enemy had better weapons than we did, yet we won battles because Yahweh gave us protection.

“They could have let us pass through their land peacefully; the fighting didn’t have to happen,” Milcah observed.

“Why does Yahweh allow death to occur, even to enemies?” Tirzah asked. She was wise beyond her years.

“Why don’t they join us in the worship of Yahweh, instead of their gods which are made by human hands? We have many foreigners with us that followed us out of Egypt,” Noah said, offering a solution. “Besides, Yahweh promised that all nations would be blessed through Abraham. Many foreigners are included in our history.”

We walked through empty villages where the women and children hid from us, only peering from behind vines and bushes like frightened animals. “I do not like the people being afraid of us,” our littlest sister observed.

“Are the Amorites really so bad that we had to fight with them?” Hoglah asked. “They think their gods are true and do not know any better.”

“They have heard about our God, Yahweh, and they can see how powerful, just, and, indeed, merciful he is, but their hearts are hard, they refuse to accept Yahweh,” Mahlah observed. “They do frightful things in their worship of Baal that are too awful to mention, and our people are easily seduced into their practices,” our wise oldest sister said. She knew more about these things. “Yahweh has demanded that these enemies be totally destroyed; how can we disobey Yahweh?”

All too soon, another battle followed. Og, the king of Bashan, blocked our path. We repeated often the song of Miriam: “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.” We tried to remember the wonders of Yahweh performed in the past. Again, Yahweh said to Moses, “Don’t be afraid.” However, how could we not be afraid? We never got used to the fighting.

Did That Donkey Talk?

We were excited to be finally in sight of the Jordan River. Approaching Moab, a remarkable event occurred. Balak, the king of Moab was afraid of us. Even with all the hardships and battles, the population of the Israelites had increased. Balak was well aware of the battles that the Israelites had successfully fought. He said, “This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.”

“Balak, the king of Moab, is wise enough to not cause another battle, but did you hear the unbelievable action he is taking?” Hoglah asked.

“He has sent for Balaam, a seer from northern Mesopotamia. He practices divination and can call down curses and blessings,” Mahlah said.

“He does what?” Tirzah looked puzzled.

“Apparently this man practices Babylonian astrological arts. Such people can call upon evil spirits to cause either blessings or curses upon a whole country. Balak is willing to pay a lot of money for this pagan seer to practice his powers of evil upon us.” Mahlah had her ways of getting information.

“Can things get any stranger?” Milcah asked.

“Well, his idea seems to be better than fighting,” observed Noah.

We gathered firewood some distance from the camp when we heard a shout of outrage. “Stupid beast, what are you doing? Get back on the road.” A man was beating his donkey with a stick. It was a pathetic sight. We would have loved to rescue the animal, which, for a donkey, was unusually handsome. Light-colored animals, like this one, were reserved for high officials.

For the moment, we forgot our task and our eyes were diverted to the scene below. Peering through vines, we saw the man tug his donkey back to the path. He climbed astride again but did not progress very far. Between the stone walls bordering the fields, the path became very narrow.

“Donkey, you idiot ass!” the man yelled with pain when his foot was crushed against a wall. He pounded the poor animal again.

“Something supernatural is going on here. Donkeys just don’t act like that,” Milcah said. She knew animals. For the second time the man continued on his way. We followed behind, just out of sight. The path became so narrow that the donkey could barely squeeze through. Now suddenly, the animal’s legs just buckled under the rider. Senselessly, the rider kept up the beating.

“What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” we heard braying across the valley. The voice was not human, yet we could understand it.

“Who said that?” we asked, stopped in our tracks.

“It is the donkey,” said Milcah.

“Donkeys don’t talk,” said Noah. We all knew that of course.

“You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.” The rider answered back.

“Not only did the donkey talk, he thinks the donkey can hear!” Mahlah exclaimed. But she had no explanation.

“Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” It was definitely the donkey talking.

