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All right, you can turn in your 
Bibles to the book of Numbers, Numbers chapter 31. Numbers chapter 31, most likely 
the next week is going to be the last study in the book of 
Numbers. There's some large sections of 
narrative that are quite repetitious to things that we've already 
seen, so probably just summarize that, draw out a few practical 
lessons from the book as a whole, and then God willing move on 
to Deuteronomy. in the next couple of weeks. 
So remember that numbers is point A to point B. The children of 
Israel had been delivered by God from bondage in Egypt and 
they had been promised by God through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 
that they would inherit the promised land, the land of Canaan. And 
so Numbers records their wandering in the wilderness to get from 
point A to point B. They are presently here at Numbers 
31 on the plains of Moab, and on the plains of Moab they shall 
stay all throughout the book of Deuteronomy. The book of Deuteronomy 
is just a series of exhortations by Moses to prepare that second 
generation to go into the Promised Land under the leadership of 
Joshua to engage in the conquest, where they dispossess the land 
of the Canaanites and then they occupy the land, they divide 
the land, and then they are supposed to retain the land, but of course 
they do not. So here in Numbers 31, I want 
to read the chapter, and then our focus will be on the main 
section, which is verses 1 to 24. The latter half, the division 
of the plunder in verses 25 to 54, is somewhat evident. I don't know that we need to 
go through every jot and tittle. But I will read the chapter. 
So beginning in Numbers 31 at verse one. And the Lord spoke 
to Moses saying, take vengeance on the Midianites for the children 
of Israel. Afterwards, you shall be gathered 
to your people. So Moses spoke to the people 
saying, arm some of yourselves for war and let them go against 
the Midianites to take vengeance for the Lord on Midian. A thousand 
from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel you shall send to the 
war. So there were recruited from the divisions of Israel 
1,000 from each tribe, 12,000 armed for war. Then Moses sent 
them to the war, 1,000 from each tribe. He sent them to the war 
with Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the priest, with the holy articles 
and the signal trumpets in his hand. and they warred against 
the Midianites, just as the Lord commanded Moses, and they killed 
all the males. They killed the kings of Midian, 
with the rest of those who were killed, Evi, Recham, Zur, Hur, 
and Reba, the five kings of Midian. Balaam, the son of Beor, they 
also killed with the sword. And 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. Then they brought the captives, 
the booty and the spoil to Moses, to Eleazar the priest and to 
the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp in the 
plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. And Moses, 
Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went 
to meet them outside the camp. But Moses was angry with the 
officers of the army, with the captains over thousands, and 
captains over hundreds, who had come from the battle. And Moses 
said to them, Have you kept all the women alive? Look, these 
women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of 
Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the incident of Peor. 
And there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord. 
Now, therefore, kill every male among the little ones and kill 
every woman who has known a man intimately. But keep alive for 
yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man intimately. 
And as for you, remain outside the camp seven days. Whoever 
has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify 
yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh 
day. Purify every garment, everything made of leather, everything woven 
of goat's hair, and everything made of wood. Then Eleazar the 
priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, this 
is the ordinance of the law which the Lord commanded Moses, only 
the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 
everything that can endure fire, you shall put through the fire, 
and it shall be clean, and it shall be purified with the water 
of purification. But all that cannot endure fire, 
you shall put through water, and you shall wash your clothes 
on the seventh day and be clean, and afterwards you may come into 
the camp. Now the Lord spoke to Moses saying, count up the 
plunder that was taken of man and beast, you and Eleazar the 
priest, and the chief fathers of the congregation, and divide 
the plunder into two parts, between those who took part in the war, 
who went out to battle, and all the congregation. and levy a 
tribute for the Lord on the men of war who went out to battle, 
one of every five hundred of the persons, the cattle, the 
donkeys, and the sheep. Take it from their half and give 
it to Eleazar the priest as a heave offering to the Lord. And from 
the children of Israel's half you shall take one of every fifty, 
drawn from the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep, from 
all the livestock, and give them to the Levites who keep charge 
of the tabernacle of the Lord. So Moses and Eleazar the priests 
did as the Lord commanded Moses. The booty remaining from the 
plunder, which the men of war had taken, was 675,000 sheep, 
72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 persons in all, of women who had not known a 
man intimately. And the half, the portion for 
those who had gone out to war, was in number 337,500 sheep. 
