Genesis: Abraham, Covenant, and Promise

Concepts of a Just War

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 1996-12-01

Synopsis: John Weaver examines the biblical doctrine of just war, arguing that neither all defensive wars are just nor all offensive wars are unjust. Using Scripture, he demonstrates that defensive wars can be wrong when they overstep moral bounds, defend wickedness, or contradict God's will, while offensive wars can be just when initiated by God or fought against tyranny and wickedness. He illustrates with biblical examples and historical references to the American Revolution, emphasizing the obligation to defend life, family, and liberty.

[John Weaver] Isaiah 8 and verse 20. I will not be preaching from this text, however I'm going to use it to begin the message that I want to bring today. Many of you that are here know that I've been preaching for some time on the biblical doctrine of war. The first message I brought was, God is a warrior. I'm sorry to say verses and then chapters, but Messages 2-5 dealt with the concept of holy war. I went through the Bible and showed on numerous occasions how war is considered holy when it's conducted according to God and his law and his will. Today I want to deal with what I'm going to call the concept of a just war. Look at Isaiah 8 and verse 20. Scripture says to the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. So God says everything is to be spoken according to the law and to the testimony, that is, the word of God. So if anything then is contrary to the word of God, if anything is in contradiction to the law of God, Whatever it is, is wrong, because God's word is absolutely right.

[John Weaver] Now, I've been preaching on the concept of holy war, and now I'm going to be preaching on the concept of a just war. I'm going to grant you that there are many corresponding truths between a holy war and a just war. In fact, you could say that the two are actually synonymous. If a war is holy, very obviously it has to be just. And if a war is just, very obviously it has to be holy. But the reason I'm dealing with this concept today is because there are many individuals who not only believe but teach that the only just war is a defensive war. Let me say that again. There are many who believe and teach that the only just war is a defensive war.

[John Weaver] They would say that offensive wars, that is, wars of aggression or wars initiated by an aggressor, would be categorically unjust. And so they would say that all offensive wars, all aggressive wars, were unjust.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just make some general statements. It is true, generally speaking, that defensive wars are just and sinless, but there are exceptions. It is also true, generally speaking, that offensive wars or aggressive wars are unjust and sinful, but there are exceptions. What I'm trying to show you is this. You cannot make a blanket statement and say, well, all defensive wars are just, and that's it. Nor can you make a blanket statement and say, all offensive or all aggressive wars are unjust and ungodly. You cannot say that.

[John Weaver] Because Scripture says, to the law and to the testimony, if they agree not, it's because there is no truth in them. Let me begin by showing you what I'm talking about. Open your Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 34. Genesis 34, let me begin to show you where there are some defensive wars in the Bible that were wrong. Let me explain. Genesis chapter 34, beginning with verse 1, And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she barren to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.

[John Weaver] So young ladies, I ought to tell you that you ought not to be mixing with the ungodly. And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor, the Hivite prince of the country, saw her, he took her and labored with her and defiled her. And his soul claimed unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel and spake kindly unto the damsel. And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel, the wife. And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his cattle in the field, and Jacob held his peace until they were come. And Hamor, the father of Shechem, went out unto Jacob to commune with him. And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it, and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth or angry, because he had wrought folly in Israel, and lying with Jacob's sorter, which thing ought not to be done.

[John Weaver] And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter. I pray you, give her him to wife, and make you marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you. And you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you, dwell and trade you therein, and get you possessions therein.' And Shechem said unto her father and to her brother, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what you shall say unto me will I give." Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as you shall say unto me, but give me the damsel to wife.' And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he defiled thine of their sister, and they said unto him, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised, for that were a reproach unto us.

[John Weaver] But in this will be consented unto you, if ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised." Then will we give you our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters unto us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. But if you will not hearken unto us to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter, and we will be gone.

[John Weaver] And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem, Hamor's son. And the young man deferred not to do this thing, because he had delighted Jacob's daughter, and he was more honorable than all the house of his father."

[John Weaver] Now, let's skip down to verse 25. Of course, all the men of the city consent to be circumcised. And it came to pass on the third day when they were sore that two of the sons of Jacob, seemingly by Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword and came upon the city boldly and slew all the males. And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem's house and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and spoiled the city because they had defiled their sister." They took their sheep and their oxen and their asses which was in the city and which were in the field, and all their wealth and all their little ones and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.

[John Weaver] And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, You have troubled me to make me stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites, and I, being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me and slay me, and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. And they said, Should he deal with our sister?

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you a question. First of all, is what Shechem did wrong? Yes. Should not Shechem have been punished? Yes. But why should Hamar and all of the city be punished for what someone else had done?

[John Weaver] Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. You could say Well, Simeon and Levi were defending their sister. They were defending their honor. They were defending their family. And you could say that what Simeon and Levi did was a defensive action. But I want you to note that what they did was more than a defensive action in one sense of the word, because they just did not defend their sister against Shechem.

[John Weaver] They literally killed an entire city in their rage and in their cruelty. In fact, often Jacob has said a little bit later on, let not his soul come in to their cruelty. And what Jacob was afraid of was since they were fewer in the land than all the other people would hear what seemingly Levi had done. and gather together and literally wipe them out. So here is a defensive action that is condemned by Scripture.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Judges chapter 20. Let me show you another defensive war that is condemned in Scripture. Judges chapter 20. And let's begin reading there with verse 1. Judges 20. Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together, as one man from Dan, even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the Lord in Mizpah."

[John Weaver] Now let me just stop right there. Let me just tell you the background of what has happened. There has been a Levite from Bethlehem, Judah. He's gone down. He was offered to turn into a city of one of the heathen and he refused to do that. He said, No, I'm going to lodge with my own people. So he and his wife went to this city of Benjamin, and there the Sodomites encompassed him about. And they were going to take him, but instead they got his wife, and the Bible said they abused her until morning. And when the man arose in the morning, of course his wife was dead, and he did a very unorthodox thing. Guess what he did? He cut her into 12 pieces and he sent her to each of the tribes of Israel and he said, I want you to see what one of our tribes, one of our cities of Benjamin has done to my wife. So all of Israel now is gathered together. Watch verse two. And all the chief of the people, even all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 footmen that drew sword.

[John Weaver] Now, the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were going up to Mizpah. Then said the children of Israel, Tell us how was this wickedness? And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belonged to Benjamin, I and my concubine to lodge. And the men of Gibeah rose against me and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me, and my concubine have they forced that she is dead. I took my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel. Behold, you are all children of Israel.

[John Weaver] Give here your advice and counsel." And all the people arose as one man saying, We will not, any of us, go to his tent. Neither will any of us turn into his house, but now this shall be the thing which we will do to give you. We will go up by a lot against it, and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, a thousand of ten thousand fetched vittles for the people, that they may do when they come to give you of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel." So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man. and the tribes of Israel sent men throughout all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you? Now therefore," watch carefully, who were in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren and children of Israel, but the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities of Gibeah to go to battle against the children of Israel."

[John Weaver] Now, what in the world were the Gileadites and the Benjamites doing? They were defending themselves. Oh? Or let me say it another way. They were defending the Sodomites.

[John Weaver] Now, it is true that Israel came upon them to attack them. Let me ask you a question. Was this defensive war of Benjamin a just war? And the answer is unequivocally, no. Very obviously, it was not just, because they were harboring murderers and sodomites. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Jeremiah chapter 27. Let me show you another example of a defensive war that would be wrong and unjust. Jeremiah chapter 27, and notice if you would, beginning there with verse 1. Jeremiah 27, verse 1. Listen carefully. In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, came this word of Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Thus saith the Lord to me, Make these bonds and yokes, and put them upon my neck, and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zion, by the head of the messengers which come to Jerusalem, unto Zedekiah king of Judah, and command them to say to their masters, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, thus shall you say

[John Weaver] to your masters, I have made the earth the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemeth meet unto me." Watch what God says,"...and now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon my servant, and the beast of the field have I given unto him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him and his son and his son's son until the very time of this land come." and that many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him, that shall come to pass that the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with a sword, and with a famine, and with a pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand." Therefore, Hercon, not to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which shall speak you, saying, You shall not serve the king of Babylon.

[John Weaver] For they prophesy a lie unto you, to relieve you far from your land, and that I should drive you out, and you should perish. But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the Lord, and they shall till it, and dwell therein." I spake also to Zedekiah, king of Judah, according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people who live. Why will you die, thou and thy people, by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? Therefore, hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, You shall not serve the king of Babylon, for they prophesy a lie unto you. For I have not sent them, saith the Lord, yet they prophesied a lie in my name, that I might drive you out, and that you might perish, you and the prophets that prophesy unto you.

[John Weaver] Also I spake to the priests and all the people, saying, Thus saith the Lord, hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the Lord's house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon, for they prophesy a lie unto you. Hearken not unto them." Watch this,"...serve the king of Babylon, and live." Wherefore should this city be laid waste?"

[John Weaver] Now, what did God do? God sent Jeremiah and said, you go tell Edom, you tell Moab, you tell the Ammonites, you tell Zedekiah, the king of Judah, the Judaists, you tell them, I have given Nebuchadnezzar all this land because of your sins. He's my servant, I've given it unto him, and you better bow your neck and you better serve Nebuchadnezzar. Now, if you do that, I'm going to let you stay in the land. You're going to be defeated, and I'm going to send you out of the land. Well, what did Zedekiah and all the men of Judah do?

[John Weaver] They wanted to defend themselves. So since Nebuchadnezzar attacked them, they engaged in a defensive war. Now, here's my question. Was this defensive war against Nebuchadnezzar a just war? No. Why? Because God had told them to submit. God said, don't fight. If you fight, all you're going to do is just simply kill yourself. Now, let me just try to summarize when a defensive war is wicked, unjust, and wrong. Number one, a defensive war is wrong, it is wicked, it is unjust when it oversteps the bounds of morality, justice, and righteousness as in Genesis 34.

[John Weaver] It is true that Shechem deserved to die. It is true that Shechem deserved to be punished. But all the other people had done absolutely nothing. They did not deserve to die, nor did they deserve to be punished. So a defensive war is wrong, then, when it breaks the bounds of justice, righteousness, and morality, and goes beyond that into cruelty and wickedness. Secondly, a defensive war is wrong and wicked when it defends wickedness in morality and in justice, as in the case of the Benjamites when they were defending the Sodomites and the murderers. And thirdly, a defensive war is wicked and wrong when it is clearly contrary to the will of God. Now, just like you cannot say all defensive wars are just, likewise you cannot say all offensive wars are wrong. Were not the Israelites in Judges chapter 20 right when they were the aggressors, when they were on the offensive to punish the Benjamites for harboring the Sodomites and the murderers?

[John Weaver] If you look in your Bibles very quickly, first of all, to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 1 and verse 24.

[John Weaver] Deuteronomy 1, verse 24, and the Bible says, And they turned and went up into the mountains, and came into the valley of Eshgal, and searched it out." Now, everybody knows what is happening here. The spies are going searching out the land. Would you please tell me who authorized and who ordered this reconnaissance? God did. Why were they reconnoitering the area? Because they were going to attack it.

[John Weaver] In other words, it was an offensive war. If you will turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Numbers chapter 31, Numbers chapter 31. Look if you would please, Numbers chapter 31, beginning there with verse 1. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites, after which shalt thou be gathered in thy people. And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the Lord of Midian. Of every tribe a thousand throughout all the tribes of Israel shall you send to the war. So they were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand, armed for war. Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phineas the son of Eliezer, the priest of the war, with the holy instruments, with the trumpets to blow in his hand. They warred against the Midianites as the Lord commanded Moses, and they slew all the males. And they slew the kings of Midian beside the rest of them that were slain, namely Evi, and Recham, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian.

[John Weaver] Balaam also, the son of Beor, they slew with a sword." Now, here was an offensive war. Here was an aggressive war. Was it a just war? Yes. In fact, I called to your attention the fact that all of the wars of Canaan were basically offensive wars or aggressive wars, and very obviously they were just. Why? I want you to look in your Bible to the book of Psalm 24 and verse 1. I'm sure many of you can probably quote this verse, Psalm 24, and note if you would please verse 1. Then I want you to turn over to Matthew chapter 21, if you would please. We're going to read Psalm 24 and then Matthew chapter 21. Look in Psalm 24 and verse 1.