“I am so glad that donkey is giving him a piece of her mind because he hit her,” Tirzah said in defense of the animal. Then she paused a moment, “Wait, that donkey just talked, but donkeys don’t talk. That donkey talks, hears, and understands! I would like that donkey.” Yahweh had once told Moses that the Israelites would see miracles never before seen among any other people. Our littlest sister has grown up with so many miracles in her short life, she thinks some events are normal that really are not.

“Why have you beaten your donkey these three times?” Yet another voice that sounded other-worldly, echoed from the sky. The drama was not over. “I have come here to oppose you, because your path is a reckless one before me. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If the donkey had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now.”

“Whose voice was that?” we quietly exclaimed as the scene continued to unfold. Then we saw it. A fearsome angel was facing the donkey and rider, blocking the way.

“That man is Balaam the seer, the prophet that Balak sent for from the north!” Mahlah gasped while recovering from the shock.

The angel continued, “Go to Balak, but speak only what I tell you.” This was quite enough for one day; we have seen an angel and a talking donkey.

“Do you think we should run back to camp and tell someone that Balaam is coming? They will want to know that he won’t speak curses, but blessings on the Israelites,” Hoglah said while keeping her head about her.

“Do you think they will believe us?” Milcah added.

“If they don’t, they will have to endure the fear of curses until they hear blessings with their own ears,” Noah observed.

Upon arriving back at the camp, we joined the multitude of the Children of Israel at the base of Mount Peor. Balaam the seer seemed to observe the flight of birds that soared above him, but he apparently did not perceive any patterns from that usual source of divination. Then Balak arrived on the scene. He and Balaam appeared to exchange angry words. Seven altars were already built for the sacrifice of seven bulls and seven rams. This was the third time that Balak had tried to get Balaam to pronounce a curse upon Israel. This was the third mountain, and the third preparation of seven alters. The difference on this third occasion was that Balaam could see all the Children of Israel watching, and they could see him. Balak’s hope was that Balaam could see the multitude of Israelites spread out over the valley and finally understand the threat that Moab felt. Surely, Balaam would now curse the Israelites. Balak killed and offered a bull and a ram on each of the seven alters. The sisters knew that Yahweh never required seven sacrifices at once on seven altars.

The multitude held its breath with the expectation of hearing curses pronounced upon them. We already knew it was not to be as Balak had hoped. Balaam the seer could only let words of blessing come from his mouth. At the third trial, the Spirit of God came upon him and he uttered his oracle, “Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted. God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox. They devour hostile nations and break their bones in pieces: with their arrows they pierce them. Like a lion they crouch and lie down, like a lioness—who dare to rouse them? May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed!”

Balak clapped his hands together in anger that Israel received blessings instead of curses, but there was nothing he could do. Balaam returned to his land without pay. We continued to gaze at the smoke that drifted upward from the seven sacrifices and the smell of burnt meat, hair, and bones. We had not eaten meat for a long time, and we were hungry just thinking about such a feast. We understood how an enemy, wealthy enough to afford to sacrifice so many animals, could be attractive. Yet these seven sacrifices by Balak were in vain, made to a false god, Baal. The real God of Israel is our strength and protection.

After the event was over, we walked to our tent as the sky became dark. We discussed the blessing that came out of the mouth of Balaam. “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel,” he had said. We discussed among ourselves, “What did that mean?”

The Sisters Dare to Ask Moses

“The priests are counting the entire population of Israelites for when they divide up between the tribes this Promised Land, which no one has seen,” Milcah reported to us.

“What do they mean we will draw lots for land which we will actually own?” Hoglah asked. “I can’t imagine actually owning anything and living in a house. I would just like to have sandals that hold together a little longer, although these are lasting remarkably well.”

“Oh, they are taking a census all right, but only of the men. They are the only ones who will receive land,” Mahlah, our worldly oldest sister said.

