WHAT DO WE MAKE OF WAR?
by Dr Peter MastersFROM SWORD & TROWEL 2004 No 2
‘And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not
troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet’ - the words
of Christ in Matthew 24.6.
The Causes of War
The disciples were not to think that wars would signal the end of time,
because, said the Lord, this world would be a place of perpetually recurring wars throughout
the centuries until His return. Violent conflict is certainly prominent at the present time
when at least thirty wars are tearing different lands, so many that the Western press selects
only three or four for attention.
How, then, should we view war? This article is not about pacifism, for we
accept that there are ‘just’ wars, such as World War II when Britain had to defend herself
against aggression. A righteous and necessary defence may equally be required to honour a
treaty of mutual protection made with another country, and military action may also be
necessary for international policing, such as in the event of genocide. This brief article will
consider what starts wars, what they say about the human race, how the will of God fits in,
and how God uses wars to punish sin.
War is often caused by greed for land or by colonial exploitation. Often it is
brought about by a desire to dominate and be supreme in a region. Sometimes it is due to
naked hatred of others, or a desire for revenge on account of an injustice. So nation may
attack nation for territorial expansion, or to extract wealth and resources by oppression.
Equally, an oppressed land may attempt to throw off the yoke of foreign domination by war.
Or war may be sheer madness, the megalomania of a deluded and crazy individual
unrestrained by those around him. In addition to these possibilities there may be ideological war. Humanists
claim that most wars are caused by capitalism, and no doubt many are, but humanism also
has its share. We read that between 80 and 100 million people have perished in Marxist
ideological wars since 1917. It is not all capitalism, but it is all fallen human nature.
The First Wars
Let us turn for a moment to the very first war in the Bible, if we may call it
that, recorded in Genesis 4, the offensive of Cain against Abel. This was a
‘war’ caused by wounded pride, when Cain’s offering - unlike Abel’s - was rejected by
God, being evidently an offering of pride. Cain’s jealousy over his perceived loss of status
and benefits so angered him that he assumed the right to act in vengeance. Lacking respect
for the life of his brother, and disregarding the judgement of God (which must have been
known to him), he gave way to his murderous fury. This first war alienated Cain from the
help of God and plunged him into the lifelong insecurity anticipated in his cry of
resentment:
‘Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and
from thy face shall I
be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to
pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.’ The narrative of this first recorded act of human aggression yields a
surprisingly full analysis of war, with its causes and effects.
Further along in Genesis we come across a great offensive
mounted by one set of kings against another at the time of Abraham. The fighting engulfed
the area where Lot was living, and he was taken captive with all his possessions. In the first
‘just defence’ of the Bible, Abraham took 318 men and extracted Lot and his goods. ‘Thou Shalt Not Kill’ In a moment we shall look at justified offensive wars commanded by God,
but first we must comment on the sixth commandment: ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ This is
elaborated upon in Deuteronomy, where it is shown to include the taking away
of self-respect, the taking of people into slavery, and the hating of another person. How-
ever, the king of this family of sins is the literal taking of life, for which we must have the
utmost respect. So, on the one hand we recognise the possibility of a just defence or
international police action, while on the other we recognise the need to exercise the greatest
possible respect for human life. Police action is seen in Romans 13 where Paul speaks of the
civil authority being ordained by God
as ‘the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil’. Those were
days of the death sentence, and so we accept that police action resulting in the death penalty
is sanctioned in the Bible, and this includes international police action. And yet alongside it
there must be the utmost respect for life. It is obvious that there must be tremendous care
and deliberation, even hesitation, before engaging in warfare.
God’s Commanded Wars
Consider some of the laws of war in Deuteronomy 20, a
fascinating chapter which gives rules for the wars of the Israelites in ancient times, when
they had a special role, carrying out God’s judicial wars. (These rules are not normative for
today.) One of the rules for these divinely commissioned wars was the rule of numbers,
which said: ‘When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and
chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God
is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.’
