Mattot

1. Mattot Mattot = Tribes The 42nd Portion Readings Numbers 30:2 thru 32:42

2. Vows Numbers 30 • Almost everyone has made a vow to their god • Wedding vows, promises made to one another in God’s name

3. Vows Numbers 30 • Vowing to tell the truth in a court of law • Biblical vows were valid and not superstition • Biblical Law established concerning making vows

4. Making Rash Vows • In moments of crises we sometimes make promises to God • Vs. 3 Males making vows • The Lord says EVERYTHING that comes out of a Man’s mouth as a vow is to be done! • Vs. 4 If a WOMAN makes a vow • Yehoveh looks upon MEN’s vows differently than upon women’s vows

5. Vows PRINCIPLES BEHIND THE LAWS OF VOWS ALREADY ESTABLISHED • Child is to submit to parent • Wife to submit to husband • Husband to submit to God • Neither child NOR wife may substitute self-imposed obligations to God in place of the standard God-ordained duties in Torah • The NATURE of the vow is not the issue • Vows of a wife or child come FIRST under the husband/father, before considered valid under the Lord

6. Vows in N.T. Era Continued • Gospels and Epistles include validation of vows • Yeshua warned against the DOWNSIDE of making vows • He said that a vow could not allow a person to evade a lawful expectation • Matt.15:3 • An example of wrong-minded vow making • Tradition = doctrine • Tradition/doctrine is NOT Scripture

7. Story of Jephthah • Story of a man making a rash vow • Jephthah from the tribe of Gad • Gilead = Gad • Gilead needed Jephthah to help fight Ammon • Jephthah makes a vow to God in exchange for the Lord favoring him in battle • Judges 11

8. An Unexpected Consequence • Jepthah’s only daughter becomes the payment of the vow • Jephthah had vowed to sacrifice whatever came out of his tent; it turned out to be his daughter • Jephthah followed through and killed her • Did it from a perverted piousness • He could have broken his vow and accepted his sin

9. Case # 1 Unmarried Hebrew Girl • Still living at home • Under authority of her father • If girl makes a vow, and father does not respond, she is obligated to fulfill her vow • If her father disapproves of her vow, he can annul it • The Lord will NOT count her vow being annulled as a sin against the girl for not fulfilling it • God-Principle: obedience to her father more important than fulfilling a vow to God

10. Case #2: Girl Gets Married • Still living at home, girl makes vow, but father doesn’t stop her therefore vow is to be fulfilled • She gets married, husband learns of vow • Husband has the right to annul that vow • Authority over the girl was transferred from her father to her husband upon marriage

11. Case #3: Widow or Divorcee • A widow or divorced woman can make a vow and NO one has authority to annul it • She is fully responsible to fulfill it

12. Case #4: Wife Makes A Vow • Married woman makes vow, husband remains silent, so vow is valid • Husband bears some responsibility for outcome

13. Two Kinds of Vows • Neder = vow A positive act involving a sacrifice • Issar = pledge Involves abstinence from something (like a Nazarite vow) • All vows and pledges require taking an oath • Oath involves invoking the name of God • Two types of Oaths: 1) Assertion 2) Promise • A covenant is a promissory oath

14. War With Midian • God ordered war with Midian due to their alliance with Moab • Balak and Balaam • Israel remained in area after Balaam incident • Balaam convinced King Balak to get their women to use sex to entice Hebrew men • Hebrews worshipped Chemosh • Various Midianite clans located east of Jordan River • Moses’ army ONLY killed Midianites up in the Moab area

15. The Extermination of Midian • Many Christians have trouble with the killing and blood of the Old Testament • The problem some say is : O.T. A God that slays and conquers nations N.T. A God that sacrifices Himself FOR the nations

16. Armageddon • What is different between the slaughter of Midian and the slaughter of nations at Armageddon? • Whether Torah or the Gospels it is the SAME God! • The Lord has chosen throughout history times when he will slay people who are NOT His • The WORST divinely led slaughter in history is yet to come! • Our Lord was meek for a purpose, and He will be a warrior for a purpose

17. Lord Deals First With His People • AFTER dealing with His own, He punishes the outsiders • Principle: ALL who sin shall perish EXCEPT those who accept His grace to escape… ..Jew or gentile! • This principle was NOT abandoned with the advent Of Christ • Romans 2 explains how the Lord will treat Jew and gentile concerning BOTH grace AND destruction

