When Moses is faced with a request or a question, his response, as ours should be, is to bring the cause before Jehovah. Jehovah alone is trustworthy to give the answer we need. No human reasoning can give us this. We do well to be humble before the Lord our God and express our need of Him.

The daughters of Zelophehad, whose father had no sons, request to have a possession in the midst of the brethren of their father, Moses enquires of God and God replies:

"Rightly are the daughters of Zelophehad speaking: thou dost certainly give them a possession of an inheritance in the midst of their father's brethren" and He further establishes rules of inheritance which we see working out much later in Boaz who redeemed the inheritance of Naomi's husband Ebimelech, as soon as a closer inheritor had decided not to redeem it himself.

God is our wisdom in practical matters as also in guidance in our lives and choices. Our wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, to stand in awe, reverence, humility and obedience before Him, desiring to know His truth and His ways.

Moses also speaks to Jehovah to ask about a successor to him that the company of Jehovah is not as sheep which have no shepherd. Moses' love for his people, his care as a leader is rock solid. "God of the spirits of all flesh - appoint a man over the company, who goeth out before them and cometh in before them, and who taketh them out and who bringeth them in".

To work for God as a leader should not be a matter of inheritance, by accident of birth, but as God chooses. God chooses a leader to be a judge not a King - to judge between right and wrong and to lead only in following God.

Hebrews 6:1-2 gives the elementary teachings of Christ, the foundation to build on 'that unto the perfection we may advance.' The list of what these are is surprising:

"Reformation from dead works and of faith on God, of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on also of hands, of rising again also of the dead and of judgment age-during."

The laying on of hands is unusual as a foundational teaching, but God says it is a beginning teaching of the Christ.

Jacob laid his right hand on Ephraim's head though he was the younger son, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, crossing his arms to do this while Joseph sought to correct him. Blessing and prophetic word to the sons of Joseph came through the laying on of hands.

A person bringing a burnt offering of the herd is 'to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it hath been accepted for him to make atonement for him" Lev 1:4

"And Aaron hath laid his two hands on the head of the living goat and hath confessed over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in all their sins and hath put them on the head of the goat and hath sent it away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness." Lev. 16:21

Moses layeth his hands upon Joshua son of Nun as directed by God, "A man in whom is the Spirit and thou hast laid thine hand upon him and hast caused him to stand before Eleazar the priest, and before all the company and hast charged him before their eyes, and hast put thine honour upon him so that all the company of the sons of Israel do hearken." God appoints a successor through the laying on of hands.

God speaks to Moses about the sons of Israel that they are to take heed to bring "My offering, My bread for the fire offerings, My sweet fragrance" Numbers 28: 2

The daily offerings and the monthly offerings on the first day of the month remind us that every day and every new month we are to offer ourselves to God, continually, that we might always remember to be in His presence, to give to God in repentance, in thankfulness, in joy before the Lord. We are a forgiven people. Alleluia.