Numbers 30 deals with vows made by men and women. Men who make a vow to the Lord are obligated to keep that vow. On the other hand, women who make a vow to the Lord and are married or still living at home are under the authority of the man who has charge over them. If, when they hear about the vow, do not say anything, the women may keep their vow. But, if the men disapprove, the women will be released from the vow without consequence. If the men hear of the vow and say nothing at the time of hearing, but later disapprove of the vow, the men will bear the guilt of breaking the vow. Widowed or divorced women may make and keep their own vows; they are not under the authority of any man.

It seems as though God is dealing with a situation that came up in dealing with family issues. While in our society it seems unfair for a man to have authority over a woman, at that time men did control the affairs of women. What these statutes do is protect the women from judgment if they are not to blame for having to go back on a vow or pledge they have made to the Lord. God will not find them guilty.

Numbers 31 tells of a battle with the Midianites. God chooses the number of warriors to send into battle. The Israelites obey God and win the battle. God tells them how to apportion the spoils, dividing the captives and the booty. Any objects that have been taken must be purified before using them.

Again, our current day senses are upset by the talk of war and the ravages of war. It is though the means God used to strengthen His chosen people and bring them into the Promised Land. We do see that although Balaam spoke for the Lord earlier in protecting the Israelites from battle, he was responsible for having Midianite women entice Israelite men which resulted in their disobeying God’s law. He is punished by death as are the women who could entice the men further. God wants the people to remain pure and not be corrupted by temptation either in the form of people or of things.

In acts 23 Paul is standing before the council. He tells them that he is teaching about the hope of the resurrection of the dead whish causes a dispute between the Sadducees who do not believe in resurrection and the Pharisees who do. The argument gets violent and the tribune who brought Paul before the Council removes him from the melee. Forty members of the council devise a plan to get rid of Paul. Paul’s nephew hears about the plot and tells the tribune of the plan. Because Paul is a Roman citizen, the tribune sends him to governor Felix for protection.