And Moses spoke to the people, saying, Arm from amongst you men for military service, that they go against Midian to execute Jehovah's vengeance upon Midian.
God's last command to Moses before his death is a war order. Moses passes it on with one striking change of wording. God speaks of avenging Israel; Moses speaks of executing the Lord's vengeance. That shift, the small size of the force, and the man chosen to lead it carry the meaning of the chapter.
God and Moses describe the same campaign from opposite sides, and one writer treats this as the heart of the passage.
When the LORD spoke, He told His servant to avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. But when Moses spoke, he told them to execute the LORD's vengeance on Midian. Is this not perfection? How exactly the LORD secures His own glory, and in grace to His people! The LORD thought of the people of Israel, and the people of Israel would think of the LORD. It was one common interest — the LORD and Israel had at heart one and the same thing. This was truly the mighty grace of God, completely reversing what the sin of man had done. As they fell under the power of the snare, it might have seemed that they must be separated from the LORD. But no; the bond had to be fastened tight, never to be broken.
The women of Midian had drawn Israel into idol worship. The war now ordered is the price of that.
Now, this war was what we may call abnormal. By right, the people ought not to have had any occasion to fight it at all. It was not one of the wars of Canaan. It was simply the result of their own unfaithfulness — the fruit of their own unholy dealings with the uncircumcised.
One writer applies the same lesson to believers today. Friendship with the world creates battles that were never part of the journey.
If we fall into idolatry, if we commit fornication with the world by yielding to its bait, if in any way at all we make friends with the world in the desert, we make wars for ourselves. We gain no spiritual ground from such warfare. God is obliged to make our relations with the world change completely. If we had not formed close ties with them, we would not have had that trouble. But since they deceive us as our friends, we must become enemies. Having no relations with them at all is our proper and peaceful position.
The order does not call up the nation. The restraint is deliberate.
The expedition did not need a great force. There was no question of calling up all Israel now. A small body would be enough. It had to be a select company, not the bravest chosen as such, but some of every tribe had to have a part in it. It is a question of executing the LORD's vengeance on the Midianites, and the tribes would share it between them equally. Anything that brought in Israel as a whole would give the people prominence. That would defeat this identification with His name, even if it did not look like national feeling or personal revenge.
Joshua was Moses' chosen successor, yet he is nowhere in this campaign. The man sent out is Phinehas the priest.
The priest is the prominent person; and the holy instruments, the prominent means. It is a question of wiping away the stain caused by their unholy association with the enemy. So instead of a general with sword and spear, it is a priest with holy instruments who appears in the foreground. True, the sword is here; but it is not the prominent thing. And that priest is the same man who first carried out judgment on the very evil that has to be avenged here.
The order was not an easy one for the man who had to give it.
His own father-in-law was a Midianite (Exodus 3:1). So it was surely a painful responsibility for Moses to command Israel to take vengeance for the Lord on Midian. Yet there is no sign that he even hesitated. He had learned that the word of the Lord is absolute and he would not question it at all.
One writer takes the words about the Lord's vengeance as pointing far beyond Midian.
The key is found in the third verse: the men are to go against Midian to execute the vengeance of the LORD upon Midian. There is another day of vengeance coming which will fall heavily upon the Gentile world. The Lord will avenge His people Israel and judge the nations for the sin they committed against them.
- Cause. Israel's own unfaithfulness caused this war. It "was not one of the wars of Canaan."
- Grace. God calls it Israel's wrong; Moses calls it the Lord's. Sin tried to separate them; grace binds them together in one shared cause.
- Reach. A share from every tribe, no more: the force stays small so the glory rests on God's name, not Israel's strength.
- Holiness. Not a general but a priest leads, carrying holy instruments. Holiness removes the stain of compromise, not military skill.
- Result. The vengeance carried out here casts a shadow of a greater day, when God will judge the nations for what they did to His people.
Of every tribe a thousand, of all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.
Israel's last campaign in the wilderness opens with a draft notice: one thousand men from each of the twelve tribes, and no more. That small, even force raises two questions. Why fight this war at all? And why did God want every tribe in it?
The fight with Midian was not part of the journey God had planned. Israel's own unholy dealings with Midian brought it on. The sword now had to clear away the stain. Commentators note that this campaign stands apart from the battles for Canaan:
Now, this war was what we may call abnormal. By right, the people ought not to have had any occasion to encounter it at all. It was not one of the wars of Canaan. It was simply the result of their own unfaithfulness — the fruit of their own unhallowed dealings with the uncircumcised. So although Joshua had been properly appointed to succeed Moses as leader of the people, we find no mention of him at all in connection with this war.
