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CHAPTER 30
1. (v. 2 in Hebrew) Then Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes [mattoth] for the descendants of Israel, saying, "This is the thing that YHWH commanded:
Here we see two aspects of our heritage: Israel’s tribes and their leaders. If there is no one in charge when we enter the Promised Land, our unity will very quickly fall apart. So Moshe is teaching the leaders how to make rulings and hold the people under them accountable. He realized Israel needed more than one grand ruler. Moshe knew he was about to die, so he was trying to get enough instruction into the leaders of Israel so they would be wise enough to go on and keep Israel going without him. They had recently broken their vow to YHWH and though Pin'has stopped YHWH's wrath, the stench of adultery is still on the people. So He addresses the issue at the most basic level--the personal one:
2. "‘If a man makes a vow to YHWH, or has sworn an oath to bind an obligation onto his soul, he may not break his word; he must carry out everything that has proceeded from his mouth.
How can one “break his word”? By not doing what he says he will do. Other things will also get broken, like trust, relationships, and progress. It literally says, "profane his word"—i.e., make it common rather than holy. The term “bind” means “to yoke” or “to hitch”, but also to “join in battle”. Integrity is a big part of our heritage. The corporate drawing-near outlined in chapter 29 depends on Israel being built of trustworthy individuals who live up to their word. Anything that comes out of the mouth of a holy person changes things in the spirit world; it is as strong as a vow, as we have opened a door in the spirit and we no longer have a say in whether we will do the thing. The Hebrew word for “vow” is related to “seven”, symbolic of completion (ever since the creation). Thus, one who makes a vow is promising to complete something, so that whatever he says can be considered "done" and be depended upon. Being tied up is a humbling experience, but the positive side of that is that it allows us to see the task to which we have connected ourselves as more important than how we feel at this moment. The term for “soul” has to do with what we pant after or desire most fervently; it therefore implies being enthusiastic about what we have committed ourselves to, even when it becomes difficult. Even when the initial feeling of excitement goes away, we must exercise our passion at a deeper, more mature level, and force ourselves to stick with it and see it through to completion anyway, doing everything within our power to see that what we have promised takes place. Moshe brought YHWH’s words to the people, and their words back to Him—the promise to do all that YHWH had spoken. (Ex. 19:7ff; 24:3,7) Our covenant is based on words, and our ancestors bound not just themselves, but their descendants—us—to it as well. So we were all there at Sinai and agreed to this, not just those physically standing there that day. It was for those who would come later as well. If we say we are Israel, we implicitly take this oath upon ourselves. Ecclesiastes 5:4 tells us to fulfill our vows since YHWH has no pleasure in fools. Even where no specific penalty is laid out, 32:23 tells us that what we say and fail to do will come back on us in some way. So we must think before we speak, weighing out our words in advance, for there is no way of getting out of them that will not cause damage either on the personal or corporate level. We are yoked to whomever we make a promise to, so we must not make agreements with those who do not keep the Torah if they will in any way require us to break or even loosen the Torah. (Ex. 23:32; Hoshea 1:3ff) Yaaqov was careful about whom he bound himself to; when Esau embraced him we are not told that he embraced him back. He kept his distance because he knew his brother’s emotions were volatile. If one cannot trust someone when he speaks plainly (a simple "yes" or "no", Mat. 5:33), his word is worthless. Yeshua says it is better not to make any oath at all. One has not committed a wrong if he refrains from making any vows (Deut. 23); it is a voluntary means of expressing his love for YHWH in a deeper way than was required, but when it came to be expected of the pious and one had to resort to such circumlocution to excuse himself from responsibility, Yeshua had to take stringent measures to correct it. We belong to the Truth. The Hebrew term for “vow” connotes an exchange or agreement, such as, “If You get me out of this crisis, I will do something for you.” If we have to “cut such deals” with YHWH, these obligations apply. Avraham called heaven and earth to witness when he made a vow (Gen. 24:2), and that meant heaven and earth would both come against him if he broke it, so it is never something to be taken casually. It was YHWH’s words that brought order out of chaos at creation; bringing Israel back into proper order again depends on our being faithful to our words too.
3. "But when a woman makes a vow to YHWH, and has bound [herself with] an obligation [while] in her father's house during her youth,
4. "and her father hears the vow which she has made or the obligation by which she has bound herself, and her father remains silent in regard to her, then all her vows shall stand, and every obligation to which she has bound herself shall stand.
If her father knows of a way in which her well-meant vow may disrupt the life of the household as a whole, he has the right and responsibility to overrule it. Silence implies consent. The father has no option to be lazy and decide not to make the decision right away.
5. "But if her father forbids her on the day he hears [of it], then none of her obligations with which she has bound her soul shall remain valid, and YHWH will forgive her, since her father held her back [from them].
The theme of taking responsibility for those entrusted to us continues. Biblically, a son is not accountable or expected to act on his own until age 20, though if he marries before that, he is the head of a new household; but a woman remains under her first authority until she comes under another. The constituted authority of one who has her best interests at heart takes precedence over personal whims. A loving father may nullify rash words on the part of his immature daughter. On the day he hears: the day he finds out about it. After that day he has no recourse and must bear the responsibility if it turns out to be a foolish vow.
6. "Or if she belonged in any way to a husband when she made her vow or spoke anything unadvisably with her lips by which she obligated herself,
Belonged in any way: i.e., from the point at which she is betrothed, though they might not yet live together. At the point when he agrees to her marriage, the authority over her is transferred from her father to her husband. Unadvisedly: She may have spoken out of genuine enthusiasm or compassion, but hastily because she did not know about some other plans her husband had or other needs with which it would conflict.
7. "and her husband heard it and remained silent in regard to her on the day when he heard [it], then her vows shall stand, and her obligations by which she bound her soul shall stand.
This behooves every man to be very aware of what his wife and children are doing.
8. "But if her husband forbade [it] on the day on which he heard [it], then he shall render null her vow that she vowed, or whatever she said unadvisedly with her lips and bound herself thereby, and YHWH shall hold her guiltless.
The soul of a husband is already bound to his wife, but any agreement she makes becomes binding on him as well, and if he does not want his soul bound to this other thing or person, he may nullify it. But he must overrule it immediately. He has only until sundown to pray, ask authorities, or study to determine what is appropriate. This means he must have a strong background in the Torah and a strong sense of who he is, because he must decide very quickly which vows to annul and which not to. YHWH had just annulled the implied "vows" of His bride to a false elohim (Ba'al-Peor) to whom she had bound herself. (25:3) But when Israel made the vow, “we will do and we will hear” in regard to His commands (Ex. 19:8), YHWH never annulled it, so it must stand. He went to the great length of Yeshua’s death to ensure that we whose ancestors abandoned this vow would again be able to take up our part in the chain of responsibility.
9. "(But every vow [made by] a widow or a divorcee, by which she has obligated herself, will be established in regard to her.)
She is not under any direct authority who can revoke a vow for her. She must therefore, being older than the other women mentioned, exercise that maturity and be more careful about what she says, for she is responsible for what comes out of her mouth, even if she must do so alone.
10. "Now if she has made a vow in her husband's house, or bound her soul to an obligation with an oath,
11. "and her husband has remained silent when he heard it rather than forbidding her, then all her vows will stand; every obligation to which she has bound herself will also stand.
12. "But if her husband has indeed rendered them void on the day which he heard [of] them, then whatever went forth from her lips concerning the obligation of her soul will not stand; her husband has nullified them, and YHWH will forgive her.
YHWH does not hold liable one who is under authority and therefore cannot fulfill the vow if the authority overrules it because of his perspective on the big picture.
13. "Her husband may validate or annul any vow or binding oath to humble herself.
Humble herself: often an idiom for fasting. (29:7; Lev. 16:29; clearly linked in Psalm 35:13) It would be difficult for her to cook for her family if she were fasting. Yeshayahu 58 also says the reason to fast is to share our bread with the hungry, and to bring the poor into our homes. A woman might, out of compassion, invite into her home one she thinks is needy, but whom her husband knows is a shyster who has been unwilling to work when he could and is thus not deserving. Even if it is someone she knows, if it would cause chaos in the household or expose the wife or daughter to unnecessary danger, he has the right to say, “No, you are no longer responsible to do this.”
