The Book Of NUMBERS
Numbers 21:8 "And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole:
and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live."
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CHAPTER 30:
As noted in the previous chapter, verse 39 was a reminder from the LORD of the importance of the various voluntary offerings and sacrifices, including those that are done in connection with vows. Now, in chapter 30, God gives more detailed instructions through Moses to the Israelites regarding vows. Leviticus 27 introduced legislation for redeeming those who had made a vow of lifetime service to God or had donated an animal to the priest for his use in the tabernacle. Now God is giving more detailed case law to Moses regarding vows, specifically when it’s a daughter, wife, widow, or a divorced woman that is making a vow to the LORD. Vows made to God are a serious matter and not to be treated lightly or done impulsively. Verse 2 makes it clear that whatever oath or vow a man swears unto the LORD shall not be broken. He is to keep that vow, no matter the cost. (Leviticus 5:4, 27:2, Deuteronomy 23:21, Judges 11:30-31, 35, Ecclesiastes 5:4, Matthew 14:9, Acts 23:14) That cross reference from Deuteronomy makes it clear that to break a vow to God is sin. If a woman who is unmarried and still living in her father’s house makes a vow unto the LORD, and her father hears her vow and says nothing, then that vow will stand and the woman is bound to obey it. (v.3-4) But if her father immediately objects to the vow and declares it void, then the woman is not obligated by God to keep it. (v.5) The same law applies to a woman who is married. (v.6-8, 10-13) If her husband overhears a vow made by his wife and keeps his peace, then she must keep the vow. But if her husband immediately objects and disallows her from making the vow, then it is void. By their silence, the father or husband is giving approval of the vow made by his wife or daughter, and all that she says to the LORD is binding. (v.14) She is required to fulfill all that she vowed to God. However, if the father or husband does not immediately object to the daughter’s or wife’s vow, and then sometime later changes his mind and tries to annul the vow, he is too late. God will hold him accountable for the sin of forcing his daughter or wife to break her vow. (v.15) If a woman is divorced or is a widow, she is free to make a vow unto the LORD, and the LORD expects her to honor it. (v.9) The whole purpose of this particular law is to ensure that the patriarchal system of authority is not subverted by the daughter or wife that might make a rash, impulsive vow. Whether we like it or not, God ordained the men to rule over the women as His natural, proper design, and the daughters and wives are to submit accordingly. That is the principle behind this law, and God is making it clear to the children of Israel that the fathers and husbands are responsible for leading their homes in all things. That means guiding and watching over all that their daughters and wives do or say. CHAPTER 31: The narrative thread now resumes, picking up where chapter 25 left off. God had commanded Moses at the end of that chapter to attack the Midianites as part of His judgment against them and Balaam for drawing Israel into the sin of idolatry and immorality. (Numbers 25:16-18) Moses commands each tribe to select from among them a thousand men (v.4), and the army of twelve thousand marches against Midian, led by Phineas, the son of Eleazar the high priest. (v.6) (Numbers 25:7-8) The fact that Phineas is at the head of the army, carrying the holy instruments and sounding the trumpets, indicates that this war is a holy one, reinforcing the statement by God to Moses in verse 2: “Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites…”. (Numbers 10:9) Verses 7-11: The Israelites are more than victorious. They utterly destroy the Midianites, slaying all the men – including Balaam (v.7-8) – and taking captive all the women and children, as well as all their livestock and wealth. (v.9) (Deuteronomy 20:13-14, Judges 21:11, 1 Samuel 27:9, 1 Kings 11:15-16) The cities and fortresses of the Midianites are burned to the ground. (v.10) The names of the slain listed in verse 8 alongside Balaam’s are also significant. (Numbers 25:15, Joshua 13:21) It’s important to note here that only the Midianites living in the plains of Moab are conquered and destroyed. The Midianites that are named in Judges 6 are a different clan that currently occupies the promised land. Verses 12-20: Moses is angry with the soldiers because they saved all the women of Midian, including those that had seduced the men of Israel to sin. (v.14-16) (Numbers 25:1-2) Moses then orders the army to slay all the male children and any woman that is not a