A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 27 & 36 (Part 2)

So what happens to those who are teachers and preachers and pastors who deliberately teach wrongly, or who sully their name with some sin? They are removed from their office. In March of 2004, Carlton Pearson, a popular Pentecostal preacher, began preaching a “gospel” of universalism—that Hell is not real and that everyone will go to Heaven. He was removed from the pulpit. In the early 2000s Ted Haggard was one of the most popular preachers in America. In 2006 it was revealed that he had paid a male prostitute for sex and was using meth. He was removed from the pulpit. Also in the early 2000s, Mark Driscoll was an influential pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. In 2014 he was found to have committed abusive behavior in his church . He was removed from the pulpit. Time would fail us to speak of Perry Noble, Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart, Bill Hybels and Steve Lawson. Suffice it to say that these are examples of what Jesus meant when He said “2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops” (Luke 12:2-3). 

Numbers 27:15-23—15 Then Moses spoke to the LORD, saying: 16 "Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, 17 who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep which have no shepherd." 18 And the LORD said to Moses: "Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; 19 set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight. 20 And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. 21 He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire before the LORD for him by the judgment of the Urim. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, he and all the children of Israel with him—all the congregation." 22 So Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. 23 And he laid his hands on him and inaugurated him, just as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses. Moses shows his tender love for the people in desiring for them to have a strong leader as they go into Canaan. And that leader is Joshua, the man whose book bears his name. If you read the book of Joshua, you will see the man as the one who led Israel into battle against all the land of Canaan and subdued it (by the hand of God) and gave the people rest. And under his leadership, the land had rest from war (Joshua 14:15). 

Does God like war? What is war, after all? Is it not conflict between people who are made after the similitude of God? Does it not cause death and destruction and disease? What is there to like about war? We read in 2^nd Samuel about how Abner had killed Joab’s brother Asahel, when he told Asahel to stop running after him. It does not appear that Abner wanted to kill him, but in the heat of battle it is either “kill or be killed”, and since Abner did not want to be killed, Abner struck him in the stomach with the blunt end of the spear, so that the spear came out of his back; and he fell down there and died on the spot (2nd Samuel 2:23). Asahel would not cease pursuing Abner, so Abner stuck out his spear and Asahel ran into the blunt end of it, and he was so fleet of foot that it went through his abdomen and out through his back. Abner, the son of Ner (which is what the name Abner means, literally), King Saul’s Secretary of Defense (if you will) called out to Joab, who held the same position under David, and asked him how long the bloodshed would continue between the two houses. 2nd Samuel 2:26—Then Abner called to Joab and said, "Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the latter end? How long will it be then until you tell the people to return from pursuing their brethren?" Abner did not want war, especially between fellow Israelites. 

Sometimes, however, war is necessary. There arose a fellow in Germany in the 1930’s who wanted to spread war all across the globe in order to bring about his vision of a perfect people. Should we have not engaged in that war? Should we have let his war machine devour the planet and kill everybody who did not fit into his small vision? Does that mean God liked that the world waged war? No. But it was necessary. On the other hand, does God want us to be passive in the face of growing threats to men’s freedom? Also no. CS Lewis, in his book “Mere Christianity”, says that while he sees war as an evil, it is a necessary evil:

 

Does loving your enemy mean not punishing him? No, for loving myself does not mean that I ought not to subject myself to punishment—even to death. If one had committed a murder, the right Christian thing to do would be to give yourself up to the police and be hanged. It is, therefore, in my opinion, perfectly right for a Christian judge to sentence a man to death or a Christian soldier to kill an enemy. I always have thought so, ever since I became a Christian, and long before the war, and I still think so now that we are at peace. It is no good quoting “Thou shalt not kill.” There are two Greek words: the ordinary word to kill and the word to murder. And when Christ quotes that commandment He uses the murder one in all three accounts, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And I am told there is the same distinction in Hebrew. All killing is not murder any more than all sexual intercourse is adultery. When soldiers came to St. John the Baptist asking what to do, he never remotely suggested that they ought to leave the army: nor did Christ when He met a Roman sergeant-major—what they called a centurion. [. . .] We may kill if necessary, but we must not hate and enjoy it.

