Leviticus 27.28, 29

“But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the LORD, of anything that he has, whether man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the LORD. No one devoted, who is to be devoted for destruction from mankind, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.”

Matthew 26.6-13

“Devoted things” might include spoil taken in battle or perhaps simply special offerings to the Lord for one reason or another. Devoting something to the Lord was not to be done frivolously or without full intention of carrying out the offering Once something was devoted, it could not be redeemed. It was the Lord’s.

The same with enemy prisoners. It seems harsh to us to devote enemies to destruction by the sword, but we must remember the danger of allowing the pagan peoples of that day to influence the people of Israel. In the wisdom of God, for that time and place, He determined that the safest course for His people is to eliminate all their enemies who fall into their hands. Israel failed to do this more often than not, and spiritual and moral compromise, even disaster, were frequently the result.

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