“We are only girls, what will happen to us?” young Tirzah asked, suddenly understanding the bigger issue. “And we will no longer have manna to eat? How can this be a Promised Land?”

“We will grow our own food. We will stay in one place long enough to plant grains and then harvest them,” added in Noah. “The elders are already drawing maps with sticks in the dust. They write their names on stones and rearrange them endlessly like game pieces.”

“But our names are not on the stones. Our father is dead, and as women we won’t get land,” Hoglah predicted.

“Well, we will certainly marry, then husbands will take care of us,” our idealistic littlest sister piped in. She knew her stories about how our ancestor Jacob met Rebecca at the well, and how Moses also found his wife at a well.

“Hey, get realistic sister,” said Hoglah. “Look at us. We are sunburned. Our skin is like leather, sand-blasted from the wind. No eligible young men will ever give us a second look, even if we are struggling with heavy jars to pull water up from the wells. We have to get land in order to eat.”

“Besides, lately the Israelite men have preferred the Moabite women. Of course they haven’t been walking every day for years, and can manage to wash their hair,” Mahlah said to no one in particular. The rest of us did not pursue that topic, as Mahlah seemed bitter.

“Our father never regretted that we were all born female, at least he never expressed it,” Noah sighed. “Yet he knew he would never live to see the Promised Land and receive his allotment of land. What would he want us to do?”

“It is a matter of justice,” Milcah added. “Without a son, his family inheritance promised by Yahweh will disappear unless we advocate for ourselves.”

“The area of land that our tribe, Manasseh, receives will be unfairly smaller,” Hoglah observed.

“Father knew Moses and said he was a fair and good man. Maybe he would help us preserve our father’s memory,” Mahlah lightened up.

“Not to mention, provide us land to keep some sheep and grow crops for a living,” Noah added.

“Do you know anything about planting a field?” Hoglah asked.

“Well then, we have two problems, no land, and we don’t know wheat from a weed. All we have seen in this barren wilderness is manna and thorns that poke through our thin sandals,” Milcah added.

“How does one eat wheat? I hear that it can be used to make bread, but I am not sure how wheat turns into bread,” Tirzah said. She had little experience eating anything other than manna.

“So, which one of us is going to approach the great Moses and ask for an inheritance? I have heard that he actually talks to Yahweh, and once received the commandments from Yahweh on Mount Sinai,” Noah was thinking aloud. We all fell silent at that thought.

“So, will Yahweh condemn us for daring to ask, and will he remember our loss?” Hoglah asked, unafraid of the hard question.

We all looked at each other. One of us would have to be very brave. But all of us together, we knew, could be braver still.

The Tent of the Tabernacle must be approached only with fear and reverence. Yahweh had given many laws concerning who had anything to do with it; people have been known to die if they came near inappropriately (Num 1:51). The tent that enclosed the tabernacle was made with precious fabrics and was surrounded by a fence made of linen curtains. From camp to camp, for almost forty years, the priests disassembled and rebuilt the whole complex at every new location. Hidden within the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant, a gold-plated chest that was carried by the Levites before the procession of the Israelites, whenever we moved. It represented the presence of God leading the way throughout all the travels. It was constructed many years ago, and it was made of the finest materials by skilled artisans according to the exact instructions given directly from Yahweh to Moses.

We hesitated at the gate when the curtain was pulled aside for us to enter. Compared to the dullness of our dusty, everyday lives, we seemed to be looking into the splendor of heaven. The morning incense had already been burned, leaving behind a fragrance that assaulted our noses with a heady sweetness.

“We are the daughters of Zelophehad,” Mahlah told the guard at the gate of the enclosure. “May we approach Moses with a special request concerning our father’s inheritance?”

“Come nearer, daughters of Zelophehad,” we heard a voice from within call us. We hesitated to put one foot ahead of the other and progress into the enclosure. “I knew your father; I am sorry for your loss. Is there anything I can do?”

This was the first time that we had seen Moses up close.

