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.

Introduction

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.

The War Against the Midianites

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.

Background: The Sin at Baal-peor

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.

Moses' Instructions and the Campaign

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.

The Return from War

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.

Moses' Anger and His Orders

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.

The Severity of the Command Examined

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.

Deuteronomy's Wartime Ethics

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 13: The Heinousness of Idolatry

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,

Deuteronomy 20: Engagement of Enemy Cities

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.

Deuteronomy 21: Protection of Captive Women

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.

Conclusion: God's Justice and Goodness

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.

Closing Prayer

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.

Questions and Answers

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.

Scripture References

• Numbers 5; 19; 22:4; 22:7; 22-24; 23:10; 25:1-3; 25:7-13; 25:16-18; 27; 31:8; 31:15; 31:16; 31:17-18; 31:40; 31:49
• Deuteronomy 7:1; 13:1-5; 13:6-11; 13:12-18; 20:10-18; 21:10-14
• Psalms 106:28-31
• Romans 12:17
• 2 Timothy 4:7