War, Prov 20:18

War first appears in Gen 14:2, when four kings attacked Sodom and Gomorrah and the three neighboring cities.  History is filled with war.  During David’s reign there was a season for battle, 2 Sam 11:1.  And today is no different.  Conciliation rarely works.  

Thucydides trap describes a scenario where an emerging power threatens to displace an existing power.  We face this trap with China, today.  War continues all the way through Revelation till Jesus returns.  See Rev 11:7, 12:7, 12:17, 13:4, 7, 17:14, 19:19.  During his millennial reign, Jesus will make wars to cease, Ps 46:9.

Prov 20:18 says, “with good advice make war”.  Prov 24:6 says, “by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war”.  Kings then are to be strong militarily and fight with good advice and wise counsel.  When a country weakens its military, it falls.

It is interesting to note that the Lord is a man of war, Ex 15:3. David, a man after God’s own heart, was a man of war, 1 Sam 16:18.  Paul told Timothy to war a good warfare, 1 Tim 1:18.  And in 2 Tim 2:3-4, Paul encouraged him to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 

You don’t have to pick a fight.  The devil will bring the war to you, Eph 6:10-18.  But you need to fight the good fight of faith, 1 Tim 6:12.  Paul did, 2 Tim 4:7, and we should, too.  Don’t be a conscientious objector or a passivist in this spiritual war that rages today.  Be a soldier.  

We have to fight for our children.  The world and the devil will steal them from the Lord if they can.  We need to fight for lost souls.  Jesus died for them but the devil does all he can to keep them from getting saved.  And we need to fight for our church.  The devil would tear us apart from the inside out if he could.  He works within a church to destroy it the same way communism works inside of a country to bring it to ruin.  

Keep fighting.  The war doesn’t end till the devil is chained and then finally devoured by fire, Rev 20:7-9, and thrown in the lake of fire, Rev 20:10.