DOES GOD COMMAND HOLY WAR?

by
Lola S. Richey
Praise Pure Ministry January 29, 2013

This presentation is a reflection paper prepared for Old Testament 728 on the Book of Joshua, taught by George M. Schwab, Ph.D. of Erskine Theological Seminary.

Holy War! Many readers of the Old Testament are deeply troubled by the role that warfare plays in the accounts of Gods dealing with His people. Anyone who reads the Holy Bible is confronted with holy wars in the Old Testament. The Old Testament has disturbing occurrence of Gods wanting His people to kill, kill, and kill. In fact, when the Israelites would sympathize and spare enemy survivors, God would condemn the Israelites failure to follow His command to conquer and kill. Gods command to kill, kill, and kill in the Old Testament often troubles modern readers (Deuteronomy 7:16). For instance, the Book of Joshua is filled with war, conquest, and killing. In the Joshua account, God commanded Joshua and the Israelites to herem, condemn, or take the land of Canaan and to utterly destroy their enemies. Nevertheless, contemporary readers of the Holy Bible need a better understanding of these Old Testament holy wars to understand why God ordered these killings and destruction. Everyone who reads the Old Testament, especially the Book of Joshua, must understand these holy wars in the context of the history of redemption and the interplay of Gods grace and judgment. God is also a God of love (1 John 4:16) and Jesus commands for His followers is to love one another (John 13:34-35). So, how are modern readers to reconcile the teaching of the Old Testament and Jesus command to love one another? The Arabic term jihad means holy war in the English language. Holy war speaks of men fighting for God. However, holy war is not a biblical term and is not mentioned in the Holy Bible. Yet, holy war is a theme that developed as early as
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Genesis 3:15. In Genesis 3:15, God declared that He would put enmity between the Seed of Eve and the seed of the serpent. God continues His theme of war with Israels deliverance from Egyptian slavery as God wages war against Pharaoh. The Old Testament describes God as a Man of war (Exodus 15:3). The New Testament describes Jesus as the Divine Conqueror of all the spiritual forces, principalities and powers that are arrayed against the Kingdom of God (Ephesians 1:19-21). Jesus describes His ministry in terms of a war against evil and the evil powers of this world (John 14:30; John 16:11). Even more, Jesus death on Calvarys Cross has disarmed evil principalities and powers (Colossians 2:15) and leading a host of captives (Ephesians 4:8). Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). Moreover, Jesus church is waging war against evil (Matthew 16:18; Romans 16:20). One day, Jesus will return to earth, but this time as the King of kings and Lord of lords. He will bring the final victory of God as King. Jesus will judge, make war, and cast evildoers into the lake of eternal fire, like Jericho (Joshua 6; Revelation 19:11-16, 2021). The herem or devotion of Jericho to God with utter destruction and fire looks back to Gods declaration of war in Genesis, and forward to Jesus completion of the war in the final Revelation battle. A theme that runs through the Old Testament and the New Testament is that violence and destruction are stored up against the wicked. In fact, the Old Testament teaches that God sent Israel to conquer Canaan because He was angry with their absolute sin and wickedness (Deuteronomy 9:4-5). In a sense, the Israelites became Gods agent to purge the Canaan land of sin, evil, and wickedness. The Israelites
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imaged what the heavenly hosts had done to Sodom and Gomorrah. Often, Gods instructions to kill and destroy in the Old Testament can be seen as Gods judgment against sin and evil (Deuteronomy 5:9). Yet, the New Testament also speaks of sinners destruction and death. Jesus will come one day with bloody garb to render the final sanction against sin and wickedness (Revelation 19:11-18). In essence, both the Old Testament and the New Testament reveal that God will bring ultimate destruction on those who have walked and continue to walk in evil and sin (see also Luke 17:26-32). In a similar way, the Israelites coming into Canaan to cleanse the land of its sin and wickedness can also been seen in an eschatological (or end times) sense. Those who persistent in sin and evil by failing to turn from theirs sins and wholeheartedly follow Jesus will violently perish for theirs sins, too. Despite the continuity between the Old Testament and the New Testament, the New Testament discontinues certain themes found in the Old Testament. Instead of being commissioned to engage in violent acts of war against flesh and blood, Christians are now commanded by Jesus to identify with those who suffer unjustly at the hands of their enemies. Jesuss first coming was not as a Warrior or Conqueror. Instead, Jesus came to identify with those in Jericho and Canaan who perished. Thus, Jesus himself has borne the curse (herem or condemnation) on behalf of his people. Like Jesus, Christians today are to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and willingly submit to persecution. Christians are to live by love, mercy, grace, prayer, and forgiveness as their spiritual weapons. Those who genuinely and wholeheartedly