14. "But if her husband keeps completely silent in regard to her from day to day, then he validates all her vows or the obligation which are upon her; he establishes them since he remained silent toward her on the day when he heard [them].
From day to day: i.e., he waits until a later date, even the next day.
15. "But if after hearing them, he in any way violates them, then he shall bear her guilt."
He bears full responsibility if he does nothing about a foolish vow as soon as he hears it, then later says, “I don’t want you to do that after all.” There is a price to pay, and he may even have to carry out the oath in her stead. Yeshua nullified the oaths our ancestors had made to all the pagan elohim we had worshipped, but since the "day" had passed, he had to bear the crookedness of the one he loved. He had the authority to do so since the head of the House of David is also the ruler over all Israel, not just his own tribe.
16. These are the prescribed boundaries which YHWH commanded Moshe between a man and his wife [or] between a father and daughter who, being a youth, still lives in her father's household.
Prescribed boundaries: the limits of the woman’s authority. It also means the rulings for a household, and Moshe has already established that these rulings will stand in every household in Israel, whether we agree with them or not, for they are YHWH’s rulings.
CHAPTER 31
1. Then YHWH told Moshe,
2. "Avenge the descendants of Israel from the Midyanites with a vengeance, and afterward you will be gathered to your people."
Being “gathered to one’s people” is an idiomatic reference to his death, when he would again be with his ancestors. Though he has cared for this ungrateful, stiff-necked generation, he does not belong to them, but to Avraham, Yitzhaq, and Yaaqov. His reward is to be with those who did not question YHWH’s words. But before he can be in better company, he must complete this unfinished business. Before he died, King David also ensured his son’s kingdom by making sure some would be avenged whom he had not been able to avenge during his own lifetime because of promises he made too hastily. (1 Kings 2) Avenge: or punish with a vengeance. Though there appear to have been more Moavites than Midyanites who seduced the Israelites, the Midyanites were behind the scheme. (25:15ff) The Midyanite princess defiled the tabernacle, and Israelites had to be killed, so YHWH told Israel to harass them. (25:16) In Hebrew this means to cramp them or give them no space to relax. Here He says to finish the job. No one in his right mind really wants to go to war, but part of our heritage is that we are to avenge, on YHWH’s behalf, any who would seek to lead Israel astray. We are not characteristically a vengeful people, but those who attract Israelites to another deity, whether by overt war or with the method they used, must be dealt with decisively. The Midyanites’ name also means “people of strife”, and Moshe is representative of the Torah, whose work it is to put an end to strife. Though they are outside the Land of Israel, and would probably pose no direct threat to Israel anymore, they do not escape YHWH's notice, because they were the ones who "set His wife up with another man", so Moshe needed to ensure before he died that this irritant would not be left to come tempt Israel again.
3. So Moshe told the people, "Let some men from among you be equipped to go out to battle; it will be against Midyan, to deliver YHWH's vengeance on Midyan.
YHWH did not tell Moshe to speak to them this time, as on many previous occasions. (v. 1) He only told Moshe to take this vengeance. Yet Moshe did speak to them. He knew he could not single-handedly fight five kings. The people are his way to attack strife. And we are the resources given to the Torah today. We do not know who we are unless we look into the Torah. Vengeance is YHWH’s (Deut. 32:35-43), but we are sometimes the instrument of His justice (32:35). Why could He not simply forgive this mistake the Midyanites made? Because love includes and depends on both judgment and mercy. Strife cannot go unchecked, or it will consume the whole people. Though many have twisted Yeshua’s words to make it seem that we should let the wicked have the upper hand and always forgive even when there is no repentance, this does not agree with the rest of Scripture. (e.g., Psalm 58:10) We are forbidden from taking vengeance on fellow Israelites (Lev. 19:17), and told to teach one another the right way instead, but those who cause Israel to stumble will be paid back. Court procedures for restitution as found in the Torah preclude the need for personal grudges. Yirmeyahu 50:28-32 shows that it is those who escape the enemy who are to call on YHWH to avenge them. (Compare Rev. 6:10.) If His people are in sin, He may call on an outside nation to avenge Himself on us (Deut. 32:21). YHWH told them to take vengeance for themselves; Moshe told them to do so for YHWH’s sake. It seemed the higher motive than fighting to take revenge, but ultimately what is done for YHWH will benefit Israel.
4. "You shall send out a thousand per tribe to the army--a thousand per tribe for all of the tribes of Israel."
5. So from the thousands of Israel, a thousand per tribe were assigned: 12,000 equipped to go out to battle,
Why did Moshe not send the whole army of 600,000 and get the job done quickly and easily? Because he wanted to make sure Israel and her neighbors all recognized that it was YHWH who was bringing this vengeance. As with Gid’on later (who also battled this same people—see Judges 6), having a small army go against five city-states at once will let them see His power more easily, and this is what is most beneficial to the whole world. Only YHWH is capable of ending strife and bringing true balance, and even He can do so only when we walk in Torah. When we do, it is only a matter of time—and probably some more battles like this one—until the rest of the world comes into line. The Levites did not go to battle, being the “personal bodyguards” of YHWH’s sanctuary. But there was one exception:
6. and Moshe sent them to the army—1,000 per tribe--and along with them, Pin'has the son of El'azar to be a priest to the army, with vessels of the sanctuary and signaling trumpets in his hand,
This "warrior for YHWH" (chapter 25) was the first recorded "army chaplain". There was no one better to carry out this task, and it would appear he was "immortal" until his days were fulfilled, since he was given a "covenant of completeness." He had already made war on these very Midyanites who had precipitated the plague (chapter 25). Such a leader deserved to be out in front, motivating the armies of Israel to carry on what he himself had already begun. He would direct the movements of the army through the particular soundings of the trumpets. He was the precursor to the war priest of Deut. 20. Here, he was a visible sign of YHWH’s presence with His people, as Moshe’s rod had been in the battle against Amaleq. This was not magic, but gave the Israelite warriors encouragement, motivation, and strength in battle, as a flag can often do.
7. and they made war on the Midyanites as YHWH had commanded Moshe, and they
killed all the males.
Killed all the males: could also read, "destroyed all remembrance", since the Hebrew word for “male” means "remembered"; mothers are rarely recorded in genealogies. The women were less “Midyanite” in this sense, being defined instead by whomever was their head. If their name were erased, it would be as if they had never existed. This account only pertains to the part of the Midyanite population that had come to assist Balaq in his campaign against Israel. (22:4) It did not apply to Moshe’s in-laws, who lived near Mt. Sinai in Midyan’s original territory. The Midyanites spread far down along the Red Sea coast of Arabia (some trace the Medina of Muslim fame to the name Midyan), and lived along the edge of the desert as far north as the eastern edge of Moav.
8. On top of the [rest of] the ones mortally wounded, they killed the kings of Midyan: Ewi [My Lust], Reqem [Diversity], Tzur [Rock], Chuwr [Bored Hole], and Reva [A Quarter]--five kings of Midyan. They also killed Bilaam the son of Beor with the sword.
Diversity: the very byword of the "New World Order". Why would they kill Bilaam, who had blessed Israel so many times? (ch. 22-24) Because when he saw that YHWH was with Israel, he should have allied himself with them. Instead, he remained with the people who had paid him to find a way to destroy Israel. Though he only prophesied what YHWH had said, on the side he gave their enemies a clue as to where to find the back door, which was not as securely guarded. (v. 16) He was still motivated by his greed, so YHWH finally punished it. Though chapter 24 says he had gone back to his land, apparently he could not stay away from this kind of company, and had returned to stay with them again, sealing his downfall.
9. Then the descendants of Israel took the women of Midyan and their toddlers captive, and plundered their beasts, their livestock, and their wealth.
Even Bilaam's faithful donkey was therefore blessed by being allowed to become an "Israelite"! She would be less likely to have such a cruel master now.
10. But all their cities in their inhabited areas, as well as their fortifications, they burned with fire.
Fortifications: or strongholds; the Aramaic Targum Onqelos renders it "houses of worship", where they kept their idol sanctuaries "under guard" (Aramaic). Their memory had to be erased as completely as possible. To have this utter destruction of a people who marred the community life of Israel right at the gateway to the Land would be a sober warning to any who would try to do the same again.
