Peace: War and Peace

“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.’” -Matthew 26:52

“Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle...” -Psalm 144:1

“A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” -Ecclesiastes 3:8

I think we can all agree that war is a tragic thing. So many lives are lost in wars that often seem pointless to fight. And why are ordinary citizens caught up in fights between the few leaders actually involved? And what about God? Is he a God of war or a God of peace? The above verses even seem to contradict each other.

There are many different ways to answer this question, all of which are too long for this devotion, so here’s the deal - I am not going to give a straight answer. I am going to lay out some Scripture and let you talk to God about it. May he give you wisdom concerning this.

First, we have to take into account the Old Testament and Israel’s conquest for land. There are numerous examples of God’s command for war, or at least his approval of it. (e.g. 1 Samuel 15:3, Numbers 31:17, Joshua 10:28-43 [esp. 42], Numerous accounts of God fighting alongside Israel in Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, etc.). Yet it is important to note that all of these take place within the context of national warfare, not some guy getting upset and murdering another guy. It’s also important to consider that Israel was a theocracy, taking direct orders from God. God was their government. Sure, they had leaders like Joshua and Moses, and kings like Saul and David, but God was who everyone answered to, so they carried out God’s plan for the shaping of theworld, not their own (ideally).

But Jesus seems not to condone violence (Luke 6:27-36, Matthew 26:52). And violence is certainly something that causes harm. In the context of these passages, though, Jesus is speaking to a members of a nation (Israel) without weapons or a military, a nation occupied by Roman authority. He was also speaking not to the nation’s leaders, but rather to ordinary civilians. It is very likely that Jesus is not referring to war in these passages of Scripture.

So where do we draw the line for war and peace? Is violent war justified when it prevents some other atrocity from happening? Should peace be pursued in every situation at all times with no exception? And what does it mean to pursue peace?

I think we would be wise to consider Ecclesiastes 3:8: “A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” Maybe there’s a time for both war AND peace.

If you want to dig deeper, we encourage you to talk to your pastor or youth leader. Here’s some more Scripture for you to pray about and meditate on concerning war and peace: Romans 13:3-4, 1 Peter 2:13-14.