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?
The valuable property remaining from the spoils of war that the people of the army had taken was 675,000 sheep, 72,000 oxen, 61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 women who hadn’t known a man intimately by sleeping with him. The half-share of those who had gone out to battle numbered 337,500 sheep, of which the Lord’s tribute was 675. The oxen were 36,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 72. The donkeys were 30,500, of which the Lord’s tribute was 61. Humans were 16,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 32 persons. Moses gave the tribute, a gift offering for the Lord, to Eleazar the priest as the Lord had commanded Moses. (Numbers 31:32-41 CEB)
What happened to the half that belonged to the soldiers? Who looked after the welfare of the captured people?
From the half that belonged to the soldiers, Moses counted out 675 sheep and goats, 72 cattle, 61 donkeys, and 32 women and gave them to Eleazar to be dedicated to the Lord. Then from the half that belonged to the people, Moses set aside one out of every 50 animals and women, as the Lord had said, and gave them to the Levites. (Numbers 31:42-47 CEV)
What was the offering of gratitude that the officers made?
Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, came near to Moses 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. 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.” And Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them the gold, all crafted articles. 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. (The men in the army had each taken plunder for himself.) 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. (Numbers 31:48-54 ESV)
Unless God specifically commands differently, how does He normally expect us to act towards our enemies?
You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:43-45 HCSB)
As Israel overcame nations with vile practices like idolatry and child sacrifice (Leviticus 18:21–24), do we overcome sin in our lives? You decide!