Such passages as this do not simply say, ‘When you have to fight, God will
help you.’ They say, effectively, ‘When you, the Israelites, are commanded to go to war,
you go as instruments of God in executing God’s judgement and purposes in the world, and
therefore God will prevail in these wars. You will fight them too, but you will be doing His
bidding and He will guarantee success and bring victory to pass by His power.’ Old Testament wars were judgements on very evil communities, carried out
in obedience to God’s direct command, and we have no such commission today.
Even if the Jews should be hopelessly outnumbered and the enemy have
more sophisticated equipment such as horses and chariots, they need never be afraid,
because God had called them and would see them through. The battle fought by Gideon (in Judges 7) provides a dramatic
example of this.
‘The Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for
me to give the Midian-ites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me,
saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.’
Gideon therefore had to reduce his force repeatedly to an absurdly small
number against an overwhelming enemy, and yet they prevailed, because God poured His
terror into the people whom He intended to punish. It was Jonathan who said years later when setting out on a military offensive
with only his armour bearer - ‘It may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no restraint to the
Lord to save by many or by few.’
The inferior numbers of the Israelites mattered so little that the Lord’s rules for
war allowed compassionate leave wherever necessary, even on the very brink of the battle.
The officers were commanded to tell the troops that if any of them had just built a house
and not dedicated or occupied it, they could go on leave. The same applied to anyone who had cleared land for a vineyard and never
actually sown it. If someone was officially engaged they could take a year’s leave to get
married and settle down. If all this is not amazing enough, there was still another category
allowed for compassionate leave, and this amounted to permanent discharge: ‘And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say,
What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return unto his
house.’
‘Are you afraid?’ they would ask. ‘Well, off you go on compassionate leave.’
We might wonder who would be left, but numbers were not significant, because God would
fight these battles. There were, of course, other rules of war, such as the command that
unless God instructed otherwise, they were always to offer terms of peace first, provided the
enemy would drop their idolatry and evil practices, and come under godly government.
For the wars of ancient Israel, therefore, there was a special commission
from God, which does not apply today. They were not even supposed to devise their own
strategies, but were to consult the Lord for every major move or advance, and so they did.
The prophets would give their word, or the Urim and Thummim would be consulted,
because these were God’s battles. They were not simply a warlike people doing what they
wanted and extending their territories for their own satisfaction.
Modern Warfare
Turning to modern warfare even when justified, it almost always betrays
massive misjudgements on the part of human beings, because we can be so confident,
imagining that war will solve our problems, and also because we fail to take account of the
biblical doctrine of depravity. I hesitate to mention this but we may think of the action being
conducted at the moment in Iraq. It is not for us to make any political comment, and readers
will have their own views, but for the purpose of this article we must assume that the war
was motivated by a genuine belief that there were weapons of mass destruction constituting
real danger to the region and the world. Assuming this to be the case, we may say that the Iraq war was initiated for a
just cause. We are not asserting this, but assuming it until someone establishes otherwise.
But then we see numerous misjudgements entering the scene. These observations are not
‘against’ Britain or America, for they characterise most wars. Concerning Iraq there was delight at the victory one minute, and then dismay
the next as a new and complex situation sprang into view. Even though a war may be just,
there is in the whole mix the presence of depraved human nature. The initial action provoked a violent reaction from a desperate minority
ready to fight to the death. Was this predicted? Well, it should have been, if we believed
Scripture and knew about fallen human nature. There was bound to be an angry,
dispossessed community, the minority that had long held power by force. This section of
society was expected to quietly accept its new vulnerability, but instead desperation and
resentment exploded into violence. Furthermore they still had their armaments, many being
long-term soldiers of the old regime. Comparatively few were held as prisoners of war, but
most, dismissed from the army and unpaid, were left on the loose. Add to this another predictable problem, the emergence of
opportunistic terrorism, much of it possibly inspired by neighbouring nations who were
afraid that if order, let alone democracy, prevailed in Iraq, their own despotic regimes could
fall. Their own people would say, ‘We want this kind of order also.’ Then again, even those in Iraq who might be in favour of liberation would
deeply resent foreign occupation. National pride should never be underestimated, especially
in a population trained from childhood to regard non-Islamic occupation as a heinous
sacrilege. Add to this the universal perception of the Arab world that the West is
grossly unfair to them, especially in connection with its support of Israel. Westerners are not
the best people to volunteer to act as honest brokers between rival sections of Islam.