He wore the years of desert life in his deeply creased face. He and several other priests formed a line of gold-trimmed, heavily embroidered robes. Eleazar, Aaron’s son, was the high priest. He was dressed in the ephod, or a sort of apron that was decorated with large gems of precious stones. Each stone represented one of the twelve tribes. We had never seen ruby, topaz, and sapphire stones, which reflected the morning sun with dazzling light. The whole effect of the tabernacle made us quite dizzy with its awesome majesty.

“Our father died in the desert, and he was a good man. He did not participate in the rebellion of Korah but died of old age,” Mahlah said, daring to break the silence.

“He taught us well to serve Yahweh with fear and reverence. He told us all the stories of the Exodus and the forty days at Mount Sinai when you, Moses, received the law from the hand of Yahweh,” added Noah.

“We are five sisters, without any brothers. Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son?” Hoglah continued.

“The tribe of Manasseh should not lose this land. We wish to receive our father’s portion along with his male relatives in the Promised Land of Canaan,” Milcah finished the request.

“Well, it is rather irregular that women would receive an inheritance of land. I will have to ask Yahweh about this unusual request,” Moses thoughtfully replied.

“When do you next talk to Yahweh?” our littlest sister piped up. We had forgotten to tell her not to talk.

“Ahem,” Moses had a rather shocked look on his tired old face. We were horrified that our whole cause could be lost. After an impossibly long pause, Moses spoke up again, “I can’t really say; Yahweh speaks in Yahweh’s own time, but I should get in one more talk before I see him face to face.”

“What did he mean by that?” we gazed at each other. No one sees God face to face and lives to tell about it.

We retreated backwards a few steps before turning around. We were somewhat dejected. “Well what kind of answer did we get? Moses did not refuse us. We have to wait on Yahweh,” Hoglah said, breaking the silence on the way to our tent.

“Were we too bold to ask for this exception?” we questioned among ourselves.

“You know women don’t inherit land,” some men taunted us. “There will be more land for us if you don’t inherit. After all, do you know what to do with land?”

“Well none of us knows how to plant grains and vineyards. Our generation has never been settled in one place,” Milcah reminded them.

“Will Moses die without giving us an answer?” we discussed that evening. It is amazing how the ancient evil one raised all kinds of doubts in our imaginings. The whole camp was aware that Moses would die before we moved over the Jordan. Moses would not set foot into the Promised Land, because of his disobedience at Kadesh many years earlier when he struck the rock for water instead of simply using speech (Num 20). Yahweh demands strict obedience and total trust, and his justice is fearful. Had we daughters of Zelophehad offended Yahweh by making an outrageous request?

Yahweh answers in Yahweh’s own time, as Moses had said. In the evening, huddled around our campfire, we wondered. Was Yahweh as near as our breath or as far away as the stars? Can we approach Yahweh directly, or only the priests? Would Moses receive word before he died? Our request began to seem rather meager in contrast to much bigger questions; would we be lost in these cosmic events?

We heard that Moses was indeed getting words from Yahweh. He was receiving multitudes of words including commands about many kinds of sacrifices and numerous festival days, and laws about crossing the Jordan and entering the Promised Land. We learned that Joshua would be anointed Moses’ successor. The scribes were busy with all the writing. Would the request of the daughters of Zelophehad be remembered in all the more important legislation?

Finally, though it was only a few days later, but seemed much longer, a messenger called us to the tabernacle. We were beyond mere fear; we were terrified until Moses opened his mouth. “My daughters, the word of Yahweh is thus: ‘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 over to them.’”

Our weak knees barely carried us back to our tent. “Imagine, out of all the words of Yahweh that Moses has received and recorded, Yahweh has not forgotten us! Of all the grains of sand who are the children of Abraham, he has heard our request,” we rejoiced together wildly. For the first time since the death of our father, we felt like we were just the width of the Jordan away from a new life in a new land.

