Time of War and Peace

Wise Solomon observed in Ecclesiastes 3:8 there is "...a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."  With spiritual insight we see love and hate, while seemingly opposites, can exist at the same time and even compliment one another.  Due to active love of God within us, a child of God chooses to hate sin and every evil way.  Even in the midst of conflict, the one who trusts God can experience perfect peace by faith in Jesus Christ.  But the point Solomon made is spelled out in Ecclesiastes 3:1:  "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven...".  God has good purposes and plans He accomplishes in every season of life, and we can have confidence He knows what He is doing.

It may seem strange to think in this wonderful world created by God there would be a time for hate and war.  Yet this is not at all odd when we realise and acknowledge we live in a world of sin where people are always at war with God:  hating Him, slandering and opposing Him, filled with malice and bigoted against Him.  Because God is righteous, He cannot and will not make peace or be united with sin He hates.  Sin is altogether contrary to Him and destroys life He created to be good, separating souls eternally from His presence.  Jesus died on the cross and rose form the grave to defeat sin and death, and one day God will also wage war upon and destroy all sinners as the righteous Judge and KING OF KINGS that He is.

Judges 3:1-4 explains reasons why God allowed the children of Israel to experience conflict and warfare, and relates to the born-again children of God today:  "Now these are the nations which the LORD left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan ² (this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it), ³ namely, five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. ⁴ And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses."  The generation that entered the promised land was commanded to destroy the inhabitants of the land and take possession of their inheritance by lot.  After that generation passed away, their children had only known peace and prosperity.  God did not wipe out the enemies of Israel, yet allowed them to remain for several reasons:  to test them, to see if they would obey His commands.

The Law of Moses contained many promises of victory and peace to those who feared God and kept His commands as in Leviticus 26:6-9:  "I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid; I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will not go through your land. ⁷ You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you. ⁸ Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you. ⁹ 'For I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you."  Conversely, if God's people did not keep His commands, He would give them over to their enemies and would flee in terror when no one pursued them.  If they would then confess their iniquity and transgressions in humility before God, accepting the punishment of their iniquity for hating His judgments, God would remember the covenant made with their fathers and deliver them.

God allowed His people to experience long seasons of war and conflict so they might learn--not primarily how to use a sword, spear, bow, shield or tactics--but to depend on their LORD God for victory, knowing peace is found only by faith and obedience to Him.  This is also one reason God allows believers to experience trials, illness, oppression and enemies during our season on earth.  God's will is we would learn to fight the good fight of faith, choosing to seek and trust Jesus rather than looking to ourselves or others for an escape.  When we face enemies stronger than ourselves, God watches to see if we will keep trusting and obeying Him.  God uses battles that overwhelm us to teach us of His faithfulness and mighty deliverance so we might live for His glory and praise long after the battle is done.