virgin. (v.17) The virgins, presumably, are allowed to marry any eligible Israelite man. (v.18) Moses also reminds the soldiers of the law regarding those who have been defiled by either touching or being in the presence of a dead body. They must remain outside the camp for seven days and then wash themselves, their clothing, and anything else that came into contact with the slain Midianites. (v.18-20) (Numbers 5:2) One of the many problems that non-Christians have when confronted by scenes such as this in the Bible, particularly in the OT, is that they cannot understand how a loving and just God would condone that kind of murder of the innocent, especially babies and young children. Even some believers struggle with reconciling God’s attributes of love, mercy, longsuffering, and graciousness with passages such as this one. Moses is relaying the word of the LORD (v.2), not his own decision or judgment, so therefore it is God who is commanding His chosen people to execute all the male children – yes, even the babies – and the women who had enticed the men of Israel into idolatry and adultery – both physical and spiritual. The killing of the male children and the adult women that committed adultery ensures that there will be no future rebellion against Israel by the Midianites. There’s a couple of important points to remember when reading these passages: 1) God had promised Abraham in Genesis 12:3, “…I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee…”. The destruction of the nation of Midian in this chapter is God fulfilling that promise. The princes of Midian, along with King Balak, had cursed the nation of Israel. Therefore, because God is perfect He cannot lie, nor can He go back on His word. It’s impossible for Him to do so. This passage demonstrates God keeping His promise to Abraham’s descendants. 2) The idolatry of the Midianites, which involved not only their worship of Baal but also their sexual immorality, has so angered the LORD, that He brings swift and immediate vengeance upon the entire nation. That includes not only the men, but the some of the women and the male children as well. God so despises adultery that He made it a capital crime. (Leviticus 20:10) Again, God cannot go back on His word, and that means that sin must be punished accordingly. The sins of idolatry, immorality, and adultery are not trifle matters, and that, too, is shown here in Moses’ command to the Israelite soldiers. We must keep in mind that while God is a loving and merciful God, He is also a just and jealous God who, because of His perfect and holy nature, cannot abide by even the slightest sin. Any sin, no matter how slight or microscopic, is an abomination to Him, and He must punish it accordingly, precisely because of His perfect and holy nature. Therefore, scenes like the one here in Numbers 31, as well as that of Genesis 19, are examples of God displaying His holiness, perfection, justice, and sovereignty over all His creation. Verses 21-24: The instructions in these verses by Eleazar to the soldiers are in keeping with the ordinances of the law that require purification by those who have been in contact with the dead as well as other causes of general uncleanness that are a side effect of both war and sin. (Leviticus 11:25) Verses 25-47: This section lists not only the numbers of the women and children taken captive by the Israelites, but all the different animals as well: sheep, oxen, donkeys, goats, etc. Both the people and the livestock are divided equally among the soldiers as well as the congregation, minus portions that are given to Eleazar as a tithe to the LORD and provision for the priests (v.41), and to the tribe of Levi for tribute and provision since they do not share in any inheritance like the other tribes according to the law (v.47). After carrying out Moses’ command earlier regarding the captive women who were non-virgins and the male children, those that remained of the virgins are a total of thirty-two thousand. (v.35, 40) A tenth of them, three hundred and twenty, are given as tribute, or tithe, to the LORD. They will serve in the tabernacle. (Exodus 38:8) As noted earlier, the rest of the virgins are, presumably, given to the men of Israel as wives. Verses 48-54: In accordance with the law, the soldiers come to Moses and Eleazar and present an offering of gold from the spoils of war “…to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD.” (v.50) (Exodus 30:12) Since there is no record in this chapter of any Israelite soldier dying in the battle with the Midianites, it’s possible that this offering is also a gift to God as gratitude for their victory. Eleazar receives it as a memorial, also in accordance with that same law. (Exodus 30:16)
