Theological Commentary: Click Here
There are
several really neat dynamics within this passage. First of all, God sends the Hebrew people out
against the Midianites prior to Moses’ death.
God wants to finish what Balaam started a few chapters back. God wants to prove that His favor is with the
Hebrew people right now.
When the
Hebrew people do go out and fight, they decide to kill all the men but keep the
women and children. Of course, from the
perspective of the ancient world, this action makes sense. When the Hebrew people do take possession of
Canaan, they are going to need slaves to do all of the hard work so that these
Hebrew people can live in luxury. These
Hebrew people are just trying to lighten their work load.
Please don’t
misunderstand me. I’m not trying to
justify what they did. What they did was
wrong. In fact, that’s really my
point. What they did was wrong, yet it
makes perfect sense from a worldly mindset.
The point should be clear. Often
what the world thinks makes sense is truly wrong.
Furthermore,
think about the lasting effects of their decision. God is rejecting the native people of Canaan
because of their false worship and their lifestyle. If these Hebrew people bring a bunch of
slaves into the land with them, they will also be bringing in their gods and
all of the things that God has rejected!
What I love
about the end of this chapter is the grace the is shown to these warriors. In spite of their decision to keep the
Midianites alive, they suffer no consequences.
Instead, they are told about why their decision was wrong and then told
to go and make amends. Then they are
told to purify themselves because of their recent combat. Then life goes on as normal. It shows that we need to be a people who
forgive mistakes and who teach and support people who do make mistakes.
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