11. And they carried away all the spoils and the booty of both human being and beast,
12. and they had all the captives, booty, and spoils brought to Moshe, El'azar the cohen, and the congregation of the descendants of Israel at their encampment on the transitional lands of Moav which are by the Yarden of Y’rikho.
Transitional lands: the meaning of Aravah, the proper name of this section of the Great Rift Valley. Outside the Land of Kanaan, Israel was permitted to take spoils from those we conquered; not so inside the Land. A higher standard of holiness is required there. Israelite levels of settlement are easily identified by archaeologists by the fact that gold items and animal carcasses were left intact and simply buried.
13. When Moshe, El'azar the cohen, and the leaders of the congregation came toward the outside of the camp to meet them,
14. Moshe was displeased with the officers [appointed over] the force, the captains of thousands, and the centurions who came [back] from having served in the battle.
15. And Moshe said to them, "Have you let all the females live?!
Compare Ezra 10. They may have thought they could get away with this because Moshe had a Midyanite wife. They were not afraid women would take up swords against them. But in this case not just the memory, but the source of the trouble they had experienced at Baal-Peor had to be removed so no one else would be brought into bondage by them:
16. "These same [women] are the very ones who, at the word of Bilaam, came to be the catalyst for the children of Israel's unfaithfulness toward YHWH in the Peor affair, and the plague came upon the congregation of YHWH!
If they hurt us before, they can hurt us again. How did Moshe know that Bilaam was behind all of this? How did he even know Bilaam was involved? Bilaam himself may have told his story to Moshe when captured, hoping to find mercy because of his association of sorts with YHWH. It appears from v. 8 that he was actually executed rather than killed in the battle itself.
17. "So utterly destroy every male among the toddlers, and kill every woman who has become familiar with a man as far as the bed of a male,
Israelites would not drag out the death of innocent children. But male toddlers, though not particularly guilty themselves, still carried the seed of Midyan, and would thus keep its memory alive. Aside from the fact that the women might also be carrying that seed with them, among pagans, one typically lost her virginity at the temple of their deity as a ritual request for fertility. Their very sexuality had thus been dedicated to their divinity, so YHWH saw them as already married to Baal. Sadly, this was the only way for the righteous to have peace.
18. "But any toddler among the women who has not become familiar with the bed of a male, you may keep alive for yourselves.
Since Midyanite rites of passage at puberty included "serving their time" as a temple prostitute, only very young girls would still be virgins. Once taken by Israelites and put through the procedure YHWH had prescribed (Deut. 21:12), they were no longer Midyanites. They no longer had natural brothers, older sisters, and mothers; their relatives were now the people of Israel.
19. "But whoever has killed a person or anyone who has touched one who was mortally wounded, wait outside the camp for seven days; purify yourselves and your captives [from sin] on the third day and the seventh day.
Purify from sin: literally, "lose" or "miss"--i.e., let the guilt incurred both by the Midyanites' past idolatry or the Israelites' association with the carnage of battle be removed, through a ceremonial washing in water mixed with the ashes of the red heifer as specified in 19:9-13. Note that corpse uncleanness results not from just touching an already-dead corpse, but also from “making” someone into a corpse. They cannot say, “He was not yet dead when I touched him!” No matter how just and lawful a particular war may be, a bloodguilt ensues from killing another human being (Gen. 9:6), so YHWH gave us this as well as the half-sheqel sanctuary tax to provide a definite point of closure to this guilt (see v. 50), so it will not continue to eat away at us.
20. "And purify every garment, every leather utensil, everything made from a goat, and every wooden implement."
Garments would be defiled by the dead bodies. Leather would be used for quivers, sandals, slings, etc. Tents are still made from goats’ hair by the Bedouins because it is the best natural material from which to make a tent for all seasons. It swells when wet, thus tightening up the seams when it rains, but it shrinks when very hot, allowing air to flow through the weave in the tent as natural air conditioning. Spoils taken outside the Land cannot be brought into Israel in the form in which they were received, not so much because of bacteria or lice that might be on them; these spoils in most cases were expressions of idolatry. All their associations with Midyan had to be removed. They had to be melted down or taken apart thread by thread and recast into something appropriate to Israel.
21. Then El'azar the cohen told all the men of the army that went out to battle, "This is the prescribed way to carry out the instruction with which YHWH has charged Moshe:
22. "The gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead--indeed
23. "everything that [can] go through the fire--you shall cause to pass through the fire, and it will be ceremonially pure, though indeed it will be purified with the water of separation, while whatever cannot stand the fire, you must cause to pass through the water.
These things should not even smell like Midyanites anymore! On a figurative level, YHWH shows here that He is sensitive to the varying abilities of each person to tolerate the means He uses to sanctify us; He will not “boil a kid” in the milk of His Torah. Some can handle the more abrasive kinds of purification, but all must be washed with His Word. (Eph. 5:26) People must be “bathed” in the Torah before being exposed to the scathing prophets. But if we do not respond to the Torah, we must be ready to face the trial by fire. Note that if something could not even survive water, it was automatically discarded. Doctrines like the trinity dissolve when tested by the Torah, for they are useless toward the Kingdom.
24. "When you have laundered your clothes on the seventh day, you will be ceremonially pure, and afterwards you may enter the camp.
25. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,
26. "Take a count of the acquisitions that were captured, among human and animal--you, El'azar the cohen, and the heads of the fathers of the congregation--
27. "And divide the acquisitions [equally] between those seizing the battle--who went out into the army--and the whole congregation.
Yeshua’s application of this idea to the two houses of Israel is found in Matthew 20:1-16.
28. "Then have a tax levied for YHWH from the men of war who go out to battle: one individual out of [every] five hundred, from men, herds, donkeys, and flocks.
29. "Take [it] from their half and give it to El'azar the cohen as a contribution [lifted off] for YHWH.
Their half: i.e., the army’s. El’azar would wave it before YHWH to acknowledge that it was His, but then most of it would belong to the priesthood as their food, because that is how YHWH wants it used, since the priesthood is directly attached to Him even more than the rest of Israel is. (Ex. 29:24-27)
30. "Then from the children of Israel's half, take one grasping out of fifty--from men, herds, donkeys, flocks, or any animal--and give them to the Levites who watch over what is kept under guard [belonging to] the Dwelling Place of YHWH."
Grasping: one "draw" with the hand. Those who did the fighting are not taxed nearly as heavily. These Levites would be those who were not priests.
31. Then Moshe and El'azar the cohen did just what YHWH had ordered Moshe [to do],
32. and the acquisitions--the remainder of the spoils which the men of war had plundered-- [totalled] 675,000 sheep,
33. 72,000 cattle,
34. 61,000 donkeys,
35. and of human beings--of the women who had not become familiar with the bed of a male--the souls were 32,000.
36. Now the half apportioned to those who went out into battle numbered 337,500 sheep,
37. and the tribute for YHWH from [these] flock animals was 675;
38. the cattle [numbered] 36,000, [of which] the tribute to YHWH was 72;
39. the donkeys, 30,500, and their tribute to YHWH, 61;
40. and the human beings, 16,000, with their tribute to YHWH being 32 souls.
32 souls: Plunder includes people as well. Those given to YHWH would become part of the tribe of Levi and thus be available for marriage, as well as to be servants. It would be a great blessing to be enslaved to an Israelite, unlike other nations, because they would get a whole day off every seven days.
41. So Moshe delivered the tribute--the contribution to YHWH--unto El'azar the cohen, as YHWH had commanded Moshe.
42. And the half [apportioned to] the descendants of Israel, which Moshe had divided from the men who had gone to fight--
Of those counted, there were 589,730 people to share the other half of the spoils divided with the 12,000 who went to war. So they received much less per capita, and had to give ten times as much to the Levites. (vv. 28, 30) Those who went to fight were both rewarded and had less required of them.
43. [that is], the congregation's half--was 337,500 of the sheep;
44. 36,000 of the cattle;
45. 30,500 donkeys;
46. and 16,000 human beings.