[John Weaver] The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein. Now, wait a minute. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein. Who has sovereign ownership of the entire earth, God. How many people on this earth belong to God, all of us, in one sense of the word, in the sense that He is the Creator, He is the Lord? How many animals on this earth belong to God, all of them? They don't belong to the state or to the DNR, I can assure you. They belong to God. A cattle on a thousand hills belong to Him, the Bible says. He feeds them, not the state. How much of the minerals belong to everything belongs to God.

[John Weaver] Now, the point I'm making is this. When a people dishonor God, when they refuse to glorify God, when they refuse to acknowledge Him and serve Him, God has the sovereign right to dispossess any people. Let me give you an illustration. Let's suppose you own the house, you bought the land, you built the house, you pay the taxes, and now you're renting this house out. But all of a sudden your renter refuses to give you your rent. And you try to be gracious to him and say, well, I'll give you 30 days to catch up. And 30 days, he not only is not caught up, he still refuses to pay you any rent at all.

[John Weaver] Are you unjust for telling him to pack his bag and get out? Well, of course not. Why? You own the property. God is giving you the stewardship over that property. You have the right to dispossess any man who will not give you your proper rent over your property. Well, God owns the world. He has the right to dispossess any people that will not acknowledge him, recognize him, and glorify him.

[John Weaver] If you look at Matthew 21, beginning with verse 33, you'll see that the Lord himself basically used this same illustration. Matthew Chapter 21, verse 33. Look what our Lord says. Here's another parable. There was a certain householder who planted a vineyard and hedged it round about and digged a winepress in it and built a tower and let it out to husbandmen and went out into a far country. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants and beat one and killed another and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did unto him likewise.

[John Weaver] And last of all, he's sending his son saying they will reverence my son. Of course, you know that this deals with the house of Israel and Christ. Watch this. Verse 38, For when the husbandmen saw the sun, they said among themselves, This is the heir, come, let us kill him, let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do to those husbandmen? They send him, he will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their season."

[John Weaver] And it's proper and right for the husbandman to do so, because he is the owner of the property. So our Lord himself says, look, I am the sovereign, and I can dispossess any people that I want. How does God dispossess people? Usually by war or famine. or flood or something, but God dispossesses them, God kicks them out because they fail to glorify him and give him the honor and glory due unto his name. Come into the house. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, Chapter 14. Genesis, Chapter 14. Genesis 14.

[John Weaver] We're talking about the concept of a just war. Genesis chapter 14. I want you to note, if you would please, the first recorded just war in the Bible. The first recorded just war in the Bible. And I want you to note that this war was not a defensive war. Please let me restate the concept that I'm giving again. I'm trying to demonstrate from Scripture that not all defensive wars are just wars, and not all offensive wars are unjust wars. There are times when defensive wars are wrong. There are times when offensive wars are right. So we're looking in Genesis chapter 14. I want to take the time to read this passage. Here is the first recorded just war in the Bible.

[John Weaver] And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Ariok, king of Alassar, Kedro-Lamer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Nations, that these made war with Bera, king of Sodom, and with Bersha, king of Gomorrah, Shanab, king of Admah, and Shemer, king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. All these were joined together in the Vale of Siddam, which is the Salt Sea. Twelve years they served Kedro-Lamer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. In the fourteenth year came Kedro-Lamer and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephams in Ashtaroth, Carnahan, and the Zuzums in Ham, and the Enans in Shabeth-Keritham, and the Horites in their Mount Seir, unto El-Paran, which is in the wilderness.

[John Weaver] And they returning came to En-Mishpat, which is Kadesh, and split all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites that dwelt in Hazon-Tamar. And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admon, the king of Zeboam, and the king of Bela, the same as Zoar, and they joined battle with them in the vale of Sidon, with Kedro-Lamer, the king of Elam, and with Tidal, king of nations, and Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Ariok, a king of Elisar, four kings with five. And the vale of Sidon was full of slime pits. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their vittles and went their way. And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. And their king went and escaped and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshgal, And by the way, that is Rob Cosby's grandfather's name, Eskel.

[John Weaver] Brother of Eskel and brother of Aner, and these were confederate with Abram. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants born in his old house, 318, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them. and pursued them into Hobah, which is on the left side of Damascus. He brought back all the goods and also brought again his brother Lot and his goods, and the people also, and the women also, and the people.

[John Weaver] And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Kedrulemer and of the kings that were with him at the Valley of Sheba, which is the Kingsdale. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine, He was the priest of the Most High God, and he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth. And he blessed the Most High God who had delivered thine enemies into thine hand, and he gave him tithes of all. And the King of Solomon said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the King of Solomon, I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth. that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldst say that I have made Abram rich, save only that which the young men had eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshgal, and Mamre.

[John Weaver] Let them take their portion." Now, let me just try to set the stage for this war. First of all, an invading army has defeated and looted Sodom and Gomorrah. Abram's nephew Lot and his family and all of their possessions or taken captive. When Abram heard this, I want you to understand, Abram himself was not personally involved in this war. They had not attacked Abraham. Now, I don't know why this war started.

[John Weaver] If you look back at verses 1 and 2 of Genesis chapter 14, the Bible says, in verse 4 particularly, Twelve years they served Kedro-Leomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. Now, I don't know if there was a covenant. I don't know if there was a confederation. I don't know if there was tyranny. I don't know. The Bible doesn't say. But here, the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, and these other kings said, look, we're just not going to serve you anymore. Maybe Kedro-Leomer was a tyrant. I don't know. Maybe the sin was on the part of these other people. I don't know.

[John Weaver] But Abraham himself was not personally involved in this war. But when he heard that his nephew Lot had been taken, Abraham armed his 318 trained servants. And by the way, I want you to note the Bible said, trained in his own house. That's quite an army, 318 men just in your own house.

[John Weaver] Now, he had some men that were Confederate with him, Aner, Eshkol, and some of these others, and so they got together and what in the world did they do? They pursued after the king and entered into combat with him.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make some statements. First of all, there is absolutely no condemnation in the Bible of Abraham for his possession of weaponry. or trained militia members in his own house. There is absolutely no condemnation. In fact, everything in this story is permeated with divine approval. I want you to note that this war that Abraham entered into, number one, was not initiated by God. When I say that, I mean this. God did not tell Abraham, Abraham, go get them. He didn't say that. God did not initiate this war.

[John Weaver] Rather, what happened was this. Abraham, out of a duty to his brother, out of a duty to his family, and a sense of justice and morality, armed his trained servants, got his confederates together, and said, it's my responsibility to defend my family and to bring back my family. Moreover, I want you to note, when Abraham did come back from this war, he received priestly blessings. Note, if you would please, the Bible says in Genesis chapter 14, beginning there with verse 18, and Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine and he was the priest of the Most High God. Watch, and he, that is, Melchizedek, blessed him, that is, Abraham, and said, Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be the Most High God who is delivered by the enemies of the divine hand. And he, Abraham, gave him, that is, Melchizedek, tithes of all." So here comes the priest of the Most High God, and he blesses Abraham for entering into this aggressive, offensive war.

[John Weaver] If you will turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Hebrews, chapter 7. Hebrews, chapter 7. It will take just a moment to read the first three verses. Hebrews, chapter 7, beginning there with verse 1. For this Melchizedek, and we're talking about the same man in Genesis 14, for this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham, watch this now, returning from the the slaughter of the kings, blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being by interpretation king of righteousness, and after that also king of Salem, which is king of peace, without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, abided the priest continually." Now, there are some people who say that Melchizedek was a Christophany, that is, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. Some say, no, he was just someone who represented and someone who was likened to Christ. Either way you cut it, all you can say is God gave his divine approval and blessing upon the actions that Abraham engaged in, and what Abraham engaged in was an offensive war.

[John Weaver] Now, here's my question. Was that offensive war a just war? And the answer is yes. Yes, it was. against a tyrannical enemy are just and right. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 25. Deuteronomy 25, and let's begin there with verse 17. In fact, pull Deuteronomy 25 and turn back to Exodus 17 first. Let's read that passage first. We'll read Exodus 17. Note if you were beginning there with verse 8.

[John Weaver] Then came Amalek and fought with Israel in Rephidim. The first people to engage in an aggressive war with Israel when Israel came out of Egypt was Amalek. In this battle, Joshua discomfited the Amalekites with the edge of the sword. You remember that. Moses was up on the hill with the rod of God in his hand. Herod and her were staying up his hands. And God said he was going to have war from generation to generation with Amalek. Now, I want you to note that Amalek initiated this war.

[John Weaver] Now watch this in Deuteronomy 25, beginning there with verse 17. Look what God tells his people. Remember what Amalek did unto thee, by the way, when you were come forth out of Egypt.

[John Weaver] Now please try to picture this. Here is a people coming forth out of Egypt, struggling, maybe confused, maybe still don't have everything together just yet. Watch verse 18, how he met thee by the way. And in other words, Amalek was the aggressor purposely, deliberately pressing an attack. How he met thee by the way. and smote behind most of thee." Ah, he said, ambitious. And note all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary, and he feared not God. So what did Amalek do? Amalek purposefully met Israel, pressed an attack, smote those who were feeble, smote behind most. In other words, he wasn't really fight in the open, so to speak.

[John Weaver] It's kind of a guerrilla tactic. And look what God says, verse 19,"...therefore it shall be, when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance possessed, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven, thou shalt not forget it." Now God said, I want you to remember. When I give you peace and I get you established, I want you to turn around and wipe out the Amalekites.

[John Weaver] Turning your Bibles, if you would, to 1 Samuel 15. 1 Samuel 15, beginning there with verse 1. Look what God says. Samuel said also unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel.

[John Weaver] Now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts. the God of the armies. I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid Lakrim in the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not, but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox, sheep, camel, and ass. God says, go and kill them, and kill them all.

[John Weaver] You say, but now wait a minute, Brother Weaver. How can you say that's an aggressive war? Because we just read where Amalek attacked Israel first, yeah, 400 years earlier. 400 years earlier. And now what God is doing, God is initiating an aggressive war, an offensive war. He says, you go and wipe out the wicked and take care of them. Now, so technically speaking, this had to be an offensive war. because God is the one that is initiating it. So very obviously an offensive war is not wrong when God initiates it. Wars to eliminate wickedness and ungodliness and tyranny are just and right according to the Bible. So it's not just simply a defensive war that is just and sinless, and I've pointed out how some defensive wars can be unjust and sinful, but in this case we find that offensive wars are sometimes just and sinless as well. Let me just stop and give you a little bit of history. There is a pastor by the name of David Jones who, in 1775, preached a message from Nehemiah 4 and verse 14 entitled, Defensive War in a Just Cause Sinless.

[John Weaver] Now, I have that sermon and I've read that sermon, and in this sermon Pastor Jones is defending the colonists from a charge of rebellion against England during the American Revolution or the American War for Independence. Moreover, in this sermon he demonstrates the justice and the necessity of resisting tyranny. George III, by the way, was the aggressor from the Revolutionary War or the War for Independence. Why was he the aggressor?

[John Weaver] He was the one that sent the troops over here. We did not send troops over there. He sent troops over here. So Pastor Jones has preached this sermon, Defensive War and a Just Cause Sinless. Let me go a step further. There was a man in Scotland by the name of John Knox. John Knox is known as the trumpeter of Scotland. John Knox also taught that defensive wars were just and sinless. He also demonstrated from Scripture that wars against tyranny and totalitarianism, although they were offensive or aggressive wars, were also just and sinless. You remember It was Queen Mary who said that she feared the prayers of John Knox more than all of the armies of Europe. And John Knox certainly was a strong man, and that's why he was called the trumpeter of Scotland.

[John Weaver] In fact, you should read some of his books. In fact, I've got one entitled, The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Notorious Regiment of Women. And he's not preaching just against women, but he's preaching against wicked Queen Mary and those wicked rulers. I'm giving you all of this information because I want to read to you about another pastor by the name of Jonas Clark. If you don't have this book, I strongly suggest you buy it. You can buy it for ten bucks. The name of it is The Chaplains and Clergy of the Revolution by J. T. Hedley. It's a very important book, and it has all kinds of thrilling information in it. But I want to read to you, just for a moment, about Pastor Jonas Clark.