And if our conscience says that if a man wishes to impose his own brand of evil on the world, that man must be stopped by any means necessary. Joshua’s conscience told him that if anyone opposed God and was occupying a land that God has promised to his people, those opposed to God must be destroyed. He was commissioned to lead the people into Canaan and wipe out the peoples who inhabited it. And that is just what he did. He led the people in battle against the idolatrous people of Canaan and the people of Israel conquered the Canaanites. And Joshua gave the people rest from the pagans. 

Now while Joshua gave the people rest, this was only a temporal rest, for the idolatry of the people still surrounded them. He was a type of the coming Christ, who would give the people of God eternal rest—not from the world surrounding them, for that world will always be with us. Jesus told His apostles in John 19:15—“Because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” As long as we live in this world, the world will hate us who believe in Christ. That is to be expected. The world is beholden as slaves to Satan. He has blinded the world to the truth in Christ, and they serve him and want nothing to do with God. They are as the Canaanites and Moabites and Ammonites who hated the people of Israel, and seek to destroy us out of this world. So long as we are in this world, the world will hate us as it hated Christ. But we have peace within us, because this Christ has promised us rest from our adversaries—not man’s peace, while we are in the world, but peace with God, which is the only peace that really matters in the end. JC Ryle says:

 

For one thing, persecution is the cup of which Christ Himself drank. Faultless as He was in everything, in temper, word, and deed,—unwearied as He was in works of kindness, always going about doing good,—never was any one so hated as Jesus was to the last day of His earthly ministry. Scribes and High Priests, Pharisees and Sadducees, Jews and Gentiles, united in pouring contempt on Him, and opposing Him, and never rested till He was put to death. Surely this simple fact alone should sustain our spirits and prevent our being cast down by the hatred of man. Let us consider that we are only walking in our Master's footsteps, and sharing our Master's portion. Do we deserve to be better treated? Are we better than He? Let us fight against these murmuring thoughts. Let us drink quietly the cup which our Father gives us. Above all, let us often call to mind the saying, "Remember the word that I spake unto you, The servant is not greater than his Master." For another thing, persecution helps to prove that we are children of God, and have treasure in heaven. It supplies evidence that we are really born again, that we have grace in our hearts, and are heirs of glory: "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." Persecution, in short, is like the goldsmith's Hall mark on real silver and gold: it is one of the marks of a converted man. 

The writer of Hebrews says, in Hebrews 4:8—For if Joshua (KJV—Jesus) had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. In Hebrews 3-4 the subject is the rest for the people of God, and how the people who rebelled in the Wilderness never saw rest because of their rebellion and their hardened hearts. For forty years they wandered, all those who complained against God, and they died in that wilderness, and their children entered the land promised to them. Then when they entered that land, they had to fight against those pagans who lived in that land. But that was not an eternal rest, for they had to contend with the neighboring nations who worshipped idols and which always polluted the true worship of the True God. And as you read through the Old Testament, you see this crop up time and time and time again. There was never any rest for the people of God under their kings. Until their true King came along, who came to give them eternal rest. And if we are in Christ, we will have that rest. Hebrews 4:9-11—9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. 11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. Let us be ever diligent of the rest that Jesus has promised us—not as the temporal rest that Joshua gave them, which they soon abandoned after his death (Judges 2:10-12)—but the rest offered by our Sovereign Lord, who told us in truth that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30).   

John 16:33—“In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” What words of comfort are these! That we need not attempt to overthrow the works of the wicked one ourselves, for Christ has already done so! Should we be slothful in this world, and simply lay back and let those who slander and blaspheme the name of God have their way? Should we not rather seek to tell the world of the greatness of God and show forth the goodness within us? Peter tells us in 1st Peter 3:14-16—14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. We do not seek to defend God. We seek to defend the reason of the hope that is within us. Charles Spurgeon once said, “The Word of God is like a lion. You don’t have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself.” God is more than capable of defending Himself. He can (and will) bring about sore retribution to those who oppose Him. Will that dissuade them from accursing Him? No, they will still rail against the Sovereign. Revelation 16:8-11—8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory. 10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. 11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds. These men who assailed the name of God, even after being struck with heat and pain, will not give glory to God, but will oppose Him even more because of His wrath that is poured out upon them. 