Moses, at 120 years of age, died a short time after he delivered the message to us. We watched him ascend to the top of Mount Nebo with a spring in his step because he knew where he was going. But first Yahweh allowed him to look into the Promised Land. He never came back down. Yahweh buried him in a place that no one knows, and the Children of Israel wept for him thirty days. We, the daughters of Zelophehad, will always have this story to tell about how Moses heard our request. It was our privilege to have asked him personally. We will also learn how to plant grains, fruit trees, and vines, maybe even flowers.

Points to Ponder on the Daughters Who Asked

The daughters of Zelophehad did eventually marry. Be sure to read Joshua 17:4 to find out how this story ends. Cities named Tirzah and Hoglah are still on the map of Israel today. The other daughters’ geological areas were recorded several centuries later, but the locations have been lost since. These Bold Girls dared to approach Moses for a change in the laws that God had given earlier. As new situations occurred, adjustments in the law were occasionally made, and this is one example. The daughters received an additional requirement: they would have to marry men from the tribe of Manasseh so that their land would stay in that clan. One may think that the privilege of males to inherit was maintained in the end anyway, but note that the names of the daughters remained with the land many centuries later, not Zelophehad’s nor the names of sons they may have had later. At the time they entered Canaan, Manasseh numbered fifty-two thousand people, so their choices of husbands was not limited! Land was actually owned by families and not individuals, and the Israelites acknowledged that ultimately all the land was God’s. As this story illustrates, the great Yahweh, the Old Testament name for God, cares for women and girls, and grants their requests, not only for them, but for all the following generations.

Imagine that the only life you have ever known is wandering in a desert. The promised new land may hold a bright future for some, but for you the prospects are empty. You must survive alone with your sisters in a strange new land and, in addition, your parents are now dead. Your future is bleak if you do not find a man to marry you. Legitimate ways to earn a living are nonexistent for a woman, and you cannot inherit property. Try to find out as many details of the daily life in the wilderness travel from the biblical text as possible, and look up information in other reference books to better understand the routes the Children of Israel may have taken.

Why is this book of the Bible called Numbers? When the Israeli spies reported that the land of Canaan was inhabited by giants, the Children of Israel were afraid to go in and conquer this land. So, a census was taken at the beginning of their wanderings to count the number of fighting men.

God took very seriously this lack of trust in his power to overcome the enemy, and he sentenced the Children of Israel to wander for forty years. All people more than twenty years old died before the end of the wandering. This story is related in Numbers 13–14.

In the story of the five sisters, the constant complaining about having to eat the same food is described in the book of Numbers. Verses 11:7–9 explain how the manna appeared, how it tasted, and how the Children of Israel could prepare it in various ways. The Children of Israel often complained about conditions in the wilderness, and some even wished to return to slavery in Egypt. I tried to re-create the harsh wilderness conditions in this story. We wonder how they could have been so shortsighted as to wish they were back in Egypt, but try to think of yourself in the same situation. We are also quick to complain sometimes!

Not only were the conditions harsh with extremes of temperature, constant lack of water, and the same food every day. Constant fighting with nations that opposed them also occurred. This story brings up many questions about war, and the rightness of killing enemies. This is very hard to sort out. Is killing, even of noncombatants, ever mandated by God? In the wilderness journey and while conquering the Promised Land, it is clearly commanded by God to destroy the enemy, but this was at a time of very special circumstances in the history of Israel.

