Matot Notes (pdf)
Matot Slides (pdf)
Overview of Matot (Numbers 30:1 – 33:42
Israel has arrived at the final destination in the Wilderness Journey: Shittim (or Acacia Grove in the KJV). We know that the entire journey took 40 years and that they were camped at Sinai for 13 days less than a full year; but we don’t have any further break-down of their time spent between Sinai and the end of that journey. It has been suggested that Israel camped at Kadesh Barnea (after the bad report of the ten spies and the failed attempt to take the Promised Land) for most of the remaining 38+ years; and they “sprinted to the finish line” as they traveled to Moab (Numbers 33:16-37). We know from the last two weeks’ Portions that Israel was camped at Shittim long enough for the women of Moab and Midian to seduce the men of Israel into the worship of their pagan gods…and we see the conclusion of that event in this week’s Portion.
Chapter 30 – Taking Vows
A vow is a conditional promise, whereas an oath is a self-imposed promise with no conditions. There are four situations described here: a man’s vow is always sacred; the vow of a young woman still under her father’s covering can be disallowed by her father; the vow of a married woman can also be disallowed by her husband; and the vow of a divorced or widowed woman is also sacred. If the father or husband does not immediately disallow the woman’s vow then it is sacred …. and they are both held accountable.
We are reminded of the vows that both Hannah (I Sam 1:9-11) and Jacob (Genesis 28:20-22) took; they were both taken during a time of crisis (Jacob was fleeing for his life from Esau, and Hannah was desperate for a son), and they were both done privately.
We are also reminded of the very unwise vow that Jephthah took in Judges, chapter 11. Here Jephthah vowed to offer as a Burnt Offering the first living thing he would see, if Yehovah would grant him victory over his enemies. Yehovah kept His end of the deal and, unfortunately, it is his daughter that Jephthah first saw when he returned from his victory over the Ammonites. The story ends, not with the girl’s death on a fiery altar, but rather with her remaining in her father’s house living a celibate life. She became the “living sacrifice” that Paul recommends to us in Romans 12:1.
And we should also be reminded of the vows that we make today…especially our marriage vows. All too many couples enter into marriage with the attitude of “if it doesn’t work out, then I’ll start over with another.” The rate of divorce within the Church is not significantly different that it is in the world; and when we consider that our earthly marriages are pictures of our heavenly marriage to Messiah, it should be cause for concern.
Yehovah is clear in this chapter: He is not against a person taking a vow…but He is against a person not keeping a vow. How much better would this world be today if everyone adhered to this!
Chapter 31 – Defeat of the Midianites
As Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, they had some unfinished business on the east side of the Jordan. God had declared war on the Midianites for using their young women to seduce the young Israelite men. The Midianites were a large group and had a huge army. But God showed His Might by restricting the Israelite army to 12,000 men – 1,000 from each tribe. There was no quantity of men or any battle strategy that Midian could have used to defeat Israel. With God on Israel’s side, who can defeat them! Every single Midian soldier was killed; not one Israelite soldier was lost. What an Awesome God we serve!
The Spoils of Victory
The victorious Israelite army returned with their spoils of the battle. Because all the warriors had come into contact with death, both the spoils and the men had to be first purified with the Water of Purification before they could enter into the camp. When Moses saw that they have brought back alive all the women and children, he reminded them (in no uncertain terms) that it was those very women who had just seduced the Israelite men into worshipping their pagan gods. Moses allowed only the virgin girls to be spared alive. The spoil of animals and people was divided equally between the men who went into battle and the rest of the Camp…with each giving a tithe (10%) to the Levies and the Levites giving a tithe to the Priests.
Chapter 32 – Tribes Possessing Gilead
The heads of the Tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh requested that Moses consider allowing them to settle where they were currently camped on the east side of the Jordan; the land there was perfect for their flocks. The men agreed to leave their families and flocks there and to fight along with the rest of the Tribes; they promised to not stop fighting until all the land of Canaan was conquered. So Moses agreed; the Tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh would occupy those lands east of the Jordan upon the completion of the Conquest of Canaan.
Even though this area is outside of Israel’s boundaries today, it falls well within the area that Yehovah had originally promised to Abraham – all the way to the Euphrates River!