There has been a question plaguing me for a little while. Why do christians oppose going to war and yet war was a part of life in the Old Testament? I believe that it is a question that many religious people either try to answer or hope to avoid. I will try to answer this question more for my sake than any readers. But let us see where we end up with these thoughts.
First it is important to note that the followers of God in the Old Testament were under law and not grace. No matter how good they could live they were going to fail. The law was not perfect. Even David who was loved by God fell into sin. They were continually falling and having to make a sacrifice for their sins. The blood of bulls and goats could not stop them from sinning but it could cause them to be forgiven when they did sin. Hold on to the thought that they were looking for a better covenant we will address that later.
It is recorded that the very first act of killing was done by God in the garden of Eden. In Genesis chapter 3 God himself killed an animal and with their skins he clothed Adam and Eve. The first act of murder was done by man. After Cain killed Abel the morality of man became very grievous to God. God punished the evilness of mankind by destroying the world. After the flood he instructed Noah in Genesis 9:5-6 that killing another human being was wrong. If one took the life of another then that person was to be put to death.
In Genesis 14 God told Abram through Melchisideck that God had helped him when he went to war against the king that had taken Lot captive. This battle was not condemned by God. After this incident God spoke to Abram in military terms saying he would be his shield. God was letting Abram know that he was going to protect him, to actually defend him and destroy all the evils about him. Then we see how God intervened in the immoral lives of those of Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed those cities and there inhabitants.
God raised up Moses, trained in the house of Pharaoh, a military leader to deliver the Israelites from Egypt. God allowed for war and battles to be fought as the Israelites fled Egypt and conquered their Promised Land. God never commanded the Israelites not to kill. God instructed the Israelites to love their brother and love their neighbor, and yet also carry out capital punishment if necessary. According to the Old Covenant there were various crimes that required putting the offender to death (Genesis 21 and 22). The Israelites were however commanded not to murder. When they came to Canaan God commanded the Israelites to drive and wipe out the inhabitants of the land. In Deuteronomy 20 they were told that when they marched to war God would be with them. They were also instructed not to leave alive anything that breathed so that they would not be tempted to sin against God.
A distinction is made between the killing associated with war and the killing of murder. Joab, Davids military leader, was not reprimanded for all his occasions of battle and war. Yet when he killed an ally in a time of peace, it was considered murder. Joab's motive for the murder of Abner was revenge. For this Joab was cursed and eventually killed.
Man had fallen from the days of the Garden of Eden. The people of God were living in a day that killing criminals, in defense of one;'whom and family and occasional deliverance of oppressed people were required. Such was not considered a sin in the eyes of God.
to be continued....