Friendship with the world costs more than it ever pays:
But if we fail — if we fall into idolatry, if we commit immorality with the world by giving in to its lures, if we form a friendship with the world in the desert in any way at all — we make wars for ourselves. And we gain no spiritual ground by such warfare. God has to change our relations with the world completely. If we had not formed close ties with them, we would not have had that trouble. But since they deceive us as our friends, we must become enemies.
Moses passed the order on, but he did not repeat it word for word:
When the Lord spoke, He told His servant to take vengeance for the children of Israel on the Midianites; but when Moses spoke, he told them to take vengeance for the Lord on Midian. See how exactly the Lord secures His own glory, and in grace to His people! The Lord thought of the children of Israel, and the children of Israel would think of the Lord. It was one common interest — the Lord and Israel had at heart one and the same thing.
The number is small on purpose — twelve thousand men in all. They are not picked for being the bravest, but for the tribe each one represents. Every tribe carries the same share:
The expedition did not need any great force. There was no question of calling out all Israel now. A small body would be enough. It had to be a select company — not the bravest chosen as such, but some of every tribe had to take part in it. This is about taking vengeance for the Lord on the Midianites, and the tribes would share it equally between them. Anything that brought in Israel as a whole would give them prominence, and that would defeat this identification with His name — even if it did not look like national feeling or personal vengeance.
The corruption had touched the whole nation, so no tribe could stand at a distance from the answer to it:
Everything shows the character of what is done: it is Israel's vengeance, yet the Lord's none the less… Each tribe furnishes its quota and takes its part. The blow falls, swift, irresistible, decisive.
Israel's appointed leader plays no part here. The men go out under Phinehas the priest:
The priest is the prominent person, and the holy instruments the prominent means. This is about wiping away the stain caused by their unholy association with the enemy. So instead of a general officer with sword and spear, a priest with holy instruments appears in the foreground. True, the sword is here, but it is not the prominent thing. It is the priest with the vessels of the sanctuary — and that priest is the very man who first carried out judgment on the same evil that now has to be avenged.
The priest's role covers more than mercy:
Priestly work is generally connected with grace and intercession. But the holiness of priesthood also needs firm judgment of evil. So Phinehas was the right leader in this case.
In God's hands, the war Israel should never have fought became a source of gain. But fire or water had to do its work first:
But God is gracious. So, through a special application of priestly ministry, they were able not only to defeat the Midianites but to carry away much spoil… His grace shines out very brightly in the scene before us, since He actually agrees to accept a portion of the spoils taken from the Midianites. But the evil had to be judged thoroughly. In the end, the fire of judgment and the water of purification had to do their work on the spoil, before God or His people could touch any part of it.
- Cause. The Midian war was self-made — the bill for friendship with the world, not a battle God had planned for Israel.
- Claim. God calls it Israel's vengeance; Moses calls it the Lord's. One interest, held in common between God and His people.
- Quota. A thousand per tribe gives all twelve an equal share. The stain touched everyone, so judging it belonged to everyone.
- Command. Not Israel's appointed leader but Phinehas the priest leads, with the holy instruments in front of the sword.
- Consequence. God turns a war they should never have fought into spoil He is willing to share — after fire and water have done their work.
And there were levied out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand by tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
Israel's last campaign under Moses does not begin with a march into Canaan but with a reckoning with Midian. Why such a small force, why the same quota from every tribe, and why this war at all?
This battle was not part of the plan. Israel's own dealings with Midian brought it on them. And the man who led it was not the one you would expect.
Now, this war was what we may call abnormal. By right, the people ought not to have had any occasion to encounter it at all. It was not one of the wars of Canaan. It was simply the result of their own unfaithfulness — the fruit of their own dealings with people outside the covenant. Because of this, Joshua is never mentioned in connection with this war, though he had already been properly appointed to succeed Moses as leader of the people. The expedition is given instead to Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, and he sets out with the holy instruments and the trumpets.
The command is not worded the same way twice. Watch what that difference says about the bond between God and His people.
When the Lord spoke, He told His servant to avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites. But when Moses spoke, he told the people to avenge the Lord on Midian. How exactly the Lord secures His own glory, and in grace to His people! The Lord thought of the children of Israel, and the children of Israel would think of the Lord. It was one common interest — the Lord and Israel had at heart one and the same thing. They had fallen into the snare. It might have seemed that they must be separated from the Lord. But no; the link must be riveted, never to be broken.
The muster is small and even-handed on purpose. The reason lies in whose name the war is fought.
