Following tensions that began all the way back in 2014, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Like many of you, I couldn’t believe that it would come to this, and like all of you, I am devastated. The invasion is already the largest military attack on a sovereign country in Europe since World War II. At the time of this writing, there are more than 400 casualties and at least 700 injured. The actual toll is said to be considerably higher. Then we see the images on our screens in real time of the millions of Ukrainian refugees pouring into neighboring countries. Families separated. Men saying goodbye to their wives. Fathers and mothers saying goodbye to their children. All praying this would not be the last time they saw each other.
In the midst of extreme feelings of sadness, fear and anger, I am sure you have been running to God. I have too. We are asking him many questions. Among those questions, you might be wondering what does God think of the war in Ukraine? Or wars, in general. Isn’t the Bible against wars? Doesn’t the Bible teach us to love our neighbors? Didn’t someone somewhere recently write, “Do you know how to love your…enemies?” If there was one correct way to think about war, we’d want to know what it is. We want to know what God thinks of the war in Ukraine, any war.
It is true the Bible teaches to no end we are to love one another. Here is just a sample of what I am talking about.
1 John 4:16b
God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
1 Peter 4:8
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
1 John 4:11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
If the Bible teaches from cover to cover we are to love, aren’t wars wrong, wars of any kind? Can we at least say that God hates wars? Has he not said in the Ten Commandments, “You shall not murder”? Not so fast.
It would be a mistake to say God is against any war. I know this because I remember seeing in the Bible where God himself told people to go into war. He didn’t just watch nations go into war against each other, and said nothing. He certainly didn’t stop nations that fought against each other. He actually ordered people to go to war!
Numbers 31:2
“Take full vengeance for the sons of Israel on the Midianites; afterward you will be gathered to your people.”
Deuteronomy 20:17
“But you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, as the LORD your God has commanded you..."
Joshua 4:12–13
The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over in battle array before the sons of Israel, just as Moses had spoken to them; about 40,000 equipped for war, crossed for battle before the LORD to the desert plains of Jericho.
1 Samuel 15:3
"‘Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’"
2 Samuel 5:25
Then David did so, just as the LORD had commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer.
As you can see, God told people to go to war. Not once, but many times. And let’s not forget there is in the future a day when God will make a final call for war in the world.
Revelation 19:14–15
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
We simply cannot say God is against any war. It is just not true God wants no war. I disagree with the pacifist who believes that war, any war, is unjustifiable.
Even though God ordered many times for people to go into war, I don’t want you to ever think that our God is a God who loves war. He doesn’t enjoy wars. He sees wars as a terrible thing. He sees this war in Ukraine as a terrible thing. War is just about the most terrible thing on our planet. If we find war a terrible thing, how much more does our God? War is the result of sin. It is inevitable there is war when we live in a fallen world filled to the brim with sin, hatred, and evil. Sadly, war is sometimes the only solution to prevent an even greater evil. We should not desire war, but at the same time, we should not be opposed to war.
Murder is not the same thing as war. You may say there is taking of another’s life in both murder and in war, but they are not the same. Murder is any “thought or feeling of deep-seated hatred or malice against another person”. This is what God meant in the Ten Commandments: “You shall not murder.” Murder is sin. First John 3:15 says, “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” On the other hand, war is a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations. War and murder are different. This is why it is still possible sometimes for a soldier to be charged with murder during wartime. Killing a soldier on a battlefield in a war, killing an enemy under the rules of war is not murder. Killing in war is not the same as murder.
We may have many questions for God. We may feel that he is distant in this war. We may even feel there is very little he can do. But let us not let our hearts lead us astray. God is still the same and sovereign God, and he is still on his throne. He is always at work. Our job is to simply pray and to trust him. May God have mercy on the people of Ukraine and of Russia. May God produce a miracle for a quick end to the war. May he give godly wisdom to our global leaders. May he protect the militaries. May he minimize the number of casualties of civilians on both sides. Amen.