I – THE LORD IS A
WARRIOR
To place the word "christian" and the word "war" in
the same sentence with an implied sense of sympathy, would be an affront to
many people, including some who are indeed Christians. There was a view that war equated to murder;
and of course God said, ““You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13, NIV).
This
week precedes the Day of Remembrance that many of us participate in on November
11th. We think in terms of the many
conflicts that the Canadian forces participated in and the many losses of life.
Even in recent history we recall that more than 40,000 Canadian Armed
Forces members served in a variety of roles on the ground, in the air and at
sea in the Afghanistan theatre of operations from 2001 to 2014. Sadly, a total of 158 Canadian Armed Forces
members lost their lives in Afghanistan.
In Biblical history the first "war" recorded in
the Scriptures is found in Genesis 14.
The opening verses state: “At the time when
Amraphel was king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam
and Tidal king of Goyim, these kings went to war against Bera king of Sodom,
Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim, and
the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). All these latter kings joined forces in the
Valley of Siddim (that is, the Dead Sea Valley)” (Genesis 14:1–3, NIV).
When five Canaanite cities rebelled against
their four Mesopotamian overlords, the four kings led a campaign to reassert
their control over the region. The campaign culminated in a battle in the
Siddim Valley, and Abram’s nephew Lot, who was living in Sodom, was captured
and carried off. When Abram was informed of Lot’s capture, he and his men
pursued the four kings to Dan, where they recaptured Lot and chased the fleeing
forces as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.[1]
In David's great song
of praise to God recorded in 2 Samuel, he includes this commendation: “He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze”
(2 Samuel 22:35, NIV). The writer of
Ecclesiastes observes the cycles of life in poetic fashion as he notes, “a
time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes
3:8, NIV).
"The Old
Testament presents us with a picture of God who not only fights for his people
but who also demands that they fight for his law and his cause. The Israelites
are seen at first as a poor, oppressed and weak minority dominated by a
tyrannous ruling majority who exact from them a bondage so harsh that flight is
the only solution. Yahweh fights for them single-handedly and delivers them
from the hand of their enemy." [George L. Carey]
In Numbers 21:10–15 (NIV) we read:
10 The
Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth. 11 Then they set out from
Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the wilderness that faces Moab toward the
sunrise. 12 From there they moved on and camped in the Zered Valley.
13 They set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon, which is
in the wilderness extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the border of
Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 That is why the Book of the Wars of the Lord says: “… Zahab
in Suphah and the ravines, the Arnon 15 and the slopes of the
ravines that lead to the settlement of Ar and lie along the border of Moab.” [Emphasis Mine]
There is something
very unique about the Christian God. He is
a God of War. War is part of God's
nature and part of His mission on earth.
“The Lord
is a warrior; the Lord is his name”
(Exodus 15:3, NIV). “The Lord
will march out like a champion, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a
shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies.” (Isaiah
42:13, NIV)
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