And the Lord's tribute of the sheep was 675. The cattle were 
36,000, of which the Lord's tribute was 72. The donkeys were 30,500, 
of which the Lord's tribute was 61. The persons were 16,000, of which 
the Lord's tribute was 32 persons. So Moses gave the tribute, which 
was the Lord's heave offering to Eleazar the priest, as the 
Lord commanded Moses. And from the children of Israel's 
half, which Moses separated from the men who fought, now the half 
belonging to the congregation was 37,500 sheep, 36,000 cattle, 
30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 persons. And from the children of Israel's 
half, Moses took one of every 50, drawn from man and beast, 
and gave them to the Levites, who kept charge of the tabernacle 
of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses. Then the officers, who 
were over thousands of the army, the captains of thousands, and 
captains of hundreds, came near to Moses. And they said to Moses, 
your servants have taken account of the men of war who are under 
our command, and not a man of us is missing. Therefore, we 
have brought an offering for the Lord, what every man found 
of ornaments and gold, armlets and bracelets and signet rings 
and earrings and necklaces to make atonement for ourselves 
before the Lord. So Moses and Eleazar the priest 
received the gold from them, all the fashioned ornaments, 
and all the gold of the offering that they offered to the Lord 
from the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds was 
16,750 shekels. The men of war had taken spoil, every man for 
himself. And Moses and Eleazar the priest 
received the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds 
and brought it into the tabernacle of meeting as a memorial for 
the children of Israel before the Lord. Amen. Well, as I said, 
it's a long chapter, that latter part where they divvy up the 
plunder is pretty explanatory, but I want to focus primarily 
on the first section, the war against the Midianites, and then 
secondly, the return from the war. So we've got the war against 
the Midianites in verses 1 to 11, and then that return in verses 
12 to 24. And that brings up a bit of a 
challenging situation in terms of Moses' anger and Moses' command 
to deal with the women and the children that had been brought 
back captive. So, to make it even more complicated 
and difficult, we're going to look at some other passages in 
the book of Deuteronomy tonight that deal with that same sort 
of a situation. And I'll argue that what happens 
here with Midian is unique. It is, in fact, an act of God's 
vengeance upon these people for a specific crime that had been 
committed at Baal-peor. So first, the war against the 
Midianites, notice God's command in verses one and two. The Lord 
spoke to Moses saying, take vengeance on the Midianites for the children 
of Israel. Afterward, you shall be gathered 
to your people. So the background, if you go 
back to chapter 25, is simple. The children of Israel remained 
in Acacia Grove, according to verse one, and the people began 
to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. Now, you'll wonder why 
the Midianites are selected here for vengeance. Well, the Moabites 
and the Midianites worked in concert together. If you go back 
to chapter 22, when Balak, the king of Moab, wanted to invoke 
the services of Balaam, we see this confederacy of Moabites 
and Midianites. So notice in 22.4, so Moab said 
to the elders of Midian, Now this company will lick up everything 
around us as an ox licks up the grass of the field. And Balak, 
the son of Zippor, was king of the Moabites at that time. And 
then drop down to verse 7, so the elders of Moab and the elders 
of Midian departed with the diviner's fee in their hand, and they came 
to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balak. So Balak understood 
that the children of Israel presented a threat. If the children of 
Israel were not stopped, then Balak and the Moabites would 
fall prey to their military savvy and ability. But what happens 
is they invoke the services of Balaam. And Balaam, in chapters 
22 to 24, doesn't really come off as either good or bad. He 
wants to curse Israel, which is bad, but God overrules that 
for good and their blessing. But here in chapter 25 we see 
that this is ultimately under the instigation of Balaam as 
we learn in our chapter in chapter 31. So back to 25, now that you're 
sufficiently confused, verses 1 to 3. Now Israel remained in 
Acacia Grove. And the people began to commit 
harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the 
sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down 
to their gods. So Israel was joined to Baal 
of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel. 
