08/14/2008
Numbers 31:1 - 7 (HCSB) 1The LORD spoke to Moses, 2“Execute vengeance for the Israelites against the Midianites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.” 3So Moses spoke to the people, “Equip some of your men for war. They will go against Midian to inflict the LORD’s vengeance£ on them. 4Send 1,000 men to war from each Israelite tribe.”
5So 1,000 were recruited from each Israelite tribe out of the thousands£ in Israel—12,000 equipped for war. 6Moses sent 1,000 from each tribe to war. They went with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, in whose care were the holy objects and signal trumpets.
7They waged war against Midian, as the LORD had commanded Moses, and killed every male.
Numbers 31:48 - 49 (HCSB) 48The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, approached Moses 49and told him, “Your servants have taken a census of the fighting men under our command, and not one of us is missing.
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The land of Canaan had been promised to Israel, but when the spies surveyed the land, Israel became cowardly, relying only on their own strength. But after a generation had passed in the wilderness, Israel now takes up the task of inheriting the land. But they did so only at God’s command.
We do not know how many Midianites opposed Israel, but we do know that not a single Israelite was lost. This battle was incredibly lop-sided.
From this we need to remember that what God promises, He will do. We also should note that God could have brought natural disaster like flood, tornado, or whatever, to destroy the Midianites, but He chooses to let us participate in what He is doing.
It would be easy for us to sit back and say “God will save whomever He wants to save.” And we could watch the world go by doing nothing. But God has chosen to let us participate in what He is doing. We know that we are totally incapable of saving anyone, but we have the privilege of introducing those around us to our merciful God. Then He will do the rest.
Will you participate with God and win the battle?
Jeff Justus
Cleff Publishing
www.cleffpublishing.com
©2008 Cleff Publishing, all rights reserved.
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