18. The Penalty for Adultery is Death • Yehoveh is Israel’s husband • Israel had committed adultery by worshipping Chemosh • 24,000 Hebrews died BEFORE the Lord starts to deal with Midian • Israel is to prosecute the war precisely as the Lord says

19. PhinehasWas A Priest • Every culture brought the priests of their gods to the battles • Phinehas did NOT lead the battle, he only performed priestly service (like blowing the Shofar) • No detailed account of the battle • Israel annihilated Midian, and there were no Midianite men left • Principle: When the Lord’s army goes into battle, there is ONLY one possible outcome: victory • The only purpose for the battle is to display the Glory of God, not to see who might win

20. The Extermination of Midian • Only the Midianites of the northern Trans-Jordan were attacked • The Midianites consisted of tribes settled from the north down to the southwestern Arabian Peninsula

21. The Extermination of Midian • Balaam was also killed • Midianite women and children and their livestock were confiscated • Midianite cities burned • Taking defeated people grew your own tribe or nation • Genealogical purity within Israel became impossible due to these customs

22. The Spoils of War • Spoils of Midianite War brought back to Moses • Moses became irate when he saw the women • Sexually inexperienced woman to be kept as slaves • All other women to be executed • All male Midianite children to be executed • In that era, a male child had the duty of avenging his father’s death • Moses wanted no Midianite males to own property or have Hebrew wives

23. Israel’s Army had to be Purified • Neither the soldiers nor the spoils could enter the camp until purified • Soldiers unclean due to contact with death • Spoils unclean because used for pagan purposes • Soldiers had to be sprinkled with ashes of Red Heifer twice • Metal objects had to pass through fire • All other spoils had to be washed in water

24. Dividing the Spoils • 12,000 soldiers kept ½ of all the booty • The other ½ went to the remaining Israelites • Soldiers had to “tithe” 1/500th of their portion • All others had to “tithe” 1/50th of their portion • Soldier’s tithe portion went to priests • Other tithe portion went to the Levites • 10 Levites for every 1 Priest • In the end, every Priest and Levite received exactly the same amount!

25. Commanders Show Gratitude to God • An enormous amount of livestock was seized • All the commanders gave their spoils to the Lord as thanks for not losing a single Israelite soldier! • The regular foot soldier kept all of his portion • Beautiful picture of Godly leadership • The Lord expects the greatest sacrifice from His leaders

26. The Conquest Begins • Israel is still east of the Jordan River • Tribes of Reuben and Gad decided NOT to settle in the Promised Land • Mikneh = livestock (not cattle) • Reuben and Gad come to the leadership council for permission • Moses is angry AND frightened, because he fears a similar punishment as when the leaders refused to go forward 40 years earlier • Va-yiggeshu = to beseech in a soft manner • Nechalats = hand picked troops; the best • Reuben’s and Gad’s best troops would stay with the rest of Israel and help conquer Canaan

27. Reuben and Gad Want Moab • Leadership council agrees to request • Land is on east side of the Jordan • War with Midian was NOT about gaining territory • Israel should have defeated Moab and then moved on • Moses wanted ALL the tribes to live within the Promised Land

28. Jacob’s Blessings • • Reuben and Gad wanted the territory • for pasture • • Reuben was “unstable as water”, • lacked moral strength • • Gad’s prophetic blessing was as a • military force • • Rueben and Gad were part of the • same division of Israel (camped on • the south side of the Tabernacle) • • In God’s providence Gad and • Reuben provided a buffer between • Israel and it’s enemies from the east • Chose to stay out of Promised Land

29. The 2 ½ Tribes • About ½ of the tribe of Manasseh also decide to stay out of the Promised Land • This split undoubtedly was to allow for a peaceful resolution to a serious disagreement • The other ½ of the tribe of Manasseh moved into Canaan • It took many years before the exact boundaries became settled

30. 2 ½ Tribes Rebuilt Moabite Cities • City names were changed from Moabite names to Hebrew names • Cities usually rebuilt rather new ones built elsewhere • Building material was mostly the stones from the previous city • Tell = a mound that consists of layers of civilizations

31. Reuben and Gad Want Moab End of Mattot Study