Now certainly there was judgment. 24,000 men of the children of 
Israel died. And then the chapter ends with 
this statement in verses 16 to 18. Then the Lord spoke to Moses 
saying, harass the Midianites and attack them. For they harassed 
you with their schemes by which they seduced you in the matter 
of Peor and in the matter of Cosby, the daughter of a leader 
of Midian, their sister who was killed in the day of the plague 
because of Peor. So that's the background here 
to chapter 31. verses 1 and 2. God says to Moses, 
take vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel. Afterward, 
you shall be gathered to your people. Again, a reference to 
Moses' death. We've already seen that in chapter 
27 with the identification of Joshua as the successor for Moses. Now, this would wait for several 
months. Moses dies as we see at the end 
of the book of Deuteronomy. So God says take vengeance. Now, 
vengeance is illegitimate with reference to man, but it is legitimate 
with reference to God. In fact, in the book of Romans, 
the Apostle Paul cautions the children of God against taking 
vengeance for themselves. In Romans chapter 12 at verse 
17, he says, Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good 
things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as 
depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not 
avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath. For it is 
written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. So again, 
the idea or concept of vengeance is not condemned. It is the execution 
of vengeance on the part of the believer that is condemned. It 
says specifically that vengeance is God's, therefore give place 
to God's vengeance and wrath. So here, with reference to the 
Midianites, the Midianites and the Moabites caused the children 
of Israel to play the harlot. And there it meant fornication, 
to be sure, physically. But that was an avenue or a means 
by which they committed adultery spiritually. They engaged in 
idolatry. They defected from God. So it 
was a horrible thing that they had done. So with reference to 
the war against Midian then, in verses 3 to 11, we see instructions 
given by Moses. Arm some of yourselves for war. 
Let them go against the Midianites to take vengeance for the Lord 
on Midian. 1,000 from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel you 
shall send to the war." Probably had about 600,000 fighting men, 
but they take 1,000 per tribe for a total of 12,000 armed for 
war. Intriguingly, none of them were 
lost. If you look at verse 49, they 
said to Moses, your servants have taken account of the men 
of war who are under our command, and not a man of us is missing. 
So a miraculous victory on the part of God with reference to 
the children of Israel, again underscoring the viciousness 
of the crime involved with reference to the Midianites and the Moabites 
trying to get the children of Israel to play the harlot and 
defect from and apostatize from the living and true God. So Moses 
gives instructions in verses 3 to 4, and then they comply 
according to verses 5 to 11. We see the number of soldiers 
in verse 5. We see that Phinehas is going 
with that. That's a good thing. Remember 
Phineas is the one who stayed the wrath of God with reference 
to that judgment in chapter 25. Phineas interceded. Phineas functioned 
in an atoning sort of a way and stayed the wrath of God from 
engulfing all of the children of Israel. Phinehas is commended 
there in chapter 25, specifically in verses 7 to 13, and then Psalm 
106, 28 to 31, commends Phinehas for his action in taking his 
javelin and driving it through that man, that Israelite man 
and that Midianite woman. And so Phineas is heralded as 
a hero and here he goes along with the children of Israel on 
this war against Midian. Notice the death of the males 
in verse 7. Now I would interpret this as 
the death of the males that were then available. Because when 
we get to the Gideon cycle in the book of Judges, Midianites 
are a problem. Midianites were not completely 
eliminated. They were still around, but in 
terms of this particular skirmish or this particular exchange, 
they were able to best the males with reference to the Midianites. 
At that time, they kill the males. Notice in verse 8, you've got 
the death of the kings. They killed the kings of Midian. 
The one that we ought to see particularly is Zur. If you go 
back to chapter 25, Zur was the father of Cosbi, the woman that 
played the harlot with that particular Israelite man. Notice in verse 
14, Now the name of the Israelite who was killed, who was killed 
with the Midianite woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a leader 
of a father's house among the Simeonites. And the name of the 
Midianite woman who was killed was Cosby, the daughter of Zur. He was head of the people of 
a father's house in Midian. So these weren't just, you know, 
two lowlifes that had nothing better to do. These two persons 
that engaged in this particular tragedy after the fact of God's 
expression of His anger with reference to the scene there 
at Acacia Grove, they were among leaders, prince and princess 
among the people. And so when they come to deal 
with the Midianites, they kill the men, they kill the kings, 
and then notice they kill Balaam. At the end of verse 8, it says, 
and Balaam, the son of Baal, they also killed with the sword. 