A small body would be enough. It must be a select company, not the bravest chosen as such, but some of every tribe must have part in it. It is a question of avenging the Lord of the Midianites, and the tribes would share it between them equally. Bringing in all Israel would give the nation prominence. That would spoil this identification with His name, even if it never looked like national feeling or personal revenge. Neither of those may have a place here. Everything must be done in holiness in His name. It must be the Lord's vengeance, so it is ordered in a sacred way. It was a small body to send against such a formidable people.
Another writer sees a larger judgment pictured here:
Before Israel finally takes the land, judgment will clear the way for peace. In the same way, here, before Israel crosses the Jordan, judgment falls on Midian, the sons of strife. It is the shadow of that final judgment. Everything shows the character of what is done: it is Israel's vengeance, yet the Lord's none the less. The blow falls, swift, irresistible, decisive.
The force that set out came home intact.
Now fresh victory awaited Israel in the expedition against Midian. Twelve thousand went out to war. Twelve thousand returned victorious. Not a man was lost. Yet the five kings of Midian were killed, and every Midianite as well, along with Balaam the son of Beor.
Writers apply all of this to believers today.
Suppose we fail. We fall into idolatry. We commit fornication with the world by yielding to its bait. Or in any way at all we make friends with the world in the desert. Then we make wars for ourselves, and this kind of warfare gains us no spiritual ground. God is obliged to make our relations with the world undergo a total change. If we had not formed close ties with them, we should not have had that trouble. But since they deceive us as our friends, we must become enemies. Having no relations with them at all is our proper and peaceful position.
Yet God turned the whole episode to profit.
War with Midian formed no part of Israel's proper work. They had themselves to thank for it. But God is gracious. Through a special application of priestly ministry they were able to conquer the Midianites and even to carry away much spoil. God, in His infinite goodness, brings good out of evil.
- Cause. The campaign was self-inflicted. It was not one of the wars of Canaan, but the fruit of Israel's own unfaithfulness with Midian.
- Claim. God calls it avenging Israel; Moses calls it avenging the Lord. One interest, shared between God and His people.
- Company. Every tribe has a part, and no tribe takes the glory. The name honoured is His, not Israel's.
- Care. Twelve thousand marched out and twelve thousand came back. A small band faced a formidable people, and not a man was lost.
- Consequence. Friendship with the world creates wars we were never meant to fight. Yet God brings good out of evil and sends His people home with spoil.
And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand by the tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, and the holy instruments, even the alarm-trumpets in his hand.
Midian's women had lured Israel into idolatry, and the Lord now told Moses to settle accounts with Midian before he died. Moses sends out a priest to lead the war, not a soldier — and the priest carries the sanctuary's vessels and the trumpets.
This campaign stands apart from the conquest that lay ahead.
Now, this war was what we may call abnormal. By rights, they should never have had to face it at all. It was not one of the wars of Canaan. It was simply the result of their own unfaithfulness — the fruit of their own unholy dealings with the uncircumcised.
The wording of the chapter shifts. God speaks of avenging Israel; Moses speaks of avenging the Lord. (The ESV puts Moses' words as "to execute the LORD's vengeance on Midian.")
This is a very remarkable passage. The Lord says to Moses, "Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites." And Moses says to Israel, "Avenge the Lord of Midian." The daughters of Midian had trapped the people by their schemes, through the evil influence of Balaam. Now they are called to clear themselves completely of all the defilement they had taken on through lack of watchfulness.
The choice of commander looks strange for a military campaign.
One thousand men from each tribe were recruited for this attack (v.5). But it was not a warrior like Joshua who led them, but "Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest" (v.6). He had shown himself faithful to the Lord. He quickly killed a man of Israel and a Midianite woman who had openly come together in the middle of Israel (Num. 25:6-8). Priestly work is usually connected with grace and intercession. But the holiness of priesthood also needs firm judgment of evil. So Phinehas was the right leader in this case.
Israel's real problem was a stain, and that shapes the whole scene.
The priest is the main figure here, and the holy instruments are the main means used. The point is to wipe away the stain caused by their unholy association with the enemy. So instead of an army officer with sword and spear, it is a priest with holy instruments who stands in the foreground. The sword is here, true, but it is not the prominent thing. It is the priest with the vessels of the sanctuary. And that priest is the very same man who first carried out judgment on the very evil that must now be avenged.
The trumpets in Phinehas' hand are not military signals only. They reach back to an earlier instruction and its attached promise.
The sons of Aaron — the priests — were to blow. And it was promised that on war in the land, God would, when the alarm was sounded, remember them and save them from their enemies.
Some see the scene reaching forward beyond Midian.