“So why do we need to tell people about God if they’re only going to continue to blaspheme Him?” First, we warn them because some of God’s elect may be with them, and have not yet heard the truth of God, and if they are elect, when they hear the truth they will obey the truth. “But what will happen to those who do not obey?” What do you think will happen to them? They will face the wrath of God, and be sent to their eternal destruction. Which is why we need to let the truth of God be known, that they may rest in the eternal rest that Jesus gives us, and not the temporal rest that Joshua delivered. While Joshua did indeed work mighty works of God, he did not give them the rest that only Jesus can give. “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” If we are in Christ, and He has overcome the world, then guess what? We too will overcome the world through Him. Like the people Joshua led into Canaan, we will be beset by those who hate and despise us for believing in God. We will be surrounded by the spiritual descendants of Canaan and Moab and the Amorites. We  will not have rest in this world, but we will have eternal rest in the world to come, where we will bask in the glory of God the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. 

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Come unto Me and rest;
lay down, thou weary one, lay down
thy head upon My breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was,
so weary, worn, and sad;
I found in Him a resting place,
and He has made me glad.

(“I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say” by Horatio Bonar) 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 27 & 36 (Part 1)

Numbers 26 is the second census that was taken of the people of Israel, so we will skip to Numbers 27, which we will study along with Numbers 36 which brings closure to the episode cataloged in this chapter. 

Numbers 27:1-4—1 Then came the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, from the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and these were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 And they stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the leaders and all the congregation, by the doorway of the tabernacle of meeting, saying: 3 "Our father died in the wilderness; but he was not in the company of those who gathered together against the LORD, in company with Korah, but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be removed from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father's brothers." So many people who don’t want to believe the Bible like to claim that it subjugates women. On the contrary, the things contained in the Bible are for the protection of women. “Well what about in Deuteronomy 22:28 where it says that if a man rapes a virgin he is to take her as his wife? How does that protect the woman?” Good question. Basically, this command (which is an echo of Exodus 22:16) is not talking about rape. It is to prevent a man from sleeping with a damsel, knowing that he will have to pay her father and marry her, never being able to divorce her. In other words, God is telling this man “If you want her, you will have to take her for life, her and her alone.” Just look at the verses previous to this, Deuteronomy 22:25-27—25 “But if a man finds a betrothed young woman in the countryside, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. 26 But you shall do nothing to the young woman; there is in the young woman no sin deserving of death, for just as when a man rises against his neighbor and kills him, even so is this matter. 27 For he found her in the countryside, and the betrothed young woman cried out, but there was no one to save her.” If the woman was not married or betrothed, the man who sleeps with her must marry her. If the woman was betrothed or married, her rapist must die. So yes, there were protections for women. 

Our text today gives us another example. The daughters of a man who died without any sons to inherit his land asked what would happen to them in the Promised Land, if they would have any inheritance. After all, inheritances of land were passed down through the sons. Zelophehad was a descendant of the tribe of Manasseh, and a grandson of the man Gilead (from whom the land of Gilead gets its name). Understanding the family tree as we read it in 1st Chronicles 7:14-15 is a bit tricky. The majority of translations (including the KJV, given here) render 1st Chronicles 7:14-15 (KJV)—14 The sons of Manasseh; Ashriel, whom she bare: (but his concubine the Aramitess bare Machir the father of Gilead: 15 And Machir took to wife the sister of Huppim and Shuppim, whose sister's name was Maachah;) and the name of the second was Zelophehad: and Zelophehad had daughters.  In the NKJV we read 14 The descendants of Manasseh: his Syrian concubine bore him Machir the father of Gilead, the father of Asriel. 15 Machir took as his wife the sister of Huppim and Shuppim, whose name was Maachah. The name of Gilead's grandson was Zelophehad, but Zelophehad begot only daughters. And in the NET (New English Translation) we see 14 The sons of Manasseh: Asriel, who was born to Manasseh's Aramean concubine. She also gave birth to Makir the father of Gilead. 15 Now Makir married a wife from the Huppites and Shuppites. (His sister's name was Maacah.) Zelophehad was Manasseh's second son; he had only daughters. In verse 15, the word “second” in the KJV, the word “grandson” in the NKJV and the phrase “second son” in the NET are translated from the word הַשֵּׁנִי (sheni) which usually means “second (ordinal number)”, but can also mean “another; other (something as distinct from something else)”. Scholars are divided and perplexed by the phrase “the second” (or “grandson” or “second son”). Keil and Delitzsch only guess at it; the Pulpit Commentary also. The Biblical Illustrator and even John Calvin are silent on this. Even great Jewish writers like Abraham Ibn Ezra, Maimonides and Josephus are also silent. This being the case, we cannot be dogmatic about it, but should only join these brilliant minds in their perplexity and silence. 