But even this is not the end of sorrows, because there are competing Islamic
clerics in Iraq, and there is also Arabic television which is notably anti-Western. All these
potentially disaster-creating factors are interwoven, and human nature anywhere can be so
base, vindictive and spiteful. What an ongoing cauldron it may all turn out to be! The
possibility of severe disruption is made worse by the presence of highly sensitive targets,
such as oil pipelines through the desert, on which the viability of Iraq and its reconstruction
depends.
War may begin as a just cause, but being about fallen human nature, the outcome
is frequently a far worse situation than military commanders envisage. Now all these observations do not imply a criticism of the action taken in
Iraq, but illustrate the delicate and dangerous possibilities of war, and the many currents and
cross-currents that come into effect. The majority of people in Iraq may have been very glad
for the action, but minorities can change everything. Fallen human nature must be taken
into account, but there are few Western politicians who hold a robust, biblical view of
human depravity. No war is as simple as getting rid of a tyrant such as Saddam. Britain made this mistake in Iraq in the first quarter of the 20th century,
when we tried to impose colonial rule with armoured cars and air power, dropping fire
bombs and mustard gas on towns and villages, with thousands dying on both sides. In the
end we pronounced Iraq ungovernable, at least as a colony, and promoted instead a puppet
kingdom. Our point here is only to say that if war is ever called for, and if it appears to be
the only way of solving some awful situation, questions must still be asked, such as - Is it
imperative? Can it really lead to anything better? Human nature and its capabilities must
always be considered. Too rosy a view of human nature fails to expect the possibility of prisoner abuse,
even though such things have occurred for centuries even on the ‘good’ side. We also need
to remember that there is no such thing as a war to end wars. Every war is caused by sin, whether despotism, greed, ideology, desire to
dominate, hatred, oppression, racism, or even madness. That is war. It is a product of fallen
human nature.
We certainly acknowledge the heroic and good things that emerge in war,
but it is necessary also to review the bad. We hardly need comment on the millions of
deaths and the tidal wave of lasting heartache created by wars. Who can think of the battle
of Stalingrad and its consequences for vast numbers of doomed POWs without horror and
indignation? To name similar battles would fill many pages. We see such sad events in war. In the American Civil War, for example (marked
by huge losses) the point was reached when the outcome was inevitable, and yet the losing
side would not give up, and many thousands more young lives were lost. Why? Because the
authorities and the generals were so obdurate they would not see that their cause was now
hopeless, and the lads who trusted them had to pay.
