num (for Christians to answer)

[chuck010342]

If God is righteous then why did he allow moses to kill the midoneans and slaughter thier children and take the unmarried for themsleves? I'm talking about the book of numbers chapter 31

 

[Feathers in Hair]

Didn't you already ask this?

 

[chuck010342]

yeah but I put it in the wrong room and I would like a Christian to respond to it

 

[Linus]

I believe that God instructed Moses and the Isrelites to destroy the Midianites because of some wrong-doings done to them by the Midianites in previous chapters of Numbers.

In Chapter 25 verses 17 and 18 of Numbers the orders for Israel to attack the Midianites are given - Num. 25:17 "Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them, 18 because they treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the affair of Peor and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of Peor."

The orders are not carried out until later in chapter 31. Does this help?

 

[chuck010342]

Yeah I found a similar teaching online elsewhere. The problem with that explination is that God commanded Moses to kill every male and to take the unmaried women for yourselves. Now that doesn't sound like something a good caring loving God would do or does it? You see I have a very good theory as to why God did this and why it could be seen justly. However many people might think of my theory as "off the wall or crazy" so could you or any christian give an explinaion as to why the Loving Father did this?

 

[Linus]

PLease share your theory. I would love to hear it.

 

[thomasedison]

Although I am not a christian, but if God is truly just, then why did he command Moses to kill all the men and take the unmarried women for themselves. Not every Midianite was evil, nobody had proof anyway. Might not the slaughter of Midianites occured in the slaughter of a few good men either.
Sorry for posting as I am not christian and you only want a christian to answer but I was really curious.

 

[true blood]

I don't think any Christian can explain to you why the Midianites deserved this fate. There isn't a single man or woman alive who knows what goes on in the hearts of other people. We could speculate such things but ultimately we do not know. Perhaps they imagined evil things or perhaps they were possessed by demons, maybe they were pedophiles or they ate the hearts from their fallen victims of warfare or sacrificed 10 virgins each new moon to please their camel gods. /shrug

 

[Hirohito18200]

The justification for the slaughter of the native people, the Midianites were not the only example, was that they would constantly harass the nation of Israel as it expanded. Their downfall was that they took the women as wives, instead of killing them too, because it led them astray spiritually. Also, you can see that they are still paying the price from their agressive neighbors.

 

[dan]

If God is righteous then why did he allow moses to kill the midoneans and slaughter thier children and take the unmarried for themsleves? I'm talking about the book of numbers chapter 31

Because your understanding of righteousness is not His (or correct). Did you ever see I, Robot? Wasn't it interesting how they technically were not breaking the three laws because their perspective was much larger than ours? God's perspective is much larger than yours.

 

[Ronald]

Check what the Sages of Israel say about it in the Chumash! Lots of hochmah!

 

[linwood]

I`ve got another twist on this one.

Moses at one time was taken in by the Midianites when he fled Egypt after he murdered an Egyptian and angered the Pharaoh.

The leader of the Midianites gave Zipporah to him as a wife.

It would seem to me the Midianites were pretty good to Moses and yet years later he had no problem brutally murdering and raping and committing genocide on his wifes people.

I bet he spent more than a few nights sleeping on the couch for that huh?

How does this fit with biblical morality?

 

[linwood]

Because your understanding of righteousness is not His (or correct). Did you ever see I, Robot? Wasn't it interesting how they technically were not breaking the three laws because their perspective was much larger than ours? God's perspective is much larger than yours.

Kind of interesting that were also morally incorrect.

Nice example.

 

[linwood]

When you get right down to it the Midianites were killed and raped because god is a jealous being.

He didn`t want them worshipping another god.

 

[standing_on_one_foot]

When you get right down to it the Midianites were killed and raped because god is a jealous being.

He didn`t want them worshipping another god.

Or, if we're going to be cynical about it, it's because that's what people did then, slaughter and enslave their enemies, and the Israelites wanted an excuse or justification or whatever, and so decided that God commanded them to do this.

 

[Mr Spinkles]

Or, if we're going to be cynical about it, it's because that's what people did then, slaughter and enslave their enemies, and the Israelites wanted an excuse or justification or whatever, and so decided that God commanded them to do this.

I think this is by far the most plausible explanation.

 

[chuck010342]

I'm gonna wait one more day before posting my thesis. For those who can't wait here is a clue. GLOBAL FlOOD

 

[true blood]

God instructed the Israelites, on several occasions, to smite the peoples completely and to show no mercy on them but God was very patient with those pagan immoral tribes. God promised Abraham that the country would someday be his seed's, but that it could not be theirs for "the iniquity of those other people is not full" Gen. 15:16. It's as if the sins of those heathen peoples were gradually filling a container, eventually, a point would be reached when God would not tolerate it anymore. The wicked would have to be destroyed. Thus it was not a violation of God's goodness, but rather the opposite, it was to perserve it to have those people destroyed.

 

[Ronald]

I`ve got another twist on this one.

Moses at one time was taken in by the Midianites when he fled Egypt after he murdered an Egyptian and angered the Pharaoh.

The leader of the Midianites gave Zipporah to him as a wife.

It would seem to me the Midianites were pretty good to Moses and yet years later he had no problem brutally murdering and raping and committing genocide on his wifes people.

I bet he spent more than a few nights sleeping on the couch for that huh?

How does this fit with biblical morality?

Twist and add words.
Jeter was a priest of Midian. Not the Leaders of Midian.
Jeter converted to Judaism and became Jethro and advised Moses.
The leaders of Midian conspired to wipe the Children of Israel from the face of the earth.
Moses was instructed by Hashem to harass them and take vengance for their plot against Hashems people.
Nowhere do you find words of rape and murder.
Finding fault in God is a fearful thing to attempt.

 

[linwood]

Or, if we're going to be cynical about it, it's because that's what people did then, slaughter and enslave their enemies, and the Israelites wanted an excuse or justification or whatever, and so decided that God commanded them to do this.

That works for me.

Twist and add words.
Jeter was a priest of Midian. Not the Leaders of Midian.
Jeter converted to Judaism and became Jethro and advised Moses.
The leaders of Midian conspired to wipe the Children of Israel from the face of the earth.
Moses was instructed by Hashem to harass them and take vengance for their plot against Hashems people.
Nowhere do you find words of rape and murder.
Finding fault in God is a fearful thing to attempt.

I`m not attempting anything..just reading the book.

Numbers ..Moses Speaking..

31:17
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

31:18
But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

When they were divying up the spoils they discover Midea had 32.000 virgins...

31:35
And thirty and two thousand persons in all, of women that had not known man by lying with him.

Of which the lord himself got a cut.

Now it is true that the bible doesn`t specifically say anything about rape I wonder why it is just the virgin girls Moses is interested in.

Please explain why they wanted to keep all the virgin female children but made sure to murder all the other children?

As far as Jeter being just a priest, the bible states that he was THE priest of the Midianites which I confess leads me to believe he was at least a spirtual leader and in those days that generally was your leader...but I digress.

I`m not even sure it was Jeter, Numbers says his name was Hobab, Exodus says it was Reuel, Exodus says it was Jethro.

Please point me to the scripture that explains the Midianite plot to destroy the Isrealites.