Let us suffice it to say that the name of Gilead's grandson was Zelophehad. But Zelophehad did not have any sons, only daughters. Since daughters were not yet given the right of land inheritance, would they have anywhere to live? Would they wander around homeless? Or would they marry into another tribe, and their father’s name simply be blotted out? These daughters had questions, and they were not afraid to ask them. But they did not do so in a harsh manner, but were tender and inquisitive in their asking. These were indeed children of Israel, being of the tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, the son of Jacob, and as such they deserved to be cared for as children of Israel. And their concern for their father’s name is to be commended. So Moses had a quandary to figure out. And what does he do? He did what he always did: he took the matter to the One who could give him proper counsel. 

Numbers 27:5-11—5 So Moses brought their case before the LORD. 6 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 7 "The daughters of Zelophehad speak what is right; you shall surely give them a possession of inheritance among their father's brothers, and cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them. 8 And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'If a man dies and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father's brothers. 11 And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the relative closest to him in his family, and he shall possess it.'" And it shall be to the children of Israel a statute of judgment, just as the LORD commanded Moses. God always has an answer, always has a solution that will work out for the good of His people—even if it does not appear to be immediately for their good. It did not seem good at the time when God caused the people of Jerusalem to be carried away captive to Babylon because they had progressed further and further into idolatry, and had broken the covenant that God made with them, and risked being cut off from Him eternally.

And He tells them through the prophet Jeremiah that this captivity will be for a short while, in order to bring them back to God. Jeremiah 27:17, 21-22—“17 Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city be laid waste?...21 yes, thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem: 22 'They shall be carried to Babylon, and there they shall be until the day that I visit them,' says the LORD. 'Then I will bring them up and restore them to this place.'” This was for the good of Jerusalem, that the idolatry would be blotted out and the city renewed. We see later that this captivity would be but for a season, and God would raise up a king in Babylon who would set them free to return to their land and worship Him. He would later say in Jeremiah 29:10-12— 10 For thus says the LORD: “After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.” And He did what He said He would. He raised up Cyrus, king of Babylon, who wrote a decree that all the people of Israel should return to their homeland. And here in Numbers, He gives a less severe command—He gives a command that yes, the daughters of Zelophehad should be given a portion of land among their uncles, and the inheritance that would have gone to any brothers (had they had any) would go to these daughters. 

And in future cases, the same thing would happen. But if the man died childless, his land would pass to his brothers. If he had no brothers, the land would pass to his uncle(s) on his father’s side. If he had no uncles on his father’s side, it would go to a near kinsman. This, of course, brings us to the case of Ruth. A little background—Naomi and Elimelech were Ephrathites who lived in Bethlehem Ephrathah in the land of Judah. Elimelech dies, and their sons Mahlon and Chilion took for themselves wives, Moabitesses from the land of Moab—one named Orpah and the other named Ruth. “But I thought men of Israel were not supposed to marry Moabite women?” True indeed (Deuteronomy 23:3). But read on. Mahlon and Chilion died, leaving Naomi not only as a widow but also having no sons (like Zelophehad and like the Shunammite woman in 2nd Kings 4:1 and like the widow of Nain in Luke 7:12). Ruth was also made a widow by this. Does she remain in Moab as Orpah did? No. What does she tell Naomi when she said she would go with her? “For wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God” (Ruth 1:16). She made a vow that she would worship YHVH, Naomi’s God. In the Mishnah (a collection of rabbinical commentaries on the Old Testament) we read in Mishna Yebamot 8:3(I) that “The male Ammonite and Moabite are prohibited from entering the congregation of the Lord, and the prohibition concerning them is forever. But their women are permitted forthwith”. So the prohibition was against the Moabite males from entering the assembly of Israel, not the Moabitesses. (Remember also that the people were to bring the young women of the Midianites into the camp after they had slain the men, women and boys in Numbers 31). She returned with Naomi to Bethlehem Judah, and gleaned the wheat fields to support Naomi and possibly find a husband. A husband from the people of Israel. So God used this marriage by Naomi’s Israelite son to this Moabite woman to bring the Moabitess into the land of Israel and, as you may know, she was one of the ancestors of our Lord (Matthew 1:5). 