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belong to Jesus are baptized in the Holy Spirit. As we belong to Jesus, Christians are to live a holy and upright life consistent with the life of Christ. Today, Christians battle against evil principalities and authorities (1 Peter 5:8). To withstand these evil attacks, Christians must depend on Jesuss strength and fight using the power that comes from the Holy Spirit. Christians must put on the whole armor of God, that includes truth, righteousness, peace, and the Word of God (Ephesians 6:10-20). Christians use the Word of God to defeat evil strongholds. Christians today may serve in a state that might engage in a just war, but never in a holy war. Today, the Christian holy war includes preaching the Gospel message, teaching Gods truth, engaging in fasting and prayer, practicing church discipline and suffering persecution. Nevertheless, Christians can use the techniques of Joshua and Rahab as tools of war against their enemies (see also 2 Thessalonians 2:11). Many biblical scholars see Rahabs lie found at Joshua 2 and Joshua military deception found at Joshua 8 as tools of war that Christians can continue to use while serving the state in war. Moreover, modern readers must understand that God authorized these Old Testament wars and killings to a limited historical and theological setting in the Old Testament. We cannot argue for a war today just because a war was specifically commanded by God in the book of Joshua. In the Old Testament, God was dealing primarily with one particular nation, the Israelites, for a stated purpose. Moreover, the war against Canaan was led by God, not by humans (see Deuteronomy 7:2; Joshua 5:1315). God Himself directed the divine conquest against the wicked and evil people who
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had rebelled against God and His purposes. With Joshuas generation, the Canaanites sin had reached its full measure (Genesis 15:16). Israel became Gods instrument to carry out His judgment. When Jesus emerged from the nation of Israel, everything changed. Medieval wars, such as the Crusades by European Christians against Middle Eastern infidels, or the more recent jihads of Islamic terrorism cannot be acceptable based on Old Testament practices. The Old Testament stories occurred centuries before Jesus appeared to reveal God the Fathers will fully and completely. So, the Book of Joshua and other Old Testament wars do not have the completed Christian truth since these war stories were written before Jesus came. Jesus made it very clear that God blesses those who work for peace (Matthew 5:9) and that those who use the sword will die by the sword (Matthew 26:52). Today, no justification for such action exists in the modern world. Jesus will judge and bring an end to all evil, wickedness, and sin (Revelation 19:11-21). Christians are to love like Jesus Christ loved (John 13:34-35), pray for their enemies, and forgive those who hurt them (Matthew 5:38-48; Colossians 3:13). Anyone who looks to the Book of Joshua or any Old Testament reference for rationalization of a holy war must also look ahead to Jesus. Jesus came on a holy crusade but not through the use of violent means. Instead, Jesus chose suffering and death. Nothing in the New Testament gives consolation to a religious warrior. Rather, Jesus commands all Christians to go not as conquering armies, but as bearers of the Good News that applies to all people, all races and all nations (Matthew 28:16-20).
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Nevertheless, the God of the first Joshua is also the God of the second Joshua (Jesus). Although now God reaches out to the whole world with the Good News, the sword of judgment awaits in the wings. Gods second Joshua (Jesus) will wield His sword of judgment against those who fail to courageously and faithfully obey God (Revelation 19:11-16). God does not allow evil and sin to continue unpunished. The holy wars of the Old Testament to destroy evil nations were both a judgment (Deuteronomy 9:4-6) and a safety measure. On one hand, the people living in the land were being judged for their sin, and Israel was God's instrument of judgment. God's command was designed to protect the nation of Israel from being ruined by the idolatry and immorality of its enemies. God is holy (Leviticus 19:2) and He hates sin, wickedness, and disobedience (Joshua 7; 1 Samuel 15:22-23). In conclusion, some people will continue to argue that there is a tension that remains between Old Testament morality and the ethics of the New Testament church. The paradox remains between God condemning Israel for not killing enough and Gods desire that all people would be saved and come to the knowledge of truth (1 Timothy 2:4). Until Jesus returns in all His glory, we must follow His life and teachings. Both Old Testament and the New Testament warn everyone to faithfully follow and obey God to avoid the coming condemnation for all sinners. For there is no condemnation for those who love and trust Jesus (Romans 5:9)!

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Bibliography
The Conquest and the Ethical Questions of War. Zondervan NIV Study Bible. New York: Zondervan, 2008: 286. Is a War Ever Holy? New Student Bible. Zondervan, 1992: 258-259. Coleson, Joseph. Joshua, Judges, Ruth. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary. Carol Streams, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 2012. Nogalski, James. Preaching from Joshua in Canonical Contexts. Review and Expositor 95 no. 2 (1998): 263-269. Schwab, George, Joshua. Unpublished, 1991: 15-16. Schwab, George, Does God Command Jihad. In Right in Their Own Eyes: The Gospel According to Judges (Phillipsburg. NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 2011), 63-75.

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