47. Moshe received from the children of Israel's half the one grasped from fifty of human and animal, and delivered them to the Levites who watched over what was kept under guard [belonging to] the Dwelling Place of YHWH, just as YHWH had commanded Moshe.
48. Now the officers who were [appointed over] the thousands of the army--heads of thousands and centurions--approached Moshe,
Heads of thousands: One’s leader in the camp was his leader in battle as well, until he was too old to go to war. One’s rank in daily life was thus the same on the battlefield. Usually one would be from the same extended family as his authorities, so, as in the Israeli army today, every loss is a personal one, for if one did not actually know the person who died in battle, he would at the most distant be a friend of a friend.
49. and told Moshe, "Your servants have taken a census of the men of war who were under our jurisdiction, and not a man of us is unaccounted for!
Under our jurisdiction: literally, "in our hand". These armies they had fought were from a people large enough to have 32,000 girls under the age of about 12, and no one was missing when they came back from battle. This is because of all the preparations made in the last 6 chapters. In addition to military training, they drew near to YHWH in the way He required, so He fought for them.
50. "So each of us is bringing an offering to YHWH from whatever has come into his possession --articles of gold: anklets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and ornaments--to effect a covering for ourselves before YHWH."
It is easy to see why they would wish to bring a thanksgiving offering, for saying “Thank you” was just not enough. They brought the most expensive things, and quickly, not waiting until a feast day, but right away. But why did they need atonement (a covering)? Even though it was the right thing to do, they had killed many people, especially women and innocent children, and had not paid any price for it in blood. But that would have been covered by the ½ sheqel tax. It was also not just because they had brought back such great spoils, because again a tax was levied on these in the very precise mathematical terms seen above. This is above and beyond that. While they might want to protect themselves from self-aggrandizement that they might be tempted to feel after such a success, this “atonement” probably had nothing to do with sin. But when we experience His mercy and favor in such a dramatic way, we see more clearly that we do not deserve it; this was an unimaginable gift! And since He ordered this battle, no matter how hard they fought, it was His victory. This was not just gratitude that they as individuals had survived the battle; it was corporate: we all survived! This was unheard of! Words are not enough, so we give back some of what we have acquired because of Him, giving thanks with our hands as well as our lips (for the root word of “thanks” in Hebrew is “to stretch out one’s hands). What had decorated their enemies’ bodies became a covering for their souls.
51. So Moshe and El'azar the cohen received the gold from them--all kinds of [hand]-crafted articles.
52. And all the gold of the contribution that they lifted off for YHWH [weighed] 16,750 sheqels from the captains of thousands and the centurions--
This was probably used to support the many new children and flocks the Levites and priests acquired. 32 more daughters were added to their household in one day.
53. men of the army who had each taken spoil for himself.
54. So Moshe and El'azar the cohen received the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and they brought it into the Tent of Appointment [to serve] as a memorial for the descendants of Israel before the face of YHWH.
It does not say what they did with this big pile of spoils. But it is fascinating that the practice of making war memorials, still familiar in our own day, existed so long ago.
CHAPTER 32
1. Now the descendants of Re’uven and the descendants of Gad had many livestock--a very vast multitude. When they saw the land of Yaazeyr and the land of Gil'ad, lo and behold, the place [had] room for livestock!
Livestock: This is the denotation, but the root word is connected to the idea of acquisition, hinting at how important a part of one’s wealth livestock were considered in this day. They had probably just added more livestock to their herds, but these two tribes were now among the smallest in population, so they would not have received a disproportionately-large share of the spoils from the Midyanites (v. 31). We are not even told that they had more than other tribes had; it was only that these two tribes were becoming obsessed by them. However many cattle they had, there was room for their herds to grow much larger here, allowing them to become rich.
2. So the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Re’uven came and spoke to Moshe, to El'azar the cohen, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying,
3. "Ataroth, Dibon, Yaazeyr, Nimrah, Heshbon, El'aleh, S’vam, Nevo, and Beon--
Beon: a shortened version of the full name given in v. 38, and designed to blot out the name of a false deity after which it had been named.
4. "the territory that YHWH has caused to be conquered before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock!"
5. So they said, "If we have attained to acceptance in your eyes, let this territory be designated as your servants' [inherited] property; don't make us cross over the Yarden."
This is another way of saying, “Don’t force us to be Hebrews.” They may have been daunted by the prospect of having to lead so many animals across the river. But they were willing to give up the promise made to Avraham to serve their possessions. They were forgetting the dream of their ancestors when it was within their reach, and were forgetting that so many—even Egyptian babies—had had to die for this. Possessions are meant to serve us, but they were ready to trade their share in the kingdom for security now. It might indeed best serve them and their families to stay on this side of the river, but it would not best serve the rest of Israel. Yeshua emphasized how hard it is for someone with great wealth to enter the Kingdom. (Mat. 19:23; Mark 10:22) What we make important now will be something we have to untie from ourselves so that we can cross the river without sinking. If Israel had not moved into this territory, since it was already conquered, they could have left it as a buffer zone to keep enemies further from the Land and provide a “transition into holiness” zone for those who come to Israel for the right reasons—a place to learn the laws of the Land before being held fully responsible to keep them, much like what we are in today. This stage of our journey is still not home, even if it does provide well for us.
6. But Moshe said to the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Re’uven, "Are your brothers to go to war while you sit here?
7. "And why would you discourage the descendants of Israel from crossing into the Land that YHWH has given them?
Discourage: literally, "make the heart refuse to cross" or "hold the hearts...back"--which is also the etymology of the English word "dis-courage". Moshe was careful to reiterate that when going up to possess the Land, Israel is not to be discouraged. (Deut. 1:21) Being discouraged is essentially believing that YHWH cannot enable us to do what He has told us to do. The war to conquer had not even begun; they should have been sharpening their swords for the next battles and speaking courage into one another. They might have thought, “Moshe does not need us to fight; after all, he had needed only 12,000 to fight the five Midyanite kings (ch. 31). And there would be more land left for everybody else! We could be guardians at the gate. We aren’t trying to discourage anyone.” But even if we do not say a word, what we do has an effect on others. What they did not explain apparently gave even Moshe the wrong impression:
8. "Your parents did the same [thing] when I sent them from Qadesh-Barnea to inspect the Land!
Moshe himself was becoming discouraged by what he assumed they intended. Had no progress been made in a whole generation? He felt that, like the ten spies, they were also slandering the Promised Land, saying that what they had found was satisfactory, and they did not really need to go any further. After all, the land they had already conquered was nearly as large as the Promised Land; why should they keep "pressing their luck" by attacking more hostile peoples? But they needed to finish the Exodus from Egypt, and go all the way into the Land. These were not cowards; they had already conquered much territory. But now they had something else in mind. Yet even if their intentions were not bad, there had to be clear communication about the reasons, or it would come across as a negative thing. If they did not go with the rest, it would look like they were afraid, and this would plant fear in others too. There never comes a time when we can just stop and mind our own business and let our brothers fight the battles; they need us to stand with them and watch their backs to the end. If they relaxed now, the nation's unity would be broken, and no amount of land is worth that.
9. "When they went up to Wadi Eshkol and saw the Land, they held back the heart of the descendants of Israel, so they would not go into the Land which YHWH had given them [after all],
After all: the term for "would not go" includes the sense of frustrating or nullifying an existing plan.
10. "and YHWH's anger was ignited in that day, and He swore [an oath], saying,
11. "‘If the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and up, ever see the Land that I promised to Avraham, Yitzhaq, and Yaaqov...! Because they have not fulfilled [their duty] to follow after Me--
12. "except Kalev the son of Y'funeh and Y'hoshua, the son of Nun; they have fulfilled [their duty] to follow after YHWH.’
They had followed YHWH completely. Not only had they themselves not been discouraged; they had not discouraged others, but had also gone to great lengths to encourage them as well. Now they were about to be allowed to go all the way, because they were willing to lead the rest of the nation in the right direction, but these tribes appeared to be thwarting that yet again. The standard is high because if we make excuses, others will use them as an excuse to make even more excuses.
13. "When YHWH's anger was ignited against Israel, He set them wandering in the uncultivated land [for] forty years until the whole generation that had done what was wrong in YHWH's eyes was finished off.