[John Weaver] Many of you have never realized that the Battle of Lexington Green, Lexington and Concord, the shot that was fired around the world, most of you have never realized that the colonists who fought at Lexington Green had been trained by their pastor. Their pastor was their captain and their leader. Here was a regiment of Redcoats that drew up and aimed their weapons at this little green full of colonial Minutemen and demanded that they disperse and throw down their weapons. And of course, the Minutemen did not. And then some of the Englishmen began shooting, and some of the colonial Minutemen failed dead. And of course, then the colonial Minutemen fired back.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. Have you ever wondered why Jonas And those men at Lexington Green allowed the British to shoot first. You say, brother, that's just the way it happened. No, that's not just the way it happened. They wanted to make sure they were right. Okay, that's the answer. You see, what has been said about Jonas Clark was this. He knew his knots. What does that statement mean, he knew his knots? Then he knew the teaching of John Knox when John Knox taught that a defensive war was just and sinless. So Pastor Clark, according to many scholars, was just making sure that what America engaged in was a defensive war.

[John Weaver] I'm not going to read it all, but I've got two or three pages. I want you to listen carefully about Jonas Clark. Here's just a statement concerning his people. The people had become so thoroughly indoctrinated in his views and had been so animated by his appeals from the pulpit and in public meetings that they had in them embodied instructions to their delegate to the provincial legislature as the expression of their wishes and determination. Those instructions remain to this day, that is, what these people sent to their legislators. Those instructions remain to this day and are engrossed on the town records as a standing memorial, not only of his patriotism, but of his ability as a statement. Now, I'm skipping down.

[John Weaver] No single individual, says a distinguished man, probably did so much to educate the people up to the point of intelligence, firmness, and courage as their honored and beloved pastor. I'm skipping down. John Adams and John Hancock, when proscribed by the royal government, found an asylum in his house. So where did Adams and Hancock hide? They went to Pastor Jones Clark's house and he hid them.

[John Weaver] Now listen, they were there, they were there when the first verbal message came from Warren that mischief was afoot. Then says Mr. Clark, Pastor Clark in a note, he makes of this event, came and expressed in writing, stating that eight or nine officers of the King's troops were seen just before night passing the road toward Lexington in a musing, contemplative posture. It was suspected that they were out upon some evil design."

[John Weaver] Now listen, ten or twelve men on account of Hancock and Adams were detailed to guard my house that night. So here Pastor Jonas Clark is. with ten or twelve armed men around his house to protect himself and, of course, John Adams and John Hancock.

[John Weaver] Now listen, he says, those officers passed through the town. Three men were sent to watch them. At ten o'clock said officers stopped on the borders of Lincoln, seized their bridles, put pistols to their hearts, that is to those men who were following, and swore if they stood another step they were dead men. Between the hours of twelve and one o'clock, we received intelligence from Warren that a British detachment was on its way to destroy the stores at Lexington. The three held a hurried consultation and resolved to fight. At two o'clock, peel after peel from the belfry, called the inhabitants, excited inhabitants, together on the church green."

[John Weaver] Where did the militia meet? On the church green. There they found their pastor. who had arrived before them. The roll was called, and 150 answered to their names. The men, the hour, the crisis at hand, made the scene on that quiet green a most solemn and impressive one. The church, the pastor, and his congregation, thus standing together in the dim light while the stars looked tranquilly down from the sky above them, formed the subject for a great historic picture. As the pastor surveyed the silent ranks A strange light gleamed in his eye, for he saw clearly beyond that night's business, and his attentive ear caught from afar a faint but distinctly the clock of destiny striking. The great question with Hancock and Adams had been, would the people fight?

[John Weaver] Would these humble mechanics and farmers dare resist the drilled troops of England? Clark knew they would. He had trained them. for this hour. Were his years of labor to be in vain? No, they would fight, and if need be, die too under the shadow of the house of God." Meantime, Swift writers come quoting from George Bancroft. How often in that building, talking about the church now where the green was, how often in that building Had they, with renewed professions of their faith, looked up to God as the stay of their fathers and the protector of their privileges? How often on that village green, hard by the burial place of their forefathers, had they pledged themselves to each other to combat manfully for their birthright inheritance of liberty?

[John Weaver] There they now stood, side by side, under the provincial banner, with arms in hand, silent and fearless. The ground on which they stood was the altar of freedom, and they were to furnish its victims." How often, he might have added, that they had been told from the pulpit of that sacred building that resistance to tyranny was obedient to God, and that not merely as freemen to combat for their birthright inheritance of liberty, but as Christians to defend the altars of their religion. They stood there in stern and silent array.

[John Weaver] In the sharp rattle of musketry that followed the brutal order, throw down your arms and disperse, throw down your arms and disperse, Mr. Clark, that is, Pastor Clark heard only what he knew would be the result of his own teachings. Still, the crash of the sudden volleys sent a quick, keen pain through his heart for its toll of death."

[John Weaver] Now listen,"...and as the white puffs of smoke lifted up in the morning air, he saw the green covered with reeling and falling forms. Hasting further after the retreat of the British, a sad sight met his gaze, for there under the windows of his church lay seven stalwart men, stretched stark and stiff in death, and many wounded. There lay Jonas Parker, the strongest wrestler in Lexington, pierced with ball and bayonet. In the morning he had sworn never to run from British troops, and he had kept his word, falling on the very spot where he had taken his post at the beat of the drum. There, too, lay old Caleb Monroe, his gray hairs dabbled in blood, and nearby him Caleb Harrington, fallen on the doorsteps of the house of God, into which he had gone for and besides them other well-known forms.

[John Weaver] The bright spring morning broke tranquilly over the scene, the dewdrops glistening beside the red stains that sprinkled the starling grass. The birds came out and sang upon the budding trees, and nature gave no token of the bloody murder that had just been committed. Pastor Clark gazed long and earnestly on this tragic spectacle, but no tear of regret mingled with the loss of sympathy which he shed. Those lifeless forms before him were holy martyrs in his sight, the first precious sacrifices laid upon the altar of his country, which was yet to grow under its load of victims.

[John Weaver] He said," listen carefully,"'he had no misgivings from that day,' said he,"'will be dated the liberty of the world.'" No sound broke the stillness of the scene, but he heard far up in the dome of the universe a bell tolling the death of tyranny." Let me tell you something, folks. Let me go a little bit further. I'm certainly not going to criticize Jones Clark. I'm certainly not going to condemn him. for that man and for those men who fell that day at Lexington Green. But let me go a step further.

[John Weaver] Let me just reinforce in your mind that not only defensive wars are just and sinless, that is, usually speaking, when we are defending our rights, our liberties, our freedoms, but I want you to understand that offensive and aggressive wars can also be just and sinless. Let me explain something. I want you to understand that we have a biblical obligation to defend our lives and our families. Are you listening?

[John Weaver] Let's suppose that here stands a man with a pistol in my face and he says, Pastor Weaver, I'm going to kill you. And then after I kill you, I'm going to kill your wife and your children.

[John Weaver] Now, if I just stand there and I say, well, if it makes you happy, go ahead and do it. If I stand there and allow that man to kill me and then my wife and my children, what have I just done? I have not only assisted him in the act of murder, I've actually violated the sixth commandment, thou shalt not kill, because I have allowed him to murder me.

[John Weaver] What must I do scripturally? Scripturally, I must do everything within my power to stop him from murdering me and murdering my family, even if it means taking his life. You say, Brother Weaver, it would be a defensive act in that sense of the word. You're defending your life. You're defending your family. I understand that. But let me tell you something. If I saw a man jump out of a car, and ran, run up to me with a gun, if I even thought his intention was killing me and my family, guess what I would do?

[John Weaver] I'd shoot first, and then I'd question him. Why? Because I have a responsibility to defend my life. Are you listening? Self-defense, according to the Bible, is obligatory. We have the right, we have the obligation to defend our lives, That would not only be our individual lives, the life of a family, the life of a church, but also the life of a country. Let me show you.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 22. Let me show you a case example of the sixth commandment. Look in Deuteronomy chapter 22, and let's begin reading there with verse 23. Deuteronomy 22, verse 23. God says, if a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her, then shall you bring them both out into the gate of that city, and you shall stone them with stones that they die.

[John Weaver] Now watch carefully, the damsel because she cried not being in the city, and the man because he had humbled his neighbor's wife, so shalt thou put evil from among you." But if a man findeth a troth damsel in the field, and the man force her and lie with her, then the man only that lay with her shall die. But in the damsel thou shalt do nothing. There is in the damsel no sin worthy of death, for as when a man rise up against his neighbor and slayeth him, even so it is in this manner. For a found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her." Now I want you to watch this. God says if a man finds a damsel in the city and lies with her, God says you take them both out and put them there. Why? He says, because the damsel being in the city cried not. Since she did not cry out, she was consenting with the sin, she was consenting to the crime, and therefore she is to be put to death as well.

[John Weaver] But in the field, God says, when a man finds a woman and forces her, he says, you don't put the woman to death. Why? Because she cried out and there was none to save her.

[John Weaver] Now, what does that mean? If you go back to the city and the Bible says, because she cried not out. That means this, if that woman had cried aloud, any man who heard her would have been responsible, would have been duty-bound, would have been obligated to save her life. Even if it meant killing the man who was attacking her. You see what I'm saying? We have the right, we have the obligation We have the duty before God to preserve our lives, the lives of our family, the lives of our church, the lives of our countrymen. So a just war is not just simply a defensive war, but it can also be an aggressive war when that war is fought against tyranny, totalitarianism, wickedness, ungodliness in order to save our lives and our freedom and our liberty.

[John Weaver] As Isaiah 8 and verse 20 says, to the law and to the testimony, if they agree not, it is because there is no light. Shall we pray? Father, we are so thankful today for the Word of God, we are so thankful that thy Word has all the answers. We ask, Father, that you would teach us, fill us up in the most holy faith, help us today in Christ's name we pray, amen.

Concepts of a Just War

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	621199580
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Abraham, Covenant, and Promise
Genre	Sermon
Date	1996-12-01
Dictation Name
Book	Book 077: Genesis: Abraham, Covenant, and Promise — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	83

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Standard of God's Word

Weaver opens with Isaiah 8:20, establishing that all actions must be judged by the law and testimony of God's Word, setting the foundation for evaluating war.

Isaiah 8 and verse 20. I will not be preaching from this text, however I'm going to use it to begin the message that I want to bring today. Many of you that are here know that I've been preaching for some time on the biblical doctrine of war. The first message I brought was, God is a warrior. I'm sorry to say verses and then chapters, but Messages 2-5 dealt with the concept of holy war. I went through the Bible and showed on numerous occasions how war is considered holy when it's conducted according to God and his law and his will. Today I want to deal with what I'm going to call the concept of a just war. Look at Isaiah 8 and verse 20. Scripture says to the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. So God says everything is to be spoken according to the law and to the testimony, that is, the word of God. So if anything then is contrary to the word of God, if anything is in contradiction to the law of God, whatever it is, is wrong, because God's word is absolutely right.

The Flawed Assumption: Only Defensive Wars Are Just

He challenges the common belief that only defensive wars are just and that all offensive wars are unjust, stating that exceptions exist for both.

Now, I've been preaching on the concept of holy war, and now I'm going to be preaching on the concept of a just war. I'm going to grant you that there are many corresponding truths between a holy war and a just war. In fact, you could say that the two are actually synonymous. If a war is holy, very obviously it has to be just. And if a war is just, very obviously it has to be holy. But the reason I'm dealing with this concept today is because there are many individuals who not only believe but teach that the only just war is a defensive war. Let me say that again. There are many who believe and teach that the only just war is a defensive war.

