War and Peace

 

 

During the early days of Israelite history, warfare was not only a patriotic duty, but was also considered a religious responsibility. The Hebrews were the people of Yahweh, and they were reminded in their wars by the priests who accompanied their armies that Yahweh was with them to fight their battles. Deuteronomy 20:1-4 makes this clear:   “When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.  When you are approaching the battle, the priest shall come near and speak to the people.  He shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, for the LORD, your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you’”.

 Sacrificial rites preceded a campaign or engagement in order to “sanctify” the war effort. Instances of Yahweh’s direct involvement in the wars the Israelites fought are described in great detail in the Old Testament. See 1 Samuel 7:8-10; 2Chron 20:22-24, for examples. Meticulous obedience to God’s instructions about waging a war was rewarded with spectacular victories; ignoring them brought about disastrous results. Exodus 15:3 says the LORD is a man of war! David claims that God trains his hands for battle (Psalms 18:34). The word ‘war’ is found 210 times and ‘battle’ 165 times in the Old Testament. 

 A year after the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, the Ark of the Covenant was created according to the pattern given to Moses by God when the Israelites were encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai. Thereafter, the gold-plated acacia chest was carried by the Levites before the people when on the march or before the Israelite army. When Israel went to war, the Levites carried the Ark in the front; it was believed that God was thus accompanying them and would secure them victory. This appears to be a superstitious practice as nowhere had God told them to do this.  At the battle of Gilboa, Saul was defeated hallow by the Philistines; he, his son Jonathan and the priests accompanying them were killed and the Ark of Covenant was captured and taken away by the enemy.

 King Saul was hand-picked by God and anointed as the first monarch of Israel. Saul proved to be an able administrator, united the twelve nomadic groups of Israel into a viable nation, won almost all the wars he fought, and expanded the kingdom strengthening its borders. But he was rejected by God because he failed to obey His instructions regarding how the war with the Amalekites should be fought (1 Samuel 15:17-19).

 The first soldiers that we read of in the New Testament were Jewish and not Roman (Luke 3:14; Mark 6:27). We read that Herod with his “men of war” joined in mocking Jesus (Luke 23:11). Ironically, we come across men of honor in the Gospels among Roman Centurions.

 Jesus accepted war as part of the present world-order of his time. The Lord was aware that as long mankind existed “wars and rumors of war” would continue to remain a fact of life. He drew from it examples to warn His disciples of the persecutions His followers would be subjected to and to impress upon them the need to be prepared. He predicted how Jerusalem would be surrounded by enemy armies and the catastrophe that would overtake them (Matthew 24:4-14).

 Paradoxically, Jesus, the “Prince of Peace” taught that He had come not to bring peace, but a sword into the world (Matthew 10:34). But, that by no means did He encourage armed conflict will be borne out by His warning Peter that he who takes the sword shall perish by the sword (Mathew 26:52). He knew that men would always be divided over Him.  Some will follow Christ, some won’t and conflict will inevitably arise even inside the same family. As we take up our cross and follow Him, our different values, morals and goals will set us apart from others. The time of Jesus’ birth was marked by the Massacre of the Innocents; the blood bath Herod started continues to this day. Two thousand years later, even in this so-called enlightened age, some 120,000 followers of Jesus die every year for their faith.

 Paul made the acquaintance of the barracks, both at Jerusalem and at Caesarea. He preached the Gospel to members of the Praetorian guard in Rome who were from to time appointed to guard him. Paul had spent much of his time in the later years of his life among Roman soldiers and this experience has obviously influenced his writings of which some are taken from the weapons of the Roman soldier and some from the discipline and the marching and fighting of an army. See 2Timothy 2:3, 4--Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Also, 2Corinth 2:14--But thank God! He has made us His captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession.

 James taught war was the result of men’s selfishness and greed (James 4:1). 1Peter 2:11 instructs Christians must abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against the soul.  The apostles frequently compared the spiritual struggles to warfare and predicted divine protection and ultimate victory to those who remain faithful to the end. It is under the figures of battle and war that John conceives the age-long conflict between righteousness and sin, Christ and Satan, and the final triumph of the Lamb, who is King of kings, and Lord of lords (Revelations 16:14-16; 17:14; 19:14). The New Testament authors made liberal use of the metaphor of war while making mention of the spiritual conflict a Christian is likely to face in the practice of his faith. A few examples:

•  Romans 8:37  But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
•  1 Corinthians 15:57  but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
•  Ephesians 6:11, 17  Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
•  Ephesians 6:12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places
•  Colossians 2:15  When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. 

Jesus promoted peace in a strife-torn society--where might was right--by advising His followers ‘’love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you” (Luke 6:27, 28). This was social dynamite! The gospel in Christ is a message of peace from God to men. Luke’s Gospel starts with the announcement "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests" (Luke 2:14). St. Paul asserts in Ephesians 2:14, 15 that Jesus’ death brought Jews and Gentiles together.   “Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” is a common apostolic wish or salutation.

 God is therefore a God of peace. The Lord's own greeting to His disciples was “Peace be unto you”. When it was time for the Lord to leave this world, His comforting words to His disciples were “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14.27). The peace that Christ brought is primarily spiritual peace from and with God, peace in the heart, peace as the disposition of spirit. Universal and permanent peace can come only as that Spirit rules in men's hearts. The spirit of the Gospel and of the Christian is one of peace, and it is a Christian duty to seek to bring war and strife everywhere to an end. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God (Matthew 5:9).

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