If you go back for just a moment to chapter 23, one of the oracles, 
the first oracle of Balaam. Balaam's first oracle, he wants 
to die the death of a righteous man. Well, he doesn't do that 
because he didn't live the life of a righteous man. Notice that 
first prophecy in chapter 23 at verse 10. Who can count the 
dust of Jacob or number one-fourth of Israel? Let me die the death 
of the righteous, and let my end be like this. So he dies 
on the field of battle, judged by God, an act of vengeance of 
the Most High. Why? Because he was wicked. He 
was a prophet for profit. We see him condemned in the New 
Testament in 2 Peter. We see him condemned in the book 
of Revelation. We see him as a man that was 
godless and wretched, and it was by his provocation that that 
scene at Baal Peor took place. In fact, if you drop down to 
verse 16, that's one of the reasons why Moses is angry when they 
bring back these captives. Look, these women caused the 
children of Israel through the counsel of Balaam to trespass 
against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague 
among the congregation of the Lord. So he wanted to die the 
death of the righteous, but he didn't want to live the life 
of the righteous. Well, you can't have it that way. Like the Apostle 
Paul says in the book of 2 Timothy, I have fought the good fight, 
I have finished the race, I've kept the faith. He knows that 
he's going to receive that crown. The reason that he knows that 
in the eleventh hour is because he had been faithful in hours 
one to ten. He had lived the man lived the 
life of righteousness by God's grace, through faith in Jesus, 
and imputed righteousness, but the life of sanctification. So 
he knew he'd received the crown of righteousness that the Lord 
had promised. Not Balaam, though. Balaam died. So then there's the capture of 
people and booty according to verses 9 and 11. So now let's look at their return, 
the return with the captives. in verses 12 and 13. They come 
to Moses, they come to Eleazar, and all the leaders of the congregation 
according to verse 13. But Moses was angry with the 
officers of the army, with the captains over thousands and captains 
over hundreds who had come from the battle. So Moses is upset 
that the women had been preserved. These were the women that had 
participated in Baal Peor according to verse 16. Notice, Look, verse 
15, have you kept all the women alive? Look, these women caused 
the children of Israel through the council of Balaam to trespass 
against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague 
among the congregation of the Lord. So as far as Moses was 
concerned, in terms of the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of 
the Lord extends to all those participants in that particular 
act which sought to corrupt the children of Israel. One commentator 
makes the observation, when it was discovered that the people 
of God could not be defeated in open warfare, Remember, Balak 
hires Balaam to curse Israel. Why? So that Israel cannot fight 
against the Moabites and the Midianites. So Balak figured 
this out. When Balaam went, allegedly, 
to curse Israel and ended up blessing Israel, it was obvious 
to Balak and to the other kings that we're not going to be able 
to best Israel on the field of battle. We're not going to be 
able to best them when it comes to military exchange. Why? Because 
their god fights for them, and their god is sovereign, and their 
god is able to vanquish the enemies. So this fellow goes on, when 
it was discovered that the people of God could not be defeated 
in open warfare, the false prophet Balaam suggested another plan 
to Balak. The only way to destroy Israel 
was through corruption. So chapter 25 in that incident 
at Baal Peor was as much an act of war as would be a direct assault 
in terms of military exchange. them corrupting the children 
of Israel, leading them astray, seducing them to idolatry and 
apostasy was an act of open warfare in a way that they could have 
won. In fact, they were able to get, 
you know, many corrupted and 24,000 judged. So Moses is upset 
and angry and expresses that and then gives specific instructions 
concerning the captives in verses 17 to 18. Now, some of this, 
brethren, is tough. And some of the other passages 
we're going to look at in the book of Deuteronomy is tough. 
This is not the kind of stuff that in the 21st century in North 
America we are used to. Be thankful to God we are not 
warring factions and in military and bloody exchanges having to 
deal with the eventuality of multitude of widows and orphans. 
How did they function in this day and age? Well, they functioned, 
Israel did, similarly to the countries around them, but as 
well, they functioned in a manner that was better than the countries 
around them, as we'll see in a moment when we look at Deuteronomy. 
But here, specifically, we need to understand that this is the 
execution of judicial punishment for a particular crime that had 
been committed. So having said all that, let's 
read the text. Notice in verse 17. Again, tough, right? We don't 
usually operate in that. None of our business dealings 
or our jobs expose us to that kind of decision making. Some 
have tried to elude the horrors of the text by saying, well, 
this is Moses. This isn't God. This is Moses 
giving these instructions. Well, at this point, we know 
that Moses is God's spokesman, and the fact that there's no 
stoppage of it by God, we must conclude that Moses is acting 
on behalf of God. So therefore kill every male 
among the little ones. I think the logic there is simple. The little ones grow up to be 
big ones, and big ones arm themselves and try to come against Israel. 