They would say that offensive wars, that is, wars of aggression or wars initiated by an aggressor, would be categorically unjust. And so they would say that all offensive wars, all aggressive wars, were unjust. Now, let me just make some general statements. It is true, generally speaking, that defensive wars are just and sinless, but there are exceptions. It is also true, generally speaking, that offensive wars or aggressive wars are unjust and sinful, but there are exceptions. What I'm trying to show you is this. You cannot make a blanket statement and say, well, all defensive wars are just, and that's it. Nor can you make a blanket statement and say, all offensive or all aggressive wars are unjust and ungodly. You cannot say that.

Defensive Wars That Are Unjust

Weaver provides biblical examples of defensive wars condemned by God: Simeon and Levi's excessive vengeance (Genesis 34), Benjamin's defense of Sodomites (Judges 20), and Zedekiah's resistance to Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 27).

Because Scripture says, to the law and to the testimony, if they agree not, it's because there is no truth in them. Let me begin by showing you what I'm talking about. Open your Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 34. Genesis 34, let me begin to show you where there are some defensive wars in the Bible that were wrong. Let me explain. Genesis chapter 34, beginning with verse 1, "And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land."

So young ladies, I ought to tell you that you ought not to be mixing with the ungodly. "And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor, the Hivite prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her and defiled her. And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel and spake kindly unto the damsel. And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife. And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his cattle in the field, and Jacob held his peace until they were come. And Hamor, the father of Shechem, went out unto Jacob to commune with him. And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it, and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth or angry, because he had wrought folly in Israel, and lying with Jacob's daughter, which thing ought not to be done."

"And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter. I pray you, give her him to wife, and make you marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you. And you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you, dwell and trade you therein, and get you possessions therein. And Shechem said unto her father and to her brother, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what you shall say unto me will I give. Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as you shall say unto me, but give me the damsel to wife. And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he defiled Dinah their sister, and they said unto him, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised, for that were a reproach unto us."

"But in this will we consent unto you, if ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised. Then will we give you our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters unto us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. But if you will not hearken unto us to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter, and we will be gone." "And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem, Hamor's son. And the young man deferred not to do this thing, because he had delighted in Jacob's daughter, and he was more honorable than all the house of his father."

Now, let's skip down to verse 25. Of course, all the men of the city consent to be circumcised. "And it came to pass on the third day when they were sore that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword and came upon the city boldly and slew all the males. And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem's house and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and spoiled the city because they had defiled their sister. They took their sheep and their oxen and their asses which was in the city and which were in the field, and all their wealth and all their little ones and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house."

"And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, You have troubled me to make me stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites, and I, being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me and slay me, and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?" Now let me ask you a question. First of all, is what Shechem did wrong? Yes. Should not Shechem have been punished? Yes. But why should Hamor and all of the city be punished for what someone else had done?

Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. You could say, well, Simeon and Levi were defending their sister. They were defending their honor. They were defending their family. And you could say that what Simeon and Levi did was a defensive action. But I want you to note that what they did was more than a defensive action in one sense of the word, because they just did not defend their sister against Shechem. They literally killed an entire city in their rage and in their cruelty. In fact, often Jacob has said a little bit later on, "let not my soul come into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united." And what Jacob was afraid of was since they were fewer in the land than all the other people would hear what Simeon and Levi had done, and gather together and literally wipe them out. So here is a defensive action that is condemned by Scripture.

I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Judges chapter 20. Let me show you another defensive war that is condemned in Scripture. Judges chapter 20. And let's begin reading there with verse 1. "Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together, as one man from Dan, even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the Lord in Mizpah."

Now let me just stop right there. Let me just tell you the background of what has happened. There has been a Levite from Bethlehem, Judah. He's gone down. He was offered to turn into a city of one of the heathen and he refused to do that. He said, "No, I'm going to lodge with my own people." So he and his wife went to this city of Benjamin, and there the Sodomites encompassed him about. And they were going to take him, but instead they got his wife, and the Bible said they abused her until morning. And when the man arose in the morning, of course his wife was dead, and he did a very unorthodox thing. Guess what he did? He cut her into 12 pieces and he sent her to each of the tribes of Israel and he said, "I want you to see what one of our tribes, one of our cities of Benjamin has done to my wife." So all of Israel now is gathered together. Watch verse two. "And all the chief of the people, even all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 footmen that drew sword."

"Now, the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were going up to Mizpah. Then said the children of Israel, Tell us how was this wickedness? And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belonged to Benjamin, I and my concubine to lodge. And the men of Gibeah rose against me and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me, and my concubine have they forced that she is dead. I took my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel. Behold, you are all children of Israel." "Give here your advice and counsel. And all the people arose as one man saying, We will not, any of us, go to his tent. Neither will any of us turn into his house, but now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah. We will go up by lot against it, and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, a thousand of ten thousand to fetch victuals for the people, that they may do when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel. So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man. And the tribes of Israel sent men throughout all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you? Now therefore, deliver us the men, the children of Belial, who were in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren and children of Israel, but the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities of Gibeah to go to battle against the children of Israel."

Now, what in the world were the Gileadites and the Benjamites doing? They were defending themselves. Oh? Or let me say it another way. They were defending the Sodomites.

Now, it is true that Israel came upon them to attack them. Let me ask you a question. Was this defensive war of Benjamin a just war? And the answer is unequivocally, no. Very obviously, it was not just, because they were harboring murderers and sodomites. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Jeremiah chapter 27. Let me show you another example of a defensive war that would be wrong and unjust. Jeremiah chapter 27, and notice if you would, beginning there with verse 1. Jeremiah 27, verse 1. Listen carefully. "In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, came this word of Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Thus saith the Lord to me, Make these bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck, and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem, unto Zedekiah king of Judah, and command them to say to their masters, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, thus shall you say

to your masters, I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemeth meet unto me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon my servant, and the beast of the field have I given unto him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him and his son and his son's son until the very time of his land come, and that many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. And it shall come to pass that the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with a sword, and with a famine, and with a pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. Therefore, hearken not to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which shall speak unto you, saying, You shall not serve the king of Babylon."

"For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land, and that I should drive you out, and you should perish. But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the Lord, and they shall till it, and dwell therein. I spake also to Zedekiah, king of Judah, according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. Why will you die, thou and thy people, by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? Therefore, hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, You shall not serve the king of Babylon, for they prophesy a lie unto you. For I have not sent them, saith the Lord, yet they prophesied a lie in my name, that I might drive you out, and that you might perish, you and the prophets that prophesy unto you."

"Also I spake to the priests and all the people, saying, Thus saith the Lord, hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the Lord's house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon, for they prophesy a lie unto you. Hearken not unto them. Serve the king of Babylon, and live. Wherefore should this city be laid waste?"

Now, what did God do? God sent Jeremiah and said, "You go tell Edom, you tell Moab, you tell the Ammonites, you tell Zedekiah, the king of Judah, the Judaists, you tell them, I have given Nebuchadnezzar all this land because of your sins. He's my servant, I've given it unto him, and you better bow your neck and you better serve Nebuchadnezzar. Now, if you do that, I'm going to let you stay in the land. If you don't, you're going to be defeated, and I'm going to send you out of the land." Well, what did Zedekiah and all the men of Judah do? They wanted to defend themselves. So since Nebuchadnezzar attacked them, they engaged in a defensive war. Now, here's my question. Was this defensive war against Nebuchadnezzar a just war? No. Why? Because God had told them to submit. God said, "Don't fight. If you fight, all you're going to do is just simply kill yourself." Now, let me just try to summarize when a defensive war is wicked, unjust, and wrong. Number one, a defensive war is wrong, it is wicked, it is unjust when it oversteps the bounds of morality, justice, and righteousness as in Genesis 34.

It is true that Shechem deserved to die. It is true that Shechem deserved to be punished. But all the other people had done absolutely nothing. They did not deserve to die, nor did they deserve to be punished. So a defensive war is wrong, then, when it breaks the bounds of justice, righteousness, and morality, and goes beyond that into cruelty and wickedness. Secondly, a defensive war is wrong and wicked when it defends wickedness in morality and in justice, as in the case of the Benjamites when they were defending the Sodomites and the murderers. And thirdly, a defensive war is wicked and wrong when it is clearly contrary to the will of God. Now, just like you cannot say all defensive wars are just, likewise you cannot say all offensive wars are wrong. Were not the Israelites in Judges chapter 20 right when they were the aggressors, when they were on the offensive to punish the Benjamites for harboring the Sodomites and the murderers?

Offensive Wars That Are Just

He shows that offensive wars can be just, citing Israel's reconnaissance of Canaan (Deuteronomy 1), the war against Midian (Numbers 31), and God's sovereign right to dispossess nations (Psalm 24; Matthew 21).

If you look in your Bibles very quickly, first of all, to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 1 and verse 24.

Deuteronomy 1, verse 24, and the Bible says, "And they turned and went up into the mountains, and came into the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out." Now, everybody knows what is happening here. The spies are going searching out the land. Would you please tell me who authorized and who ordered this reconnaissance? God did. Why were they reconnoitering the area? Because they were going to attack it. In other words, it was an offensive war. If you will turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Numbers chapter 31, Numbers chapter 31. Look if you would please, Numbers chapter 31, beginning there with verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Numbers 31:1-8

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites, after which shalt thou be gathered unto thy people. And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the Lord of Midian. Of every tribe a thousand throughout all the tribes of Israel shall you send to the war. So they were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand, armed for war. Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, with the trumpets to blow in his hand. They warred against the Midianites as the Lord commanded Moses, and they slew all the males. And they slew the kings of Midian beside the rest of them that were slain, namely Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian.

Balaam also, the son of Beor, they slew with a sword." Now, here was an offensive war. Here was an aggressive war. Was it a just war? Yes. In fact, I called to your attention the fact that all of the wars of Canaan were basically offensive wars or aggressive wars, and very obviously they were just. Why? I want you to look in your Bible to the book of Psalm 24 and verse 1. I'm sure many of you can probably quote this verse, Psalm 24, and note if you would please verse 1. Then I want you to turn over to Matthew chapter 21, if you would please. We're going to read Psalm 24 and then Matthew chapter 21. Look in Psalm 24 and verse 1.

"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein." Now, wait a minute. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein. Who has sovereign ownership of the entire earth? God. How many people on this earth belong to God? All of us, in one sense of the word, in the sense that He is the Creator, He is the Lord. How many animals on this earth belong to God? All of them. They don't belong to the state or to the DNR, I can assure you. They belong to God. The cattle on a thousand hills belong to Him, the Bible says. He feeds them, not the state. How much of the minerals belong to everything belongs to God.

Now, the point I'm making is this. When a people dishonor God, when they refuse to glorify God, when they refuse to acknowledge Him and serve Him, God has the sovereign right to dispossess any people. Let me give you an illustration. Let's suppose you own the house, you bought the land, you built the house, you pay the taxes, and now you're renting this house out. But all of a sudden your renter refuses to give you your rent. And you try to be gracious to him and say, "Well, I'll give you 30 days to catch up." And 30 days, he not only is not caught up, he still refuses to pay you any rent at all. Are you unjust for telling him to pack his bag and get out? Well, of course not. Why? You own the property. God is giving you the stewardship over that property. You have the right to dispossess any man who will not give you your proper rent over your property. Well, God owns the world. He has the right to dispossess any people that will not acknowledge him, recognize him, and glorify him.

If you look at Matthew 21, beginning with verse 33, you'll see that the Lord himself basically used this same illustration. Matthew Chapter 21, verse 33. Look what our Lord says.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 21:33-41

"Hear another parable. There was a certain householder who planted a vineyard and hedged it round about and digged a winepress in it and built a tower and let it out to husbandmen and went out into a far country. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants and beat one and killed another and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did unto him likewise."

"And last of all, he sent his son saying, They will reverence my son." Of course, you know that this deals with the house of Israel and Christ. Watch this. Verse 38, "For when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir, come, let us kill him, let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do to those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their season." And it's proper and right for the husbandman to do so, because he is the owner of the property. So our Lord himself says, "Look, I am the sovereign, and I can dispossess any people that I want." How does God dispossess people? Usually by war or famine, or flood or something, but God dispossesses them, God kicks them out because they fail to glorify him and give him the honor and glory due unto his name. Come into the house. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, Chapter 14. Genesis, Chapter 14. Genesis 14.

