Numbers 31. Vengeance on Midian

Vengeance on Midian

 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.” ³ So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian. ⁴ You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war.” ⁵ So there were provided, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. ⁶ And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe, together with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.

• Midian were the people Israel fell into sin with (Numbers 25)
• God says to get 1000 men from each tribe =12,000 men and Phinehas
  • verse 25 says that these 12,000 captures 32,000 people

 ⁷ They warred against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every male. ⁸ They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. ⁹ And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and they took as plunder all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods. ¹⁰ All their cities in the places where they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire, ¹¹ and took all the spoil and all the plunder, both of man and of beast. ¹² Then they brought the captives and the plunder and the spoil to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the people of Israel, at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

• They killed every male including the 5 kings of Midian (including Balaam)
• They brought all the goods, women, and children to Moses

¹³ Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp. ¹⁴ And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. ¹⁵ Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live? ¹⁶ Behold, these, on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord. 

• This is interesting. Numbers 31:16 gives us information we weren’t  told in Numbers 25. Balaam advised the Midianites to use the women to lead Israel into unfaithfulness at Peor. This explains why Balaam is killed alongside the Midianite leaders. 

¹⁷ Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. ¹⁸ But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves. ¹⁹ Encamp outside the camp seven days. Whoever of you has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day. ²⁰ You shall purify every garment, every article of skin, all work of goats’ hair, and every article of wood.”

• A difficult passage: Moses commands that every male child and woman who is not a virgin to be killed. The virgins are to ‘be kept for yourselves’. Obviously God does no wrong, which should always be on our minds during these difficult passages. But it’s still ok to be uncomfortable and ask “Why?”
  • I understand that males would grow up to avenge their fathers and that this was a common practice to secure long-term safety.
  • Midianite women were associated with idol worship practices and sexual immorality.
  • Based on Deuteronomy 21:10-14, women captured in war had to undergo a month of mourning and ritual cleansing, so I don’t think (any many theologians) the phrase “be kept for yourselves” means for immediate sexual use.
• Judges 6 shows that Midian will attack Israel again. Does this mean they did not kill every male?
• What happened to the Midianite young girls (toddlers, babies)?

²¹ Then Eleazar the priest said to the men in the army who had gone to battle: “This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded Moses: ²² only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, ²³ everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless, it shall also be purified with the water for impurity. And whatever cannot stand the fire, you shall pass through the water. ²⁴ You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. And afterward you may come into the camp.”

•  Purification of soldiers and captives:
  • Anyone who had killed or touched the dead must remain outside the camp for seven days.
  • On the 3rd and 7th day, they had to purify themselves, their captives, and any items taken (clothing, leather, wood, metals).
  • Metals were to be purified through fire, while other items were washed with water.

²⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁶ “Take the count of the plunder that was taken, both of man and of beast, you and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the congregation, ²⁷ and divide the plunder into two parts between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation. ²⁸ And levy for the Lord a tribute from the men of war who went out to battle, one out of five hundred, of the people and of the oxen and of the donkeys and of the flocks. ²⁹ Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the Lord. ³⁰ And from the people of Israel’s half you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the people, of the oxen, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, of all the cattle, and give them to the Levites who keep guard over the tabernacle of the Lord.” ³¹ And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.

• God instructs Moses and Eleazar to divide the spoils: half for the soldiers who fought and half for the rest of Israel.

³² Now the plunder remaining of the spoil that the army took was 675,000 sheep, ³³ 72,000 cattle, ³⁴ 61,000 donkeys, ³⁵ and 32,000 persons in all, women who had not known man by lying with him. ³⁶ And the half, the portion of those who had gone out in the army, numbered 337,500 sheep, ³⁷ and the Lord’s tribute of sheep was 675. ³⁸ The cattle were 36,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 72. ³⁹ The donkeys were 30,500, of which the Lord’s tribute was 61. ⁴⁰ The persons were 16,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 32 persons. ⁴¹ And Moses gave the tribute, which was the contribution for the Lord, to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord commanded Moses.

• A tribute tax was to be given from each share:
  • From the soldiers’ half: 1 out of every 500 people or animals went to the priest Eleazar as an offering to the Lord.
• 32 people were given to the LORD. For what?

⁴² From the people of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from that of the men who had served in the army— ⁴³ now the congregation’s half was 337,500 sheep, ⁴⁴ 36,000 cattle, ⁴⁵ and 30,500 donkeys, ⁴⁶ and 16,000 persons— ⁴⁷ from the people of Israel’s half Moses took one of every 50, both of persons and of beasts, and gave them to the Levites who kept guard over the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.

• From Israel’s half: 1 out of every 50 people or animals went to the Levites.

⁴⁸ Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, came near to Moses ⁴⁹ and said to Moses, “Your servants have counted the men of war who are under our command, and there is not a man missing from us. ⁵⁰ And we have brought the Lord’s offering, what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and beads, to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.” ⁵¹ And Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them the gold, all crafted articles. ⁵² And all the gold of the contribution that they presented to the Lord, from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, was 16,750 shekels. ⁵³ (The men in the army had each taken plunder for himself.) ⁵⁴ And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, as a memorial for the people of Israel before the Lord.

• The military officers realized not one soldier had died in the battle!
  • To make atonement, they voluntarily gave a large offering of gold jewelry totaling 16,750 shekels (about 420 pounds). This was given to the Tabernacle as a memorial before the Lord.
    • “to make atonement” usually means a sin is committed.
    • Adrian R Reynolds says ” There are two possible options. The first is that the collection of personal treasure (31:50) goes against the commands about plunder, which all belongs to the LORD. The rather casual “what each man found” could be read in this way. More likely, however, is that the commanders have committed a sin by conducting a census (31:48–49). No doubt they were amazed that no one seemed to have been harmed, but counting troops without the LORD’s permission is seen as a lack of faith and the law provides for the atonement that must be made (see Exod 30:11–12).”
      • https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/commentary/numbers/