The uncultivated land, or wilderness, means “place of the word” in Hebrew. It is a necessary transition; we need to learn His ways before we enter fully in, so that we do not pollute His Land. But we were not meant to stay there so long. It is better to both have the word of YHWH and be in the Land. But if we do not consider how our words and actions will affect our brothers, we will only keep wandering. Moshe has usually been relatively mild-mannered. Now, just as he is preparing to die, he is learning to do better at what the Torah is meant to do: make us focus on the rest of Israel and on finishing their job.
14. "And here you have proven to be in the same position as your parents--a brood of mortals who miss the mark, in order to stir up yet again the heat of YHWH's anger toward Israel!
Had they learned nothing from their parents’ mistake? Were they about to bring the same punishment on the nation again?
15. Because [if you] turn from [following] after Him, then He'll do it yet again--[He’ll] leave them in the wilderness; thus you will corrupt the whole nation!"
Consider how our short-sighted wishes will affect not just our local community, but the rest of Israel as well. If we are part of Israel, we are connected to all of it. What flows from us either brings life to the rest or pollutes them. It is scary to think we could be responsible for the rest of Israel dying outside the Land again. Our sentence of exile which is just ending could again be doubled (Yirmeyahu 16:18) if we do not keep the Torah faithfully this time. Instead, take up joy, so that this, instead of fear, is what gets spread.
16. But they came close to him and said, "We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones,
They were showing that they had gotten his point, and were confident that he would understand when they explained. Rebuke is not meant to discourage us, but to heal us—to challenge us to line up with where we should have been by now. Teaching, in Hebrew, literally means prodding or goading, as a shepherd does to sheep. (Psalm 25:1-7) It can get people to do what they did not think they could do. We need to embrace the chastening, not just accept it, because it means YHWH wants us as his children. (Psalm 94:12; Heb. 12:3-13). We sometimes need to use the sharp end of the Torah when we teach. We have done shameful things, but receiving rebuke in a mature manner is the key to returning home from exile. (Yirmeyahu 31:16-20)
17. "then we [ourselves] will [gladly] arm ourselves and hurry before the descendants of Israel until whenever we have brought them to their place, while our little ones remain in fortified cities because of the presence of the inhabitants of the territory.
Hurry before: The term connotes a sense of eagerness of enjoyment. They would not only go along; they would go first! Yet the process of building cities would take quite some time first, unless they simply had to repair the cities they had taken from the Emorites. Inhabitants: This land had no natural defense on the east except the forbidding desert, which might have kept some enemies away, but not all.
18. "We will not return to our houses until [every] man of the descendants of Israel has taken possession of his share,
19. "since we will not take a share on the far side of the Yarden or beyond [there], because our share has turned out to be across the Yarden to the east."
This is better than nothing, but still they are asking Moshe (symbolic of the Torah) to compromise with their plans.
20. So Moshe told them, "If you will do what [you have] said and arm yourselves for war in the presence of YHWH,
21. "and cross over the Yarden armed before the face of YHWH until He disinherits His enemies before Him,
Before the face of YHWH: i.e., if you are honestly, in His sight, planning to do just this.
22. "and the Land is subdued before the face of YHWH, then afterward you may return and be free from obligation to YHWH and to Israel, and this territory shall be your possession before YHWH.
23. "But if you do not do so, take note! You will have sinned against YHWH [Himself], and recognize that the [punishment for] your sin will catch up with you!
Why did Moshe not simply tell them, “no” when they asked? Because he sees in them an inclination toward possessions that would not be healthy to spread to the other tribes, so since they had already decided what they wanted (as they came back and made a deal even after rebuked), he will keep them separate and let them learn their lesson the hard way, because they will learn it better that way.
24. "Build cities for your toddlers, and folds for your flocks, [then]; carry out what has come out of your mouth."
Moshe corrects their priorities (compare v. 16), mentioning their children before their animals. Their response shows that they accepted his rebuke. If it took Nekhemyah 52 days to just repair the wall of Yerushalayim, how long would it take to build cities? Most likely they were also just rebuilding, but they also had the whole community of Israel, whose parents had been expert builders of cities, to help them. They probably moved all of their families into just these few cities, then built more later when they came back so they would not remain overcrowded.
25. So the sons of Gad and the sons of Re’uven told Moshe, "Your servants will do as my master commands.
26. "Our toddlers, our wives, our livestock, and all our animals will be there in the cities of Gil'ad,
The children under age 20 would be the main ones responsible to care for the livestock and probably farm the land while their fathers and older brothers went to war.
27. "But, before YHWH, your servants will all cross over into battle, armed for war, just as my master says."
28. So Moshe gave orders to El'azar the cohen, Y'hoshua the son of Nun, and the chief heads of clans among the tribes of the descendants of Israel concerning them;
29. Moshe told them, "If the sons of Gad and the sons of Re’uven cross the Yarden with you, every one armed for battle before YHWH, then when the Land is subdued before you, give them the territory of Gil'ad as a possession.
Moshe would not be there to ensure that this was carried out. Though he recognized that these tribes had a point, he kept alive some suspicion of their motives. Y’hoshua would soon be the shepherd, and needed to recognize that though he could not see any wolves, there might still be some lurking in the bushes. Moshe had accepted his rebuke as well, and was not whining about being barred from the Land, but was setting everything in order so everyone who could enter would do so in a way that pleased YHWH.
30. "But if they do not cross willingly, armed, with you, they will have to receive an inheritance [and settle] along with you in the Land of Kanaan."
They would not be harmed, but they would not get their wish either. They would go into the Land, one way or the other, unless they kept the whole community from going. No one rests while Israel is still at war.
31. And the sons of Gad and the sons of Re’uven responded [by] saying, "We will do just as YHWH has told your servants.
32. "We will cross over armed before YHWH [into the] Land of Kanaan so that the territory [on this] side of the Yarden may be our share to inherit."
They proved to Moshe that they were indeed a new generation, different from their parents. They not only were willing to go in, but rushed to be first. True repentance indeed adds "interest" to one's penalty.
33. So Moshe assigned to them--the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Re’uven, as well as half the tribe of M’nasheh the son of Yosef--the realm of Sichon, king of the Emorites, the realm of Og, king of Bashan, the land belonging to the cities within its borders--the cities of the land all around.
Why was so much land given to M’nasheh, when they had not asked for it? Moshe remembered Yaaqov had prophesied that Efrayim and M’nasheh would become a great multitude--indeed, a nation in themselves, possibly as compensation for accepting the loss of the firstborn status graciously. (Gen. 48:16-19) They were men of war, and were needed here, though they did not ask to be exempted from being Hebrews as the other two tribes had. Moshe knew he could trust them to go to battle when their brothers needed them; they would be an example to the other two tribes across the river, and keep an eye on them if necessary. Yosef, likewise, had had to live outside the Land in order to keep the rest of Israel alive. So these descendants of his have the right pedigree for this task. It also appears from v. 39 that this tribe had earned this part of the additional territory by conquering it themselves.
34. So the sons of Gad [re]built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,
35. Atroth-Shofan, Yaazeyr, Yogbehah,
These towns had been home to the Emorites. (21:32)
36. Beyth Nimrah, and Beyth Haran--fortified cities--as well as
sheepfolds,
37. while the sons of Re’uven [re]built Heshbon, El'aleh, the pair of
villages:
38. Nevo, and Baal-Meon (their names being changed), as well as Sibmah, and they called by name the names of the cities which they had built.
Changed: The Aramaic targum explains that they gave new names to the existing cities. Compare verse 3, which appears to tell us the new names. Atroth-Shofan became Ataroth. Beyth Nimrah became Nimrah, or vice versa. Baal-Meon became Beon, a shortening for the obvious reason of obscuring the pagan name; elsewhere it is called Beyth-Meon (Yirm. 48:23), which means “place of habitation”. Sibmah became S’vam, or vice versa. S’vam may mean “spice”, and Sibmah simply means, “at S’vam”.