And that is the exact thing they're trying to prohibit. Verse 17b, 
and kill every woman who has known a man intimately. Specifically 
with reference to the situation at Baal Peor. Had she known a 
man intimately, she most likely was involved in that act of trying 
to corrupt the children of Israel. So she needs to be executed. 
Verse 18, but keep alive for yourselves all the young girls 
who have not known a man intimately. Again, implications and things 
that we don't have to deal with in our own particular lives, 
but things that they had to deal with in this particular situation. What they did with these young 
girls at this particular point is anybody's guess. Most likely, 
they became brides or they became slaves. Verse 19, and as for 
you, remain outside the camp seven days. Whoever has killed 
any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves 
and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day. Purify 
every garment, everything made of leather, everything woven 
of goat's hair, and everything made of wood. So basically what 
you have after the directions of Moses and the instructions 
by Moses concerning the young men, concerning the guilty women, 
and concerning the young women, then you have the rites of purification 
for the soldiers. This picks up themes that we've 
seen in Numbers chapter 19. and all the way back in Numbers 
chapter 5. There had to be purification in order to participate in camp 
life and in tabernacle and sacrifice and cult. So that's the specific 
direction given there to the end of this section. As I said, 
we're not going to get into the division of the plunder. You 
can divide that up on your own later. But I want to look at 
some other passages that deal with warfare and what happens 
to women. Because I want us to see that 
in the book of Deuteronomy, the particular provisions that are 
made are not like we see here. which underscores that what we 
see here is unique for this situation involving the Midianites who, 
alongside of the Moabites, co-opted the services of Balaam. Balaam 
gave counsel to these people to try to usurp the Israelites' 
power by defecting or having them defect from their god. So 
just a couple of passages that we ought to appreciate with reference 
to some of these things that seem a bit severe. The first 
is Deuteronomy 13. Deuteronomy 13. I've often thought that for new 
preachers a good assignment would be give them Deuteronomy 13 and 
let them have at it. Because it's tough. as is Deuteronomy 20 and Deuteronomy 
21, the three passages that we're going to look at. The first thing, 
though, we need to appreciate just by way of a general flyover 
is the heinousness of idolatry, the wretchedness of idolatry 
and apostasy. Deuteronomy chapter 13 underscores 
that with three particular instances. You've got the temptation from 
false prophets in verses 1 to 5, the temptation from family 
and friends in verses 6 to 11, and the temptation in regards 
to public apostasy in verses 12 to 18. So basically, seduction 
to idolatry. What does that mean in Old Covenant 
theocratic Israel? It means treason. It means revolution. It means the collapse of society. You cannot let idolatry or seduction 
to idolatry go to fruition, because you're going to end up with major 
problems in the body politic. Remember, they're governed directly 
by the Word of God, by God himself, through prophets and priests. 
And if there is that defection from the Lord, there's going 
to be absolute corruption. So in Deuteronomy 13 we see the 
punishment for apostates, those seducing faithful Israelites 
away and enticing them to serve other gods. And interestingly, 
the false prophet in verses 1 to 5, he may actually do signs and 
wonders. He may actually perform things 
that are miraculous in nature. He may have that capacity or 
that ability, but if He is using that to lead you to other gods, 
then what must happen? Verse 4, you shall walk after 
the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and 
obey His voice. You shall serve Him and hold 
fast to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall 
be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away 
from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt 
and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from 
the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So 
you shall put away the evil from your midst. So this chapter basically 
underscores or highlights for us why the particular execution 
against the Midianites, their women and their men, was absolutely 
crucial because of the situation that took place at Baal Peor. 
