AM Bible Study Group; October 13, 2010

Numbers 31:1-54

Theme: This chapter describes God’s call to the people of Israel to take vengeance on the Midianites for bringing the sin of immorality and idolatry upon them.

This passage is a difficult one. It deals with the fact that the Midianite people had deliberately caused Israel to sin, through the advice of Balaam, in order to draw them away from God’s blessings (see chpt. 25); and presents us with God’s command that Israel take vengeance upon them. It’s a subject that we find harsh and unpleasant.

But as harsh as it may seem, it was commanded by God and was clearly commanded by Him; and the keeping of which was blessed by Him. It is an illustration of the severe action Jesus’ commanded of His followers in the Sermon on The Mount: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:27-30).

I. THE VENGEANCE TAKEN (vv. 1-11).

A. Note that this is the last official act that God commanded Moses to take before Moses was gathered to his people (i.e., before he died). This act was to be a response to the diabolical act of the Midianites (in concert with the Moabites) in chapter 25 (see vv. 1-3). The Midianites could not get the prophet Balaam to successfully curse the people; so Balaam later suggested that they trap the people into idolatry through sexual immorality (see 16). A thousand soldiers from each tribe were to be recruited for this military action (vv. 4-5); and they were placed under the leadership of Phinehas—the man who had demonstrated himself so boldly in defending Israel before (v. 6; see also 25:7-13). Note that Phinehas had “the holy articles and the signal trumpets in his hand” (v. 6; see Numbers 10:1-10); which would have kept ever before the people that this was a command from God.

B. They warred against the Midianites successfully; and slew—among others—the Midianite ruler whose daughter had been so bold in tempting Israel (25:15), and Balaam himself (vv. 7-8). Note that Balaam did not die as he had vainly hoped (see 23:10).

C. We’re told that the children of Israel took “the women of Midian captive, with their little ones, and took as spoil all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their goods. They also burned with fire all the cities where they dwelt, and all their forts. And they took all the spoil and all the booty—of man and beast” (vv. 9-11). But it should be noted that this was not a matter of rashly swooping down on the plunder. As we will see, all things were done in an orderly manner and properly rendered to the Lord.

II. THE SPOILS PURIFIED (vv. 12-24).

A. The captives and booty were brought to the congregation of Israel on the other side of the Jordan, across from Jericho (v. 12). This would have been an encouragement to the people, as they prepared to enter the promised land, that God would indeed fight for them. But when they brought the spoils to Moses and Eleazar, it was noted that they kept the very women who had been the cause of the temptation in the first place (vv. 13-14). Moses was angry over this; and warned them that an association with these women was the cause of their failure in the first incident; and—harsh as it may seem—commanded that the women who had known a man, and the boys as well—be put to death. Only the young women who had no relations with a man could be spared—most likely because it could be assured that none of them had been guilty in the incident of Israel’s downfall (vv. 15-18). These young virgin girls would most likely have been absorbed into the congregation of Israel in the manner described in Deuteronomy 21:10-14; but the boys, who would have retained their Midianite identity, were not kept alive. Again, this may seem harsh to our contemporary standards; but God was acting to show as much mercy as possible while still preserving the identity of His chosen people.

B. The soldiers who fought in this war were to be cleansed from their defilement (v. 19) according to the commands given in Numbers 19:11-13. Note that even the pots and pans and articles of clothing taken in the spoils were to be cleansed. God’s people were to hate “even the garment defiled by the flesh” (Jude 23). Those portions of the spoils that would not survive being passed through fire were to be washed in water. Those which could survive the fire were to be purified by fire (vv. 19-21). Nothing of the old wickedness of Midian was to remain.

III. THE PLUNDER DIVIDED (vv. 25-47).

A. Moses and Eleazer, aided by the captains of the army, were to take inventory of the plunder, and divide it into two portions. Half of the total number of all that was taken was for those who went out to war, and the other half was for the rest of the congregation (vv. 25-27). From these two divisions, a tribute to the Lord was to be levied. From the half that belonged to those who fought in the battle, one of every five hundred of the persons, the cattle, the donkeys and the sheep were to be taken and given to Eleazer the priest as a heave offering to the Lord (vv. 28-29; and thus as a portion to the priests; see Numbers 18:8-9). Of the half that belonged to the congregation, one of every fifty would be given to the Levites “who keep charge of the tabernacle of the LORD” (v. 30).

B. Moses and Eleazer did as the Lord commanded; with the following results (see vv. 31-47):

IV. THE MEMORIAL ESTABLISHED (vv. 48-54).

A. Because of the complete success of the campaign, and because it was found that not one man from Israel was lost, the soldiers who took the spoils of jewelry chose to present it to Moses and Eleazar as an offering for “atonement” (48-53). This may have been, in part, because they felt defiled by the killing, though it had been commanded by God, because of the sin that had made it necessary. Or it may be as an act of gratitude for God’s gracious gift of victory. It may even be over the fact that the men felt that they could not keep such jewelry; because the battle by which they had gained them was made necessary because of sin.

B. In any event, the gift of all the ornaments of gold, armlets and bracelets and signet rings and earrings and necklaces was received by Moses and Eleazar, and made a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord (v. 54).