Why did God command the Israelites to completely destroy the Midianites in Numbers 31:17?

Answer

Understanding and applying passages from the Exodus and conquest of Canaan can be challenging. The passages concerning putting specific inhabitants to death pose a significant challenge. One such passage is found in Numbers 31.

God instructed Moses, “Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites” «And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, », (Numbers 31:1). The Israelites obediently armed themselves and attacked the Midianites, killing the men (verse 7). Additionally, “the Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks, and goods as plunder” (verse 9). Upon their return to Moses, he was displeased that they had not fully executed the Lord’s vengeance (verse 14; cf. verse 3). The Midianite women were the ones who had led Israel to sin at Baal Peor (see Numbers 25). Therefore, Moses ordered the women to be killed, along with “kill all the boys” «Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. », (Numbers 31:17).

When considering the directive to eliminate the male Midianite children, two perspectives emerge. One perspective is more easily understood in a temporal context. During that period, tribal conflicts were prevalent. It was highly probable that the male Midianite children would grow up seeking vengeance for their fathers and grandfathers against Israel. Seeking retribution for a father’s death is widely acknowledged as a necessity in all cultures and is a common theme in literature and popular culture—it is the driving force behind characters like Hamlet in Shakespeare’s renowned play and Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride.

Moreover, the abhorrent environment in which these Midianite boys were raised is well-documented. Common practices among the Midianites includedChild sacrifice, cult prostitution, and bestiality. The divine prohibition of these acts was codified, and the acts were known to the Israelites (Leviticus 18:21,23-24). Male inhabitants carrying on the lineage of this culture would have been a perennial problem for Israel.

The other perspective we should consider is the divine. Now, we cannot know the mind of God or comprehend the depths of His wisdom (Isaiah 55:8-9). But we can know that, given the depravity of the Midianites, God’s command to kill the Midianite boys might have been an act of divine mercy. In His perfect knowledge— including His knowledge of what would happen in the lives of those young Midianites, had they lived— it’s possible that God brought them to Himself before they had the opportunity of choosing to reject Him. It is highly possible that, had these males grown to maturity, they would have embraced the wanton rebellion and idolatry of their fathers. From God’s perspective, it may have been better for them to die at a young age than to endure a life of depravity and the attending temporal (and eternal) consequences.

In all this, we must remember that God is goodness. He is not simply a good moral agent like humans are commanded to be; He is not beholden to or measured by a standard outside of Himself. We cannot look at God’s actions as being in any moral category like human actions. God is not a man «God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? », (Numbers 23:19). The very nature of God is such that He cannot do evil. “The LORD is righteous in all his ways” «The LORD is righteous in all his ways, And holy in all his works. », (Psalm 145:17). This is the point at which we must reconcile passages such as Numbers 31:17 with verses like John 3:16.

Furthermore, a common mistake we sometimes make is to believe that our lives belong to us. We are creatures, not the Creator. We could not exist for a single moment without God willing our existence (Hebrews 1:3; Acts 17:28). We should not assume that God owes us anything, whether it be a long life, a life free of suffering, or anything else. God desires our ultimate good, which is eternal union with Him (2 Peter 3:8-10). Our ultimate good may not be achieved through a long life or one without pain and suffering. Surprisingly, the ultimate good of the Midianite males may not have been realized without their deaths in warfare at the hands of the Israelites. This is the crux of the matter and delves into whether one believes that man was created in God’s image or if one creates a god in man’s image.

Discussing these topics rationally is challenging because emotions often take over, and declarations of “the innocence of children” become prominent. We may hear statements like “I could never believe in a God like that.” It is understandable to react viscerally to the suffering and death of children. However, we must distinguish the reasons and circumstances of the young Midianites’ deaths from present-day situations. Contemporary suffering is not caused by God’s people claiming their promised land from a morally corrupt and militant group.

Moreover, we are fundamentally mistaken when we entertain ideas such as “if I were God, I would not have done that.” God does not perceive human events as we do; His perspective is unique. Therefore, we lack a basis to claim that God would not have a morally understandable, divine plan.

Efficient reason for ordering the death of children during the conquest of Canaan.