Why Does God Allow For War?

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘(16) “See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc; (17) no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.’ (Isaiah 54:16-17)

The context of these verses pertains to God restoring the glory of Israel, in a correlation to the Church that Jesus has established, will have periods of ‘ebbs’ and ‘flows’ but God will be with His people and protect them.  It does not mean protection from physical harm (necessarily) but protection from Spiritual harm.  Why does war exist?  Why do people have to be in tension with each other?  God states in verse 16 that He gave man the knowledge to create weapons, from the spear to the sword to the bow to the gun.   Sometimes, these will be used in war to destroy and kill.

God has created people and knows their motives, and some, He knows, have ‘good intentions’ that lead to ‘bad results’.  Adolf Hitler, for example, would have been hailed a great man who restored Germany to prominence had he died or stepped down from power in 1938, before his expansionist moves into Czechoslovakia and Austria which then precipitated World War II in Europe in 1939 and the Holocaust in the years to follow.  God does not deny some of the people He has created do things that turn out to be against Him and His Chosen people. However, God also promises in verse 17 that while there are those who will wreak havoc, God will have the final say in protecting His Church and will save His people from destruction. 

Wars have purpose; while we should do all we can to avoid them, they are used by God to test the resolve of His people, and to strengthen them by bringing them together.  For Israel to exist today, World War II and the Holocaust had to take place so those Jews who survived would in 1948 form the Jewish state.  World War II for American Christians solidified Faith in God for almost 40 years (‘there are no atheists in foxholes’ is a pretty accurate statement).  God used the calamity of Babylon conquering Israel, and the exile of Israel into Babylon to set His people back on track with Him.

Those who have died in conflicts, even in those that did not seem to make a difference (like many feel about Vietnam or Afghanistan) had a purpose.  We may not always understand the purpose, but God has a purpose, and that purpose is always realized and it is for the benefit of His glory and His people!  In the end, God and His people win!