But why mention this particular war? Because most wars in modern times
are the same. War does things to us. Normally compassionate men will throw another 20 or
30,000 to their death, even 100,000, because they cannot climb down. At no stage will they
say, ‘But look at the cost!’ This is war. To mention another horror, we read books on World War II and see cases
where lives were lost because generals were squabbling, or putting personal glory first and
taking disastrous risks with the lives of men under their command. Such things happen
often, because human nature is operating. We read about World War I (including that so
eloquent yet horrifying memoir of Lloyd George) and we see bungling on an enormous
scale. We read of generals who never went near the frontline to see the consequences of
their orders because it was beneath them to do so. Perhaps this is, happily, unthinkable
today, but we have new horrors in our time. War can be declared too easily, and we have instances of this in British
history. When the writer was a youngster, Britain went to war at Suez, and everyone except
the French (unusually) disagreed with us. Of course we had our reasons, these being
vigorously opposed in Britain at the time. The action was soon called off, and no one today,
as far as we know, considers it to have been a just war, yet lives were lost. Many people
have concluded that the prime minister of the day wanted a military victory merely to revive
his flagging public support. Lest this should sound like an anti-war diatribe, we emphasise again the
possibility of just wars, and acknowledge the monumental debt we owe to men and women
who gave life and limb for the defence of this land in time of war. The Attractions of War
Historians tell us that there was nothing like World War II for forcing the
upper and middle classes to let down ladders to the working classes giving access to officer-
level and responsible roles. After the war this new attitude extended to the professions, and
then to the whole of working society. Strange that such a terrible event as war should be
necessary to crack the stranglehold of the old social elitism! As we have mentioned, we read of all the gallantry and ingenuity displayed
in Word War II, the accounts of which never fail to enthral us. There are many aspects to
war that make it immensely attractive to the human mind. There is risk and danger, which
many people thrive on. Then, despite all the fear and death, a gigantic contest is in process,
far bigger than any football league or similar entertainment. In this there is the greatest
possible excitement for the competitive element of human nature. For the strategic mind there is the task of outwitting and outfoxing the
enemy, which for some is the most glorious game on earth. So we recognise that there are
compelling and even attractive aspects to war, fulfilling the gifts of many people. But we
must never forget the central lesson of war - that man possesses a fallen nature. How
incorrigible and hopeless he is! How cruel and vicious he can be! Pre-eminently we learn
these things from war.
God’s Use of War
What use does God make of war? Clearly He allows it for a reason, such as
the Old Testament judicial purpose already mentioned. The conquest of Canaan, an
invasion initiated by God, was a judicial act which we cannot question, for - ‘Shall not the
Judge of all the earth do right?’ (Genesis 18.25.) War is altogether the fault of
our fallen race, the product of our wicked hearts, but Almighty God both permits it and uses
it to work out His own purposes. In divine judgement He withdraws His restraining hand
from evil societies so that people are free to do the terrible things they want to do to each
other.
If God did not restrain human beings there would probably be perpetual war
almost everywhere. This world would be an unbearable place, and nations would probably
destroy each other entirely over time. But God Who restrains human nature also lifts His
hand of restraint sometimes, as a judgement or warning. The sixth trumpet of
Revelation 9
sounds, and wars break out to show people the corrupt condition
of human nature, and to warn against godlessness.
If God allowed the human race to be free from war by permanently subduing
and restraining human hostility, then people would go to their graves ignorant of their worst
capabilities and unwarned. And what would they say on the day of account? ‘This is unjust,
for we had no conception of judgement and punishment. We had no sense of
consequences. We understood that God was all benevolence, and saw no sign of divine
displeasure.’
God, however, publishes His law, reveals the Gospel, and then gives
warnings by hardships, natural catastrophes, and the permitting of war, to give people an
insight into their sinful capabilities, and as a token of judgement. He exposes men to their
own worst deeds so that they see themselves as they really are, and receive a degree of
punishment even now. Natural catastrophes, together with wars, all serve an ultimately
gracious purpose of warning.
We see evidence of God’s displeasure in World War II. In the fifty preceding
years Europe had largely repudiated the Word of God. Evolution became God, churches
adopted cynical attitudes to the Bible, and people abandoned places of worship in droves.
The godliness of the 19th century was rejected by millions, and soon war clouds gathered,
and God’s judgement came.
We wonder about today, do we not? Will the sixth trumpet sound again, and
bowls of wrath be poured out in response to the present hatred of God? Governments pass
laws legalising things which are directly and contemptuously opposed to the morality of the
Word of God; the Lord is everywhere scorned; and on the Lord’s day every unsavoury
activity is allowed to take place. It is as if the people are shaking their fists at God and
saying, ‘Away with Him! His existence is ridiculous! Get rid of His so-called moral laws.
