The Paradox of War
If you know me, I find myself with a heavy heart when there is turmoil, war and injustice in the world. And if you have turned on the news, you have seen the horrors that the Hamas terrorists are committing against the nation of Israel. I almost found myself in tears yesterday just thinking about the people that I know and those I don’t that are stuck there in the face of great evil. I find it difficult that I am privileged to live in a country that hasn’t had an attack on its soils in over twenty years, yet war is always a reality for these innocents. But I think the most difficult aspect of it is the violent and faceless stroke that is war.
Upon trying to understand war in a seemingly peaceful time, I found this paradox. In peaceful times nations build an army for war, to either prevent it or fight it in the future. The Paradoxes of War teaches us to understand that war is a normal part of human existence. But I would make the argument that war and violence is far from anything natural in the human experience. Another argument I've heard is that one can only know peace if they have experienced war. But what if our natural state was peace, but by one event it shifted the entire nature and allowed for the unnatural course of war and violence to creep into our lives.
Obviously, I am inclined to believe that sin was that factor that caused man to hate and want to destroy and kill his fellow man. And with this evil oftentimes the question comes up, then why did God create it(God did not create it but rather it is a separation from the goodness of God)? Why does he allow bad things to happen to good people(Go talk to Job for the answer)? This is often asked by the skeptic and agnostic to explain away the existence of a good God. You can only have a good God if there is a moral center. My argument has been and always will be that morality comes from God. Therefore morality is an absolute that comes from him. In this we know that we have missed the mark and aren’t perfect but have a nature of sin that inclines us to harm and hate rather than be kind and love others. We only have the capacity to love, because the one who created morality first loved us.
But I will tell you that despite this heartache, these doubts, and the constant struggle with evil in this world, there was one person who was able to live without that brokenness and be in upright standing with God. One who would pay the ultimate sacrifice, and be able to wash away that evil and give us a new way to be human. I speak of none other than the messiah Jesus, that through his sacrifice would change us from the warmongering heathen of yesterday, into one that has God dwell inside of him enabling the ability for kindness. One that would have peace in war, joy in sadness, power in humility.
God from the earliest days called us to live in peace not violence(see the book of Nahum). So while it's hard to change the heart’s of men. I pray that they are swayed into this new humanity. But I also grieve the needless death of the innocent and will take action once a break appears. But in the place I am now, I know that there is a God that paid the ultimate price for every person so that they can have this new peace. I pray without ceasing:
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121
For more resources on how to support in humanitarian efforts in Israel see the following:
https://caleb.global/give-designation/?designation=10a4e546-c15e-4ae5-87c7-65809c040006
