Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites
For the injury they had done them, by sending their daughters
among them, who enticed them to commit uncleanness with them, and
then drew them into the worship of their idols, which brought the
wrath of God upon them, and for which 24,000 persons were slain.
Now, though the Moabites had a concern in this affair as well as
the Midianites, yet they were spared; which some think was for
the sake of Lot, from whom they descended; but why not the
Midianites for the sake of Abraham, whose offspring they were by
Keturah? Jarchi says, they were spared because of Ruth, who was
to spring from them; and so she might, and yet vengeance be taken
on great numbers of them: but the truer reason seems to be,
either because the sin of the Moabites was not yet full, and they
were reserved for a later punishment; or rather because they were
not the principal actors in the above affair; but the Midianites,
who seem to have advised Balak at first to send for Balaam to
curse Israel, and who harboured that soothsayer after he had been
dismissed by Balak, and to whom he gave his wicked counsel, and
which they readily followed, and industriously pursued:
afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy
people;
or die, see ( Numbers
27:13 ) , it being some satisfaction to him to see the good
land, as he did from Abarim, and the Israelites avenged on their
enemies before his death.