In the societies we read about in the Bible, women were generally powerless and unable to do much without permission from the men of the family. Yet some of the Bible’s most beloved stories depict women who courageously stood up for themselves and were able to find justice.
The story of Zelophehad’s daughters is an inspiring example. The book of Numbers tells us Zelophehad had five daughters but no sons. When he died, Hebrew law mandated that his possessions be given to his brothers, rather than being inherited by his daughters. Wanting to protect his inheritance, these women challenged the law, bringing their case before Moses and their whole community.
Moses, in turn, took the case to God. And God said, “The daughters of Zelophehad speak right” (Numbers 27:7). So the unjust law was corrected, and the women received their rightful inheritance.
This story teaches important lessons. First, it shows that God’s authority is supreme. When prayerfully appealed to, spiritual law overrules human statutes and social customs, which have legitimacy and power only to the extent that they are based on divine justice.
The story also encourages us to be steadfast in seeking justice, knowing that only God’s laws are unchanging. Human beliefs and opinions, unfair policies, and even the enactments of government are changeable and must eventually yield to the power of God.
Recently I had occasion to think deeply about the example of the daughters of Zelophehad. Their courage in standing up for their rights inspired me when I was caught off guard by some scammers.
One day I got a phone call from someone who identified himself as a representative of the company that provides my computer software. He gave me his contact details and his credentials. He sounded legitimate, so I trusted him.
This man informed me that my computer had been attacked by a virus, which seemed to be the case, and that his company could restore it. Although money wasn’t mentioned at first, it soon became clear that that’s what he wanted. He and others who called over the next six hours claimed that I would lose all the contents on my computer if I didn’t do as they said.
I became fearful of their dire predictions and yielded to their demands, enabling them to take a lot of money from my bank account and from my online payment account. The scammers said they would call again the next day, when they would need to take more money before restoring my data. They warned me not to contact my bank.
It was clear I had been tricked. I later discovered that freedom was only a click away; I just needed to shut down my computer. But at the time I was so afraid that I couldn’t see a way out. I felt helplessly caught up in a web of evil.
My situation reminded me of what Mary Baker Eddy writes about evil’s devious methods: “The victims lose their individuality, and lend themselves as willing tools to carry out the designs of their worst enemies, even those who would induce their self-destruction” (“Ways that are Vain,” The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 211).
I felt a conviction that God was governing the situation and that I could trust Him to ensure that justice was done.
After rereading this article, I was awakened mentally. I felt a conviction that God was governing the situation and that I could trust Him to ensure that justice was done. Asserting my freedom to think rightly helped restore my sense of divine authority.
The thought came to phone my bank immediately and cancel my credit cards. When I was told the bank wouldn’t restore the stolen money, I was momentarily taken aback. However, recalling the confidence of Zelophehad’s daughters in defending their rights, I felt emboldened to persist.
The suggestion came repeatedly, “It’s too much of a hassle to fight these people; they’re bigger than I am.” But I kept countering it with the affirmation that God’s law prevails because in reality there is no other law. Since God is infinite, good is the only power. Evil’s seeming power is a deception that is exposed by divine Truth.
I recalled that when Mrs. Eddy was facing a lawsuit against her, she advised one of her students who was praying about the case to affirm “that Truth would prevail and that divine Mind would direct the verdict” (Yvonne Caché von Fettweis and Robert Townsend Warneck, Mary Baker Eddy: Christian Healer, Amplified Edition, p. 264). This was very comforting to me, and it freed me from trying to come up with all the answers myself. I felt confident that by trusting God I would be led to the right resolution.
I decided to seek help from a government agency, which advised me of the proper way to go about contacting the bank and requesting that my case be further looked into. About two months later, I was overjoyed to receive a phone call from a bank representative, who said that all the money I had lost would be restored—plus a small bonus for the time they had taken to sort out the case. The online payment company also restored all the money I had lost there.
The scammers continued calling me at least two or three times a day for six weeks. Their cunning lies didn’t fool me, though. I was now more alert and less fearful, realizing that when evil is exposed to the higher laws of God, it loses its power to deceive and control. I now had spiritual dominion; I was not a victim.
A few months later, I was very glad to hear on the news that nearly all banks in the United Kingdom had changed their policies and were now restoring money taken fraudulently by scammers.
I felt there was just one more issue to address; I needed to include the scammers in my prayers. Knowing that God is the creator of us all, I acknowledged that their true nature as children of God was spiritual and included no evil influence—only an attraction to Truth and Love. As Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, “Man’s genuine selfhood is recognizable only in what is good and true” (p. 294).
Prayerfully appealing to the highest law—divine Principle—can bring about changes to human law that make it a more just and accurate reflection of divine law. The daughters of Zelophehad did it 3,500 years ago, and we can do it too.
