Theology of War in Israel

How do you vindicate the actions of Israel with the way of peace that Jesus taught? How does “complete destruction” run parallel to “turn the other cheek?” To the careful and honest reader this creates a sincere question that takes thought to work through. We can’t come to the conviction that God changed his ways from the Old to New Testament, and we definitely can’t say that it’s a different God operating in the Old and New Testaments. So what is the solution?

I think the solution lies in seeing Israel’s war and conquest within the biblical framework of history. Here we see it as an exception and not a rule in the way a country behaves. And we see the complete work of a Sovereign God over the nations interacted through multiple ways.

So here are a few points that show us that God is just in having Israel take the Promised Land (mainly in the book of Joshua) by war.

1) God is the Creator of all there is, and therefore owner of all lands. He has the right to distribute territories and lands how he chooses. Therefore, if he claims that Israel should inherit the Promised Land, then it is right for Israel to claim the Promised Land (note: I am not speaking of today because Salvation History was accomplished at the cross and eternal blessings, not land, is the focus).

2) Since all people are sinners, all rightly deserve judgment by God. The question isn’t why are all the other nations judged except Israel. The question is why isn’t Israel judged like all the other nations. It is through grace and mercy that God redeemed Israel from Egypt that manifests His glory; it’s not what Israel deserved, but it’s what God gave. God accomplished part of his judgment on the nations when Israel conquered the land. Deuteronomy 9:5 even claims that it was for the judgment of the nations that God used Israel to conquer them.

3) We now take the judgments of the nations as a foreshadow of God’s endtime Judgment. We do not use these war stories as a justification for war in our day. However, we do use them to exemplify God’s righteous judgment when Christ returns.

Since the Fall, God is re-establishing his Kingdom on this earth. In the New Testament, we see that comes through a person, Jesus Christ. There is no need to force people into an earthly Kingdom that will fade away, but now the church proclaims the Kingdom in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ who will return to conquer the world, save the ones who put faith in him, and destroy unbelieving nations. There is no need for us to fight because Jesus will do it himself.