Notice in verses 6 to 11, If your brother, the son of your 
mother, your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your 
friend, who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, 
Let us go and serve other gods, which you have not known, neither 
you nor your fathers, of the gods of the people which are 
all around you, near to you, or far off from you, from one 
end of the earth to the other end of the earth, you shall not 
consent to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, 
nor shall you spare him or conceal him, but you shall surely kill 
him. Your hand shall be first against 
him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the 
people." Language implies judicial process. Doesn't mean you just 
take out your Spyderco and slash his throat or her throat right 
there in the bed. No, you deliver them up to the 
lawful authority and you prosecute the case because they seduced 
you to commit apostasy and idolatry and defection and treason and 
revolution. And then in verses 12 to 18, you've got a nearby 
city, and they want to do that same thing. They want to go and 
serve other gods. Well, no, built in is investigation. Don't just launch an attack against 
them. Go and investigate and make sure that that is the case, 
that they have lost their minds and they are going to engage 
in idolatry. Well, if that's the case, then 
you let them have it. We see that played out in the book of 
Joshua. The tribes east of Jordan start to do some funny business, 
and the tribes west of Jordan go and initiate with them. They're 
ready for war. They're ready to cut them off, 
but they rightfully engage in diplomacy, figure out these men 
are not about engaged in apostasy, and they rectify the situation. 
So seduction to idolatry or apostasy was a threat to the civil order. 
Now, in terms of wives and women and children and all those sorts 
of things when it came to battle, turn to the book of Deuteronomy 
to chapter 20. Chapter 20. And here in verses 
10 to 18, you've got the engagement of enemy cities. The engagement 
of enemy cities. First, outside of Canaan in verses 
10 to 15. And then secondly, inside of 
Canaan. Now, within Canaan, verses 16 
to 20, it's easy. Holy war. Destroy everything. 
That's just the mandate for holy war. Deuteronomy 7. In fact, 
let's get Deuteronomy 7 in our minds. We're going to be there 
before long. Well, maybe not too much before 
long. But look at Deuteronomy 7. We need to appreciate this is 
old covenant, theocratic Israel. This is not new covenant ethics. 
New Covenant ethics is not go to Abbotsford and launch an offensive 
against all the idolaters in that city because they don't 
have the true religion like we Chilliwackians. That's not what 
we're about in the New Covenant. We're not called to take up arms. 
We're not called to engage in a holy war. We're not called 
to go about killing people for Jesus. That was something very 
much unique and confined to Old Covenant Israel. But with reference 
to Old Covenant Israel, Deuteronomy 7.1, when the Lord your God brings 
you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out 
many nations before you, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, 
and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, 
and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you. 
And when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer 
them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with 
them, nor show mercy to them. You shall make no marriages with 
them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take 
their daughter for your son. For they will turn your sons 
away from following me to serve other gods. So the anger of the 
Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly. 
But thus you shall deal with them. You shall destroy their 
altars, break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden 
images, and burn their carved images with fire. No political 
alliance, no social alliance, no religious alliance. That's 
the mandate. That's what you're supposed to 
do when you go into the land of Canaan. You're supposed to 
dispossess the land of the Canaanites. God knows that if you make political 
alliances, you're going to be worshipping their gods. You make 
social alliances, you're going to be worshipping their gods. 
You make religious alliances, you will be worshipping their 
gods. The book of Judges shows this. Subsequent to Judges shows 
us this. When they did not vanquish the 
inhabitants out of the land, they ended up worshipping with 
those inhabitants of the land. They ate the practice of the 
Canaanites and thus reaped the judgment of God. So it's not 
accidental that Old Covenant Israel ultimately gets kicked 
out of the land. They're vomited out of the land. 