39. And the descendants of Makhir the son of M’nasheh had gone to Gil'ad and captured it, dispossessing the Emorite who was in it,
This land grant was unanticipated, so they may have gone to conquer it while their brother tribes rebuilt their cities. Though it was a gift, it may have still had to be conquered, though this might be a flashback to when the whole nation was fighting in this region and dispossessed Og king of Bashan, which forms the majority of M’nasheh’s territory on that side of the Yarden. They went further north than the rest of Y’hoshua’s army had gone; their main concern seems to have been not to have these cities, but to have no enemies so close to Israel’s border with only a small river in between. The “sub-tribe” of Makhir’s story is told in more detail in chapter 26, as well as in Y’hoshua 17:1 and Deut. 3:15.
40. so Moshe bestowed Gil'ad upon Makhir the son of M’nasheh, and he settled in it.
Bestowed upon: "granted to", or "entrusted with". Gil’ad (just south of and possibly encompassing the Golan Heights) is a large territory, and this one son of M’nasheh received it all. As the one counted as Yosef’s firstborn, he was given more land than anyone else. Yosef’s own name means “He will add”, so added territory was one fulfillment of his lot. M’nasheh would also receive one of the largest territories within the Land, possibly even including some areas that would have otherwise been given to Reuven and Gad, for we are told that though Gad regarded his own first, a portion of what was his was reserved for the lawgiver. (Deut. 33:21, using the same term used to described some from Makhir in Judges 5:14) Yet this still did not solve the problem, because in 1 Chron. 5:23ff, we find that this part of M’nasheh, though they became great leaders of their family and mighty warriors, ended up unfaithful to their Elohim, and the other two tribes must have followed their example as leaders, because the three tribes are the first carried into exile in Assyria. Apparently the two tribes had a corrupting influence on those meant to keep them in line, since they were all outside the Land.
41. Then Yair the son of M’nasheh went and captured their villages, and called them “Yair’s Living Places”.
Their villages: i.e., the Gil'adites', not the Makhirites'. More of Yair’s story is told in Judges 10:3ff.
42. And Novakh went and captured Q'nath and its suburbs, and he called it by his own name, Novakh.
TORAH PORTION
Mattoth
(Numbers 30:1 - 32:42)
INTRODUCTION: In the remaining chapters of this book, Moshe is trying to prepare the children of those who perished in the wilderness to receive their inheritance of land. But before they can do so, they—and we, who are in the same position—have to learn to appreciate something else, of which the Torah is a large part, but not the totality. What is it? Their heritage—the intangible things we inherit that make us who we are. It encompasses much more than our physical inheritance of land, possessions, or money. It is who we are and where we came from. It includes how we reason, how we approach life, and what we see as important. It is defined, in part, by the character of our forebears. An Israelite is by definition hospitable, or he brings shame to his ancestor Avraham. Yaaqov’s endurance and Yitzhaq’s constant searching for water also tell us what kind of people we are supposed to be as we return to the heritage that we had lost for 2,700 years. We will not all be identical, but only by embracing and protecting the best examples of righteousness that our forefathers exemplified can we keep the physical inheritance a truly holy Land.
The part of our heritage with which we begin here is that of order, both in terms of authority (chain of command) and the ability to interpret and trust what someone says. One must keep his promises—do what he says he will do, plain and simple, come wind or high water. If not, there is no foundation for language or for security, for if our neighbor can do as he likes no matter what he said, can we ever rest? Nothing we have is safe. YHWH does allow those in authority to overrule a promise when reason and wisdom dictate a necessary change, but one has a very limited time to do so. And though it is only implied here, we see the outflow of the order set up immediately after Adam and Chawwah’s sin. If Adam had overruled his wife’s choice early on, the world might ave turned out very differently. But as we are told in later writings, Adam walked into it with his eyes wide open, whereas his wife was indeed deceived; hence his power to veto where her enthusiasm may have blinded her to possible consequences of her actions. A young woman is under her father’s authority until it is transferred to her husband upon marriage, but if that marriage is dissolved and she is no longer under authority, she is on the same footing as a grown man, who has no one to bail him out of an ill-advised promise; as the psalmist says, YHWH loves one who will keep his word even if he has sworn to his own disadvantage or hurt.
Next, we see an example of just how valuable our heritage is worth, for there is no mercy on outsiders who threaten to undermine and change Israel into something YHWH did not intend it to be. No one carrying the seed of such “missionaries” for paganism is to be spared; only the truly innocent may be salvaged.
Another aspect of our heritage is that those who bear the lion’s share of the work count for more than those who only enjoy its fruit, when it comes time to share the benefits. And there is a spontaneous precedent set here for how we should respond when blessing does come our way: a gratefulness that is expressed with more than words, but with giving back not just credit but substance, rather than a smug enjoyment of what we know came from somewhere more than just our own skill or, worse, the whims of an impersonal “fate”. This Amaleqite philosophy is the antithesis of what Israel is all about.
Then, although we be blessed with “much cattle” or its modern equivalents, our heritage says that no one rests until all of us can rest with security and peace. And before we ask for something that will clearly be to our advantage, we have to think of how the consequences of it will help not just us personally but the rest of us as well.
The Power of Words --For Better or Worse
We start out with the stark, simple principle that if you make a promise, you have to keep it. (Numbers 30:3) That is foundational to our ability to trust one another and have a society free from anarchy. Clear enough. Yeshua simplified it even more: you shouldn’t even have to make an oath; anything you say is supposed to be trustworthy. (Matithyahu 5:37)
But YHWH knew that in the heat of emotion, we sometimes bite off more than we can chew. Our enthusiasm can carry us far beyond our capacity to deliver. So YHWH lets those in authority over some people cancel promises made rashly. But they have to do so as soon as they hear what is being vowed. There is no time to mull it over, sleep on it, or have second thoughts. If they let it slide, anything that goes wrong is theirs to deal with. (30:15)
But that’s for those under authority, who may not know why their generosity can’t fit into a particular master plan. But those who are on the other side of the line, who are responsible for others’ welfare, are expected to be mature and weigh the consequences even before they speak, because they have no such recourse; no one else will bail them out. (30:9-10) Whichever side of the equation you are on, it underlines the need to know the truth, to understand the underlying principles of the Torah, so we are ready to recognize immediately when something just isn’t reasonable.
YHWH required this even of the Midyanites, who did not “know as better” as the Israelites whom they tempted to go astray. (Chapter 31, referring back to 25:6ff) Moshe was told to settle this one last score before he died—no easy task for him, because his own wife was Midyanite. But YHWH was upset that they would weasel their way in among His children and subvert the perfect balance He had set up, but even worse, corrupted a holy people. Maybe that is why Yeshua went so far as to say that someone who caused the innocent to stumble would do better to be sunk in the sea with a heavy weight around their necks. (Mat. 18:6)
He may have been thinking chiefly of Bilaam the prophet in particular, for here we see him slain by the sword. (31:8) It didn’t matter that he said the right words on the surface and refused to overtly curse us, because he used “off-the-record” words to undermine us. Yeshua, in Revelation 2:14, tells us that Bilaam actually told the Moavites how to trip Israel up so YHWH Himself would reduce our numbers to Moav’s advantage, and the Midyanites were allied with them.
It’s one thing to make a wrong choice when something better is available; it’s quite another to knowingly seduce people into doing what they have been told not to do. That goes all the way back to the root of time. So if they are cursed like the serpent—no one with their seed being allowed to survive—it is only poetic justice. Midyan was put nearly in the same category as Amaleq, and when Israel did not carry out YHWH’s sentence against them, it came back to bite them through Haman (see the book of Esther). It may seem cruel from our limited point of view, but He knows what He is talking about.
Study questions:
1. Are we ever permitted to go back on a promise made to YHWH? (Numbers 30:3) What implications does this have for your life in particular? Why the apparent double standard for men and some women in this regard? (30:4-10)
2. Moshe’s wife and father-in-law were Midyanite. How do you think he felt about having to make war on Midyan as one of the last things he did? (31:1-6) Did this keep him from obeying? How did the events that had occurred in the last few weeks affect his willingness? (See Numbers 25:6-18.)
3. What was the reason behind this near-genocide? (31:16) Why were the particular subsets of women and children spared or not? (31:17-18) Who determined that this should be done? (31:1-2) How can this bring a corrective to today’s “political correctness”?