Eventually, Ruth is smitten with a man named Boaz, a kinsman of Elimelech. And Boaz is smitten with her. And he takes Ruth to be his wife. But there is a matter of a piece of land that must be redeemed. Ruth 4:3-6—3 Then he [Boaz] said to the close relative, "Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4 And I thought to inform you, saying, 'Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.'" And he said, "I will redeem it." 5 Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance." 6 And the close relative said, "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it." Naomi had sold a piece of land, and since her husband and her sons were dead, and since (ostensibly) Elimelech had no brothers, the right to redeem it then went to his nearest kinsman. Since this nearest kinsman declined to purchase it (since he would also have to raise up seed with Ruth, according to the rite of the Levirate marriage [Deuteronomy 25:5-10]), he then transferred the right to redeem to the next-in-line, which was Boaz, who then raised up seed with this Moabitess. Ruth 4:13—So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. This son he named Obed (Ruth 4:21). Obed had a son he named Jesse. And Jesse’s son? That would be David (Ruth 4:22), who would become the favorite king of Israel, and a man after God’s own heart. 

We see the inheritance given to the daughters of Zelophehad in Numbers 36:1-13—1 Now the chief fathers of the families of the children of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the chief fathers of the children of Israel. 2 And they said: "The LORD commanded my lord Moses to give the land as an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel, and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. 3 Now if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and it will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry; so it will be taken from the lot of our inheritance. 4 And when the Jubilee of the children of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry; so their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers." 5 Then Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying: "What the tribe of the sons of Joseph speaks is right. 6 This is what the LORD commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, 'Let them marry whom they think best, but they may marry only within the family of their father's tribe.' 7 So the inheritance of the children of Israel shall not change hands from tribe to tribe, for every one of the children of Israel shall keep the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8 And every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel shall be the wife of one of the family of her father's tribe, so that the children of Israel each may possess the inheritance of his fathers. 9 Thus no inheritance shall change hands from one tribe to another, but every tribe of the children of Israel shall keep its own inheritance." 10 Just as the LORD commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad; 11 for Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to the sons of their father's brothers. 12 They were married into the families of the children of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of their father's family. 13 These are the commandments and the judgments which the LORD commanded the children of Israel by the hand of Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. 

If a case like this arose in the future, and a daughter of one tribe married a son of another tribe, the land inheritance would go to any sons this couple might have, and would therefore then belong to the tribe of the man the woman married. This could lend itself to great confusion among the people, and land would be swapped among tribes until the land was nothing more than a hodge-podge of different tribes and they were all mixed up together. So to stop this from happening before it started, God gave Moses a command: The daughters of Zelophehad were to marry within the tribe of Manasseh so that the land they were given would stay in the tribe of Manasseh.

Part 2 next week 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 25 & 31 (Part 3)

Then the attack against the Midianites comes in Numbers 31:1-7—1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 "Take vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people." 3 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. 4 A thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel you shall send to the war." 5 So there were recruited from the divisions of Israel one thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6 Then Moses sent them to the war, one thousand 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. 7 And they warred against the Midianites, just as the LORD commanded Moses, and they killed all the males. The zeal that Phinehas had when thrusting his spear through Zimri and Cozbi stirred up the people to attack those who had tempted them into idolatry. Let’s think about how far these people had come. They were once slaves in Egypt, unskilled in war, only in trodding out bricks and erecting monuments to the Egyptian gods. They had been brought through the desert where they grumbled and complained incessantly. Now, some 40+ years later, they defeat the army of Midian. They had overcome their feebleness through the power of the Hand of God. Now, consider yourself. You too were once a slave. A slave to sin. Maybe it was a great sin, maybe not. But you were, nonetheless a slave to it. You were far off from the Kingdom of God. But now, you are a different person, a new creation, reborn in the image of Christ. Ephesians 2:13—But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Romans 6:17-18 (ESV)—17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. (I like the ESV translation of this passage better, as it gives the true translation of the Greek word δοῦλοι (douloi), which means, literally, “slaves”). But now we are kings and priests to God, no longer slaves to sin. Were you a drunkard? You are now a prince. Were you a harlot? You are now a princess. Were you once living in the gutter, your life filled with nothing, only looking for the next day or the next bottle? Forget that, you are now a child of God. Attack the Midianites of your flesh, kill it, and remember who you are now! The Biblical Illustrator says this:

