AVENGING MIDIAN

NUMBERS

CHAPTER  31

            It’s time for another wonderful story at your Daily Bread.  We're gonna start with a Daily Bread Crumb this time and it's gonna be a little bit of background information on the region called the land of Midian.  First of all, who was Midian?  Let's go back to when Sarah died. 

Genesis 25:2   Abraham took another wife after Sarah died named Keturah and their 4th of 5 sons was  named Midian.  He established of the land of Midian.

Genesis 37:28  The merchantmen who Joseph's brothers sold him to, when they pulled him up out of the pit were Midianites, and they in turn, sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for 20 pieces of silver, who in turn took Joseph into Egypt and sold him to Potiphar.

Exodus 2:15  Midian was the land that Moses fled to from Pharaoh when Moses killed the Egyptian who struck a Hebrew.  Jethro was the priest of Midian and Zipporah, the woman that Moses first married was Jethro's daughter, a Midianite woman.

Numbers 22:4,7    Midian conspired with Moab (Balak) to try and get Balaam to curse Israel because the  were afraid that Israel would conquer them when they saw how Israel conquered the Amorites.

Numbers 25:6  Some of Israel went astray with the women of Moab and worshipped their false gods at a place called Peor.  (Remember that Moab and Midian are comrades.)  One of the children of Israel brought a Midianite woman into the camp so all could see.  Phinehas followed them into a tent and pierced them through together with a javelin.  The devotion of Phinehas eased  God's anger toward Israel and stopped the plague that He started among them because of their whoredoms. 

            As you recall, after the plague, the Lord told Moses to destroy Midian because of their trickery and their misleading of His people.  The Lord told Moses that the time had come to avenge His people of Midian and after that, Moses would be gathered to his people.

            Moses told the people, Get your weapons, we're going against the Midianites to avenge the Lord.  One thousand from each tribe will be sent to the war.  So each tribe sent 1,000 soldiers and there were 12,000 in all who were armed for battle.  Moses sent them with Phinehas (the son of Eleazar the priest) with the holy instruments and the trumpets in his hand.

            They fought against the Midianites and they killed all the males.  They killed the 5 kings of Midian and also Balaam was killed with the sword.  The children of Israel took all the women of Midian and their children captives and took all their cattle and flocks and goods.  (Oh brother, can you smell trouble?)  They burned all their cities and castles, then they took all their loot and captives and animals and brought them to Moses and Eleazar and the congregation at the camp at the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho. 

            When Moses and Eleazar and the princes of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp, Moses was furious with the returning officers.  He said to them, You saved all the women alive?  They're the reason the children of Israel trespassed against God at Peor and caused the plague!  Now kill every male child and every woman who has known a man, but all the women children who are pure, keep them alive.  Then stay outside the camp for 7 days.  Whoever has killed anyone and whoever has touched any dead, purify yourselves and your captives on the 3rd day and on the 7th day.  Purify your clothes and all that's made of skins and anything made of goats' hair or wood.

            Eleazar told the soldiers, This is the law the Lord commanded Moses.  Only the gold, silver, brass, iron, tin and lead, everything that can withstand the fire, you will put it through the fire and it will be clean.  It will be purified with the water of separation and all that can't withstand the fire you will make go through the water.  (You can read about the water of separation and the laws of purification that are mentioned here in Numbers, Chapter 19.) You will wash your clothes on the 7th day and you will be clean and afterward, you may come into the camp.

            The Lord told Moses to count the captives that were taken, both people and animals, with Eleazar and the chief fathers of the congregation, and divide them into two parts, half for the soldiers and half for the congregation, and to collect a gift for the Lord from the soldiers and from the children of Israel for the victory.

            From the soldiers, 1 for each 500 souls, cattle, mules, and sheep was given to Eleazar for an heave offering of the Lord.  From the children of Israel's half, 1 for each 50 persons, cattle, mules, flocks and other animals were given to the Levites which maintained the tabernacle of the Lord.

            The loot brought back from Midian included:

675,000 sheep

72,000 cattle

61,000 mules

32,000 people

This is how it was divided and the tribute that was levied.

                The officers of the army of Israel came to Moses and said, We've counted all the men who went to war with us and we haven't lost a single one.  So we brought an offering to the Lord, what each man has taken of gold, chains, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces to make an atonement for our souls before the Lord.  Each man had taken spoil for himself and it all together weighed 16,750 shekels.  That's approximately 733 pounds!  Moses and Eleazar took the gold and brought it into the tabernacle of the congregation for a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord.

            Pretty amazing that out of 12,000 soldiers, not one was lost in a battle where so much was conquered, but our God is amazing and there is nothing He can't do.  Be sure to come back again and find out what happens next when the children of Reuben and Gad have an unusual request for Moses.  You'll find it here at Daily Bread!

CONTINUE TO THE NEXT STUDY