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CHAPTER 25: Chapter 24 is the end of Balaam’s meeting with King Balak, but it’s not the end of Balaam’s story. We know from Numbers 31:16 and Revelation 2:14 that Balaam advised the Moabites on the best way to lure the Israelites into sin and disobedience against God, which is described here in chapter 25. Shittim is the last encampment of the Israelites before crossing the Jordan River. (v.1) (Joshua 2:1) Because of its close proximity to Moab, it’s easy for the daughters of Moab to entice the men of Israel to idolatry and immorality. (v.1-2) (Exodus 34:15, Deuteronomy 32:38, Joshua 22:17, Hosea 9:10, 1 Corinthians 10:20) Nearly all of the Canaanite religions require orgies as part of their worship rituals, and Baal, specifically, is the god of fertility. The name “Baal-peor” very likely refers to a shrine built at the place where Balaam delivered his final oracle to Balak. (v.3) The term “whoredom” in verse 1 refers to both sexual immorality and spiritual infidelity. Israel violates her covenant with God once again by becoming involved in the pagan worship practices of the Moabites. Psalm 106:28-29 specifically mentions the practice of eating “…the sacrifices of the dead…” as part of this incident, which could refer to food that had first been offered to the idols or possibly some form of ritualistic cannibalism. Whatever the case, this egregious sin angers the LORD, and He commands Moses to slay any man who has gone to worship Baal-peor. (v.4) Their bodies are to be hung in the center of camp for all to see. (Deuteronomy 4:3) The judges of Israel mentioned in verse 5 are most likely the sons of the men appointed by Moses at Mount Sinai to help lead the nation, since most of the first generation has already passed away during the forty years of wandering in the desert. (Exodus 18:21-22) Moses instructs them to “Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor.” (v.5) (Deuteronomy 13:6, 9) While the text doesn’t say specifically, the man described in verse 6 is most likely one of the Baal worshipers. His name is Zimri, and he is a leader in the tribe of Simeon (v.14) The Midianites are allies of the Moabites (Numbers 22:4), and this man doesn’t even attempt to hide his sin from Moses or the people who are mourning at the entrance of the tabernacle. The implication here is that the judgment of the LORD has already begun, and the ones who are weeping are the families of the men who have been slain. That makes this man’s disobedience even more egregious and galling, which is the reason for Phineas’ furious reaction. (v.7) He spies the man and the Midianite prostitute, whose name is Cozbi, a daughter of one of the leaders of Midian (v.15), as they enter the man’s tent, and he takes immediate action. (v.8) (Psalm 106:30) Phineas, the grandson of Aaron, enters the tent and kills both the man and the woman by stabbing them with a large javelin in a single, vicious stroke. This action, along with the executions carried out by the judges, stays the wrath of the LORD. (Numbers 16:46) In addition to the slaying of the sinners, God had also sent a plague among the people, and Phineas’ swift, decisive judgment ends that as well. (v.8) The death toll for this latest act of rebellion is twenty-four thousand. (v.9) Because Phineas “…was zealous for my sake…” (v.11), God makes a covenant with him. (v.12-13) (Malachi 2:4-5, 3:1, Acts 22:3, Romans 10:2) He promises Phineas, the son of Eleazar, that the Levitical priesthood will continue through his specific bloodline, “…an everlasting priesthood…”. (v.13) While God had earlier promised this to Aaron (Exodus 40:15), He was now narrowing it further to the specific lineage of Phineas. The latter half of verse 13 implies that Phineas’ zealous and swift action saved the nation of Israel by serving as an atonement for their disobedience, in much the same manner as Aaron’s action with the incense in the incident following Korah’s rebellion. (Numbers 16:46-47) Some theologians and Biblical scholars, including John MacArthur, believe that Phineas’ bloodline is still present to this day, even though the twelve tribes of Israel as recorded in the Bible have long ago been lost to history, beginning in the first century when the Jews were scattered throughout the world following the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. When the sacrificial system is reinstated during the Tribulation and the Millennial Kingdom, as described in Ezekiel, it is believed that the descendants of Phineas will be serving as priests in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. Given the promise by God in verse 13, that theory seems very likely. What we do know for certain is that Phineas’ bloodline did indeed continue throughout the OT and during the time of Christ’s ministry here on earth. We know this because the Levitical priesthood, the temple, and