The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 81
SECT. LXXXI.
GOd now to ſhew unto Moſes how tender he was of his own people, and how ſevere againſt all thoſe that did ſeek to hurt them, he commands him to make War, and to avenge his Quarrel upon the Midianites, (x)Scopus enim Midianitarum fuit ut a Domini culta per filias ſuas avellerent Iſraelitas, & in Idololatriam impingerent, quae vero Du… maxime injurioſa. Janſ.who had been the occaſion of ſo much miſchief to them. And when that was done, he tells him, He ſhould be gathered to his godly fore-Fathers long ſince dead; that is, to the ſpirits of juſt men made perfect, Heb. 12.23. Moſes hereupon having received (as it ſeems) particular directions from God that he ſhould ſend out but 12 thouſand of the Iſraelites againſt them (that the hand of God in the Victory might more eminently appear, ſee Judg. 7.2.) and ſhould take them equally out of every Tribe one thouſand (that no one Tribe might exalt it ſelf above another for this Victory) He accordingly did ſo, and appointing Joſhua (as 'tis probable) for General, he likewiſe ſent Phineas with them, to encourage them (who had lately manifeſted his zeal againſt that Midianitiſh Harlot, Ch. 25.6.) with one of the holy Inſtruments; that is, a ſilver Trumpet in his hands, [ſee Ch. 10.2.] Hereupon theſe twelve thouſand of the Iſraelites ingaging with the Midianites, they ſlew all the Males of them that they could lay their hands on,(y)Many of them running for …efuge into other Countries eſcaped for the preſent, and afterwards in the time of Gideon returned, and vexed the Iſraelites, ſee Judg. 6. and among them five Kings of Midian who were formerly (as it ſeems) Vaſſals to Sihon, and therefore are called only Dukes of Sihon, Joſh. 13.21. but Sihon himſelf being ſometime before ſlain (it ſeems) they became now abſolute Kings; among whom was Zur the Father of Cozbi whom Phineas ſlew, Ch. 25.15. Balaam alſo fell with them in this battel, who being their Counſellor in ſin, became now a Partner with them in their puniſhment. As for the Midianitiſh-Women and Children, the Iſraelites took them Captives, and burning their Cities and Caſtles, they carried away great Spoils of their Goods and Cattel. All theſe Captives and Spoils they brought to Moſes and to the Camp of Iſrael now encamped in the Plains of Moab. Moſes was angry with the Officers of the Army for ſaving the Women alive, who had before inſnared the people, and therefore above all others ſhould have been ſlain. He thereupon gives order (undoubtedly by Gods ſpecial direction) that all the male Children (z)Etiam parvulos ad majorem deteſtationem facinoris & Parentum in ipſis punitionem, & ne parvuli Parentum necem ulciſcerentur.ſhould be put to death, as alſo all the Women that were of years fit for the knowledge of Man; only the Women-Children ſhould be ſpared, to wit, to make them Servants or Wives, if they would learn the knowledge of the true God. Moſes alſo injoyns the Souldiers to abide out of the Camp ſeven days to purifie themſelves, their Captives and Spoils, and ſhews them the manner how it muſt be done; namely, Gold and Silver, and ſuch things as could paſs thorow the fire,*Duo credita vim habere purgandi: ignis exurendo, aqua eluendo. Grot. ſhould be purified by fire, and they themſelves ſhould be cleanſed with the water of ſeparation, ſee Ch. 19.11, &c. And Eleazar tells them, That God had given Moſes an expreſs Commandment concerning theſe things, which himſelf as the Lords High Prieſt was to make known unto them, and to ſee them obſerved accordingly. Moreover the Lord Commands Moſes, That the Prey taken in this Expedition (which was very great, viz. of Beaſts and Women-kind 800 and 40 thouſand,) ſhould be divided into two equal parts; the one for thoſe that went out to the War (which were twelve thouſand) and the other for the reſt of the people that ſtayed at home, which were a vaſt multitude, as appears, Ch. 26.51. And further, that he ſhould levy a Tribute for the Lord out of both parts, which He (being the Inheritance of the Prieſts and Levites intended for them, ſee Gen. 14.20.) orders him to take out of their part that went to War, but one in 500 either of Perſons or Cattel, but out of the oth…r part, one in 50. And accordingly the ſmaller levy out of their half that went to War was given to Eleazar; that is, to him and the reſt of the Prieſts, who being but few had therein a liberal ſhare. But the greater levy out of the peoples half was given to the Levites, becauſe they were many. So that the Levites had one in 50, the Prieſts only one in 500; the ſame proportion being obſerved here, that was obſerved in their Tythes; the Levites having the Tythes or Tenths of the people, and the Prieſts but the tenth of their Tythes, ſee Numb. 18.21.
Theſe things thus done, the Captains of Iſrael numbred their Souldiers, and found that they miſſed not a man, which might ſufficiently ſhew them, that it was the Lords doing that the Midianites were thus vanquiſhed, and might be a great encouragement to them reſolutely to go on and to fight the reſidue of the Lords battels. They therefore having beſides the Cattel above mentioned (which were brought to a common Stock) gotten every man for himſelf very rich ſpoils of Jewels, Bracelets, and Chains of Gold, &c. in teſtimony of their great thankfulneſs to God, who had graciouſly ſpared their lives, and thus wonderfully aſſiſted them in gaining this great Victory, and that they might make an atonement for their Souls, (having ſinfully ſpared the Women alive, for which Moſes reproved them, verſ. 14.17.) they out of theſe their particular Spoils offer a voluntary Oblation to the Lord. And Moſes and Eleazar took the Gold and the Jewels of them, which they offered, (amounting to 16 thouſand, 700 and 50 Shekels, *Underſtand golden Shekels whereof the common contained an 160 barley-grains or a quarter of an once, the holy one as much again, viz. 320. grains, or half an ounce, one once of Gold was valued at ten times that quantity in Silver, ſee Dutch Annot. on Gen. 24.22.) and brought them into the Lords Tabernacle, where they were kept as a Memorial of Gods favour to them in giving them this great Victory.
Numb. Ch. 31. whole Chapter.