God is not capricious. He is not arbitrary. The same 
thing that God did with reference to the Canaanites is received 
by the Israelites when they ape the Canaanites. When they act 
like Canaanites in the land, they're going to be dispossessed 
from the land. God's judgment, as I said, it's 
not capricious, it's not arbitrary, it's based on standards of judgment. So back to Deuteronomy 20. So 
the engagement of enemy cities outside of Canaan. Notice in 
verses 10 to 15, when you go near a city to fight against 
it, then proclaim an offer of peace to it. And it shall be 
that if they accept your offer of peace and open to you, then 
all the people who are found in it shall be placed under tribute 
to you and serve you. So you offer peace. Again, this 
is not the cities within Canaan. This is not the seven cities 
that are mentioned that are under the ban that are going to be 
ultimately destroyed. But those cities that are distant, 
those cities that Israel might engage probably didn't happen 
a lot. But if you offer peace and they accept peace, then this 
is how you're supposed to treat them. Christopher Wright says, Subjection itself may seem bad 
enough, but when one sees carved in stone what the Assyrians, 
for example, did to their conquered or surrendered victims, for instance, 
some were impaled on stakes, captives were chained to one 
another by hooks through the nose, or merely reads of the 
known excesses reported by Amos, restraint is the correct word 
for what is permitted here. The reason that I'm looking at 
these passages is to show you that what we have in the Midianite 
War in Numbers 31 is a prosecution of vengeance against criminal 
offenders. The normal garden variety ethic 
with reference to Israel at war was that there were principles 
or rules mandated by God for them to imbibe. In fact, that's 
what this chapter is all about. Chapter 20, the title in the 
New King James is Principles Governing Warfare. They were 
not free to just go in and conduct themselves like Assyrians or 
like barbarians. They had to function in a capacity 
that made them or set them apart as the people of God. Now, if 
the people rejected that offer in verses 12 to 15, the city 
was besieged. The men alone were treated as 
enemy combatants. Notice in verse 13, when the 
Lord your God delivers it into your hands, you shall strike 
every male in it with the edge of the sword. But the women, 
the little ones, the livestock, and all that is in the city, 
all its spoil, you shall plunder for yourself, and you shall eat 
the enemy's plunder, which the Lord your God gives you. So it 
wasn't the case that all of them were to be executed. Again, this 
is not the cities that are mentioned specifically within Canaan, but 
rather it is those distant ones. And then verse 15, thus you shall 
do to all the cities which are very far from you, which are 
not of the cities of these nations. And then the final passage is 
Deuteronomy 21, verses 10 to 14. Just the reading of it. sends shivers up the spines of 
most people. I mean, the thought of it is 
just horrific. But actually, it's, I don't know 
if I want to say beautiful, but it's definitely about treating 
people well. So note, it's the protection 
of captive women. Again, Christopher Wright makes 
the observation, we might like to live in a world without wars, 
and thus without prisoners of war. I think we need to accept 
the fact that most of world history has been nations conquering nations. Most of world history has been 
bloody and violent and exchanges militarily. Most of world history 
has continued on unabated with, you know, savagery and barbarity. It's just the way it's been. 
I'm not saying that's the way it ought to be, but for us in 
the 21st century to read ancient texts and go, well, man, I can't 
believe God actually did that. Well, in a situation where there's 
warfare and there's casualties from warfare, not just dead bodies, 
but living humans, the fact that God legislates in that particular 
way shows us something of His goodness and of His kindness. 
So again, Wright says, we might like to live in a world without 
wars and thus without prisoners of war. However, Old Testament 
law recognizes such realities and seeks to mitigate their worst 
effects by protecting the victims as far as possible. If we ask 
whose interests this law serves, the answer is clearly the female 
captive. If we ask whose power is being 
restricted, the answer equally clearly is the victorious soldier. The law is thus a paradigm case 
of the Old Testament's concern to defend the weak against the 
strong, war being one of the most tragic human expressions 
of that situation. Brethren, I don't want to sound 
cheeky here, but there's no feminism in a time of war. There is no 
feminism in the time of war. People that oppose women combatants 
oppose it on principle. Because women combatants that 
get captured, that is not a pretty thing. That's not a good thing. 
We need to make sure that we're aligned. We take what we can 
in terms of the wisdom of the Old Testament. The thought of 
sending women into warfare is barbarism. It is not a rival 
or liberty or liberation. Now, with reference to this particular 
text, notice the protection of captive women, verses 10 and 
11. When you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your 
God delivers them into your hand, and you take them captive, and 
you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you desire her and 
would take her for your wife. Notice the particular emphasis. 
It's not for rape. It's not for sexual immorality. It's for wife. You want to take 
her as a wife, okay? This is a methodology. This is 
a process and a procedure designed to protect this woman that is 
taken captive in a time of war. So in terms of the means of protection, 
so the man sees her. Now, you know, she's beautiful. That's subjective. Beauty is 
in the eyes of the beholder. I mean, it's not that, you know, 
only the tens. No, no, no. I don't think that's 
what's in view here. Someone that you want to have 
as a wife. Someone that you want to live 
your life with, okay? So instead of cutting her throat 
or killing her as an enemy combatant, you see her and you desire her. 
Notice verse 12, then you shall bring her home to your house 
and she shall shave her head and trim her nails. Again, some 
customs that we're probably not used to. The idea is most likely, 
well, first of all, she's at his home. There's no activity 
sexually for a period of 30 days. She's at his home, and this process 
is continuing. Now, in terms of the particular 
issues, the shaving of the head and the trimming of the nails, 
probably purification, probably renunciation of her old life 
and an embrace of the covenant community, and then mourning. 
