The Sermon on the Mount is one of the greatest messages ever spoken. I think it is easy to gloss over some of Jesus’ words. Let’s examine what He said in light of Numbers 31.
“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’
But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment, and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council, and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire” (Matthew 5:21-22).
We understand holding murderers accountable in our judicial system, but should someone who calls another “fool” run the risk of going to hell?
Jesus didn’t stop with the anger that resides in the human heart. He addressed lust and said:
If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell” (Matthew 5:29).
We preachers are quick to point out that you can lust with one eye as well as two. The same goes for the hand in verse 30. The point is that Jesus takes lustful and angry thoughts seriously – as serious as going to hell.
The Midianites Judged
The principle of accountability is demonstrated in God’s judgment on the Midianites. You will recall that Balaam used the fertility cult aspects of the Midianites to seduce the Israelites into blending faith in Yahweh with that of Baal (Numbers 25).
Bible students wrestle with how God executed His justice upon the Midianites. The term “theodicy” is used to discuss God’s justice in instances like the following.
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Avenge the Israelites on the Midianites; afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”
So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of your number for the war, so that they may go against Midian, to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian.
You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war.”
They did battle against Midian, as the Lord had commanded Moses, and killed every male.
They killed the kings of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian, in addition to others who were slain by them, and they also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword (Numbers 31:1-4,7-8).
The account continues with the army being commanded to kill some of the women who had been spared in the first battle. The questions Bible students ask is how do you explain a just and loving God commanding such brutality?
Justice and Love
How do we understand the command to kill the Midianites or Jesus’ instructions about anger, lust, and the possibility of hell? Certainly, none of these verses will be found quoted on refrigerator magnets.
The cross of Jesus Christ is the best place to understand passages like these.
(1) The cross describes God’s view toward sin. If the cross is God’s solution for the sin problem, then our sins are incredibly problematic.
If we take into account the words of Jesus and the judgement of the Midianties, we see examples of how seriously God takes sin.
(2) The cross reveals God’s love. Forgiveness of sins and a relationship with God are possible because of the judgment that Jesus accepted in our place on the cross.
While the love of God is featured on greeting cards, Facebook posts, and refrigerator magnets, it can’t be accurately understood without the fact of His judgment on sin.
Jesus experienced the horrors of the cross to set humans free from sin and guilt. Like the Exodus of the ancient Hebrews, freedom was just the beginning and not the end. They became His partners in the redemption of the world.
Like the Israelites of old, we are set free from sin to join God in friendship and partnership. God’s love doesn’t give us a “get out of jail free card,” so we can live any way we want.
As the saying goes, “we are saved to serve.” Salvation allows us to partner with God in His kingdom’s work.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 