Numbers 31:12-18 (KJV)
And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by Jordan near Jericho. [13] And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp. [14] And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle. [15] And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? [16] Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter 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 that hath known man by lying with him. [18] But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
Moses and Eleazar and the princes went forth to meet them without the camp. We know that when we return from our spiritual battles, and go to heaven, Christ and saints of old will be there to greet us as we enter in. We have done the will of God, we have fought the good fight, we have kept the faith. Christ shall greet us with open arms to relieve us of our weary souls that have gone through the battles with the devil in this world. The saints will be there also, those who have likewise fought this war in times past, and some who have died for the cause. They will comfort us, knowing those who fought in the past also fought not in vain, but for eternal life and glory. We shall rejoice with them all, in the presence of the Father.
Have ye saved all the women alive? The captains of Israel's army thought to give mercy upon the women of Midian by taking them captive alive. But Moses was not pleased with this. He was angry, filled with the wrath of God. He was to take vengeance upon Midian for the Lord. Taking them captive was not vengeance, but favour. It was grace. Grace cannot be given to objects of vengeance.
We see then God's true vengeance is without even one drop of His mercy. To show pity or compassion is not true justice. A truly just judge cannot bend the law simply because he feels sorry for the criminal. If he bends the law for one criminal, he must do the same for others. In so doing he corrupts the goodness of the law, and becomes a corrupt judge. God is not a corrupt judge that bends His laws to show compassion to anyone. He shows no partiality to any man. No tears or begging can make Him compromise on His perfect love for good and hatred for evil. His law will stand. Read what Jesus said:
Matthew 5:17-18 (KJV)
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
How is it then, that God can be merciful to sinners? How is it that God can forgive sin or be gracious, be compassionate or have pity on lawbreakers? How can God just let criminals go free? What about justice? How much it baffles us and makes us to foam at our mouths to hear how vile men who have committed evil crimes are now walking free due to the failures of our justice system. Is not that what God is doing? Do we charge God of twisting His laws and bending His justice just because He could show compassion on transgressors?
God can have pity on us because of Jesus Christ. Christ died on the cross, condemned with a death sentence so that God can be just in forgiving our sins. God can show mercy and grace, because Christ became our sin on the cross for us. God is now free to show us abundant mercy, for Christ His Son has paid the penalty. We can go free, and it is not a stretch of His justice, because of the cross. God can now be just and the justifier of sinners. This was God's doing and it was marvelous to our eyes, as the Psalmist says. This plan of salvation was God's idea and initiative, and it was carried out by His will.
Shall we then say that God is unjust in His dealings with Midian in this passage? Was He unjust in killing of these women and their male seed? Was He unjust in wiping out the generation of Midian? By no means. He was being fully just. Midian received the just recompense for their rebellion against God and His law. The question is not, then, 'was God unjust', but 'why didn't God show compassion on Midian?' The answer to this question is found in Romans:
Romans 9:20-24 (KJV)
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it , Why hast thou made me thus? [21] Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? [22] What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: [23] And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, [24] Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
God shows mercy on whom He chooses to show mercy, and hardens whom He chooses to harden, and both for His glory. Why did Midian perish so severely? First of all, so that those who shall receive the mercy of God shall read of this account, realize that they should have died like this without pity, and thank and glorify God for having pity on vessels of mercy. And that is all we Christians are. We are no different from the people of Midian. But it was up to God who chose us from the foundation of the world to have mercy on us. We never deserved to have Christ to die for us so that God may have compassion on us. But it was up to His election, that we may not boast.
We are therefore not to complain that God showed no compassion on Midian. Instead, we ought to see what judgment without mercy looks like, and tremble. We ought to remember how the entire old world perished by the flood, and only eight people lived by God's grace. Life is a gift of God, and it is a gracious gift to those who use it for sin. God the Giver has the right to take away life, and especially from those who do not deserve life.
But not only this, but we ought to remember how our Lord Jesus died without mercy. If any man deserved compassion from God it was Christ. But God showed Him who knew no sin no pity. The judgment fell upon the Son of God without one drop of God's mercy. When Christ desired just a drop of water for His thirst, they gave Him vinegar mixed with gall. God did not spare His own Son, and subjected Him under the agony of hell. The only relief He was given was that He died quicker than the other thieves. The guilt of God crushed Him totally, and He died like how people of Midian died. If God Himself went through such cursed death on the cross, should we say such things like "why didn't God show mercy?" God showed no mercy even to His own Son. Christ Himself received no mercy from God and died under the law of God. Human beings have no right to say such things. He died, so that some of us may received unlimited mercy and grace and compassionate for the rest of eternity. We can only thank God for that. Let us Christians of all people never question God foolishly. God spared not angels that sinned. It was only to men that God gave rescue. Let us worship Christ, our Saviour.
Moses spares however the young girls among Midian who have not known a man yet. To not sin is life. No doubt in this wicked Midianite society it was a shame for girls not have have slept with a man. Fornication was so deep rooted in their culture that that had probably became the norm in their society. Is this not so in today's society? They mock at celibacy and those who keep themselves pure, and think it odd that Christians do not follow their defiled practices. But there shall come a Day, when God shall avenge all who have followed after evil, and those who kept themselves pure and holy through the blood of Jesus shall live. Those who have been faithful to Christ, and committed no spiritual adultery against Him shall be spared. Let us then, keep our souls pure and holy, separated unto God. Let us not love the world nor the idols in it, lest we be defiled and perish like the women of Midian who had given themselves over to wickedness. Let us worship Him who died the same death that Midian died, that we who believe may be spared. Let us give thanks to God for His mercy, which came at a cost. Let us live a life pleasing to Him. Amen.
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