It was the morning after, and clean-up and rearranging was the order of business in the huge tented arena. A handful of leaders and congregational members were consumed with various chores. Moses sat in the middle of the activity, oblivious to his surroundings and with eyes fixed on a large scroll in his lap.

Meanwhile, a short distance away a disturbance had arisen. The tents surrounding the tabernacle tent were intended to line up from all directions so that there would always be a clear pathway to it. Time had taken its toll on the original plan with tents being rearranged, oftentimes moved to another area, and there remained really only one distinct pathway of decent width lining up to the main tent’s entrance. It was on this central path that a parade of young women headed toward the big tent in a disorderly fashion.

At first they weren’t approaching swiftly at all, but rather were engaging support from onlookers who were growing in numbers, rehearsing arguments to be taken to their leader Moses, and not at all subtly. As they neared the main tent, they had gathered a following of noisy supporters, many with tongue in cheek considering the young women’s preposterous demand. The women were escorted by a diligent young man who had been at their side from the beginning of their quest some time ago, perhaps a half hour, and a quarter mile back. His attempts to lead the parade miserably failed many times, yet he continued to strive for the forward position.

The women had donned beautiful robes for the occasion, probably borrowed from elders who possessed them, and were wearing garlands of leaves on their heads. There was very little by way of feminine appearance about them regardless of their attire, but that seemed to be of no concern. Forward they marched amid shouting, clanging of pans, and accompanied by a rowdy group of thrill seekers.

From within the tent Moses heard the murmuring sounds of the parade approaching, the noise intensifying as the crowd came closer to the tent’s entrance. Normally anyone coming forth with a petition would do so in a more orderly fashion, but not this time. A call came from without from the escort seeking the admittance of the parade of young women. Before Moses could rise to beckon them in, the women had rushed past their escort, causing him to be off balance while he was awkwardly dealing with a tent flap. He tried to gain his footing, but having lost the battle, he was content to struggle no longer and remain sitting where he had fallen against the entrance of the tent, leaving the women to fight their own battle without male representation. He would no longer be of use to them.

At once they were inside the tent amidst a self created cloud of dust, and in the ensuing silence the only sounds which could be heard were those of swishing and rustling unique to robes in motion: sounds which in turn quickly ceased. They had startled themselves with their own aggression and now stood silent, reliving the events of the past half hour in their heads. For Moses’ part, this day which had been anticipated as a peaceful ending to a long ordeal would have to wait a little longer.

The five women loosely huddled together as a unit, but couldn’t remain still for very long. The age span was considerable and Moses could easily see a family resemblance with the long noses, black eyes and heavy eyebrows, and the prevalent brazen posture among them. Whatever they wanted, he knew they didn't expect to be denied. They introduced themselves as Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They wasted no time in informing Moses that none of them had married, though most of them were of age, and there was no hint as to whether this was misfortune or if they were deliberately unavailable, however the latter was probably closer to the truth.

Moses had seen it all, so one more unusual encounter was not a surprise to him. When he stood up, he walked right over to them with direct eye contact all around. Eleazar had stepped back for he knew that Moses' deliberate approach meant business. "Who will speak for you?" he asked. Apparently all of them felt inclined as they blurted forth their argument in unison, yet dysfunctionally. Within a moment they had worked themselves into a tizzy. Taking the lead, the redheaded one who was neither the oldest nor the youngest began the discourse again by stating that they did not believe it was fair that they should be denied their share of the land allocation just because they were all females. They believed they were direct heirs to their father Zelophehad's inheritance. Zelophehad's name had been omitted from the roster because there were no male descendents.

These women were coming out of their closets, no longer maintaining a low profile among their peers, to resolve what they believed to be an inequitable rule. They had a valid point, because their father Zelophehad had died a natural death during the wilderness experience and had committed no offense against God. Moses hesitated, but they quickly reminded him that it was their father who defended Moses when he married a black Ethiopian woman, and Zelophehad had successfully dispelled the gossip going around the camp about Moses' marital choice.

The argument made sense. There are times when closed lips are wiser than speech, something which Moses knew well, and he chose to remain silent while contemplating the scenario. Respectfully they now held their peace, but it was doubtlessly an internal struggle for each of them, particularly for the redhead who was shifting her weight from one foot to the other, and she had plenty of weight with which to do it. He was so impressed with their presentation, even with it being a bit unruly, that he departed from them for a short time while he took their argument to God.