전쟁과 순종에 관한 민수기 31장

하나님은 모세를 통해 미디안과 전쟁을 준비하라고 합니다. 대체 왜 전쟁을 하라고 하는지 모르겠지만요, 이스라엘 민족 입장에서 미디안은 우상숭배와 음행으로 하나님 권위에 도전한 민족이었다고 합니다. 참 핑계도 그럴듯합니다.

 

이스라엘의 원수를 갚으라?

하나님은 모세를 통해 이스라엘 자손의 원수를 미디안에게 갚으라고 하는데요. 미디안인이 뭔 큰 잘못을 했는지 모르겠습니다. 따지고 보면 이집트인이 원수가 아니던가요? 비느하스가 본보기로 두 남녀를 때려 잡기도 했건만. 

 

 

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2"Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterwards you shall be gathered to your people." 3 So Moses spoke to the people, saying, "Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the Lord's vengeance on Midian. 4 You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war." 5 So there were provided, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6 And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe, together with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. 7 They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. 9 And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones , and they took as plunder all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods. 10 All their cities in the place where they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire, 11 and took all the spoil and all the plunder, both of man and of beast. 12 Then they brought the captives and the plunder and the spoil to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the people of Israel, at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

 

 

아무튼, 영토를 뺏기 위함이 아닌 어떤 응징의 목적으로 심판을 내리기 위해 미디안과 전쟁을 하는데요.  이스라엘 군대는 남자들을 모두 죽이고 어린 여자들과 여성들을 포로로 잡아갔습니다. 그러면서도 결혼한 여성은 또 죽였다고 하네요. 그리고 미디안의 다섯 왕도 죽였고요. 발람도 죽임을 당했습니다. 이렇게 하나님의 진노를 산 이유는 이집트는 이스라엘을 물리적으로 억압했다면 미디안은 이스라엘의 신앙을 파괴하고 공동체 생활을 무너뜨리려고 했다고 합니다. 문득 생각이 든 것이 공동체 생활을 강조한 것을 보면 공산주의 모태가 바로 성경에서 비롯된 것이 아닌가 싶기도 합니다.

 

아무튼, 이것들은 미디안 여성들을 포로로 잡아서 머리 깎이고 손톱 깎아 한 달 동안 애도한 후 아내로 삼을 수 있게 했다는데요. 좀 소름 끼치네요. 그리고 발람 역시 하나님에게 징벌을 받게 되는데요. 훗날 뉘우침을 떠나서 그가 처음에 이스라엘 민족에게 원조 분탕칠을 했기 때문입니다. 

 

 

민수기 30장 읽기

서원과 맹세에 관한 규례가 등장하는 민수기 30장

 

 

 

 전쟁에서 돌아온 후 사건

 

 

13 Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp. 14 And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. 15 Moses said to them, "Have you let all the women live? 16 Behold, these, on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord. 17 Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. 18 But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves. 19 Encamp outside the camp for severn days. Whoever of you has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day. 20 You shall purify every garment, every article of skin, all work of goats' hair, and every article of wood."

 

지독한 결벽증에 걸린 하나님, 그리고 그를 숭배하는 이스라엘 민족은 아주 유별난 종족인 것 같습니다. 마치 자기들만 최고인양 구는데요. 남의 땅을 자기 땅이라고 정복해 놓고는 그들이 포로 삼은 사람들을 정결하게 하고 물품 등도 정화 작업을 합니다. 이집트에서 노예 생활을 했던 기억은 잊은 채 어느새 정복자가 되어 온갖 핍박을 다하고 있는 것 같은데요. 그런데도 참으로 뻔뻔하다는 생각입니다.

 

 

21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men in the army who had gone to battle: "This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded Moses: 22 only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23 everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless, it shall also be purified with the water for impurity. And whatever cannot stand the fire, you shall pass through the water. 24 You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. And afterwards you may come into the camp."

 

아무래도 공동체 생활을하다보니 청결을 중시하는 것도 있겠지만요. 청결에 대한 개념이 미약한 그 시대에 이토록 철저하게 청결에 신경을 썼다는 것을 보면 하나님은 너무나 선진화된 문명에서 오신 분 같습니다.

 

 

 전리품을 바치라

 

25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 "Take the count of the plunder that was taken, both of man and of beast, you and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers' houses of the congregation, 27 and divide the plunder into two parts between the warriors who went out battle and all the congregation. 28 And levy for the Lord a tribute from the men of war who went out to battle, one out of five hundred, of the people and of the oxen and of the oxen and of the donkeys and of the flocks. 29 Take if from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the Lord. 30 And from the people of Israel half you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the people, of the oxen, of the dondeys, and of the flocks, of all the cattle, and give them to the Levites who keep guard over the tabernacle of the Lord." 31 And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.

 

 32 Now the plunder remaining of the spoil that the army took was 675,000 sheep, 33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys 35 and 32,000 persons in all, women who had not known man by lying with him. 36 And the half , the portion of those who had gone out in the army, numbered 337,500 sheep, 37 and the Lord's tribute of sheep was 675. 38 The cattle were 36,000, of which the LOrd's tribute was 73. 39 The donkeys were 30,500, of which the Lord's tribute was 61. 40 The persons were 16,000, of which the Lord's tribute was 32 persons. 41 And Moses gave the tribute, which was the contribution for the Lord, to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord commanded Moses.

 

42 From the people of Israel half, which Moses separated from that of the men who had served in the army 43 now the congregation's half was 337,500 sheep, 44 36,000 cattle, 45 and 30,500 donkeys, 46 and 16,000 persons 47 from the people of Israels half Moses took one of every 50, both of persons and of beasts, and gave them to the Levites who kept guard over the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.

 

 48 Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, came near to Moses 49 and said to Moses, "Your servants have counted the men of war who are under our command, and there is not a man missing from us. 50 And we have brought the Lord's offering, what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and beads, to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord." 51 And Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them the gold, all crafted articles. 52 And all the gold of the contribution that they presented to the Lord, from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, was 16,750 shekels. 53( The men in the army had each taken plunder for himself.) 54 And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, as a memorial for the people of Israel before the LOrd.

 

 

전쟁에 승리한 후 전리품을 나눠 갖는 중에 하나님께 바치는 것도 있어야겠죠. 하지만 하나님이 이것들을 직접 가져가지는 않고 제사장 밑의 윗분들이, 그러니까 레위인들의 몫으로 가져간 것 같습니다.