The question came up at a recent Tuesday morning men's breakfast/Bible study. What's up with the apparent schizophrenic God of the Old and New Testament? Why is He a war hawk in the OT and a peace lover in the NT?
I have slowly been sparring with this question, and you can read my first two musings on this (War God & War God - Part 2) if you'd like. More random thoughts appear below.
1. In 2 Samuel 24 King David of Israel conducts a census of his military might. A curious phrase occurs at the start of this account: "he incited David against them."
- First of all, who is "them"? Earlier in the verse we are told that "the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel" and the logical antecedent to "them" would be "Israel."
- But then we have the troubling "he." Using the same logic, we would assume that the "he" is "the Lord," but this places God in the awkward position of being a meddling instigator.
- In the parallel account in 1 Chronicles 21 we are told that "Satan" (literally satan = adversary) moved David to count his warriors.
- The only precedent for a God/Satan "cooperation" in the testing of a person is the story of Job. In both cases, Satan is permitted by God to test someone, but in Job's case it is to prove his righteousness. In David's case it is to determine if his ego can resist basking in his military strength. David fails and his nation suffers the consequences. According to both 2 Samuel 24:15 and 1 Chronicles 21:14 the 70,000 who died were "men" and seems to imply that they were members of David's army, not the general population.
While not a wholesale condemnation of military conquest, God does emphasize to David that hope for protection and victory comes from the hand of the Lord, not the number of trained troops.
2. Just following the account of the census conducted by David is a passage in which David, anticipating his death, plans for the building of the Temple under Solomon's reign. In David's charge to Solomon he says:
"My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the LORD my God. But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.'
- 1 Chronicles 22:7-10
God declares to David, and David admits to Solomon, that because of his fascination with war, David is unfit to build a house of worship for God. David possesses a warrior's heart, while God desires a man of peace.
In view of the fact that David is recognized as a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22), this seems hard to reconcile. Perhaps we can at least surmise that David, unlike those that God used before, was not willing to win battles by the Lord's strength alone, but enjoyed picking a fight, flexing his muscle, and being the military hero. Perhaps he was drawn to the act of war more than the victory of God's Kingdom. Like a dog who crosses the line and raids the chicken house, once David tasted blood, he craved it all the more.
3. One more David story that I find instructive is found in 2 Samuel 16. While David is on the run from his wigged-out son Absalom, he passes through Bahurim, the home of Shimei. Shimei was a part of the family of Saul, and as David comes near his home, he curses at David and throw stones at him in anger for David's defeat of Saul and his family. His words are revealing:
"Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! The LORD has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood."
- 2 Samuel 16:7-8
What is more striking is David's reaction. It is as though Shimei hits a nerve. One of David's men, Abishai, says, "Let me go over now, and cut off his head."
David, understanding that to retaliate would simply validate Shimei's charge, instead urges his men to peace.
"Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to. It may be that the LORD will look on the wrong done to me, and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing today."
- 2 Samuel 16:11b-12
In essence, David accepts the charge as just. He is a "man of blood." And, in David's mind, to be such a man brings the just judgment of God.
4. It seems that God desires His servants to understand the line drawn between being obedient to God in warfare and becoming infatuated with war. Considering the many miraculous ways in which Israel won battles, it would seem that God is free to exercise judgment as he chooses, but places limitations on how dirty the hands of Israel's warriors would be in the process.
5. As best as I can discern, the complicity of God in waging war is restricted to the period of history prior to the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. Is this God's necessary action of preserving the purity of the vessel which would bear the Savior of the world (specifically, the nation of Israel)? Once the Savior has come, His war decrees seem to cease. Or at least the battles shift from the physical to the spiritual realms. No longer is flesh and blood a co-conspirator with Satan in opposing the Kingdom of God. Now human beings become victimized pawns, captives held for ransom, as it were, while the satanic general uses them/us for human shields and scapegoats.
The battle still rages, though on a different front.
I'm sure I'll have more thoughts on this later. What thoughts do you have on this issue?
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