October 13, 2023 –– Mark Christopher
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Turn on the news and you will be inundated with headlines about wars and rumours of wars. According to WiseVoter.com, there are 32 countries currently involved in conflicts of various kinds, wreaking havoc on their economies and their populace. Some of the African nations that bear the misery of making this list are Algeria, Benin, and Burkina Faso among others which are all enduring terrorist insurgencies. Countries like the Central African Republic and Ethiopia are dealing with Civil Wars.
With war being a constant reality it would be wise for Christians to be equipped with a Biblical understanding of how nations should evaluate their participation in a war.
On Tuesday my friend, David DeBruyn, gave an excellent summary of the horrific attack by Hamas terrorists against Israel last Saturday. Today I would like to briefly examine whether Israel is justified in its retaliatory attacks on Gaza, the stronghold for Hamas militants, despite calls from many countries for an immediate ceasefire.
It is already well-known the South African government was swift to call for a ceasefire of all violence on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian divide. But Israel has made its intentions very clear as they have continued to fire a barrage of rockets into known enclaves of Hamas terrorists in Gaza as they prepare for a ground assault to free Israeli hostages.
So, the question is whether Israel is justified in pressing ahead with its attacks. What does the Bible say concerning this? While no one should desire the horrors of war there are times when war is unavoidable and a nation is forced, as a last resort, to fight and defend itself. It is because we are fallen creatures, and we live in a fallen world that war is sometimes inevitable.
The Bible vividly illustrates this where war is mentioned over 350 times in the Old Testament alone. On many occasions, ancient Israel was called upon to defend itself from invading enemies. There were even some occasions when God called on Israel to go to war as a form of judgment against a pagan nation or people. This is what is known as Holy War.
God is not now calling for a holy war by any nation. Yet, there are times when a just war is necessary for the sake of a nation defending itself. After all, God ordained government with the primary purpose of protecting those who do good while brandishing the sword to punish evildoers (Romans 13:1-5).
Just as parents are meant to protect and keep their children safe, in like manner God-ordained government is required to protect its people from enemies both foreign and domestic. Not only does government have a right to fulfill this mission, but they have solemn duty before God and man to do this. Now, while war is never desirable, what are the principles a government should follow when contemplating a just war scenario?
1. There must be a just cause. When domestic or foreign actors aggressively attack a nation like Hamas attacked Israel, that country has an obligation to respond.
2. There must be a just intention. The goal of any just war should always be peace and safety for all concerned. When the aggressor’s motive is land expansion, ideological supremacy, or economic gain that war is not just.
3. War should always be a last resort when all other means have been exhausted. But when A tells B they want nothing less than the complete eradication of B, negotiations are doomed to fail. This is certainly the case with Israel and Hamas as Hamas has made its intentions of exterminating Israel very clear.
4. There must be a formal declaration of war. A declaration of war by a government declares that government is acting on behalf of the nation at large.
5. The use of force should be measured. Proportionate force should be limited to what is required to repel the enemy and prevent future aggression.
6. There must be what is called “noncombatant immunity”. This means that no civilians, prisoners of war or causalities should ever be targeted. To this end, Israel warns Gazan civilians of imminent rocket attacks before they are launched in Gaza. This is usually done through leaflets, social media platforms, and sirens. Sadly, many do not heed the warning and become part of the casualty count. Based on the criteria for just war, it is clear Israel is justified in their response to this recent attack by Hamas regardless of what some in the international community, like the South African government, might think.
And so, the Christian response should be to pray for Israel to be guided by these just war principles and quickly bring an end to the war. Further, we should pray for the civilians on both sides who are adversely affected by the horrors of war. Finally, we should look forward to the coming of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, when He will bring an end to the carnage of war for good!
And that’s it for The Africa Review in Five on this Friday, October 13th in the year of our Lord 2023. Subscribe to the Missionary Minds podcast on Spotify or Apple podcasts. I’m Yamikani Katunga. Be not weary in well-doing.