“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).
The Apostle Paul commands us to act like men. What does it look like to obey this command? Do men need to be commanded to act like men? Apparently we do. Because I think on some level all of us understand that there are men, and then there are men.
A study of all the things that it means to be a godly man is worthy of your time. In this article I would like to consider one important aspect of being a godly man: that men fight wars. And if you are going to fight wars successfully, you have to be strong and courageous. Which is to say, being a godly man means being a valiant warrior.
I am not suggesting that this is the totality of what it means to be a man. Being a man involves more than that. But I want to make the argument that fighting wars is one fundamental way that men are to act like men.
Let’s take a brief survey of the Old Testament, thinking through all the Old Testament saints who fought military battles.
Start with Abraham, who fought successfully against King Chedorlaomer and the other kings after they took his nephew Lot captive (Genesis Ch 14). This was an important event which preceded Abraham meeting Melchizedek the king and priest.
Moses, by my count, fought in 4 battles (Exodus 17:8-16, Numbers 21:1-5, 21:21-35, and 31:1-24).
Joshua’s life purpose was to lead the Israelites in their military conquest of the Promised Land.
Gideon and Jephthah are both described as “valiant warriors”, and all the judges in the book of Judges are characterized by fighting wars.
From a young age David fought wars, and it is important to note that his great sin with Bathsheeba occurred when he stopped going out to battle and stayed at home.
For the rest of Israel’s monarchy, until the time of their exile to Babylon, although there were brief times of relative peace, warfare was never far off the horizon. And even upon Israel’s post-exilic return, Nehemiah and his servants are described as rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem with one hand and holding their weapons with their other hand (Nehemiah 4:16-17).
From Abraham to Nehemiah, warfare was an ever-present reality in Old Testament Israel’s existence.
Let me make two brief observations about Israel’s history of warfare. First, although all of Israel’s wars have a physical component, many of the battles have an obvious spiritual component as well (note I believe that all of Israel’s battles had a spiritual component, it’s just that only in certain specific cases does the bible give us an actual glimpse of the spiritual side).
As an example, remember the Lord’s instructions to David in 2 Samuel 5:24: “It shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then the Lord will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.”
Although David and his army fought the battle physically, there was another reality, a spiritual one, at play. And this spiritual reality, of God going before the Israelites and fighting the war for them, was clearly more important than the physical reality.
Second, note what we learn in Judges 3:1-2. After Joshua’s conquest of the Promised Land, God intentionally left some nations behind. Why did God do that? We are told He did this for the purpose of testing them “in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war.”
God did not protect Israel from warfare. On the contrary, He intentionally gave it to them. Why? So that they might be taught war.
Let’s move on from Old Testament Israel and consider angels. Just as men fight wars, it appears that warfare is also an important aspect of being an angel. The unnamed angel in Daniel Chapter 10 tells Daniel “I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come (10:20).” And in the next verse the angel says “there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince.”
Consider also Revelation Chapter 12, which describes an epic battle in which Michael and his angels wage war against the dragon (Satan) and his angels in heaven. Michael prevails, and Satan is thrown down to earth. Michael, apparently, is a tough dude.
Finally, consider Jesus Christ. In Joshua 5:13-15, Joshua meets a man with his sword drawn in his hand, who describes himself as “captain of the host of the Lord.” Many Christians believe this to be a theophany, that this “man” was Jesus Christ Himself. Others believe him to be a powerful angel. I believe this to be Jesus, but whether it is Jesus, or whether it is an angel, the overall meaning is the same. He is the captain of God’s army, and is fighting wars on Israel’s behalf (see 6:2). Note also Moses’ song in Exodus 15:3 after Moses and Israel cross the Red Sea. Moses states, “The Lord is a warrior.” The King James Version reads, “The Lord is a man of war.”
Finally, note Revelation 19:11-21. At the end of the seven-year tribulation, Jesus “wages war” in the final, decisive battle which ushers in the millennium. He comes on a white horse with His army from heaven, and He strikes down the nations with His sharp sword and rules them with a rod of iron.
Warfare is important in the economy of God. This raises a question: what does warfare look like in the New Testament? In other words, how are you and I supposed to fight wars? There are two foundational New Testament passages on fighting wars: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 and Ephesians 6:10-17 (also see 1 Timothy 1:18 and 2 Timothy 2:3-4).
In Part 2 we will consider these passages and what they teach us about waging war as New Testament Christians.
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