The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Samuel 15:2-3,
"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'"
The Lord instructed Israel to go make war and totally destroy the Amalekites in a great genocide. Maybe we should look at that again: The Lord told Samuel to go tell King Saul of the Israelites to take his army and go attack the Amalekites, who were not threatening Israel at the time, and destroy them. The last we heard of the Amalekites threatening Israel was back in the day of Gideon in Judges 7 (unless I have missed something... which I do on occasion). The reason for this military incursion was the treatment of the Israelites by the Amalekites when "they came up from Egypt".
Why did the Lord instigate a war? Why did he instigate a genocide? Why didn't he just destroy the Amalekites as he did Sodom and Gomorrah or some other way directly without instigating combat, a military fight, a war between nations?
I recall, shortly after President George W. Bush invaded Iraq, that many denominations and Christian organizations felt compelled to draft their own statements on what constituted a "just war". The concept of a "just war" seemed to be in vogue at the time and I recall the one posted by the Southern Baptist Convention and others. None of the statements would have sanctioned what the Lord had King Saul do.
And, yet, by very definition, when the Lord asks us to do anything, whatever it may be will always be "just". It will always be appropriate. It will always be holy. It will always be righteous.
For all those among the anti-war crowd that fashion themselves as believers, for those within denominations that consider themselves as religious conscientious objectors as Christians toward any war I suggest a closer reading of the Scriptures. It seems we all too often think we know about God, we assume what he is like -- and we haven't done our due diligence in studying what it is God has revealed of himself to us.
"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'"
The Lord instructed Israel to go make war and totally destroy the Amalekites in a great genocide. Maybe we should look at that again: The Lord told Samuel to go tell King Saul of the Israelites to take his army and go attack the Amalekites, who were not threatening Israel at the time, and destroy them. The last we heard of the Amalekites threatening Israel was back in the day of Gideon in Judges 7 (unless I have missed something... which I do on occasion). The reason for this military incursion was the treatment of the Israelites by the Amalekites when "they came up from Egypt".
Why did the Lord instigate a war? Why did he instigate a genocide? Why didn't he just destroy the Amalekites as he did Sodom and Gomorrah or some other way directly without instigating combat, a military fight, a war between nations?
I recall, shortly after President George W. Bush invaded Iraq, that many denominations and Christian organizations felt compelled to draft their own statements on what constituted a "just war". The concept of a "just war" seemed to be in vogue at the time and I recall the one posted by the Southern Baptist Convention and others. None of the statements would have sanctioned what the Lord had King Saul do.
And, yet, by very definition, when the Lord asks us to do anything, whatever it may be will always be "just". It will always be appropriate. It will always be holy. It will always be righteous.
For all those among the anti-war crowd that fashion themselves as believers, for those within denominations that consider themselves as religious conscientious objectors as Christians toward any war I suggest a closer reading of the Scriptures. It seems we all too often think we know about God, we assume what he is like -- and we haven't done our due diligence in studying what it is God has revealed of himself to us.
I am certainly not suggesting that all war is good or that the Lord would sanction any particular war. What I am saying is that if the Lord commanded his people to go to war, then we cannot say that war, in and of itself is wrong, or that it is a last resort, or anything of the kind. War among nations is simply another tool in the Lord's toolbox as he pursues his agenda.
Let's read our Bibles and equip ourselves with truth and divest ourselves of what we think the Scriptures say. It has certainly been a challenge for me over the years. I am constantly admonished by the Scriptures!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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