 

It is instructive to compare this warfare of the children of Israel with their earlier battles. There are many points of difference between them. In Egypt, when surrounded by their enemies, they were not called to fight. They were quite unprepared for war; but God fought for them, and they were still, and held their peace. Then again, subsequently they were attacked by the Amalekites. They did not begin the encounter, but only repelled the attacks; whereas on this occasion Moses said unto the people “Arm some of yourselves for war, and let them go against the Midianites to take vengeance for the LORD on Midian.” Their earlier encounters were all in self-defence—their later ones were aggressive. Here, then, we cannot but discern a mark of progress in Israel’s history. At first, when they were weak, and without experience of God’s power and unchanging love, they were more passive. Now that they had been formed into a more compact body, and trained to arms, and still more, had experienced the power and faithfulness of God, they were called to be aggressive, to attack and destroy the enemies of God. Now, we think, that this progress in Israel’s history is typical in the Christian life. In the first beginnings of the spiritual life the young Christian’s mind is chiefly passive. God’s work is to show him his own needs and what are his enemies. The very spirit of the gospel is aggressive, not in a worldly sense, nor indeed in the sense in which it was true of Israel, but in a higher and holier sense; for it is a spirit of faith in God-a spirit of holy jealousy for God’s glory—a spirit of deep compassion for perishing souls.

Numbers 31:8—They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. The man who would not curse Israel, but who led them astray another way, dies at their hands. What a fitting end to the man who led the people of God away from Him and into the degrading sin of sexual immorality mixed with idolatry! The people of God executed the justice of God by running a sword through this wretch. He had seen the goodness of God; he had seen that God would only bless them; he saw how great their numbers were. But instead of joining with them and becoming part of the people of God, He chose the riches of the world instead of the riches of God. Like Haman, who devised ill against the people of Israel and wound up being hanged on his own gallows, so Balaam devised evil against the people of God and was pierced through with a sword, thus bringing an end to his miserable life. Like Sanballat and Tobiah devised evil against Nehemiah and those who were rebuilding Jerusalem, only to see their feeble deeds come to naught, so this man, who sought to bring an end to Israel, saw his plans come to naught. And like our Adversary, who walks about like a roaring lion, seeks to bring down those called by God, he will be brought down to the Bottomless Pit and, finally, to the Lake of Fire. There is no way to defeat God. He cannot be dealt a blow that will not be turned around a hundred times—nay, a thousand or million or more times—harder on the one who tried it. 

Numbers 31:9-18—9 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. 10 They also burned with fire all the cities where they dwelt, and all their forts. 11 And they took all the spoil and all the booty—of man and beast. 12 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. 13 And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation, went to meet them outside the camp. 14 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. 15 And Moses said to them: “Have you kept all the women alive? 16 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. 17 Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately. 18 But keep alive for yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man intimately.” After the slaughter, the people gathered up all the prisoners of war—an action which angered Moses, as these were of the same women who led Israel into idolatry. Why would they keep them alive? But don’t we sometimes do the same thing? We keep some reminder of our past in our possession, some reminder of the good times we had when we were slaves to sin and apart from God. “Oh, what’s it going to hurt?” 1st Corinthians 10:12—Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Do you think Satan needs more than a little sliver of room to worm his way back into our lives? Open the door, even a crack, and he will burst through and make one regret giving him even the slightest foothold. Ephesians 4:27—Nor give place to the devil. The word translated “place” is the Greek τόπος (topos), and means “opportunity, power, occasion for acting.” Paul is warning us to not give the Devil an opportunity, to not give him an occasion for acting in our lives. Jesus warned us in Matthew 12:43-45 (and in Luke 11:24-26)—43 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first." Do not think you are stronger or smarter than the Devil. He has been around for far too long, and remember he convinced one-third of the angels to follow him in rebelling against God. Knowing that, what do you think your chances are against him? Just ask Eve how trying to outsmart the serpent worked out for her, for Adam, for all mankind. 

