ADULT STS LESSON 120 DEFEAT OF THE MIDIANITES AND DEATH OF BALAAM
MEMORY VERSE: “And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males. And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword” (Numbers 31:7,8).
TEXT: Numbers 31:1-54
The text focuses on the war of revenge, which God commanded the children of Israel to fight against the Midianites. It was a holy war and the very last that Moses led Israel to fight before his death. Recall that Balaam counselled the Midianites to lure the children of Israel into sin of idol worship and sexual immorality that brought divine wrath upon them (Numbers 25:9); Revelation 2:14). The children of Israel suffered severe judgment for yielding to sin, but God commanded them. So, the battle with the Midianites was not decided by Moses but God, the Judge of the whole earth. He spoke to Moses to “Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites” (Verse 2). Vengeance belongs to God; He is the ultimate Judge of all.
From the account of the war against Midian and the death of Balaam, it is clear that God is Omniscient and knows those who give wrong counsels against His people as well as those who serve as stumbling blocks against their progress. He will not spare but judge anyone who seeks to corrupt His people. Though the Israelites did not fight against the Midianites immediately after their sin, the day of reckoning came for them. Both the Midianites and Balaam eventually reaped what they sowed. The battle was fought and won by Israel due to God’s backing.
- COMMAND AND MOBILIZATION OF ISRAEL FOR THE BATTLE
Numbers 31:1-6; 25:16-18; 10:8,9; Deuteronomy 32:35; Psalm 94:1-3; Isaiah 1:24; Nahum 1:2,3; Romans 12:19; 13:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:6; Hebrews 10:30; Revelation 18:20; Genesis 25:1,2
God instructed Moses saying, “Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people” (Verse 2). God’s purposes and plans are often revealed to His ministers just as He revealed His mind to Moses about His imminent judgement on the Midianites. Moses was to carry out the assignment before he would pass on. This instruction does not justify terrorism or any form of killing of fellow humans. It does not also support retaliation because God says,: “…Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30). As believers, we should not seek personal revenge in any matter. All injustice meted out on us should be committed into God’s hand.
“And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD of Midian” (Verse 3). Recall that the Midianites were descendants of Abraham through Keturah, the wife he married after the death of Sarah (Genesis 25:1,2). The lesson here is that Moses promptly obeyed his divine instruction despite his filial relationship with the targeted victim. There was no sentiment. In doing the will of God, self-interest, filial relationship and other personal considerations should be avoided.
Though God would not command the destruction of human lives in the New Testament dispensation, there are certain principles that believers should learn from this account of war against the Midianites.
One, we are to avoid those who seduce us to sin, whoever they are and whatever our relationship with them.
Two, as Moses dealt with the Midianites, all forces that will corrupt God’s people should be dealt with severely and promptly.
Three, any habit or affection in our lives that predisposes us to sin must be crushed. “Dearly beloved… abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul… Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth…” (1 Peter 2:11; Colossians 3:5; Matthew 5:29).
Four, the fact that God judged Israel because of their sin, and later empowered them to destroy the Midianites who lured them into sin teaches us that “…God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34; Proverbs 11:21). This is why believers are warned not to put any stumbling block before others (Romans 14:13). For instance, dressing should not seduce others to commit sin (Proverbs 16:29).
- CONQUEST OF THE MIDIANITES AND THE DEATH OF BALAAM
Numbers 31:7-18; 23:10; Isaiah 17:13,14
The children of Israel defeated the Midianites even though they spent only twelve thousand men to fight. With the help of God, the army of Israel killed all the males in Midian, took the women and children as prisoners of war with much spoil and burnt their cities. They killed the five kings of Midian, including Zur, the father of Cozbi, the Midianitish girl whom Zimri brought into the camp of Israel (Numbers 31:8; 25:14,15). Balaam was also killed along with the Midianites.
The account of the life and death of Balaam teaches pilgrims of heaven the need to be watchful. “God came into Balaam…”, “…put a word in Balaam’s mouth…”. Balaam “…knew the knowledge of the Most High…” and “…saw the vision of the Almighty…” (Numbers 22:9; 23:5; 24:16). He once declared that, “…If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more” (Numbers 22:18). However, he later contradicted himself because he “loved the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:15). Rather than use his knowledge about God for the edification of God’s people, Balaam applied it in giving an evil counsel to Balak, which led to the destruction of God’s people, He “taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication” (Revelation 2:14).
Balaam had the knowledge of righteous living and the glorious end of the righteous and their endless joys. He desired and prayed to die in righteousness, saying, “…Let me die the death of the righteous…”, but he died as a sinner with the enemies of God. It is not surprising he is not mentioned as on of the prophets of God in the Scripture because of his dual nature. The most awful record about him is that he was a soothsayer. “Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them” (Joshua 13:22).
