“Have you allowed
all the women to live?” he asked them. “They were the ones who
followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident, so
that a plague struck the Lord’s people. Now kill all the boys. And
kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save
for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.” Numbers 31:15-18
In
this specific war with the Midianites, God told the Israelites to wipe out
everyone. The women were being punished
for following Balaam’s advice to entice the Israelites to be unfaithful by
sexual offerings to false gods. The
Israelites were also punished for this act.
Later, God allowed the virgins from the enemy territory to live since
they did not take part in this sin.
God
knew the Midianite boys would grow up angry, a chip on their shoulder, and
could one day rise up and take vengeance on the Israelites. They were a threat and needed to die. God knew the hearts and future of those being
killed and thought it best that they die.
It’s a hard decision but who better to make it than God.