judgment of God

Number 31: Judgment and grace in the slaughter of Midian

POST OVERVIEW. A careful exegesis of Numbers 31 when the LORD commanded the sons of Israel under Moses to execute His full vengeance on Midian.

In Numbers 31, we read of the LORD’s judgment of Midian through the sons of Israel. Because this story is both largely unknown by believers and is misinterpreted by those who “do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions” (1 Tim. 1:7), the episode can cause problems when it comes up for discussion. In this article, I will attempt to show, first, that there is nothing here in the judgment of Midian that should surprise the believer, and second, that there is a surprising element in this story as the LORD once again displays His grace.

SITUATION. As this episode opens, the Midianites are known to be a wicked people. In the recent past, they had caused Israel “to trespass against the LORD” (31:16). [The full account is in Numbers 25.] As a result, the LORD commands Moses to “take full vengeance on the Midianites” (31:2).

COMMENT. The LORD is commanding Moses to bring recompense on the Midianites for their wicked acts. This is temporal judgment for their sins. The LORD’s “patience toward these vessels of wrath” (Rom. 9:22) has ended and He is executing His vengeance (31:3) through Israel. So, there is nothing surprising or confusing about this judgment. Midian willfully committed great wickedness against the LORD and against His people, and they are now receiving the due penalty of their sin.

A STORY OF THE LORD’S JUDGMENT

This story, then, is clearly one of judgment. The LORD is bringing His wrath on Midian because, by their wickedness, Midian has merited the LORD’s full vengeance. We therefore fully expect there to be no mercy for Midian but instead, a complete destruction.

ASIDE: WHEN THE LORD SUSPENDS JUDGMENT

As an aside, I want to comment on how the world views the Lord’s judgment and His mercy. The Lord is a merciful God and, because of His mercy, He is constantly withholding His wrath from being poured out on man. In Romans 1:18, Paul begins his magnificent gospel treatise with a statement about God’s wrath: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” God’s wrath is revealed, but it is very rarely dispensed, even though “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

But ironically, because the Lord suspends His judgment of sin, the world presumes upon the Lord’s kindness and forbearance and patience (Rom. 2:4). Because people sin and the Lord does not bring prompt judgment, people begin to assume He will never judge. Once they are convinced that God will never judge, they go beyond that to think that He has no right to judge. The world then begins to defy God and sin with vigor because they assume they can sin with impunity. Then, when God brings a just recompense for man’s sins, the world is outraged at what they claim to be the Lord’s petulance and cruelty. Rather than praising the Lord for His kindness and forbearance and patience and repenting of their sin (Rom. 2:4), the world blasphemes Him when He brings upon them the just consequences of their sin.

BACK TO MIDIAN. We return to Midian, where the sons of Israel have been charged with the task of rendering “full vengeance” on Midian. Yet even here, where the LORD’s justice is on display and where Midian has merited a complete destruction, even here the LORD demonstrates His unmerited favor. For the Scripture says:

“The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and great in lovingkindness” (Psalm 145:8)

and the LORD answers His people when they cry,

“In wrath remember mercy” (Hab. 3:2).

A STORY OF THE LORD’S MERCY AND GRACE

Earlier we had said, “There is nothing surprising or confusing about Midian’s judgment.” All sin merits a just recompense (Heb. 2:2) and the sinner has “a terrifying expectation of judgment” (Heb. 10:27). But while there is nothing surprising about the Lord’s judgment, there is everything surprising about His mercy and grace. Numbers 31 is, therefore, a very surprising chapter. What do I mean?

Notice that, while Midian’s wickedness would be justly punished by a complete destruction, the LORD does not destroy them completely. Midian is a condemned people, but some from Midian are spared. A small remnant of Midian received mercy and grace. Yes, all the men are killed (Num. 31:7, 8) and all the boys are killed (31:17a). “Every woman who has known man by lying with a man” is also killed (31:17b). All these receive the judgment they deserve. “But all the female children who have not known man by lying with a man, keep alive for yourselves” (31:18). Amazingly, the LORD commands Moses to spare all the female virgins so they can become wives for the sons of Israel. In Numbers 31:35, there were 32,000 Midianite virgins. These 32,000 received mercy from the LORD, for they did not receive the punishment due to a condemned people, but they also received the LORD’s grace, for these female children, instead of being executed in judgment, could now become wives to husbands from the sons of Israel and could thus be enfolded into the company of the LORD’s covenant people. From condemned to member of the covenant people of God – all by God’s grace.

SUMMARY

First, there are times when God’s patience and forbearance run out and He chooses to execute His temporal judgment on an individual or, as in this case with Midian, on a group of people. His judgment is always warranted and His justice is always righteous.