Balaam’s death with the Midianites proves that,
First, the law of sowing and reaping is intact (Proverbs 28:10).
Second, believers should beware lest after God has used them to preach to others, they should be cast away (1 Corinthians 9:27.
Third, Balaam foretold the happy end of Israel but he took no steps to share in it. It is not enough to know the letter of God’s word; we should be doers of the word to be blessed by it.
Fourth, Balaam had prayed to die the death of the righteous but did nothing in his lifetime to live the righteous. He recognized the grave implication of sin and, like many other Bible Characters, said, “…I have sinned…”, but he did not genuinely repent (Numbers 22:24). Our desire and prayer to be in heaven must be backed up by holy living and determination to God’s will at all costs. The beginning of our Christian life is as important as the way we end it (Ecclesiastes 7:8).
Fifth, the duplicity of Balaam obscures his true identity that he was a soothsayer. Heaven-bound pilgrims should beware of false prophets and teachers as the ability to see vision and prophesy is not the proof of divine approval of a minister and his ministry but a combination of spiritual gifts with the grace to live a transparent life of holiness (Matthew 7:15,20). “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21; Revelation 13:13-15).
Sixth, Balaam did not die in righteousness. Death is the end of all men and “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). It is only the expected rapture of the saints that can make a man to escape death. Therefore, everybody should be wise to prepare to meet with God, the Creator.
After the defeat of the Midianites, the army of Israel returned, “And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp” (Numbers 31:13). Despite his age, Moses went out of the camp to meet the returning soldiers to congratulate them on their victory in battle and to acknowledge their courage. However, when he saw the spoil and prisoners of war, which the men of Israel brought back, he became angry with the officers of the army. This was because they spared the women who could still be snare to them in the future. This holy indignation of Moses against disobedience to God’s command characterizes true servants of God (1 Samuel 15:22,23; Joshua 7:25). Sin, disobedience and compromise must not be condoned in the congregation of the people of God (Titus 1:5; 2 Timothy 4:2-4).
- SHARING AND MANAGEMENT OF THE SPOILS OF WAR
Numbers 31:19-54; Joshua 22:8; 1 Samuel 30:20-25
“And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war which went to the battle, this is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses.” After killing all the captive women that were not virgins, Moses commanded that the soldiers and the spoils of war be cleansed. According to the ordinance, they must purify the spoil they had taken, the captives and all the goods. Eleazar, through his dedication, ensured that this ordinance was carried out.
The sharing was supervised by Moses and Eleazar as directed by God. The entire spoils were divided into two (2) equal parts. One Part, was given to the twelve thousand men who went to battle, while the Second Part, was shared among the congregation in the camp. Then, God demanded that the soldiers should pay Him a tribute of One in every Five Hundred (1/500) of their share, while the congregation should give one in every fifty (1/50) of their share as tribute. The tribute from the share of the soldiers, being less, was given to the priests; whereas the tribute from the share of the congregation, being more, was given to the Levites who were more in number.
The fairness and equity that characterized sharing of the spoils teaches believers to be generous in dispensing the resources that God gives to them. Since the soldiers went out as representatives of the entire congregation, it was necessary that they share the spoils with them. Even so, the share of soldier was greater than those risked their lives. Apart from this, the tributes that God demanded from the soldiers was less compared to what was demanded of the congregation. Then, the tributes were also given to the priests and Levites proportionately. The priests, being fewer in number than the Levites, got less. In all these, we are made to see that God is fair and just in all His ways. As Christians, we should be just and fair in all our dealings.
It should also be noted that the captains of the army also brought special oblation to Moses in appreciation of the fact that they did not lose a single soldier in the battle. The soldiers gave special offering to make atonement for their souls. “We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD, what every man hat gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD” (Verse 50). This step taken by the captains is commendable. This action of the captains teaches us to honour God with our substance in appreciation of His mercies over us. Believers should give priority to tithes, offerings and pledges. Giving to God should be viewed as a unique opportunity of appreciating His benevolence.
For the New Testament believer, it is the blood of Jesus that atones for sin. Christ’s atonement by His blood shed on the cross for all is provisional. The individual sinner must acknowledge, repent, confess and renounce sin and exercise faith in the atoning blood of Jesus to be forgiven and transformed; “…for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 10:10).
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW
- State God’s instruction to Moses concerning the Midianites in the text.
- Why is it wrong for believers to revenge?
- What should be a believer’s attitude towards God’s directives when it affects close relations?
- What can believers learn from the tragic end of Balaam with the Midianites?
- Why was Moses angry with the officers of the army despite their victory over the Midianites?
- Point out some basic principles from the way the Israelites shared the spoils of war.
- How were the priests and Levites cared for in Israel as shown in the study?
