Numbers 31

Here in this chapter we read of God instructing the Israelites to punish the Midianites for corrupting Israel with their women. It was so serious---their relationship with God was placed at stake. And so 12,000 men (a thousand from each tribe of Israel) went to war with Midian. It was a holy war led by Phinehas.

They killed all the males including the five kings of Midian. Balaam, the one who masterminded the corruption of Israel by Midian, was also put to death. Israel, however, took all the women with their little ones as captives. They took their animals and all their goods with them but burned their cities and their forts.

When they returned, Moses got angry with the military leaders for letting the women live. These women caused Israel to sin against the Lord through the counsel of Balaam. And so Moses commanded to execute all the women except those who did not know any man intimately, those who did not participate in the seduction. Midianite boys were to be executed too.

Midianite culture was deep in immorality and idolatry. It was so ingrained in them that the only thing left to do with them was to have them executed. God saw in advance that these boys would grow up into men who would perpetuate the anti-God culture of Midian. The women among the Midianites who did not know any man sexually were shown mercy and were therefore spared for the mitigating circumstance that they did not participate in the seduction of Israel into sexual immorality.

Then we read of the men who were involved in the war being instructed to do some ritual purification for seven days.

Then we read that what they took from war was divided between the soldiers and the non-soldiers in Israel.

When the soldiers found out that not one soldier among them was missing in the battle, they decided to add an additional offering to the Lord as a sign of their thanksgiving to Him.