Daily Devotional
Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in the Bible.
The Wisdom of God
Verses for the Day:
Proverbs 20:18 (AMP):
18 Purposes and plans are established by counsel; and only with good advice make
or carry on war.
The book of Proverbs is full of wise
advice throughout its pages. In verse 18 we are told to undertake counsel
in order to establish our plans and purposes and especially in the matter of
war. There is another verse in Proverbs that also tells us there is
safety in Godly counsel.
Proverbs 15:22 "Without counsel purposes
are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established."
When anyone is facing a situation that
requires any kind of battle (making war) it is especially important not to go
it alone. The very nature of war means you will need reinforcements to win
the battle, as the one you attack will surely retaliate. The Bible is not
against war when it is for a righteous cause; however, it should never be
entered into lightly nor without ample counsel from those who will be your
allies.
Some Christians are having difficulty with the actions of our government in the area of war, as the heart of Christianity is to love our enemies, not destroy
them. How do we reconcile this as Christians? We must understand that the
Bible deals with the role of government differently than that of an individual Christian.
Throughout the Bible, the main role of governments was to protect its people from
threatening invaders and to maintain law and order within its borders. This was done by
maintaining a military force. Those who would argue against our country's
military position,
must also ask what our nation would be like without policemen and prisons.
God set boundaries on mankind by establishing ruling authorities that
would make and enforce the laws He gave. The purpose for this was because He knew
unregenerate society, without any restraints, would seek to destroy good men. God's desire
is that all men would come to Him and live by His laws. However, when Adam and Eve
disobeyed God and broke His law, sin entered into the world and was passed down to all of
mankind through Adam's seed. God, in His love for mankind, made a way for men to
come back to Him, through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. Because Jesus lived free of sin
and obeyed the law of God perfectly, He became the sin offering and died upon a cross,
thus paying the price for all men's sin. He then rose from the dead the third day,
showing that He indeed was the Son of God. Now those who accept what Jesus did and
repent of their sins can find their way through faith to be reconciled to God. This
sacrifice covers and cleanses men, even from the worst of sins, including murder. Now,
through Christ, even murderers can be forgiven and restored to a relationship with God so
they can live forever with Him; however, they must repent and give their lives wholly to
Christ.
Where we find most of our problems with the military action of our
government versus loving our enemies is that God's law of justice for the taking of a life
demands that life be taken; yet, God's spiritual law of mercy and forgiveness grants that
a murderer can be forgiven and restored. How can we reconcile this? We must
understand that God instituted governing authorities to maintain order in the earth. God uses
them to restrain evil and they should be obeyed for this purpose.
An analogy would
be like a family that had a son at home and who was given love, freedom and many
privileges. However, one day the son committed an evil crime and was sent to
jail. The rules he lived under at home while he was obedient must now be
changed to the rules of the jail because of the son's sin. The same is true with
God. His will is to bless the earth and all those who obey and live in
harmony; but for those who disobey, He had to set up separate rules so that the
ones who are evil do not destroy the good. War is like that, as God uses
civil authorities to maintain order in the earth. God is a God of love, but He
is also a God of justice. Sometimes battles must be fought to bring
justice to bear on situations in this life.
Romans 13:1-5 (RSV):
1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority
except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
2 Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who
resist will incur judgment.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of him
who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,
4 For he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not
bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer.
5 Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of
conscience.
From these verses we see that governments can elect to bear the sword (go
to war) to deal with evil men. Although the act of war is a harsh form of punishment
upon evil invaders, the alternative is far worse -- the destruction of innocent people by
wicked aggressors. Sometimes wars must be fought to bring justice to bear. Wars
will remain until Christ returns and sets up His kingdom of peace in the earth.
At that time, war shall be no more.
Isaiah 2:4: "And he
shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat
their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall
not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."
Dear
Heavenly Father: We know that You hate war, but You also hate what evil
men do to innocent men, women and children; therefore, wars come when good men
stand against the evil of wicked men. May You grant all that fight in righteous
causes Your grace, wisdom, strength and ability to overcome evil. Lord, give all
righteous rulers and leaders Your wisdom as they direct the course of war.
Protect those who are on the battlefields fighting in these conflicts.
Bless their families and give them comfort and faith in Your ability to protect
and keep those who call upon You! Lord, may we prevail in every righteous
cause and stand united behind all those who must pursue the course of war to
overcome evil. I ask this in the name of Jesus, Your Son. Amen.
Note:
For more about this subject click here to read
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT WAR?
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