4. Was the death of the prophet Bilaam (31:8) just collateral damage, or was he targeted? Why or why not? (Compare 31:16.) We were told at the end of chapter 24 that he went back home. What does the fact that he was killed in this battle tell us about what he must have done after that?
5. Why was the people’s portion of the spoils “taxed” more highly than the solders’ portion? Why did 12,000 soldiers get as much as the whole rest of the nation combined? (31:26-30)
6. What fear was behind Moshe’s jumping to a conclusion when two and a half tribes wanted to inherit land outside The Land proper? (32:6-15) Should he have asked for clarification before letting himself have a “knee-jerk reaction”, or did they need to hear his first impression in order to really understand the seriousness of where this could lead?
7. After they explained themselves (32:16-19), was Moshe reasonable about their seemingly-justifiable request? (See 32:1,4) On what was the land grant contingent? (32:20-23) How did Moshe correct their priorities? (Compare 32:16 with 32:24.) How did he ensure that his verdict would be honored after he was gone? (32:28-29)
8. What phrase in 32:23 can be applied to many other contexts?
9. Why do you think Moshe gave land to part of a tribe that did not ask for it? (32:33) How did they prove worthy of this gift? (32:39-42)
Companion Passage:
The Sidewalk
for Kids
“It’s not fair!
He got more than I did!”
How many times have you said that about one of your siblings?
Well, there are some things in this Torah portion that just don’t seem fair. Why does a father get to cancel a promise his daughter has made? Why were girls spared after the battle, but boys weren’t? Why did the soldiers get way more than the rest of the people when the spoils of war were divided? Why did they have to pay a much smaller tribute to YHWH and the priests than everybody else? Why did one tribe get extra land even though they already had some and didn’t even ask for it, but those who asked for it got a scolding from Moshe?
Well, there are lots of things that come into play here—different for each case. We won’t go into detail here because they are really examples of something bigger. The point is, there are different things to think about in every question. Fairness isn’t always the best thing.
Bill Gothard pointed out that if YHWH was always fair, He couldn’t do justice and He couldn’t ever show mercy. If everybody always got the same treatment as everybody else, some people would do things just to look good, without really believing in what they were doing. If everybody got paid the same just because they were human beings, whether they worked hard or not, how many people would go “above and beyond the call of duty”? Some would—there are always a few who do it just because it’s the right thing to do. But you know and I know that most people wouldn’t.
So YHWH rewards people who take more risks than others, who put themselves in more danger, like soldiers or firefighters, or who put more effort into it.
Yes, if someone has a handicap, he deserves a basic amount of food to stay alive, even if he cannot contribute very much to society. But you’d be surprised. I work with handicapped people, and they can contribute a lot more than you might expect, if you let them. It takes a lot more effort for them to do things that may be easy for you, so when they do use up the last bit of their strength to do something that you could do fifty times in an minute, they deserve more credit.
Yeshua said YHWH pays more attention to someone who gives two cents than someone who gives thousands of dollars, if that is the last two cents that person has. That little goes a much longer way because they inspire other people to do more than just enough to get by, and actually accomplish something big that wouldn’t have ever gotten done if they had been lazy and not done any more than other people around them.
See? Not everything is equal, so we can’t treat everybody equally. Sometimes girls need more protection, so we are more courteous to them. It doesn’t mean they are less—or more—important, but they may need a little more help sometimes. More is expected from those who are stronger, or richer, because they have been given more than they need, and can share with others who don’t have as much.
But that doesn’t mean we never let them keep the extra, and that doesn’t mean we don’t let the poor contribute even though they can’t really afford to. Sometimes they have to, so they won’t feel like they’ve done nothing for anyone else. So YHWH makes some laws—like the half-sheqel tax—where people give the same amount whether they are rich or poor, because He wants everyone to get to share in some things, because in some ways we are all the same.
So when something doesn’t seem fair, step back a minute and think before you complain. Maybe there’s something really special to learn from it, either about how important everybody is--or maybe just that you need to work a little harder because you can and therefore should.
Cattle in Gil'ad
The Renewal of MATTOTH
This portion starts out with an unusual series of commands: “If a man makes a vow to YHWH, or has sworn an oath to bind an obligation onto his soul, he may not break his word; he must carry out everything that has proceeded from his mouth. But when a woman makes a vow to YHWH,… But if her father forbids her on the day he hears [of it], then none of her obligations with which she has bound her soul shall remain valid, and YHWH will forgive her, since her father held her back, or … if her husband forbade [it] on the day on which he heard [it], then he shall render null her vow.” (Num. 30:2-7)
Why the double standard? Part of it simply has to do with the need for a “buck-stops-here” authority who will take final responsibility for decisions made in the household. The Renewed Covenant tells us the reason it is the man: “I do not permit a woman to instruct or exercise dominance over a man... Adam was formed first, then Hawwah. Also, Adam was not deceived, but the woman, being thoroughly taken in, came to be in violation.” (1 Timothy 2:14) So if the father or husband thinks the risk is too high, he can override a woman’s decision.
But Paul also holds man and wife up as a picture of Messiah and the assembly he calls out. If Yeshua would only do what he saw the Father doing (Yochanan 5:19. 30), how much more does he, who never sinned (Hebrews 4:15), have the right to overrule our decisions?
Bilaam let YHWH overrule his actions, but not all of them; he still found a way to sneak around YHWH, he thought, but he stayed with the wrong people; when Israel fought the Midyanites, “they also killed Bilaam the son of Beor with the sword.” (Num. 31:8)
But when they took plunder from pagan places, it had to be purged of their old associations: “everything that [can] go through the fire--you shall cause to pass through the fire, and it will be ceremonially pure, though indeed it must be purified with the water of separation, while whatever cannot stand the fire, you must cause to pass through the water.” (Num. 31:23) The Renewed Covenant tells us some of what this pictures: Whatever materials we bring to YHWH’s construction site from our former contexts, “each one’s workmanship will become [clearly] apparent; indeed, the Day will reveal it [for what it is], because through fire it will be brought to light. If anyone’s workmanship, which he built on the foundation, remains [intact], he will receive appropriate compensation. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be preserved, though, in this sense, [only] as if [escaping] through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:13-15)
Maybe this is why we also need to immerse ourselves for purification as well. We have been dirtied in many ways and need to be cleaned up before we can be “fit for the Master’s use”. (2 Tim. 2:21) But if we are doing so for the right reasons, YHWH promises, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, thou shalt not be burned.” (Isaiah 43:2) And there is another side to it: “Do not be amazed at the smelting that is coming on you as a test [to determine] your [quality], as if something strange were happening to you, but be glad to the extent that you are sharing in what Messiah has suffered, so that you too may [experience] surpassing joy when His exalted position is made public.“ (1 Kefa/Peter 4:12-13) And “so that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Yeshua the Messiah.” (1 Kefa 1:7)
But the Exodus generation had “not fulfilled [their duty] to follow after Me--except Kalev the son of Y'funeh and Y'hoshua, the son of Nun; they have fulfilled [their duty] to follow after YHWH.” (Num. 32:11-12) YHWH is sure to remember the exception to a general statement that is negative, even when simply reiterating what occurred long ago.
But we have to be careful with exceptions. What turns out to be the context for the famous verse “recognize the [punishment for] your sin …will catch up with you”? (32:23) The special request to make an exception to a rule YHWH has made.
Not all exceptions are bad, as YHWH upheld the very valid issues raised by the tribe of Menashe in the case of the daughters of Tz’lofkhad. (chapters 27 and 36) But the two tribes with “much cattle” here were treading on thinner ice, so they had to take additional precautions. They did, and were vindicated, but not without several misunderstandings. If we can keep to simpler obedience, we would save ourselves much trouble. Many who chase after wealth have “pierced themselves through with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10)
YHWH’s Guide to Surviving
a Messed-Up World
Some large, overarching principles can be drawn from the many specifics in this section of Scripture, and they fit together very well:
YHWH has set up authority structures within families. (Num. 30:4-17) There are many today who would try to deny that this system has any merit, but the evidences are many that this kind of wishful thinking is another example of the fact that “it only hurts you if you kick against the goads”. (Acts 9:5)
We live in a fallen world, and if we want to survive its many perils, we have to stay within certain limits or everything will very quickly fall apart. We are seeing the unraveling of reason at a faster rate today than ever before because so many are kicking against the goads and think they have every right to do so without suffering the consequences. Reality will catch up with them eventually; we only pray they do not ruin it for the rest of us in the meantime.