the sacrificial systems remained in place until the crucifixion of Christ. That is the essence of God’s promise to Phineas here in chapter 25. This chapter concludes with a command from the LORD to Moses. (v.16) The Israelites are to attack the Midianites because they enticed His chosen people to sin. (v.17-18) This is carried out in chapter 31, as already noted earlier regarding the death of Balaam. CHAPTER 26: This chapter opens with a command from God to have Moses conduct another census of the nation. (v.1-2) This instruction, following an account of new revelation from the LORD and then grievous disobedience of the Israelites, closely parallels the incident of the golden calf from Exodus 32 while Moses was up on Mount Sinai receiving the Law of God. The following table is courtesy of the Moody Bible Commentary:  What follows in this chapter is a census record similar to that of Numbers 1 and 3. Almost forty years has passed since that first census which was taken in the second month of the second year after the exodus. The purpose of that was to record all the men of Israel, twenty years and older, who were capable of going to war. The same purpose is given here (v.2) since a military campaign against Midian has just been announced. This census, though, has a secondary purpose: the proper division of the promised land among the tribes following their conquest of it. (v.53) The tribes with larger populations will receive a larger portion of land, while the smaller tribes will receive a portion equal to their populations. (v.54) The land will divided up fairly and equally by lot. (v.55-56) (Numbers 33:54, 34:13, Joshua 11:23, 14:2) There’s also a few more details of the clans within the tribes given here that is not found in chapters 1 and 3, including proper names and brief genealogies. (v.5-51, 58-62) The point of this is to show that the entire first generation that God decreed would never see the promised land due to disobedience (Numbers 14:22-23) has now passed away, save for Caleb and Joshua. (This also means that all those who were still alive of the first generation in chapter 25 were killed in the plague of God’s judgment for the sin of idolatry.) The Levites, of course, are counted separately as they are not allowed to inherit any land. (v.62) Dathan and Abiram are listed in verse 9, and Korah’s rebellion is briefly recalled (Numbers 16:1-2), but verse 11 reminds the reader that Korah’s children were not killed as part of God’s judgment against their father. Verse 33 mentions Zelophehad, of the tribe Manasseh, who has no sons. His daughters, who are also named, will be the focus of the first half of chapter 27. The following table illustrates the results of this second census:  Two things are immediately apparent: 1) despite the death of the first generation of the Exodus, the nation’s total population still increased in those forty years; 2) the most striking decrease in population occurred among the tribe of Simeon. This is most likely due to the recent incident of idolatry described in chapter 25. Zimri was a leader of that tribe, so it’s a reasonable assumption that the majority of the worshipers of Baal-peor were Simeonites. The Moody Bible Commentators have this to say of the census: “With the numbers given in this chapter, it is possible to calculate approximately on average how many of the first generation died per day during the wilderness-wandering period. Massive deaths occurred at the Korah rebellion and the plague of Baal-peor, but an average of 90 funerals a day would have had to be conducted during this period.”
Furthermore, there is the logical question of why Eleazar is still alive, since he was at least thirty when he began to serve in the tabernacle. (Numbers 3:2-3, 4:46-47) One possible answer is that only those of the first generation who actually rebelled against God died in the wilderness. It’s very likely that none of the Levites, especially those serving in the tabernacle, were part of that rebellion. This answer makes even more sense given Eleazar’s display of godly zeal in the previous chapter. However, the more likely answer is that the Levites were excluded altogether from God’s judgment of the first generation, just as they were excluded in the first census at Mount Sinai. Verse 64 clearly states that not a single member of that generation is alive at the time of this second census, and verse 62 also confirms that the Levites are again “…not numbered among the children of Israel…” this second time around. The only exception to this is Caleb and Joshua. (v.65) This proves God’s faithfulness and justice. He rewards those that obey Him and keep His covenant, while also keeping His word that those who rebel and disobey will be punished accordingly. |
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