I find the story of Balaam and Balak to be one of the most bizarre in the whole Old Testament. Ancient Middle East kings engaged in the practice of using seers and diviners for advice in military decisions. Certain prophets had a reputation for special effectiveness and were much in demand for their services. Balaam was one of a profession of diviners or prophets who could be hired by kings to determine the future or call curses or blessings on command. Apparently, they must have been successful at least some of the time. Remember that Balaam was not an exclusive worshipper of Yahweh, yet Yahweh used him in this instance to convey a message to Balak, the enemy king of Moab, and give an encouraging blessing to the Children of Israel. If it was not strange enough that God used a foreign diviner to convey words of encouragement to the Children of Israel, God uses a lowly beast of burden, a donkey, to get Balaam’s attention. Yet, the talking donkey is not the greatest miracle of the story. More fantastic was the working of the Spirit of God, who turned the words of cursing, which Balaam was being paid to pronounce, into words of blessing on the Children of Israel. By very dramatic means, Balaam was made aware that he was to speak only words of blessing and not curses onto God’s people. The words that came out of his mouth were not the words he had planned to say. God will use what and whomever he will to accomplish his purposes.

Questions for Discussion

1. Look up Joshua 16:3–6. Here is the continuation of the story of the daughters of Zelophehad. They do eventually get married and have families who continue to inhabit the lands for many generations. The villages of Hoglah and Tirzah can still be found today in Israel.

2. What is the history of the Children of Israel in Egypt? How did they get there and why are they now in the wilderness? Why did their parents die in the wilderness?

3. Why does this story follow the story of Miriam Who Negotiated? Review the story of Moses. Who was this man and how did he become the leader of the Children of Israel? Put these events on a timeline.

4. Read through the book of Numbers. How many different ways did the Children of Israel disobey God? What were the consequences of their disobedience? (Rejection of authority in Numbers 21:5, complaining Numbers 14:2.)

5. Look up Exodus 34:12–16 where God describes the separation that the Children of Israel should maintain with the other nations. What laws are included in these verses?

6. What was the Ark of the Covenant? What was its significance and why did the Israelites follow it? Look up drawings of how it may have appeared.

Related Cultural and Historical

Questions to Explore

1. Archaeological history is important to understanding the Bible. When was the Bronze Age and the Iron Age? As you read the Bold Girls stories, make a timeline to compare when each of these stories took place. The Israelites were behind their neighbors in acquiring knowledge of how to work with iron. How did that affect their way of fighting and conquering other cities?

2. Find a map of the possible routes that the Children of Israel took during the forty years of wandering. Where are the major stopping places mentioned in Numbers? (Mount Sinai at the beginning of the journey, Kadesh where Moses struck the rock for water, and the plains of Moab, where this Bold Girls story took place). Into what kind of sin did the Children of Israel fall in each location?

3. Does the symbol of a snake wrapped around a pole remind you of a modern day symbol? It also is a foreshadowing of a symbol in the New Testament. What is it? What is the prophecy of Numbers 24:17: “A star will come out of Jacob”?

4. We may read with amusement that ancient people would believe in the power of pagan soothsayers and other forms of magic, but do we do the same thing today? What about in other parts of the world? Where else in the Bible is a person who practices this craft?

5. Can you imagine spending your whole childhood on a camping trip? Do some people constantly live in a similar situation now in the twenty-first century?

Suggested Topics of Discussion for Teachers and Parents of Older Students

1. To the discussion of the various sins into which the Children of Israel fell during the wandering in the wilderness, add the falling into sexual immorality as described in Numbers 25:1–9. Why was it important for the Israelites not to be in contact with the Moabites? What were the evil practices in their worship of Baal?

2. Why did God demand destruction of the Canaanites? Leviticus 18 describes the sexual practices of the Egyptians and the Canaanites. Deuteronomy 23:17 condemns temple prostitution.

3. Discuss various objections raised against Christianity and religion in general by “the new atheists.” In this discussion, include an exploration of God’s demand for the complete destruction of “anything that moves” in holy war and a dedication of all the spoils of war to God.

4. What were the one-time qualifications applied in the Israelite holy wars of conquest when entering the Promised Land that are not valid for other wars? In Joshua 2:10 is the interesting story of an important woman named Rehab. She knew that God had demanded that Israel completely destroy their enemies. Is this fair, or is this command from God too cruel? What does this mean in warfare?