Mattot (Tribes)
(Sefer Bamidbar) Numbers 30:2 - 32:42

 31:1-"And YHVH spoke unto Moshe, saying,

    2- Avenge the children of Yisrael of the Midianites: afterward shall thou be gathered unto thy people.
    3- And Moshe spoke unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go  

      against the Midianites, and avenge YHVH of Midian.
    4- Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Yisrael, shall ye send to the war.
    6- And Moshe sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Pinchas the son of Eliezar the 

      kohain, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.
    7- And they warred against the Midianites, as YHVH commanded Moshe; and they slew all the males.
    8- And they slew the kings of Midian beside them that were pierced; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Tzur,

      and Chur and Reva, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.
    9- And the children of Yisrael took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the

      spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods.
   10- And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.
   11- And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts.
   12- And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moshe and Eliezar the kohain, and

      unto the congregation of the children of YIsrael, unto the camp at the plains of Moav which are by

      Yarden near Yericho.
   15- And Moshe said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?
   16- Behold, these caused the children of Yisrael, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass

      against YHVH in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of YHVH.
   17- So, now kill every male among the little ones and every woman who has known man, lying with him.
   18- But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
   48- And the officers which were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of

      hundreds, came near unto Moshe:
   49- And they said unto Moshe, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our

      charge, and there lacks not one man of us.
 32:6- And Moshe said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuven, Shall your brethren go to

      war, and shall ye sit here?
    7- And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Yisrael from going over into the land which 

      YHVH has given them?"

Mattot Summary:
1.    The Inherited Task of Utterly Slaying the Seed of the Opposition:

        While some would dare to challenge the Justice from the Almighty, esteeming the slaughter of the Midianite men of all ages as ruthless and “overkill,” sparing only the virgin daughters from among them, the execution against Yisrael’s foes, had purpose to its punch.  Though the maidens of Midian had been the snare to the sons of Yaakov, it would be the destruction of the male children that had covenantal design that would be met.  In accordance to promise made earlier by Elohim to Avraham in Genesis 12:7, as it is written:

   “And YHVH appeared unto Avram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land...,"

it was of necessity that the seed of the Midianites, passed down through the men, not be mingled with the daughters of the Twelve Tribes.  Just as it had been delineated earlier in Numbers 26:55,
   "...the land shall be divided by lot: by the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit."
          Before we begin to let pity persuade our convictions elsewhere, we best remember the reaction which occurred a few centuries later when a disobedient Saul was rhetorically asked in 1 Samuel 15:14:
   "What means then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"

By refusing to exercise the full annihilation of the Amalekite nemesis, the son of Kish, had the kingdom rent from his house.  For this chosen nation's welfare, negotiation with an enemy who sought its destruction was never an option.  Nothing has changed.   To insure an enduring victory, be it in the natural or spiritual realm, and in light of His  heavenly vision compliance to HaShem's strictest commands  must be followed. Indeed, oftentimes it is our denial of historic decrees which entices us to "ease up" on the enemy of our soul; in these times, Psalms 143:3 reminds us of his ultimate plans:
   "For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has smitten my life down to the ground; he has made

    me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead."

           Possessing a determination to eradicate those things detrimental and even injurious to our soul, we must refuse negotiation with those practices, habits, and destructive tendencies which do not profit the cause of HaShem's Everlasting Kingdom within us.  Seeds of doubt, faithlessness, and rebellion will flourish if cultivated.  Like uninvited weeds, they must be uprooted.  For this Elohim sends his servants; Jeremiah 1:10 speaks of the exploits of such messengers we are privileged to encounter, as it is written:
   "See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down,

    and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
Truly, the prophetic voice is needed in our day as we overcome those opposing forces in our life.  Then are the words of Shlomo HaMelech understood, Ecclesiastes 3:2-3 declares the purpose for all things, namely :
   "A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
    A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
2.    Vowing to Fight the Foe on Behalf of the Family's Inheritance:

          With a parasha that begins with the ramifications and limitations of vows taken, it ends in a related application, as the children of Reuven and Gad, take their own vows in Numbers 32:18-19, pledging:

   "We will not return to our houses, until the sons of Yisrael have inherited every man his inheritance."

In the context, the marvel of this statement is not the commitment but rather the unrelenting consequences that would befall their failure to comply.  For sure, to aid their brothers in securing all the tribes inheritance was their obligation.   In Numbers 32:23, Moshe clearly warns of calamity to follow, if their vow be broken:

   "But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against YHVH and be sure your sin will find you out."
It the vow that gives the empowerment with obedience, and it is the vow, which if broken, brings the curse.  Both Reuven and Gad would show themselves true to their words, as Joshua 22:2 chronicled the completion of military support for the other ten tribes, as is written:
   "And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moshe the servant of YHVH commanded you, and

    have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you."
Our call to community is a call to contend for one another, meeting a need as Proverbs 17:17 aptly declares:

    "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."