Numbers 31 is a tough look for anyone who uses a surface-level reading of the Old Testament. By that I mean those who literally take each verse at face value without ever trying to make it make sense in light of the person of Jesus (who God is later revealed to look like).

To begin with, God instructs Moses to fight a war of revenge. It reminds me of hearing that George Lucas originally wanted to name the third of his Star Wars movies “Revenge of the Jedi,” but realized that Jedis wouldn’t seek revenge. That movie became “Return of the Jedi.” And later he made a movie called “Revenge of the Sith.”

Apparently, Jedis are above seeking revenge, but according to a literal reading of Numbers 31, God isn’t. Does this make the Old Testament God a Sith Lord? But I digress.

I’m excited to announce I’ve started a partnership with a company called Faithlife. This will allow me to offer resources to my readers at a discount and add an avenue for financially supporting my writing.

Faithlife makes an unbelievable program called the Logos Bible Software. I started using that software in college and continue to use it to this day. I’ve used it for school papers, sermons, blog posts, books, and those moments I stumble upon a really good theology question. The software allows you to digitally search through the Bible and other books and commentaries to dive deep into any topic or idea you are interested in as you study a passage. There’s nothing else like it.