- Strategic Aspect of War:
- Proverbs 20:18: “Plans are established by counsel; by wise counsel wage war.”
- Don’t go to war without a plan. This verse teaches that counsel is a key component of warfighting.
You need more perspectives than just your own. In life war, business war, spiritual war, or otherwise, gain other perspectives from the warriors around you.
Attempt to gain information that would help you in your fight. This is called strategic intelligence. Gain as much of it as you can before initiating your campaign.
- Proverbs 20:18: “Plans are established by counsel; by wise counsel wage war.”
- Positive Aspect of War:
- Psalm 144:1: “Blessed be the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.”
- People love to say that war is immoral, even Christians who have not taken the time to read their Bible. God initiated many wars not because He is a warmonger or one who enjoys violence, but because war is a cleansing mechanism by which evil is expelled from a land.
This was the purpose behind the utter destruction of the Canaanite nations.
Across the generations God trained His people for war in a figurative sense.
This aspect of war cannot be overlooked. war is necessary. It cleanses evil. It purges lands and gives relief to the innocent.
- Psalm 144:1: “Blessed be the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.”
- Necessity of War:
- Ecclesiastes 3:8: “A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”
- War is necessary. It is a cleansing tool. As God has articulated, there is a time for it. and if there is a time for it, there is a use for it.
- Ecclesiastes 3:8: “A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”
- Spiritual War:
- Ephesians 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
- We know that war applies in the spiritual sense. Many separate verses teach this. We are constantly at war with ourselves. Our spiritual nature wars against our physical nature. And the war of a spiritual nature is the war of ages.
- Ephesians 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
- Physical War:
- Joshua 10:25: “Joshua said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.'”
God armed His people with the mentality to survive war and to be successful. He armed them for war. God armors the minds. As recorded, when God is for us, who can be against us?
- Joshua 10:25: “Joshua said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.'”
- Personal War:
- 1 Timothy 1:18: “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare.“
There is good warfare. Of course, this is the spiritual war of ages though it can be contrasted with physical war.
We are at war with a physical nature that lends itself to evil based on its frailties.
- 1 Timothy 1:18: “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare.“
- Warlike Mentality:
- Jeremiah 51:20: “You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nation in pieces; with you I will destroy kingdoms.”
What a passage of warlike mentality. God is the weapon of warfare. Incredible. Awe-inspiring.
And through the power of God, justice is delivered. The mighty engines of war are fired up and do incredible damage to those who oppose the Lord.
- Jeremiah 51:20: “You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nation in pieces; with you I will destroy kingdoms.”
- Positive War Mentality:
- Deuteronomy 20:1: “When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.“
When God was fighting for nations and going before them in war, there was less reason to consider the size of the force of the enemy. who cares what the enemy brings when we have God? That should have been their mentality.
- Deuteronomy 20:1: “When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.“
- Teaching War:
- 2 Samuel 22:35: “He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can break a steel bow.“
God Himself educates in the art of war. When God wages war, men should fall in line. Though God does not act directly like this anymore, understand it was perfectly within His nature to use the tool of war to spread righteousness and clease evil.
- 2 Samuel 22:35: “He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can break a steel bow.“
- Spiritual War:
- 2 Corinthians 10:3-4: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.”
The most important modern war is against the spiritual enemy. We war against sin, against the adversary, and the false philosophies of the world.
In this war, our weapon is within the mind. the applied word of God is a weapon [Heb 4:12, Eph 6:10-17].
- God’s War Nature:
- Exodus 15:3: “The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is His name.”
This is one of my favorite verses in the bible. It shows part of God’s very nature. that He is a man of war. He uses the cleansing fire of war to purge evil. And he is a mighty warrior.
- War and Peace:
- Romans 12:18: “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.“
Do your part to keep peace. this is the other side of the coin of war. Live at peace, but be always ready for warfare.
- Make War With Available Tools:
- Joel 3:10: “Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, ‘I am strong.'”
When you have nothing in your arsenal, then turn what you have into weapons of war. Pick up rocks, sticks, stones, whatever you have, and continue to make war with the enemy.
- End of War:
- Isaiah 2:4: “He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.“
At a certain point, all wars end. One day even the spiritual war will end and the final enemy will be done away with. Until that moment, we are at eternal war.
- Civil War:
- James 4:1: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?“
Improper wars come from improper desires. Don’t fight for something not worth the cost of war. And don’t fight wars amongst allies. This verse discourages internal warfare and fighting among brothers and sisters. Strain to keep desires in check so they do not lead to civil warfare.
- Misapplication of War:
- Matthew 24:6: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”
Though there is always war, the end of the world is not here yet. Every new war makes some people think the end of the world is at hand. But that is just an emotional thought. Ignore emotions in war. Harness them to do your bidding.
- The Hands that Make War
- Psalm 18:34: “He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.“
And repeat of a verse we had before. We mention this repeat because it is always worth noting when something occurs in scripture twice The Bible is brief compared to what it could be. when God sees fit to record something twice, it’s important to take note.
God teaches the art of war to His people. then His people apply the purifying fire of war to their enemies.
- The Correct Thinking of War:
- Psalm 68:30: “Rebuke the beasts of the reeds, the herd of bulls, with the calves of the peoples, till everyone submits himself with pieces of silver. Scatter the peoples who delight in war.”
- War is not supposed to be something that is enjoyed. It is a tool. It is a nasty tool when we are speaking about literal war with men killing other men. But a necessary and even enjoyable tool when used against our evil. As men, we are wired for war. Though most of us won’t go to physical war, we go to war with ourselves, our weaknesses, and sin daily.
- Symbolic War:
- Revelation 12:7: “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought.“
- Recall that the information contained in the book of Revelation is symbolic in nature. It is not literal and much is misunderstood about that in the text.
- Prepare For War:
- Numbers 31:3: “So Moses spoke to the people, saying, ‘Arm some of yourselves for war, and let them go against the Midianites to take vengeance for the Lord on Midian.‘”
- God Himself was the initiator of many wars. We need to remember this when debating whether or not war is moral or not. It is a tool that God Himself has authorized for the purification of a land. Prepare for war, then go to war. But it must always be with purpose. Not mindlessly done with planning and purpose.