YHWH does not encourage such pipe dreams. He gives greater weight to those who pull the most weight (31:27-30), just as He gives the best compensation to those who do the dirtiest work. (31:47; 35:2)
It is only fair, since they have harder tasks. But that is YHWH’s definition of fairness; it does not mean exact equality. Those who are more protected have less say in the decisions—as the old adage goes, “Beggars can’t be choosers.”
Large families got inheritance proportional to their size; smaller ones did not get more than they needed. (31:54) This way there cannot be a monopoly by the few over large tracts the way we see today. Justice is the reason for a large number of the laws within the Torah. There is little place given to the politics of the selfish. Those who ask for special privileges are not necessarily denied them, if there is good reason, but they are accordingly given special additional responsibilities. (32:2-23)
A much better example is those who voluntarily gave a special offering to YHWH when they discovered that they had experienced as special blessing they knew was not promised—that all who went out to war would come back alive. (31:48-50) We tend to think we are entitled to such treatment, forgetting that we are still in the fallen world and not even the Promised Land is yet Paradise. Accidents do occur, and those who cause them are given protection from the consequences of misplaced vengeance, but only if they stay within certain confines outside of which they are not covered; to take exception there is at one’s own risk. (35:22-32) A wrong has still be done and, while there is mercy, it is on YHWH’s terms, not ours. (35:33-34)
When exceptions to the rules occur, special measures must be put in place to ensure that the overall balance is not upset. They may cramp our freedom of choice somewhat (36:2-9), but the parameters YHWH gives are reasonably ample; i.e., we can live with them because the rewards of having solid principles far outweigh the inconveniences.
It is difficult, but not impossible, to navigate the straits between Eden and the New Jerusalem. With King David, in the final analysis we must rave about how well-designed YHWH’s safety net really is for those willing to aim for righteousness when the world at large is aligned against it. (Psalm 119)
Just Who is Oppressed and Who is Privileged?
This portion does not go over well with the “politically correct”—the egalitarians who think no one should have more privileges than anyone else, even if the Creator says otherwise. I refer to the allowance for a man to nullify a promise his wife or unmarried daughter makes. (Num. 30:4-9) Oh, can we hear the knee-jerk reactions of those who nowadays would “cancel” Moshe: “Misogynistic! Sexist!”
But they misunderstand it. This was not even Moshe’s idea; YHWH commanded it. (30:2) And His view trumps any cultural trend, for He takes the long view—the eternal one. Only He knows what is truly sustainable. Actually, when we look more closely, we see that, ironically, this woman under authority is really the privileged one. She is given an extra safety net in case she bites off more than she can chew.
What justifies this extra layer of covering? Paul explains that it goes all the way back to that tragic day in the Garden: “Adam was not deceived, but the woman, being thoroughly taken in, came to be in violation.” (1 Tim. 2:14) This is undoubtedly why the serpent chose to tempt her when she was alone. She was more vulnerable, so in the aftermath as YHWH exercised damage control, she received added protection—just as chivalrous gentlemen throughout history have always offered. But today many want to do away with this beautiful expression of respect and consideration that has stood the test of time.
What was the nature of that added protection? Very much the same thing as here in Moshe’s extension of the same sentiment: “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will govern you.” (Gen. 3:16) That doesn’t sound so generous to modern ears, but the idea is not that he will suppress your potential, but that he will keep your decisions in check so you won’t do something rash when good intentions cloud your reason, when it’s just not the right time for your fervent passion to be big-hearted and benevolent.
Notice that widows and divorcees (who do not have the covering of a male relative) are on their own against the merciless, cold, cruel world, just as men are. They have no margin for error.
It would be more logical for those who are given the extra buffer to be grateful rather than resentful of this very considerate gift from the One Who would rather protect the feminine urge to offer the moon than stifle the wildly caring nature He created. Since the world is often no longer safe for this very good inclination, He gave her an out that nobody else gets.
But sin turns our perceptions of reality upside-down like this, allowing the tempter to again undermine our respect for our Creator and suspect Him of the kind of motives only the serpent itself actually exemplified. (See Gen. 3:1-5) If we second-guess our Creator’s wisdom in a misguided attempt to sound nicer, or to bend to cultural duress, haSatan will have his wish.
Justice You Can Count On
One verse really stands out here—one that you may have heard from your parents if you had parents as righteous as mine: “Be sure your sin will find you out.” (Num. 32:23b) I heard it often—which, I suppose, must mean I needed to… It more literally says, “Know” or “Be aware of your sin, which will find you.” The word means not just “find” but “attain what one aimed for”—like an arrow “finding” its target. The point: “You won’t get away with this. The consequences will catch up with you; you can’t outrun them.”
The immediate context is, “Do this, and you will be innocent/clear before YHWH; don’t do it, and you have sinned against [not just your brothers but also against] Him.” (32:20-23a) So the sin it refers to is on the level of failing to keep an oath to YHWH, with which this portion opens (Num. 30:2). AN oath to YHWH is the highest level of oath one can possibly take. (Heb. 6:17) An oath in itself, which is swearing by something greater than oneself, is adequate to end any argument (6:16), and makes one’s word, one which one’s whole reputation already rests (Mat. 5:33-37), all the more binding. (Heb. 7:21) If this is enough to make us trust a man who might otherwise be untrustworthy, how much more can the word of the Creator of the universe be trusted?
In the haftarah, YHWH tells Yirmeyahu, “I will keep watch over My Word, in order to [effectively] bring it about.” (Jeremiah 1:12) He uses a memory aid: an almond branch, probably with the flower on it. How is that a memory aid? Because “Keep watch” (or “stay alert”) is the root word for the name of the almond tree in Hebrew (shaqed). The almond tree is called the “watched tree”, because its blossoming “alerts” us to the fact that it is time to plant barley because the new festival year, which depends on the barley being at the right stage, will begin soon. That is how careful YHWH is to carry out His promises.
Yirmeyahu’s father, Hilqiyahu, appears to have been the high priest (2 Kings 22:4), so Yirmeyahu would have been next in line (if he was the eldest son). But by the time he was old enough to take up that role, the Temple where he would have worked was destroyed. He went into exile with his people, though he himself was free to move around at some point, probably because he was faithful to carry out the difficult calling YHWH gave him, while the people were not--and their sin was now “finding them out”.
But once Israel had paid the penalty for its sin, her prominence is restored. “‘Israel was set apart to YHWH, the firstfruits of His yield. All who devour him will be held guilty; evil will come upon them’, declares YHWH.” (Jer. 2:3) See? Although those who devoured them were been instruments YHWH used to punish Israel, they had to pay too, for their sin, which was greater than that of Israel, found them out. It was greater, in part, because they had more power at their disposal and they were cruel in their use of that power, not just carrying out YHWH’s vengeance, but enjoying it in the process (Isaiah 10:5-16) and being arrogant about the power given them from above. (Jer. 50:29) Attitude counts!
If YHWH does this on the national and international level, how can an individual who sins against Him think he will escape YHWH’s notice, even if he is in the middle of a people whom YHWH is blessing? (Deut. 29:19) No, YHWH will single him out for retribution (29:20-21), because His word is alive and can distinguish between the things the human mind considers inextricably intertwined (Heb. 4:12), so His justice can be completely trusted.
We are told this from the standpoint of someone who thinks he can escape YHWH’s precise verdict. (Ps. 119:75) But if we are on the other side of His wrath—if it is coming on our behalf, to vindicate us against an enemy who has no justification in what he has done to us—how much more is His justice something in which to place our hope, Whose judgments are true and righteous (Psalm 119:137; Isa. 26:8; Rev.16:7)? If we have sided with Him, the fact that His justice cannot be evaded is a cause for overwhelming joy and rejoicing. Is the lesson that we take away not therefore obvious?