Abraham's Offensive War: The First Just War

Weaver examines Genesis 14, where Abraham's rescue of Lot is an offensive war that receives divine approval through Melchizedek's blessing, demonstrating that aggressive wars can be just.

We're talking about the concept of a just war. Genesis chapter 14. I want you to note, if you would please, the first recorded just war in the Bible. The first recorded just war in the Bible. And I want you to note that this war was not a defensive war. Please let me restate the concept that I'm giving again. I'm trying to demonstrate from Scripture that not all defensive wars are just wars, and not all offensive wars are unjust wars. There are times when defensive wars are wrong. There are times when offensive wars are right. So we're looking in Genesis chapter 14. I want to take the time to read this passage. Here is the first recorded just war in the Bible.

"And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Nations, that these made war with Bera, king of Sodom, and with Birsha, king of Gomorrah, Shinab, king of Admah, and Shemeber, king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. All these were joined together in the Vale of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea. Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. In the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their Mount Seir, unto El-Paran, which is in the wilderness." "And they returning came to En-Mishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites that dwelt in Hazezon-Tamar. And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, the same as Zoar, and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim, with Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam, and with Tidal, king of nations, and Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Arioch, king of Ellasar, four kings with five. And the vale of Siddim was full of slime pits. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their victuals and went their way. And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. And there came one that had escaped and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner, and these were confederate with Abram."

"And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants born in his own house, 318, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left side of Damascus. He brought back all the goods and also brought again his brother Lot and his goods, and the people also, and the women also, and the people." "And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and of the kings that were with him at the Valley of Shaveh, which is the King's Dale. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine. He was the priest of the Most High God, and he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth. And he blessed the Most High God who had delivered thine enemies into thine hand, and he gave him tithes of all. And the King of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the King of Sodom, I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldst say that I have made Abram rich, save only that which the young men had eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre."

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:1-24

"Let them take their portion."

Now, let me just try to set the stage for this war. First of all, an invading army has defeated and looted Sodom and Gomorrah. Abram's nephew Lot and his family and all of their possessions are taken captive. When Abram heard this, I want you to understand, Abram himself was not personally involved in this war. They had not attacked Abraham. Now, I don't know why this war started. If you look back at verses 1 and 2 of Genesis chapter 14, the Bible says, in verse 4 particularly,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:1-24

"Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled."

Now, I don't know if there was a covenant. I don't know if there was a confederation. I don't know if there was tyranny. I don't know. The Bible doesn't say. But here, the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, and these other kings said, "Look, we're just not going to serve you anymore." Maybe Chedorlaomer was a tyrant. I don't know. Maybe the sin was on the part of these other people. I don't know.

But Abraham himself was not personally involved in this war. But when he heard that his nephew Lot had been taken, Abraham armed his 318 trained servants. And by the way, I want you to note the Bible said, "trained in his own house." That's quite an army, 318 men just in your own house. Now, he had some men that were confederate with him, Aner, Eshcol, and some of these others, and so they got together and what in the world did they do? They pursued after the king and entered into combat with him.

Now, let me make some statements. First of all, there is absolutely no condemnation in the Bible of Abraham for his possession of weaponry or trained militia members in his own house. There is absolutely no condemnation. In fact, everything in this story is permeated with divine approval. I want you to note that this war that Abraham entered into, number one, was not initiated by God. When I say that, I mean this. God did not tell Abraham, "Abraham, go get them." He didn't say that. God did not initiate this war.

Rather, what happened was this. Abraham, out of a duty to his brother, out of a duty to his family, and a sense of justice and morality, armed his trained servants, got his confederates together, and said, "It's my responsibility to defend my family and to bring back my family." Moreover, I want you to note, when Abraham did come back from this war, he received priestly blessings. Note, if you would please, the Bible says in Genesis chapter 14, beginning there with verse 18, "And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine and he was the priest of the Most High God. Watch, and he, that is, Melchizedek, blessed him, that is, Abraham, and said, Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be the Most High God who hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand. And he, Abraham, gave him, that is, Melchizedek, tithes of all." So here comes the priest of the Most High God, and he blesses Abraham for entering into this aggressive, offensive war.

If you will turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Hebrews, chapter 7. Hebrews, chapter 7. It will take just a moment to read the first three verses. Hebrews, chapter 7, beginning there with verse 1. "For this Melchizedek," and we're talking about the same man in Genesis 14,

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 7:1-3

"for this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham, returning from the slaughter of the kings, blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being by interpretation king of righteousness, and after that also king of Salem, which is king of peace, without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest continually."

Now, there are some people who say that Melchizedek was a Christophany, that is, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. Some say, no, he was just someone who represented and someone who was likened to Christ. Either way you cut it, all you can say is God gave his divine approval and blessing upon the actions that Abraham engaged in, and what Abraham engaged in was an offensive war.

Now, here's my question. Was that offensive war a just war? And the answer is yes. Yes, it was. Wars against a tyrannical enemy are just and right. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 25. Deuteronomy 25, and let's begin there with verse 17. In fact, pull Deuteronomy 25 and turn back to Exodus 17 first. Let's read that passage first. We'll read Exodus 17. Note if you would, beginning there with verse 8.

"Then came Amalek and fought with Israel in Rephidim." The first people to engage in an aggressive war with Israel when Israel came out of Egypt was Amalek. In this battle, Joshua discomfited the Amalekites with the edge of the sword. You remember that. Moses was up on the hill with the rod of God in his hand. Aaron and Hur were staying up his hands. And God said he was going to have war from generation to generation with Amalek. Now, I want you to note that Amalek initiated this war.

Wars Against Tyranny and Wickedness

He argues that wars to eliminate wickedness and tyranny are just, using God's command to destroy Amalek (Deuteronomy 25; 1 Samuel 15) as an example of a divinely initiated offensive war.

Now watch this in Deuteronomy 25, beginning there with verse 17. Look what God tells his people.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 25:17-19

"Remember what Amalek did unto thee, by the way, when you were come forth out of Egypt."

Now please try to picture this. Here is a people coming forth out of Egypt, struggling, maybe confused, maybe still don't have everything together just yet. Watch verse 18,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 25:17-19

"How he met thee by the way."

And in other words, Amalek was the aggressor purposely, deliberately pressing an attack.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 25:17-19

"How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary, and he feared not God."

So what did Amalek do? Amalek purposefully met Israel, pressed an attack, smote those who were feeble, smote the hindmost. In other words, he wasn't really fighting in the open, so to speak.

It's kind of a guerrilla tactic. And look what God says, verse 19, "Therefore it shall be, when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven, thou shalt not forget it." Now God said, "I want you to remember. When I give you peace and I get you established, I want you to turn around and wipe out the Amalekites." Turning your Bibles, if you would, to 1 Samuel 15. 1 Samuel 15, beginning there with verse 1. Look what God says. "Samuel said also unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel."

"Now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies. I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not, but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox, sheep, camel, and ass." God says, "Go and kill them, and kill them all." You say, "But now wait a minute, Brother Weaver. How can you say that's an aggressive war? Because we just read where Amalek attacked Israel first, yeah, 400 years earlier." 400 years earlier. And now what God is doing, God is initiating an aggressive war, an offensive war. He says, "You go and wipe out the wicked and take care of them." Now, so technically speaking, this had to be an offensive war, because God is the one that is initiating it. So very obviously an offensive war is not wrong when God initiates it. Wars to eliminate wickedness and ungodliness and tyranny are just and right according to the Bible. So it's not just simply a defensive war that is just and sinless, and I've pointed out how some defensive wars can be unjust and sinful, but in this case we find that offensive wars are sometimes just and sinless as well. Let me just stop and give you a little bit of history. There is a pastor by the name of David Jones who, in 1775, preached a message from Nehemiah 4 and verse 14 entitled, "Defensive War in a Just Cause Sinless."

Historical Application: The American Revolution

Weaver references pastors David Jones and John Knox, and details Pastor Jonas Clark's role at Lexington Green, illustrating that defensive war against tyranny is just, but also that offensive resistance to tyranny is biblically supported.

You say, "But now wait a minute, Brother Weaver. How can you say that's an aggressive war? Because we just read where Amalek attacked Israel first, yeah, 400 years earlier." 400 years earlier. And now what God is doing, God is initiating an aggressive war, an offensive war. He says, "You go and wipe out the wicked and take care of them." Now, so technically speaking, this had to be an offensive war, because God is the one that is initiating it. So very obviously an offensive war is not wrong when God initiates it. Wars to eliminate wickedness and ungodliness and tyranny are just and right according to the Bible. So it's not just simply a defensive war that is just and sinless, and I've pointed out how some defensive wars can be unjust and sinful, but in this case we find that offensive wars are sometimes just and sinless as well. Let me just stop and give you a little bit of history. There is a pastor by the name of David Jones who, in 1775, preached a message from Nehemiah 4 and verse 14 entitled, "Defensive War in a Just Cause Sinless."

Now, I have that sermon and I've read that sermon, and in this sermon Pastor Jones is defending the colonists from a charge of rebellion against England during the American Revolution or the American War for Independence. Moreover, in this sermon he demonstrates the justice and the necessity of resisting tyranny. George III, by the way, was the aggressor from the Revolutionary War or the War for Independence. Why was he the aggressor? He was the one that sent the troops over here. We did not send troops over there. He sent troops over here. So Pastor Jones has preached this sermon, "Defensive War in a Just Cause Sinless." Let me go a step further. There was a man in Scotland by the name of John Knox. John Knox is known as the trumpeter of Scotland. John Knox also taught that defensive wars were just and sinless. He also demonstrated from Scripture that wars against tyranny and totalitarianism, although they were offensive or aggressive wars, were also just and sinless. You remember it was Queen Mary who said that she feared the prayers of John Knox more than all of the armies of Europe. And John Knox certainly was a strong man, and that's why he was called the trumpeter of Scotland.

In fact, you should read some of his books. In fact, I've got one entitled, "The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women." And he's not preaching just against women, but he's preaching against wicked Queen Mary and those wicked rulers. I'm giving you all of this information because I want to read to you about another pastor by the name of Jonas Clark. If you don't have this book, I strongly suggest you buy it. You can buy it for ten bucks. The name of it is "The Chaplains and Clergy of the Revolution" by J. T. Headley. It's a very important book, and it has all kinds of thrilling information in it. But I want to read to you, just for a moment, about Pastor Jonas Clark.

Many of you have never realized that the Battle of Lexington Green, Lexington and Concord, the shot that was fired around the world, most of you have never realized that the colonists who fought at Lexington Green had been trained by their pastor. Their pastor was their captain and their leader. Here was a regiment of Redcoats that drew up and aimed their weapons at this little green full of colonial Minutemen and demanded that they disperse and throw down their weapons. And of course, the Minutemen did not. And then some of the Englishmen began shooting, and some of the colonial Minutemen fell dead. And of course, then the colonial Minutemen fired back.

Now, let me ask you a question. Have you ever wondered why Jonas and those men at Lexington Green allowed the British to shoot first? You say, "Brother, that's just the way it happened." No, that's not just the way it happened. They wanted to make sure they were right. Okay, that's the answer. You see, what has been said about Jonas Clark was this. He knew his Knox. What does that statement mean, he knew his Knox? Then he knew the teaching of John Knox when John Knox taught that a defensive war was just and sinless. So Pastor Clark, according to many scholars, was just making sure that what America engaged in was a defensive war.

I'm not going to read it all, but I've got two or three pages. I want you to listen carefully about Jonas Clark. Here's just a statement concerning his people. "The people had become so thoroughly indoctrinated in his views and had been so animated by his appeals from the pulpit and in public meetings that they had in them embodied instructions to their delegate to the provincial legislature as the expression of their wishes and determination. Those instructions remain to this day," that is, what these people sent to their legislators. "Those instructions remain to this day and are engrossed on the town records as a standing memorial, not only of his patriotism, but of his ability as a statesman." Now, I'm skipping down. "No single individual," says a distinguished man, "probably did so much to educate the people up to the point of intelligence, firmness, and courage as their honored and beloved pastor." I'm skipping down. "John Adams and John Hancock, when proscribed by the royal government, found an asylum in his house." So where did Adams and Hancock hide? They went to Pastor Jonas Clark's house and he hid them.