Let us do everything we can to crush this idea of God, and to defame it.’ What will happen to our society of unrestrained fornication, homosexuality,
child murder, gender tampering, and wholesale perversion of young minds? The period
before World War II was an age of saintliness by comparison with today. Surely a trumpet
of woe must sound, at the Lord’s appointed time.
Today the method of warfare has acquired new elements, for we now have
terrorism. Terrorists were never a very great problem in years gone by, although we
certainly recognise the hideous acts carried out in Northern Ireland. Before this, it was
sometimes said that terrorists only had knives and sticks, so to speak, and were unable to do
tremendous damage. But now the terrorists have rocket-grenades and high explosives. They
can get into aircraft as we know. They use suicide bombers, and may soon acquire dirty
bombs from cheap nuclear materials. Poison and germ warfare substances are available to
them, and they can move internationally with great ease. We now have to worry about
individuals, so difficult to detect and track, not armies. With such dangers looming we note that we have had sixty years of rest from
bombing and invasion in Britain. We do not know what readers think about this, but we feel
that there could at any time be an event that would shake Europe and the Western world
because the judgement of God has been held back for so long. When we look at what we are
doing as nations, it is apparent that we are spitting upon sixty years of divine forbearance.
Of course, God will determine when man will do his worst by war, and God will also curb it
in His time, but we are sure that He uses wars to warn and to punish. Sometimes it seems as though it would take either a terrible war or total
economic collapse to break the steel-hard, malevolent atheism of our day. However, we
acknowledge, so mighty is the Lord that He could choose to overwhelm hearts by an
awakening.
The Prince of Peace
Our final observation about war is chiefly for those, especially the young,
who are enthusiastic about the human race, and who trust it with their hearts. Does anyone
say, ‘I have had enough of the Bible and of Christ, and of exhortations to seek and find
Him; I want to live for this world and to trust myself to human nature; I want the delights
and the powerful things of this present world order’? Well, we invite you to think of war. After all, if you buy a car you check it
out. If you wish to go to a university, you read the prospectus. If you choose a career, you
want to know exactly what it is like and whether you could succeed in it. You investigate
these things carefully. If you are considering giving your soul and your life to this world
instead of to God, you should ask for a prospectus describing the world. Is there such a
‘window’ into which you can look and see the real character of the human heart and
domain? There is, and it is called war. War is the most accurate exposition of what the
human race is really like, what it is capable of, and how weak and unreliable it is.
We certainly acknowledge and respect all the good things that we have listed
about war, such as the selfless and sacrificial defence of a land, noble acts of heroism, and
numerous ingenious strategies. These may seem very exciting and attractive in books and
movies, from which the real atmosphere of war cannot be sensed. But take a few paces
back, and look at war as it really is. Consider the Sudan and the cruelties of this very moment. Think of what has
been taking place in recent decades in various African countries. Ponder what happened not
so long ago in Bosnia and related places. And as you think, remember that you are looking
at human nature. Can you happily give your soul to that? This is the kind of world and the
kind of race you are giving your life to: the author of war, with all its unimaginable
violence.
By contrast, when we turn to the Christian faith we see the Prince of Peace,
and we view the eternal age of peace available to us - peace with God, union with Him and
eternal security. We gaze at all the blessings purchased for us by the eternal Son of God, the
Prince of Peace, Who came and gave Himself on Calvary’s cross to suffer in His own holy
body and soul the full punishment that we deserve to bear eternally. He suffered especially
for His people, who depend on Him for forgiveness, and give their lives to Him. Is it war or peace that we live under? Do we serve human nature or the
Saviour of the world, Who will one day come and will end this present age? To see
mankind in the mirror of war, the complete exposition of our fallen race, should drive us
gladly to the Prince of everlasting peace.
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