But second, we have seen that the LORD is inclined to mercy and is free to dispense His grace. Although we have all merited His wrath (Rom. 3:10-18, 23; Ezekiel 18:4; etc.), the Lord now suspends His wrath and judgment and instead extends to us the offer of forgiveness and free righteousness through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The mercy and grace shown to Midian in Numbers 31 is but a faint foreshadow of the mercy and grace that God now grants to all who will bow the knee to Jesus and confess Him as Lord. These will be saved.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 12/18/2023                 #684

Yes, there were cities of refuge (Numbers 35:9-34)

In the book of Numbers, in chapter 35, we are told of the cities of refuge that were to be established in the Promised Land after the children of Israel crossed over the Jordan. This post is written to show how these point to Jesus and His sacrifice for sinners on the cross.

When we read this passage (Numbers 35:9-34), we can see that the Law prescribed six cities of refuge, places “that the manslayer who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there (35:11).”

THE VALUE OF THE CITIES OF REFUGE

Now, first, we should realize that these cities of refuge did not offer mercy to anyone who was guilty of murder, for there was no mercy under the Law.

“Anyone who has violated the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses (Hebrews 10:28).”

Instead, the cities of refuge simply prevented injustice by providing refuge in the extremely rare case of someone accidentally killing someone. In that case, the “manslayer,” the one who unintentionally killed someone, could flee to the city of refuge and would not be unjustly killed by the avenger of blood. The point is that this was not an act of mercy but was a provision in the Law that prevented injustice.

Second, we need to also consider how useful these cities of refuge were. I suppose if you and your friend went into the forest and the axe head slipped off your axe and struck your friend so that he died, and you knew about this obscure part of the Law that provided for cities of refuge for the manslayer, and you had the wherewithal to flee to the nearest city of refuge before the avenger of blood found you and killed you, then I suppose these cities of refuge would have been a very precious part of the Law to you. But as a practical matter, was any city of refuge ever used as a city of refuge? There is not one example of the use a city of refuge in the entire biblical record. Perhaps there was no use of this.

But think about it. How common is “unintentionally killing” someone? If you struck someone with an iron object, it was murder and you “shall surely be put to death (35:16).” If you struck him down with a stone, you are a murderer and “shall surely be put to death (35:17).” If you struck him with a wooden object, you are a murderer and “shall surely be put to death (35:18).” If you “pushed him of hatred, or threw something at him lying in wait, or struck him down with your hand, you are a murderer (35:20-21).” Guess what? “The blood avenger shall put the murderer to death (35:21).” So, I am having a hard time thinking of an occasion (other than the stray axe head) that could be classified as “unintentional killing.”

And then, even if you legitimately flee to the city of refuge because of unintentionally killing someone, you must stay there in that city of refuge “until the death of the high priest (35:25, 28).” If you do not stay within the city but wander beyond the border of that city before the death of the high priest, the blood avenger can kill you with impunity! So, these cities are of little practical use. But this was the best refuge that the Law had to offer, a provision of a place to flee when you were not deserving of punishment.

BUT WHAT REFUGE IS THERE FOR THE SINNER?

But what about the person who had committed a sin that was deserving of death? Where does this person flee? What provision is there in the Law for refuge for the sinner?

We have already seen that the one who was guilty of murder “shall surely be put to death” and, under the Law, there is no place of refuge for the murderer. But this was true for every sinner under the Law. For the one who sinned willfully, there was no sacrifice for sin,

“but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries (Hebrews 10:26-27).” “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31).”

But this judgment is only just, for the Law requires obedience and threatens a just recompense for all disobedience.

“Every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense (Hebrews 2:2).”

What then is the sinner to do? If there is no city of refuge, is there also no hope? Where, then, does forgiveness lie? It is certainly not available under the Law, for when Paul is prosecuting the Jews, the legalists who embrace the Law and attempt to earn their righteousness by their obedience to the Law, he declares in Romans 2:2,

“And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.”

God’s holiness evokes His wrath against all sin. God’s holy Law, therefore, demands justice and requires punishment. Sin surely requires, always requires a just recompense and the Law provides no refuge From God’s holy justice. So, again I ask, what is a sinner to do? Where is the place of refuge for the sinner?

REFUGE APART FROM THE LAW

This place of refuge is described in Romans 3:21-26, which begins

“But now, apart from the Law, a righteousness of God has been manifested (Romans 3:21).”

The old covenant, controlled by the Law, offered those who were not guilty of murder a city of refuge so that injustice would be prevented, but now, apart from the Law, the new covenant in Christ’s blood offers to every guilty sinner a Person of refuge “so that God would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:26).”

The cities of refuge, which were carefully established under the Law, were never intended to offer any forgiveness to anyone, but only offered physical protection to those who were not guilty. But the good news of the gospel, which was gloriously established at the cross, declares that faith in Jesus will bring complete forgiveness of all sins to every guilty sinner who will trust Christ as Lord and Savior, and that faith will guarantee them eternal life.

So, the next time you are in the book of Numbers and are reading about the cities of refuge in chapter 35, remember that these point to the cross and the eternal refuge of Christ.

SDG                 rmb                 6/14/2021                   #415