Conquering An Enemy (Numbers 31)

As Israel overcame nations with vile practices like idolatry and child sacrifice, do we overcome sin in our lives? Let’s look at Numbers 31.

What last task did God give to Moses before his death?

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people. And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the Lord of Midian. Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war. (Numbers 31:1-4 KJV)

What was the result of their war against Midian? Was Balaam among the victims?

So there were furnished from the thousands of Israel, one thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. And Moses sent them, one thousand from each tribe, to the war, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war with them, and the holy vessels and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. So they made war against Midian, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses, and they killed every male. They killed the kings of Midian along with the rest of their slain: Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian; they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. (Numbers 31:5-8 LSB)

What did they do with the women and children and plunder of Midian?

And the sons of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and they plundered all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their property. Then they burned all their cities where they lived and all their encampments. And they took all the plunder and all the spoils, both of people and of livestock. They brought the captives and the spoils and the plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the sons of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab which are by the Jordan, opposite Jericho. (Numbers 31:9-12 NASB)

Was Moses angry that the women who had seduced Israelite men to idolatry were left alive?

Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle. “Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them. “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the Lord’s people. Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man. (Numbers 31:13-18 NIV)

What purification requirements were made for returning soldiers?

And all of you who have killed anyone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days. You must purify yourselves and your captives on the third and seventh days. Purify all your clothing, too, and everything made of leather, goat hair, or wood.” Then Eleazar the priest said to the men who were in the battle, “The Lord has given Moses this legal requirement: Anything made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead— that is, all metals that do not burn—must be passed through fire in order to be made ceremonially pure. These metal objects must then be further purified with the water of purification. But everything that burns must be purified by the water alone. On the seventh day you must wash your clothes and be purified. Then you may return to the camp.” (Numbers 31:19-24 NLT)

How were the spoils of war to be divided among the nation?

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Count the plunder that was taken, both of man and of animal, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the congregation; and divide the plunder into two parts: between the men skilled in war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation. Levy a tribute to Yahweh of the men of war who went out to battle: one soul of five hundred; of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks. Take it from their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for Yahweh’s wave offering. Of the children of Israel’s half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, of all the livestock, and give them to the Levites, who perform the duty of Yahweh’s tabernacle.” Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh commanded Moses. (Numbers 31:25-31 WEB)

What was the tally of the plunder divided among the nation?