“But they killed women? And children? What kind of a God commands that?” The kind of God who wants us to put sin far away from us. When they brought the women and children back, it may have been out of mercy. But they did not think ahead to what might happen if these were allowed to remain with the people of God. The women, we know, would have led more men astray. The boys? They would have grown up bitter, resentful of the men who killed their fathers. You want a villain origin story? Isn’t that how they all begin? “But what about where Moses says in verse 18 ‘But keep alive for yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man intimately’? Isn’t that permitting child marriage and pedophilia?” This is an argument we need to be prepared for, as the enemies of God will use this. So, different translations do render הַטַּף בַּנָּשִׁים (hatap bannashiym) as “young girls” or “women children”. And that is, indeed, the literal translation of this verse. But to claim this gives a green light to pedophilia is not warranted by the text. Nowhere does it say they are to take them as wives or concubines. And with there being a dearth of commentary on this verse, I’m going to give you my take on it, which may or may not be the best. But here goes: The young women—and yes, even young girls—who had not known a man intimately were to be taken in to the congregation, raised as an Israelite, and even used to perform tasks. When they became older they could be married, but nowhere—NOWHERE—does the text say ANYTHING about using these girls for sex. If anything, this was mercy. Their mothers were killed; their fathers were killed; if they had brothers they were put to death. They would have been left to fend for themselves in the desert. Instead, they were brought into the fold of the people of God, and raised in the Covenant of God. 

The rest of the chapter deals with dividing up the spoils of war and the distribution of those spoils and the tribute to God. The only passage we will touch on in Numbers 31 is Numbers 31:48-50—48 Then the officers who were over thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, came near to Moses; 49 and they said to Moses, "Your servants have taken a count of the men of war who are under our command, and not a man of us is missing. 50 Therefore we have brought an offering for the LORD, what every man found of ornaments of gold: armlets and bracelets and signet rings and earrings and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD." Twelve thousand went to war against the Midianites, and twelve thousand returned. God knows how to save His people. The same can be said of those who trust in Christ. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, and none of His sheep will be lost. Does a Good Shepherd let any of His sheep wander off? Or when He sees that sheep wandering, will He not go and bring it back? Yes, He will bring it back. Matthew 18:12-14 (echoed in Luke 15:4-6)—12 "What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? 13 And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." Is your will greater than God’s will? Can you stray far enough from Jesus that He will let you go merrily on your way to Hell? Some say “Well, you can walk away from God and lose your salvation that way”. No, my friend! He is The Good Shepherd, and when He sees you going astray, if you are truly His, then He will run to you to bring you back to Himself! He will leave the 99 sheep who are staying to go get the one who is straying (Matthew 18:12-13; Luke 15:4-7). The Father knows all that He has given to His Son, and will not allow any of them to be lost! 

Loving Shepherd of your sheep/all your lambs in safety keep;

Nothing can your power withstand/none can pluck them from your hand.

May they praise you ev'ry day/gladly all your will obey,

Like your blessed ones above/happy in your precious love.

Loving Shepherd, ever near/teach your lambs your voice to hear;

Suffer not their steps to stray/from the straight and narrow way.

Where you lead them may they go/walking in your steps below;

Then, before your Father's throne/Savior, claim them for your own.

(“Loving Shepherd of Thy Sheep” by Jane Leeson) 

Father, help us to always remember Your goodness and Your faithfulness in all our battles, knowing that You will come for us when we stray. Help us to always put to death sin in our mortal bodies, to put to death the old man and to put on the new man. Help us to not cling to those things that would take us back to who we used to be, but help us to remember that we are a new creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works. But in our hatred for sin, let us always remember mercy in our dealings with those who do not know You. 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.