https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Numbers+31
Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Thursday, 17 April 2025:
Numbers 31:1-3 — The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.” So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian.
These verses reveal a unique and sobering moment in Israel’s history, where God commands Moses to take vengeance on behalf of the Lord against the Midianites. This distinction is critical—this was not personal revenge driven by anger or wounded pride, but divine justice carried out through His chosen people. Human vengeance is often impulsive, self-serving, and rooted in emotion, seeking to satisfy a personal sense of wrong. God, however, is perfectly just, holy, and omniscient; His vengeance is never tainted by sin or selfishness. That’s why Scripture consistently forbids individuals from taking vengeance into their own hands. Romans 12:19 echoes this, saying, “Do not take revenge… but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay.’”
In Numbers 31, the Midianites were not simply enemies of Israel—they had actively conspired, under Balaam’s counsel, to corrupt God’s people through idolatry and sexual immorality, leading to a devastating plague (Numbers 25). God’s directive here was an act of righteous judgment, not retaliation. For Christians today, the principle is clear: we are not instruments of vengeance but of grace and truth. Our role is to trust in God’s justice, confront evil with righteousness, and never allow our hearts to be consumed by bitterness or personal vendettas. God alone has the authority to judge perfectly. What we learn is that justice ultimately belongs to the Lord, and our calling is to walk humbly, obey faithfully, and leave the outcomes in His hands.
For believers today, this passage reminds us that we are not the executors of divine justice, but the recipients of divine mercy. When we’ve been wronged, our flesh may crave personal justice—but if we insist on repayment from others while living in the freedom Christ purchased for us, we forget the debt we’ve been forgiven. To withhold grace from someone who has sinned against us is to act as if we are above Christ, who absorbed our sin without demanding repayment. It is a denial of the very gospel we claim to believe. Grace cannot coexist with pride. When we forgive as we’ve been forgiven, we reflect the heart of God. And when we surrender our need for vengeance, trusting God to deal justly with every wrong, we make room for peace, healing, and even redemption—both in others and in ourselves.
Numbers 31:15, 16 – Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live? Behold, these, on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord.”
This passage highlights not only the consequence of sparing the corrupt but also the severe impact of ungodly influence. Balaam had advised the Midianites to seduce Israel into idolatry and immorality, which led to God’s judgment. This episode serves as a sobering reminder that what seems like mercy to us can be a doorway to destruction.
At times, God’s directives in the Old Testament for complete destruction of Israel’s enemies may appear excessively harsh or lacking compassion. Yet, God was fully aware of how deeply depraved and morally corrupt those cultures were. Their influence, if left unchecked, would spiritually and morally contaminate Israel—especially during its formative and vulnerable stage. God’s purpose in these judgments wasn’t impulsive anger but protective holiness. He prioritized the eternal spiritual well-being of His covenant people over the temporary preservation of corrupt societies.
We often respond to divine judgment with the assumption that it contradicts love or fairness. However, true justice requires that all sin be reckoned with. If God were to overlook the demands of justice, He would cease to be loving, because real love includes righteousness and moral accountability. When He chooses to punish sin, He is not violating justice but simply choosing not to extend mercy—a choice He has every right to make.
Our offense at God’s judgment often stems from a distorted view of both God and ourselves. We forget the gravity of humanity’s sinfulness and the long-term devastation sin causes. We tend to question how a loving God could permit death as a consequence for sin, rather than asking how a holy God allows any of us to continue living. Mercy and grace are not entitlements—they are gifts. When God refrains from giving mercy, He still remains perfectly just.
To clarify: Justice means receiving what we rightly deserve. Mercy is being spared the punishment we do deserve. Grace is receiving goodness that we could never earn.
It is solely within God’s sovereign right to extend mercy or withhold it. As Scripture makes clear, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy” (Romans 9:15). Mercy is not something we can demand; if it were owed, it wouldn’t be mercy.
While mercy is different from justice, it is not its opposite. Picture two categories: justice and non-justice. Non-justice includes both mercy and injustice, but these are not synonymous. For instance, if a ruler pardons one criminal but not another, he’s not being unfair to the one he doesn’t pardon. That individual still receives the just penalty for their crime. Similarly, when God chooses not to save someone, He’s not being unjust—they are receiving the judgment they’ve earned.
In contrast, when God chooses to save, He doesn’t bypass justice either. In the case of the elect—those who believe in Christ—justice is satisfied through Jesus’ sacrifice. As 2 Corinthians 5:21 affirms, God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God. God’s plan of salvation doesn’t ignore justice; it fulfills it through the atonement of Jesus. As Acts 4:27–28 states, Christ’s death was predestined by God, securing both the mercy shown to His people and the justice poured out upon their sin—borne fully by Christ.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 17 April 2025: Fight for justice as necessary and able, but be very careful not to seek vengeance or personal vindication. If challenging the actions or behavior of someone else, make sure you are genuinely more interested in their relationship with Jesus and their general welfare than your own self-interest.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 