Now listen, they were there, they were there when the first verbal message came from Warren that mischief was afoot. Then says Mr. Clark, Pastor Clark in a note, he makes of this event, "came and expressed in writing, stating that eight or nine officers of the King's troops were seen just before night passing the road toward Lexington in a musing, contemplative posture. It was suspected that they were out upon some evil design."

Now listen, "ten or twelve men on account of Hancock and Adams were detailed to guard my house that night." So here Pastor Jonas Clark is, with ten or twelve armed men around his house to protect himself and, of course, John Adams and John Hancock. Now listen, he says, "Those officers passed through the town. Three men were sent to watch them. At ten o'clock said officers stopped on the borders of Lincoln, seized their bridles, put pistols to their hearts," that is to those men who were following, "and swore if they stood another step they were dead men. Between the hours of twelve and one o'clock, we received intelligence from Warren that a British detachment was on its way to destroy the stores at Lexington. The three held a hurried consultation and resolved to fight. At two o'clock, peal after peal from the belfry, called the inhabitants, excited inhabitants, together on the church green."

Where did the militia meet? On the church green. "There they found their pastor, who had arrived before them. The roll was called, and 150 answered to their names. The men, the hour, the crisis at hand, made the scene on that quiet green a most solemn and impressive one. The church, the pastor, and his congregation, thus standing together in the dim light while the stars looked tranquilly down from the sky above them, formed the subject for a great historic picture. As the pastor surveyed the silent ranks, a strange light gleamed in his eye, for he saw clearly beyond that night's business, and his attentive ear caught from afar a faint but distinctly the clock of destiny striking. The great question with Hancock and Adams had been, would the people fight?

Would these humble mechanics and farmers dare resist the drilled troops of England? Clark knew they would. He had trained them for this hour. Were his years of labor to be in vain? No, they would fight, and if need be, die too under the shadow of the house of God." Meantime, Swift writers come quoting from George Bancroft. "How often in that building," talking about the church now where the green was, "how often in that building had they, with renewed professions of their faith, looked up to God as the stay of their fathers and the protector of their privileges? How often on that village green, hard by the burial place of their forefathers, had they pledged themselves to each other to combat manfully for their birthright inheritance of liberty?

There they now stood, side by side, under the provincial banner, with arms in hand, silent and fearless. The ground on which they stood was the altar of freedom, and they were to furnish its victims. How often, he might have added, that they had been told from the pulpit of that sacred building that resistance to tyranny was obedient to God, and that not merely as freemen to combat for their birthright inheritance of liberty, but as Christians to defend the altars of their religion. They stood there in stern and silent array. "In the sharp rattle of musketry that followed the brutal order, 'Throw down your arms and disperse, throw down your arms and disperse,' Mr. Clark, that is, Pastor Clark, heard only what he knew would be the result of his own teachings. Still, the crash of the sudden volleys sent a quick, keen pain through his heart for its toll of death."

Now listen, "...and as the white puffs of smoke lifted up in the morning air, he saw the green covered with reeling and falling forms. Hasting further after the retreat of the British, a sad sight met his gaze, for there under the windows of his church lay seven stalwart men, stretched stark and stiff in death, and many wounded. There lay Jonas Parker, the strongest wrestler in Lexington, pierced with ball and bayonet. In the morning he had sworn never to run from British troops, and he had kept his word, falling on the very spot where he had taken his post at the beat of the drum. There, too, lay old Caleb Monroe, his gray hairs dabbled in blood, and nearby him Caleb Harrington, fallen on the doorsteps of the house of God, into which he had gone for and besides them other well-known forms.

"The bright spring morning broke tranquilly over the scene, the dewdrops glistening beside the red stains that sprinkled the startling grass. The birds came out and sang upon the budding trees, and nature gave no token of the bloody murder that had just been committed. Pastor Clark gazed long and earnestly on this tragic spectacle, but no tear of regret mingled with the loss of sympathy which he shed. Those lifeless forms before him were holy martyrs in his sight, the first precious sacrifices laid upon the altar of his country, which was yet to grow under its load of victims. He said," listen carefully, "'he had no misgivings from that day,' said he, 'will be dated the liberty of the world.' No sound broke the stillness of the scene, but he heard far up in the dome of the universe a bell tolling the death of tyranny." Let me tell you something, folks. Let me go a little bit further. I'm certainly not going to criticize Jonas Clark. I'm certainly not going to condemn him, for that man and for those men who fell that day at Lexington Green. But let me go a step further.

The Obligation of Self-Defense

He concludes by emphasizing the biblical duty to defend life, family, and country, using Deuteronomy 22 to show that failing to resist an attacker is a violation of the sixth commandment.

Let me just reinforce in your mind that not only defensive wars are just and sinless, that is, usually speaking, when we are defending our rights, our liberties, our freedoms, but I want you to understand that offensive and aggressive wars can also be just and sinless. Let me explain something. I want you to understand that we have a biblical obligation to defend our lives and our families. Are you listening? Let's suppose that here stands a man with a pistol in my face and he says, "Pastor Weaver, I'm going to kill you. And then after I kill you, I'm going to kill your wife and your children."

Now, if I just stand there and I say, "Well, if it makes you happy, go ahead and do it." If I stand there and allow that man to kill me and then my wife and my children, what have I just done? I have not only assisted him in the act of murder, I've actually violated the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," because I have allowed him to murder me. What must I do scripturally? Scripturally, I must do everything within my power to stop him from murdering me and murdering my family, even if it means taking his life. You say, "Brother Weaver, it would be a defensive act in that sense of the word. You're defending your life. You're defending your family." I understand that. But let me tell you something. If I saw a man jump out of a car, and run up to me with a gun, if I even thought his intention was killing me and my family, guess what I would do?

I'd shoot first, and then I'd question him. Why? Because I have a responsibility to defend my life. Are you listening? Self-defense, according to the Bible, is obligatory. We have the right, we have the obligation to defend our lives. That would not only be our individual lives, the life of a family, the life of a church, but also the life of a country. Let me show you.

I want you to turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 22. Let me show you a case example of the sixth commandment. Look in Deuteronomy chapter 22, and let's begin reading there with verse 23. Deuteronomy 22, verse 23. God says, "If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her, then shall you bring them both out into the gate of that city, and you shall stone them with stones that they die."

Now watch carefully, "the damsel because she cried not being in the city, and the man because he had humbled his neighbor's wife, so shalt thou put evil from among you. But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her and lie with her, then the man only that lay with her shall die. But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing. There is in the damsel no sin worthy of death, for as when a man rise up against his neighbor and slayeth him, even so it is in this manner. For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her." Now I want you to watch this. God says if a man finds a damsel in the city and lies with her, God says you take them both out and put them to death. Why? He says, "because the damsel being in the city cried not." Since she did not cry out, she was consenting with the sin, she was consenting to the crime, and therefore she is to be put to death as well.

But in the field, God says, when a man finds a woman and forces her, he says, you don't put the woman to death. Why? Because she cried out and there was none to save her. Now, what does that mean? If you go back to the city and the Bible says, "because she cried not out." That means this, if that woman had cried aloud, any man who heard her would have been responsible, would have been duty-bound, would have been obligated to save her life. Even if it meant killing the man who was attacking her. You see what I'm saying? We have the right, we have the obligation, we have the duty before God to preserve our lives, the lives of our family, the lives of our church, the lives of our countrymen. So a just war is not just simply a defensive war, but it can also be an aggressive war when that war is fought against tyranny, totalitarianism, wickedness, ungodliness in order to save our lives and our freedom and our liberty.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Biblical Standard for Justice

Summary: All actions, including war, must be evaluated by the law and testimony of God's Word, not human opinion.

Evidence: Isaiah 8:20 is cited as the foundational principle: 'To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.'

Defensive Wars Can Be Unjust

Summary: Defensive wars are not automatically just; they become unjust when they exceed moral bounds, defend wickedness, or oppose God's revealed will.

Evidence: Examples include Simeon and Levi's slaughter of Shechem (Genesis 34), Benjamin's defense of Sodomites (Judges 20), and Zedekiah's resistance to Babylon (Jeremiah 27).

Offensive Wars Can Be Just

Summary: Offensive wars are just when initiated by God or fought against tyranny and wickedness, as seen in the conquest of Canaan and the war against Midian.

Evidence: Numbers 31:1-2: 'And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites.'

God's Sovereign Right to Dispossess Nations

Summary: God, as owner of the earth, has the right to dispossess nations that refuse to honor Him, often through war.

Evidence: Psalm 24:1: 'The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof'; Matthew 21:33-41 parable of the vineyard.

Divine Approval of Abraham's Offensive War

Summary: Abraham's rescue of Lot in Genesis 14 is an offensive war that receives priestly blessing, showing God's approval of aggressive action for justice.

Evidence: Melchizedek blessed Abraham: 'Blessed be Abram of the Most High God... who hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand' (Genesis 14:19-20).

Resistance to Tyranny as Obedience to God

Summary: Historical figures like John Knox and Jonas Clark taught that resisting tyranny, even offensively, is a biblical duty.

Evidence: Pastor Jonas Clark's actions at Lexington Green: 'resistance to tyranny was obedient to God.'

Obligatory Self-Defense

Summary: Scripture mandates self-defense and defense of others; failure to resist an attacker is a violation of the sixth commandment.

Evidence: Deuteronomy 22:23-27 implies the duty to save a victim crying out; Weaver argues that allowing murder is complicity.

Key Arguments

Not All Defensive Wars Are Just

Summary: Defensive wars can be unjust when they overstep justice (Genesis 34), defend wickedness (Judges 20), or contradict God's command (Jeremiah 27).

Evidence: Simeon and Levi killed an entire city in rage; Benjamin defended Sodomites; Zedekiah resisted God's command to submit to Babylon.

Not All Offensive Wars Are Unjust

Summary: Offensive wars are just when God commands them (Numbers 31) or when they are fought to eliminate wickedness and tyranny (1 Samuel 15).

Evidence: God commanded Moses to 'avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites' and later told Saul to 'utterly destroy' Amalek.

God's Ownership Justifies Dispossession

Summary: Because God owns the earth, He has the right to dispossess nations that reject Him, making offensive wars for this purpose just.

Evidence: Psalm 24:1 and the parable of the vineyard in Matthew 21 show God's sovereign ownership and right to judge.

Abraham's War Was Offensive and Just

Summary: Abraham's pursuit and attack on the kings who captured Lot was an offensive war that received divine blessing through Melchizedek.

Evidence: Genesis 14:14-16 describes Abraham arming 318 trained servants and pursuing the enemy; Melchizedek blessed him afterward.

Historical Precedent for Just Offensive War

Summary: John Knox and Jonas Clark taught that wars against tyranny, even if offensive, are just; Clark ensured Lexington was a defensive engagement to align with this teaching.

Evidence: Clark 'knew his Knox' and wanted to ensure the colonists were in a defensive posture before firing.

Self-Defense Is a Biblical Obligation

Summary: Scripture requires individuals to defend their lives and families; failing to do so is a sin against the sixth commandment.

Evidence: Deuteronomy 22 implies a duty to rescue; Weaver states that allowing murder is assisting in the act.

Scripture References

Isaiah 8:20

Context: Foundation for evaluating all actions by God's Word; used to introduce the message.

Genesis 34:1-31

Context: Example of a defensive action (Simeon and Levi avenging Dinah) that was unjust due to excessive cruelty.

Judges 20:1-14

Context: Benjamin's defensive war to protect Sodomites was unjust because it defended wickedness.

Jeremiah 27:1-11

Context: Zedekiah's defensive war against Nebuchadnezzar was unjust because it opposed God's command to submit.

Deuteronomy 1:24

Context: God authorized reconnaissance for an offensive war to take Canaan.

Numbers 31:1-8

Context: God commanded an offensive war against Midian, showing offensive wars can be just.

Psalm 24:1

Context: God's sovereign ownership of the earth justifies His right to dispossess nations.

Matthew 21:33-41

Context: Parable of the vineyard illustrating God's right to judge and dispossess rebellious tenants.