There is another day of vengeance coming which will fall heavily upon the Gentile world. The Lord will avenge His people Israel and judge the nations for the sin they committed against them. Of this the prophetic Word speaks often. That day is closely linked with Israel's restoration to the land. Then the true King-Priest will appear, like Phinehas, who was with the army of Israel (Isaiah 63:1-6; 2 Thess. 1:7-9).
The Midianites picture a danger closer to home than an army.
We fail to keep strict separation from the world. We let ourselves be drawn into alliance with it. As a result we get involved in trouble and conflict that is not really ours at all. War with Midian formed no part of Israel's proper work. They had themselves to thank for it. But God is gracious. Through a special use of priestly ministry, He enabled them not only to conquer the Midianites, but to carry away much spoil.
- Cause. This war came from Israel's own unfaithfulness. It was not one of the wars of Canaan, but trouble they brought on themselves.
- Leader. The issue was defilement. So the leader is not Joshua the soldier but Phinehas the priest, who had already judged this very evil.
- Instruments. The vessels of the sanctuary, not sword and spear, stand in the foreground. Holiness comes before military strength.
- Trumpets. A priest blows them, and they carry God's promise to remember His people and save them from their enemies.
- Outcome. Grace turned a war they should never have needed into victory and spoil. Some writers see here a coming day when the true King-Priest appears.
And they warred against Midian, as Jehovah had commanded Moses, and slew all the males.
Midian never beat Israel in battle; Midian beat Israel by charm. This verse is God's answer to that, and it raises a hard question — why this war, and why so complete?
Israel's appointed wars lay ahead, in Canaan. So where did this one come from?
Now, this war was what we may call abnormal. By rights, the people should never have had to face it at all. It was not one of the wars of Canaan. It was simply the result of their own unfaithfulness — the fruit of their own unholy dealings with the uncircumcised.
The same thing happens when God's people make friends with the world.
Suppose there is failure. Suppose we fall into idolatry, or commit fornication with the world by yielding to its baits, or in any way at all make friends with the world in the desert. Then we make wars for ourselves, and we gain no spiritual ground by this kind of warfare. God must then change our relations with the world completely. If we had not formed close ties with them, we should not have had that trouble. But since as our friends they deceive us, we must become enemies. Having no relations with them at all is our proper and peaceful position.
These people stand for something wider than one desert tribe.
The Midianites picture a particular kind of influence the world has over the hearts of God's people. It is the fascinating, ensnaring power of the world, used by Satan to keep us from entering our proper heavenly portion. Israel should have had nothing to do with these Midianites. But in an evil hour, an unguarded moment, they were trapped into joining themselves to them. Now nothing remains but war and complete destruction.
The army went out under a priest, not a soldier.
The priest is the prominent person, and the holy instruments are the prominent means. It is a question of wiping away the stain caused by their unholy association with the enemy. So instead of a general officer with sword and spear, it is a priest with holy instruments who appears in the foreground. True, the sword is here; but it is not the prominent thing.
The man chosen had already dealt with this evil once before.
It was not a warrior like Joshua who led them, but "Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest." A man of Israel and a Midianite woman had brazenly come together in the middle of Israel, and Phinehas promptly killed them. That showed he was faithful to the Lord. Priestly work is usually linked with grace and intercession. But the holiness of priesthood also needs firm judgment of evil, so Phinehas was a fitting leader here.
The verse credits the result to God's command, and the dead include one name worth noticing.
The victory was complete, for God had ordered the battle. Israel killed the kings of Midian and every male, including Balaam the fortune-teller… Midian's name means "strife." It speaks of the spirit of quarreling and division, which God's people must judge.
The last words of the verse are the hardest. Commentators take them as a measure of how completely the evil had to go.
But God is gracious. Through a special application of priestly ministry, they were able not only to conquer the Midianites, but to carry away much spoil. In His infinite goodness, God brings good out of evil… But the evil had to be judged completely. "Every male" had to be put to death. Everyone who carried the energy of that evil had to be wiped out. And in the end the fire of judgment and the water of purification had to do their work on the spoil, before God or His people could touch any of it.
For us the victory comes with a condition.
God gives a complete victory as soon as we treat them as foes: only, all that seduced must be utterly destroyed. There must be nothing spared, no concession.
- Cause. The war was avoidable. Israel fought Midian only because Israel had first befriended Midian.
- Character. Midian pictures the ensnaring pull of the world. It wins by charm, not by force, and keeps God's people from their heavenly portion.
- Leader. A priest led the army, not a soldier. Holiness in priesthood includes firm judgment of evil.
- Completeness. "Every male" died, Balaam among them. Everything carrying the energy of that evil had to go — nothing spared, no concession.
- Outcome. God ordered the battle, so the victory was total. In His goodness He brought good out of the evil itself, giving spoil to the people who had caused the trouble.