The following are a few thoughts from Scripture about war. It is not everything, but just a few thoughts that have been developed in response to some conversations with soldiers that have fought in the Middle East.

LESSONS FROM THE BIBLE ABOUT WAR

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars.” (Matthew 24:6) Unfortunately, war is a fact of life. Up until September 11, the United States has not seen a major incursion or war on its mainland since the Civil War. Even when the United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor at the beginning of World War II, the attack was not on mainland soil. Unfortunately, the vicious attack on the Twin Towers was right here in America, and we were attacked. Not only were many American lives lost, but every American’s life was at that point put in jeopardy. It may be difficult for those who have never been through a war to comprehend this.

One thing we should understand is that if we were not fighting a weapons war in Iraq, we probably would be fighting it here on our own soil. Whether we realize it or not, our Homeland Security is fighting this war right here in our homeland.

The sad fact is that we in America have been taught to love one another and that it is wrong to kill. We have failed to teach the “rest of the story.” Suddenly, we are put in a situation where it is kill or be killed or kill if you do not want to live under a vicious, powerful dictatorship. Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death.” Many of us take our liberty too much for granted. Because we have been taught love and unity rather than fear and death, we have not studied much about the wars in the Bible.

The only way men and women can be prepared emotionally and mentally for what they will be faced with in a combat situation is to be prepared spiritually. One question that has arisen for many of these soldiers is, “How can I kill a person when I believe killing is wrong?” And it is a good question for all of us to ask ourselves. Unfortunately, killing is a part of war. It was a part of war in Bible history and is a part of war in our time.

A better rendition of the sixth commandment is, “Thou shalt do no murder.” That means you do not plan ahead of time to kill someone for your own benefit. Wars have been around for a very long time and will continue to be around until Jesus comes back. In fact, the nation of Israel was involved in many wars during their time of written Bible history. They had to fight several battles while they were in the wilderness before even going into the promised land. (Numbers 21:1-3; 21:21-26, 32-35)

There is a lot of guilty feelings and emotional distress. Emotional distress can come from the experiences one has in war or guilty feelings as a result of the war. The only way anyone can really deal with the chaos in our inner being is to rely on the Lord. It is crucial that we take care of the emotional problems caused by war. The only way we can truly deal with those problems is to look to the Lord Jesus Christ, discuss every detail that bothers us with Him, and let Him do the healing.

Just as the Lord allowed and even condoned war to protect peace and drive out evil in the Old Testament, kit is also allowed in our day and time. And that is one reason we are in the war situation we find ourselves in now. We are attempting to drive the evil out that the good may come in.

War stories are found in the Books of Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, and 2 Chronicles. If we read about the wars in the Bible, we get a picture of the horrible things that happened during war then as well as now.

“War Is,” war is bloody, war is atrocious, and war causes casualties. However, God is faithful, and He will encourage us during this time in our lives. Just rely on Him to help you through the traumatic times now and in the future.

The Lord intended for us to protect our homes and our country from evil without having guilt or overwhelming trauma for doing so. We, as Christians, are to live “peaceably with all men,” but when evil men make it impossible, we have to do what is necessary to protect ourselves and our families and restore peace.