Genesis 14:1-24

Context: Abraham's offensive war to rescue Lot, blessed by Melchizedek, as the first just war.

Hebrews 7:1-3

Context: Confirms Melchizedek's blessing of Abraham, showing divine approval of his war.

Exodus 17:8

Context: Amalek's initial aggression against Israel, setting the stage for later judgment.

Deuteronomy 25:17-19

Context: God's command to remember Amalek's treachery and later blot them out.

1 Samuel 15:1-3

Context: God's command to Saul to destroy Amalek, an offensive war against wickedness.

Deuteronomy 22:23-27

Context: Implies the duty to rescue a victim, supporting the obligation of self-defense.

Historical References

Pastor David Jones, 1775 sermon 'Defensive War in a Just Cause Sinless'

Context: Preached to defend colonists' resistance against England, arguing defensive war is sinless.

John Knox, Scottish Reformer

Context: Taught that defensive wars are just and that offensive wars against tyranny are also just; known as the trumpeter of Scotland.

Queen Mary (Mary, Queen of Scots)

Context: Feared John Knox's prayers more than armies; referenced in context of Knox's teaching on resistance.

Pastor Jonas Clark and the Battle of Lexington Green

Context: Clark trained his congregation as militia; ensured the British fired first to maintain a defensive posture, reflecting Knox's teaching.

John Adams and John Hancock

Context: Found asylum in Pastor Jonas Clark's house during the lead-up to Lexington.

George III

Context: Described as the aggressor in the American War for Independence by sending troops to the colonies.

Book: 'The Chaplains and Clergy of the Revolution' by J. T. Headley

Context: Recommended as a source on the role of clergy in the American Revolution.

Important Quotes

To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Significance: Foundational verse establishing that all actions, including war, must be judged by Scripture.

You cannot make a blanket statement and say, well, all defensive wars are just, and that's it. Nor can you make a blanket statement and say, all offensive or all aggressive wars are unjust and ungodly.

Significance: Core thesis of the sermon, challenging simplistic views on just war.

A defensive war is wrong, it is wicked, it is unjust when it oversteps the bounds of morality, justice, and righteousness.

Significance: Summarizes the first condition under which a defensive war becomes unjust.

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein.

Significance: Used to argue God's sovereign right to dispossess nations, justifying offensive wars.

Resistance to tyranny was obedient to God.

Significance: Key principle from Pastor Jonas Clark's teaching, justifying war against oppressive rulers.

If I stand there and allow that man to kill me and then my wife and my children, what have I just done? I have not only assisted him in the act of murder, I've actually violated the sixth commandment.

Significance: Argues that failure to defend oneself or family is a sin, reinforcing the duty of self-defense.

Discussion Questions

How does Isaiah 8:20 serve as the ultimate standard for determining whether a war is just or unjust?

Context: Weaver begins by establishing that all actions must align with God's Word.

In what ways did Simeon and Levi's defense of Dinah cross the line into injustice, and what principles can we draw from this for modern conflicts?

Context: Genesis 34 is used as an example of a defensive action that became unjust due to excessive force.

Why was Benjamin's defense of the Sodomites in Judges 20 considered unjust, and what does this teach about defending immoral causes?

Context: The Benjamites defended wickedness, making their defensive war wrong.

How does God's command to submit to Nebuchadnezzar in Jeremiah 27 challenge the idea that all defensive wars are justified?

Context: Zedekiah's resistance was against God's will, showing that obedience to God overrides national defense.

What does Abraham's offensive war in Genesis 14 teach us about the legitimacy of using force to rescue the innocent?

Context: Abraham's rescue of Lot was an aggressive war that received divine blessing.

How does the command to destroy Amalek in 1 Samuel 15 illustrate that offensive wars can be just when initiated by God?

Context: God commanded an offensive war against Amalek for past sins, showing divine sanction.

What can we learn from Pastor Jonas Clark's insistence that the British fire first at Lexington about the importance of maintaining a just cause?

Context: Clark wanted to ensure the colonists were in a defensive posture to align with just war teaching.

How does Deuteronomy 22:23-27 support the idea that self-defense and defense of others is a biblical obligation?

Context: The passage implies a duty to rescue those in danger, which Weaver extends to the obligation of self-defense.

Applications

Evaluate All Actions by Scripture

Summary: Believers must test every action, including decisions about war and self-defense, against the law and testimony of God's Word.

Evidence: Isaiah 8:20 is the standard: 'To the law and to the testimony.'

Avoid Excessive or Immoral Defense

Summary: When defending oneself or others, one must not overstep the bounds of justice and morality, as Simeon and Levi did.

Evidence: Genesis 34 shows that their defensive action was condemned for its cruelty.

Do Not Defend Wickedness

Summary: It is unjust to defend or protect those who are guilty of gross immorality, as Benjamin did with the Sodomites.

Evidence: Judges 20: Benjamin's defense of Sodomites was wrong.

Submit to God's Will Over National Defense

Summary: When God clearly commands submission, as in Jeremiah 27, resisting even defensively is sinful.

Evidence: Zedekiah's defensive war against Babylon was against God's command.

Recognize the Legitimacy of Offensive Action Against Tyranny

Summary: Offensive wars to rescue the innocent or overthrow tyranny can be just, following Abraham's example.

Evidence: Abraham's rescue of Lot was an offensive war blessed by God.

Fulfill the Duty of Self-Defense

Summary: Scripture obligates individuals to defend their own lives and the lives of their families, even using lethal force if necessary.

Evidence: Deuteronomy 22 implies a duty to rescue; failure to defend is a violation of the sixth commandment.

Learn from Historical Examples of Just Resistance

Summary: The American Revolution, as led by pastors like Jonas Clark, exemplifies biblical principles of resisting tyranny.

Evidence: Clark's actions at Lexington were based on the teaching that 'resistance to tyranny was obedient to God.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:49:54Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:36:56Z