It tells us she mourns for her parents. Why? Because she is 
one who lost is on the losing team in terms of a battle and 
her people are devastated and decimated. So verse 13, she shall 
put off the clothes of her captivity, remain in your house and mourn 
her father and mother for a full month. After that, see what initially 
we read and go, man, I can't believe that this is being treated 
like this. She's being protected. She's 
being cared for. You think the Assyrians and these 
other Irians dealt with enemy combatant women like that? No, not even a little bit. So verse 13, she shall put off 
the clothes of her captivity, remain in your house and mourn 
her father and her mother a full month. After that, you may go 
into her and be her husband and she shall be your wife. So there's 
a process involved. There is structure. There is 
law. There is decency and orderliness. And even verse 14, if the man 
decides he doesn't want to be married to her, note the way 
that she is treated. Note the benefit for her, and 
it shall be, if you have no delight in her, then you shall set her 
free. But you certainly shall not sell 
her for money, you shall not treat her brutally, because you 
have humbled her. In other words, there is dignity 
involved in this woman that was part of this enemy that you have 
conquered. So the situation in Numbers 31 
is tough. It's tough to read. It's tough 
to handle. It's tough to think about. The 
implications are a bit hard. But with reference to the specific 
act of what happened at Baal Peor, Under the instigation of 
Balaam, it was the just vengeance of God executed upon those people. Moses saw clearly the necessity, 
and so they carried out his particular orders. In terms of wartime ethics 
elsewhere in the Old Covenant, yeah. It was still about going 
in, breaking things, and killing people, but they did it in a 
way that was uniquely of Yahweh. They did it in a way that showed 
mercy, excuse me, in a way that extended grace, in a way that 
differentiated them from the nations around them who did not 
abide by those principles of war. So all of that to say, God 
is good. He preserved all the people that 
went out to battle of the 12,000. We see that God is good in his 
judgment upon Balaam. Balaam was an active enemy against 
the people of God. And then we see ultimately the 
faithfulness of God in bringing his people from point A to point 
B, having bested the various ites along the way, the Midianites 
now have fallen fall in prey to their ability on the battlefield. Nothing is going to stop them. 
They're going to get to the land of promise and they are going 
to receive the benefits that God had given. Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, thank you 
for your word. Thank you for the consistency of what we find 
in biblical law. the reality of your justice and 
your righteousness, but as well those tokens of your goodness 
and your grace and your mercy. We ask that you would go with 
us now, watch over the entirety of our church, bless us in the 
remainder of this week, and bring us together on the Lord's day 
to glorify you. Again, bless the brethren who 
are traveling on Monday. May they be used mightily of 
you in the Philippines to do genuine good to the people there. 
And we ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 
Any comments? No questions, but any comments? Yes, sir? I might have a question. 
I might not have an answer. The 32 persons in verse 40 that were 
given as a tribute to the Lord, were they sacrificed? I wouldn't 
think they'd be sacrificed. They'd be set apart like a Nazarite 
vow or something. No. Yeah, that's a question. I'd 
look up John Gill. He didn't comment on it. He's 
a smart man. Check Matthew Poole. He might 
not be as smart. Or Matthew Henry. Yeah, some 
of that stuff is tough. Very tough. completely acknowledging that 
God is sovereign and that all of Him is kind and everything, 
but where they wipe out all the young boys, we can look back 
to Egypt and see what happens when one boy doesn't get wiped 
out. And it's Moses. Yeah, good observation. Yeah, he sure turned out to be 
a thorn in the flesh of those who didn't wipe him out. Yeah, 
good observation. Very good. I'd also like to mention 
the Messiah. What's that? Or the Messiah. 
Yes, yeah. Oh yeah, the women would die 
or be enslaved to some other group. But yeah, yeah, it's an act of 
benevolence. It doesn't seem like that for 
us in our kind of life, but yeah, it is definitely an act of benevolence. 
Yeah, tough life for a woman, you know, it just was. If you 
didn't have a husband, you didn't have a father, you didn't have 
the protection that that afforded. So, you know, it really made 
sense to meet people that were gracious and merciful and kind 
and extended those things to you. All right.