Claiming the land (1–11). New problems give us new opportunities to seek God’s wisdom and learn new truths: “Yet you do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2). The five daughters had the courage and faith to ask for their inheritance, and they got it. They also had a part in establishing a law that helped other families in Israel get their inheritance.
Seeing the land (12–14). Moses saw the Promised Land but (as far as we know) did not enter it until he appeared with Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1–8). The land of Canaan is a picture, not of heaven but of the believer’s inheritance in Christ in the heavenlies (Eph. 1:3). A whole generation died and never saw the land. Ten of the spies saw the land for forty days and then died in their unbelief. Moses saw the land but could not enter it. The new generation, along with Caleb and Joshua, entered the land and claimed their promised inheritance. To which group do you belong?
Conquering the land (15–23). As always, Moses’ greatest concern was the people and not himself, and God gave him his assistant Joshua to be his successor (Matt. 25:21). Joshua was God’s general who would conquer the land and give the people their inheritance. He is a type of Jesus Christ (Joshua means “Jehovah is salvation”) who conquered our enemies for us and opened the way for us to claim all the blessings God has for us.
