God’s judgment on the Midianites
December 3, 2021
Commentary
Moses’ last assignment was to carry out the Lord’s vengeance on the Midianites; then he would meet “the last enemy” which is death. The Midianites (v. 2) were a nomadic people who descended from Abraham through his second wife Keturah (Gen. 25:1). Because the Midianites were responsible for enticing Israel into Baal worship, God commanded Israel to destroy them. This was a Holy war which differed from other wars in that the Lord Himself led the army (12,000 Israelite soldiers). The result was the slaying of all the males (v. 7) which can probably be interpreted as all the males living in the battleground area and not the entire Midianite race, for in Gideon’s time they are seen back in full force again. It says that all the Midianite men were killed but not a single Jewish soldier died in the conflict (v. 49). However, the women and children were spared as were the animals (v. 9).
In disobedience to God’s command, the soldiers did not exterminate all the Midianites but brought the women and children back as captives. When Moses met the returning army, he was angry and commanded that the male children be slain as well as the women and girls who were not virgins. The virgins were no doubt spared because they obviously had no role in the Baal worship, nor could they by themselves perpetuate the Midianite peoples. A strict application of the rules of Holy war dictated that they too should have been killed (Duet. 20:16), so this was only a concession by Moses.
Application
Israel most likely took the women as captives, rather than killing them because of the tempting enticements of a sinful life style. Moses dealt with their sin promptly and completely. When God points out sin in my life, I must also deal with it promptly and completely.
Numbers 31:1– 24 (NET)
1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Exact vengeance for the Israelites from the Midianites —after that you will be gathered to your people.”
3 So Moses spoke to the people: “Arm men from among you for the war, to attack the Midianites and to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian. 4 You must send to the battle 1,000 men from every tribe throughout all the tribes of Israel.” 5 So 1,000 from every tribe, 12,000 armed for battle in all, were provided out of the thousands of Israel.
6 So Moses sent them to the war, 1,000 from every tribe, with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who was in charge of the holy articles and the signal trumpets. 7 They fought against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses, and they killed every male. 8 They killed the kings of Midian in addition to those slain—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—five Midianite kings. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.
9 The Israelites took the women of Midian captive along with their little ones, and took all their herds, all their flocks, and all their goods as plunder. 10 They burned all their towns where they lived and all their encampments. 11 They took all the plunder and all the spoils, both people and animals. 12 They brought the captives and the spoils and the plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the Israelite community, to the camp on the rift valley plains of Moab, along the Jordan River across from Jericho. 13 Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went out to meet them outside the camp.
14 But Moses was furious with the officers of the army, the commanders over thousands and commanders over hundreds, who had come from service in the war. 15 Moses said to them, “Have you allowed all the women to live? 16 Look, these people through the counsel of Balaam caused the Israelites to act treacherously against the Lord in the matter of Peor—which resulted in the plague among the community of the Lord! 17 Now therefore kill every boy, and kill every woman who has been intimate with a man in bed. 18 But all the young women who have not experienced a man’s bed will be yours.
19 “Any of you who has killed anyone or touched any of the dead, remain outside the camp for seven days; purify yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day. 20 You must purify each garment and everything that is made of skin, everything made of goats’ hair, and everything made of wood.”
21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone into the battle, “This is the ordinance of the law that the Lord commanded Moses: 22 ‘Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23 everything that may stand the fire, you are to pass through the fire, and it will be ceremonially clean, but it must still be purified with the water of purification. Anything that cannot withstand the fire you must pass through the water. 24 You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you will be ceremonially clean, and afterward you may enter the camp.’”