One of Moses’ last acts before his death was to lead the Israelites in battle against the Midianites in retaliation for their actions, along with the Moabites, of seducing the men of Israel into false worship and sexual sin. God gave his people a great victory in this battle – not one Israelite soldier lost his life.

Reading the accounts of these battles in the ancient world is difficult for us today. There is so much death and destruction and bloodshed. Yet, although these accounts are common throughout Israel’s history, we can see from the purification that had to be carried out afterwards that death, even in battle, represents a terrible disruption of God’s creation. It was never meant to be this way.

Each person and object which had been in contact with death had to go through a high level of purification afterwards. The soldiers and their captives needed special cleansing, and all of the objects – the spoils of war – also had to be cleansed. Those objects which could survive burning were to be cleansed not only with water, but with fire, the most intense form of purification.

Death was not God’s plan for us. Death entered the world when sin entered the world. It is the consequence of sin. Even today, despite all of our advances and knowledge, humanity is often too quick to hold the lives of others as easily expendable, but God brings life – a life that goes beyond our human mortality; an eternal, abundant life. Praise God that death is defeated!

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH