Vengeance on the Midianites

Numbers 31:1-54

So Moses said to the people, “Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites so that they may carry out the Lord’s vengeance on them. Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.”  So twelve thousand men armed for battle, a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel.

Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder. They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps.

Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them. “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the Lord’s people.  Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man,  but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.

This is what is required by the law that the Lord gave Moses: Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, lead and anything else that can withstand fire must be put through the fire, and then it will be clean. But it must also be purified with the water of cleansing. And whatever cannot withstand fire must be put through that water.  On the seventh day wash your clothes and you will be clean. Then you may come into the camp.”

The Lord said to Moses, “You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads of the community are to count all the people and animals that were captured.  Divide the spoils equally between the soldiers who took part in the battle and the rest of the community. From the soldiers who fought in the battle, set apart as tribute for the Lord one out of every five hundred, whether people, cattle, donkeys or sheep.

Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—went to Moses and said to him, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one is missing."

Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted from them the gold—all the crafted articles. All the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds that Moses and Eleazar presented as a gift to the Lord weighed 16,750 shekels. Each soldier had taken plunder for himself.  Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord.

Why?

Victory belongs to the Lord, under the blessing of the Lord so Israelite may conquer Midianite and capture many goods as plunder.

Not only the fighter but also the people may share this plunder. 

This is a fully success flight that is not one of Israelite's losses.

How?

Victory belongs to the Lord so as my work my success in everything belong to the Lord.