Numbers 31:1-12 – Sin need to be dealt with radically

Numbers 31 is more than just a chapter on war against the Midianites. It is an indication of how much God detests sin and the purveyors of sin. He will deal with those who had sinned and he will also deal with those who encourage it. Israel had sinned but the Midianites had made themselves the willing contributors to Israel’s sin and downfall.

This chapter is also a follow-up to the event that took place in Numbers 25. There Balaam, the culprit, found himself incapable of bringing a curse upon the Israelites. Though we are not told what he did in that chapter, Numbers 31:8 revealed that it was him who counseled the king of Moab and the leaders of Midian on how to get Israel to lose their favored position with God. He knew that Israel’s covenant relationship with the Lord had made them impervious to his curse. That had prevented him from earning himself a tidy sum from the king of Moab. He was well-positioned to gain a position had he succeeded but it was made null by the Lord’s disapproval. However, he knew that the only way to get the Israelites into trouble was to get them to sin against God. The way was to get the man of Israel to commit adultery with the women of Moab and Midian. Through sexual immorality, they would then entice them into idolatry. the Midianites were willing cohorts of the sinister plot.

The war, therefore, was not so much against Midian as it was against their sin of bringing about Israel’s downfall. Notice God was the initiator of these acts of vengeance. The task was shared equally among the people of Israel. Each tribe contributed 1,000 men for the work, So the twelve tribes made up a total of 12,000 capable men ready for the work assigned them to do. They were led by Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron who had the guts to stand and killed Zimri, the Simeonite, and  Cozbi, the Midianite princess. He pierced them through their bellies with his spear. Phinehas was to bring along the holy objects and the priestly trumpets to represent the presence of God fighting with them.  In this divine dealing, Balaam for his part paid dearly with his life. He was killed.

Numbers 25 described how God dealt with His own people for their part in the sin. Here in Numbers 31, God had to deal with the purveyors of sin. God abhors those who commit sin. And those who encouraged it are equally responsible. Jesus tells us that temptation is sure to come but woe to him via whom the temptation comes. It is important that we do not sin against the Lord, but equally important is for us not to become the instrument of sin, causing the downfall of others. Both are equally sinful!