Clean Transcript

Concepts of a Just War

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Isaiah 8 and verse 20. I will not be preaching from this text, however I'm going to use it to begin the message that I want to bring today. Many of you that are here know that I've been preaching for some time on the biblical doctrine of war. The first message I brought was, God is a warrior. I'm sorry to say verses and then chapters, but Messages 2-5 dealt with the concept of holy war. I went through the Bible and showed on numerous occasions how war is considered holy when it's conducted according to God and his law and his will. Today I want to deal with what I'm going to call the concept of a just war. Look at Isaiah 8 and verse 20. Scripture says to the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. So God says everything is to be spoken according to the law and to the testimony, that is, the word of God. So if anything then is contrary to the word of God, if anything is in contradiction to the law of God, whatever it is, is wrong, because God's word is absolutely right.
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Now, I've been preaching on the concept of holy war, and now I'm going to be preaching on the concept of a just war. I'm going to grant you that there are many corresponding truths between a holy war and a just war. In fact, you could say that the two are actually synonymous. If a war is holy, very obviously it has to be just. And if a war is just, very obviously it has to be holy. But the reason I'm dealing with this concept today is because there are many individuals who not only believe but teach that the only just war is a defensive war. Let me say that again. There are many who believe and teach that the only just war is a defensive war.
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They would say that offensive wars, that is, wars of aggression or wars initiated by an aggressor, would be categorically unjust. And so they would say that all offensive wars, all aggressive wars, were unjust.
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Now, let me just make some general statements. It is true, generally speaking, that defensive wars are just and sinless, but there are exceptions. It is also true, generally speaking, that offensive wars or aggressive wars are unjust and sinful, but there are exceptions. What I'm trying to show you is this. You cannot make a blanket statement and say, well, all defensive wars are just, and that's it. Nor can you make a blanket statement and say, all offensive or all aggressive wars are unjust and ungodly. You cannot say that.
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Because Scripture says, to the law and to the testimony, if they agree not, it's because there is no truth in them. Let me begin by showing you what I'm talking about. Open your Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 34. Genesis 34, let me begin to show you where there are some defensive wars in the Bible that were wrong. Let me explain. Genesis chapter 34, beginning with verse 1, "And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land."
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So young ladies, I ought to tell you that you ought not to be mixing with the ungodly. "And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor, the Hivite prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her and defiled her. And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel and spake kindly unto the damsel. And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife. And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his cattle in the field, and Jacob held his peace until they were come. And Hamor, the father of Shechem, went out unto Jacob to commune with him. And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it, and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth or angry, because he had wrought folly in Israel, and lying with Jacob's daughter, which thing ought not to be done."
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"And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter. I pray you, give her him to wife, and make you marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you. And you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you, dwell and trade you therein, and get you possessions therein. And Shechem said unto her father and to her brother, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what you shall say unto me will I give. Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as you shall say unto me, but give me the damsel to wife. And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he defiled Dinah their sister, and they said unto him, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised, for that were a reproach unto us."
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"But in this will we consent unto you, if ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised. Then will we give you our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters unto us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. But if you will not hearken unto us to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter, and we will be gone."
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"And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem, Hamor's son. And the young man deferred not to do this thing, because he had delighted in Jacob's daughter, and he was more honorable than all the house of his father."
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Now, let's skip down to verse 25. Of course, all the men of the city consent to be circumcised. "And it came to pass on the third day when they were sore that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword and came upon the city boldly and slew all the males. And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem's house and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and spoiled the city because they had defiled their sister. They took their sheep and their oxen and their asses which was in the city and which were in the field, and all their wealth and all their little ones and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house."
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"And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, You have troubled me to make me stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites, and I, being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me and slay me, and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?"
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Now let me ask you a question. First of all, is what Shechem did wrong? Yes. Should not Shechem have been punished? Yes. But why should Hamor and all of the city be punished for what someone else had done?
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Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. You could say, well, Simeon and Levi were defending their sister. They were defending their honor. They were defending their family. And you could say that what Simeon and Levi did was a defensive action. But I want you to note that what they did was more than a defensive action in one sense of the word, because they just did not defend their sister against Shechem.
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They literally killed an entire city in their rage and in their cruelty. In fact, often Jacob has said a little bit later on, "let not my soul come into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united." And what Jacob was afraid of was since they were fewer in the land than all the other people would hear what Simeon and Levi had done, and gather together and literally wipe them out. So here is a defensive action that is condemned by Scripture.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Judges chapter 20. Let me show you another defensive war that is condemned in Scripture. Judges chapter 20. And let's begin reading there with verse 1. "Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together, as one man from Dan, even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the Lord in Mizpah."
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Now let me just stop right there. Let me just tell you the background of what has happened. There has been a Levite from Bethlehem, Judah. He's gone down. He was offered to turn into a city of one of the heathen and he refused to do that. He said, "No, I'm going to lodge with my own people." So he and his wife went to this city of Benjamin, and there the Sodomites encompassed him about. And they were going to take him, but instead they got his wife, and the Bible said they abused her until morning. And when the man arose in the morning, of course his wife was dead, and he did a very unorthodox thing. Guess what he did? He cut her into 12 pieces and he sent her to each of the tribes of Israel and he said, "I want you to see what one of our tribes, one of our cities of Benjamin has done to my wife." So all of Israel now is gathered together. Watch verse two. "And all the chief of the people, even all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 footmen that drew sword."
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"Now, the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were going up to Mizpah. Then said the children of Israel, Tell us how was this wickedness? And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belonged to Benjamin, I and my concubine to lodge. And the men of Gibeah rose against me and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me, and my concubine have they forced that she is dead. I took my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel. Behold, you are all children of Israel."
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"Give here your advice and counsel. And all the people arose as one man saying, We will not, any of us, go to his tent. Neither will any of us turn into his house, but now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah. We will go up by lot against it, and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, a thousand of ten thousand to fetch victuals for the people, that they may do when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel. So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man. And the tribes of Israel sent men throughout all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you? Now therefore, deliver us the men, the children of Belial, who were in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren and children of Israel, but the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities of Gibeah to go to battle against the children of Israel."
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Now, what in the world were the Gileadites and the Benjamites doing? They were defending themselves. Oh? Or let me say it another way. They were defending the Sodomites.
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Now, it is true that Israel came upon them to attack them. Let me ask you a question. Was this defensive war of Benjamin a just war? And the answer is unequivocally, no. Very obviously, it was not just, because they were harboring murderers and sodomites. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Jeremiah chapter 27. Let me show you another example of a defensive war that would be wrong and unjust. Jeremiah chapter 27, and notice if you would, beginning there with verse 1. Jeremiah 27, verse 1. Listen carefully. "In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, came this word of Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Thus saith the Lord to me, Make these bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck, and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem, unto Zedekiah king of Judah, and command them to say to their masters, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, thus shall you say
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to your masters, I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemeth meet unto me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon my servant, and the beast of the field have I given unto him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him and his son and his son's son until the very time of his land come, and that many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. And it shall come to pass that the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with a sword, and with a famine, and with a pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. Therefore, hearken not to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which shall speak unto you, saying, You shall not serve the king of Babylon."
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"For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land, and that I should drive you out, and you should perish. But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the Lord, and they shall till it, and dwell therein. I spake also to Zedekiah, king of Judah, according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. Why will you die, thou and thy people, by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? Therefore, hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, You shall not serve the king of Babylon, for they prophesy a lie unto you. For I have not sent them, saith the Lord, yet they prophesied a lie in my name, that I might drive you out, and that you might perish, you and the prophets that prophesy unto you."
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"Also I spake to the priests and all the people, saying, Thus saith the Lord, hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the Lord's house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon, for they prophesy a lie unto you. Hearken not unto them. Serve the king of Babylon, and live. Wherefore should this city be laid waste?"
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Now, what did God do? God sent Jeremiah and said, "You go tell Edom, you tell Moab, you tell the Ammonites, you tell Zedekiah, the king of Judah, the Judaists, you tell them, I have given Nebuchadnezzar all this land because of your sins. He's my servant, I've given it unto him, and you better bow your neck and you better serve Nebuchadnezzar. Now, if you do that, I'm going to let you stay in the land. If you don't, you're going to be defeated, and I'm going to send you out of the land." Well, what did Zedekiah and all the men of Judah do?
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They wanted to defend themselves. So since Nebuchadnezzar attacked them, they engaged in a defensive war. Now, here's my question. Was this defensive war against Nebuchadnezzar a just war? No. Why? Because God had told them to submit. God said, "Don't fight. If you fight, all you're going to do is just simply kill yourself." Now, let me just try to summarize when a defensive war is wicked, unjust, and wrong. Number one, a defensive war is wrong, it is wicked, it is unjust when it oversteps the bounds of morality, justice, and righteousness as in Genesis 34.
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It is true that Shechem deserved to die. It is true that Shechem deserved to be punished. But all the other people had done absolutely nothing. They did not deserve to die, nor did they deserve to be punished. So a defensive war is wrong, then, when it breaks the bounds of justice, righteousness, and morality, and goes beyond that into cruelty and wickedness. Secondly, a defensive war is wrong and wicked when it defends wickedness in morality and in justice, as in the case of the Benjamites when they were defending the Sodomites and the murderers. And thirdly, a defensive war is wicked and wrong when it is clearly contrary to the will of God. Now, just like you cannot say all defensive wars are just, likewise you cannot say all offensive wars are wrong. Were not the Israelites in Judges chapter 20 right when they were the aggressors, when they were on the offensive to punish the Benjamites for harboring the Sodomites and the murderers?
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If you look in your Bibles very quickly, first of all, to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 1 and verse 24.
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Deuteronomy 1, verse 24, and the Bible says, "And they turned and went up into the mountains, and came into the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out." Now, everybody knows what is happening here. The spies are going searching out the land. Would you please tell me who authorized and who ordered this reconnaissance? God did. Why were they reconnoitering the area? Because they were going to attack it.
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In other words, it was an offensive war. If you will turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Numbers chapter 31, Numbers chapter 31. Look if you would please, Numbers chapter 31, beginning there with verse 1. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites, after which shalt thou be gathered unto thy people. And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the Lord of Midian. Of every tribe a thousand throughout all the tribes of Israel shall you send to the war. So they were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand, armed for war. Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, with the trumpets to blow in his hand. They warred against the Midianites as the Lord commanded Moses, and they slew all the males. And they slew the kings of Midian beside the rest of them that were slain, namely Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian.
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Balaam also, the son of Beor, they slew with a sword." Now, here was an offensive war. Here was an aggressive war. Was it a just war? Yes. In fact, I called to your attention the fact that all of the wars of Canaan were basically offensive wars or aggressive wars, and very obviously they were just. Why? I want you to look in your Bible to the book of Psalm 24 and verse 1. I'm sure many of you can probably quote this verse, Psalm 24, and note if you would please verse 1. Then I want you to turn over to Matthew chapter 21, if you would please. We're going to read Psalm 24 and then Matthew chapter 21. Look in Psalm 24 and verse 1.
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"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein." Now, wait a minute. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein. Who has sovereign ownership of the entire earth? God. How many people on this earth belong to God? All of us, in one sense of the word, in the sense that He is the Creator, He is the Lord. How many animals on this earth belong to God? All of them. They don't belong to the state or to the DNR, I can assure you. They belong to God. The cattle on a thousand hills belong to Him, the Bible says. He feeds them, not the state. How much of the minerals belong to everything belongs to God.
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Now, the point I'm making is this. When a people dishonor God, when they refuse to glorify God, when they refuse to acknowledge Him and serve Him, God has the sovereign right to dispossess any people. Let me give you an illustration. Let's suppose you own the house, you bought the land, you built the house, you pay the taxes, and now you're renting this house out. But all of a sudden your renter refuses to give you your rent. And you try to be gracious to him and say, "Well, I'll give you 30 days to catch up." And 30 days, he not only is not caught up, he still refuses to pay you any rent at all.
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Are you unjust for telling him to pack his bag and get out? Well, of course not. Why? You own the property. God is giving you the stewardship over that property. You have the right to dispossess any man who will not give you your proper rent over your property. Well, God owns the world. He has the right to dispossess any people that will not acknowledge him, recognize him, and glorify him.
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If you look at Matthew 21, beginning with verse 33, you'll see that the Lord himself basically used this same illustration. Matthew Chapter 21, verse 33. Look what our Lord says. "Hear another parable. There was a certain householder who planted a vineyard and hedged it round about and digged a winepress in it and built a tower and let it out to husbandmen and went out into a far country. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants and beat one and killed another and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did unto him likewise."
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"And last of all, he sent his son saying, They will reverence my son." Of course, you know that this deals with the house of Israel and Christ. Watch this. Verse 38, "For when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir, come, let us kill him, let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do to those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their season."
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And it's proper and right for the husbandman to do so, because he is the owner of the property. So our Lord himself says, "Look, I am the sovereign, and I can dispossess any people that I want." How does God dispossess people? Usually by war or famine, or flood or something, but God dispossesses them, God kicks them out because they fail to glorify him and give him the honor and glory due unto his name. Come into the house. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, Chapter 14. Genesis, Chapter 14. Genesis 14.
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We're talking about the concept of a just war. Genesis chapter 14. I want you to note, if you would please, the first recorded just war in the Bible. The first recorded just war in the Bible. And I want you to note that this war was not a defensive war. Please let me restate the concept that I'm giving again. I'm trying to demonstrate from Scripture that not all defensive wars are just wars, and not all offensive wars are unjust wars. There are times when defensive wars are wrong. There are times when offensive wars are right. So we're looking in Genesis chapter 14. I want to take the time to read this passage. Here is the first recorded just war in the Bible.
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"And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Nations, that these made war with Bera, king of Sodom, and with Birsha, king of Gomorrah, Shinab, king of Admah, and Shemeber, king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. All these were joined together in the Vale of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea. Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. In the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their Mount Seir, unto El-Paran, which is in the wilderness."
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"And they returning came to En-Mishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites that dwelt in Hazezon-Tamar. And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, the same as Zoar, and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim, with Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam, and with Tidal, king of nations, and Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Arioch, king of Ellasar, four kings with five. And the vale of Siddim was full of slime pits. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their victuals and went their way. And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. And there came one that had escaped and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner, and these were confederate with Abram."
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"And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants born in his own house, 318, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left side of Damascus. He brought back all the goods and also brought again his brother Lot and his goods, and the people also, and the women also, and the people."
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"And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and of the kings that were with him at the Valley of Shaveh, which is the King's Dale. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine. He was the priest of the Most High God, and he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth. And he blessed the Most High God who had delivered thine enemies into thine hand, and he gave him tithes of all. And the King of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the King of Sodom, I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldst say that I have made Abram rich, save only that which the young men had eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre."
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"Let them take their portion." Now, let me just try to set the stage for this war. First of all, an invading army has defeated and looted Sodom and Gomorrah. Abram's nephew Lot and his family and all of their possessions are taken captive. When Abram heard this, I want you to understand, Abram himself was not personally involved in this war. They had not attacked Abraham. Now, I don't know why this war started.
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If you look back at verses 1 and 2 of Genesis chapter 14, the Bible says, in verse 4 particularly, "Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled." Now, I don't know if there was a covenant. I don't know if there was a confederation. I don't know if there was tyranny. I don't know. The Bible doesn't say. But here, the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, and these other kings said, "Look, we're just not going to serve you anymore." Maybe Chedorlaomer was a tyrant. I don't know. Maybe the sin was on the part of these other people. I don't know.
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But Abraham himself was not personally involved in this war. But when he heard that his nephew Lot had been taken, Abraham armed his 318 trained servants. And by the way, I want you to note the Bible said, "trained in his own house." That's quite an army, 318 men just in your own house.
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Now, he had some men that were confederate with him, Aner, Eshcol, and some of these others, and so they got together and what in the world did they do? They pursued after the king and entered into combat with him.
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Now, let me make some statements. First of all, there is absolutely no condemnation in the Bible of Abraham for his possession of weaponry or trained militia members in his own house. There is absolutely no condemnation. In fact, everything in this story is permeated with divine approval. I want you to note that this war that Abraham entered into, number one, was not initiated by God. When I say that, I mean this. God did not tell Abraham, "Abraham, go get them." He didn't say that. God did not initiate this war.
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Rather, what happened was this. Abraham, out of a duty to his brother, out of a duty to his family, and a sense of justice and morality, armed his trained servants, got his confederates together, and said, "It's my responsibility to defend my family and to bring back my family." Moreover, I want you to note, when Abraham did come back from this war, he received priestly blessings. Note, if you would please, the Bible says in Genesis chapter 14, beginning there with verse 18, "And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine and he was the priest of the Most High God. Watch, and he, that is, Melchizedek, blessed him, that is, Abraham, and said, Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be the Most High God who hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand. And he, Abraham, gave him, that is, Melchizedek, tithes of all." So here comes the priest of the Most High God, and he blesses Abraham for entering into this aggressive, offensive war.
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If you will turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Hebrews, chapter 7. Hebrews, chapter 7. It will take just a moment to read the first three verses. Hebrews, chapter 7, beginning there with verse 1. "For this Melchizedek," and we're talking about the same man in Genesis 14, "for this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham, returning from the slaughter of the kings, blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being by interpretation king of righteousness, and after that also king of Salem, which is king of peace, without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest continually." Now, there are some people who say that Melchizedek was a Christophany, that is, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. Some say, no, he was just someone who represented and someone who was likened to Christ. Either way you cut it, all you can say is God gave his divine approval and blessing upon the actions that Abraham engaged in, and what Abraham engaged in was an offensive war.
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Now, here's my question. Was that offensive war a just war? And the answer is yes. Yes, it was. Wars against a tyrannical enemy are just and right. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 25. Deuteronomy 25, and let's begin there with verse 17. In fact, pull Deuteronomy 25 and turn back to Exodus 17 first. Let's read that passage first. We'll read Exodus 17. Note if you would, beginning there with verse 8.
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"Then came Amalek and fought with Israel in Rephidim." The first people to engage in an aggressive war with Israel when Israel came out of Egypt was Amalek. In this battle, Joshua discomfited the Amalekites with the edge of the sword. You remember that. Moses was up on the hill with the rod of God in his hand. Aaron and Hur were staying up his hands. And God said he was going to have war from generation to generation with Amalek. Now, I want you to note that Amalek initiated this war.
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Now watch this in Deuteronomy 25, beginning there with verse 17. Look what God tells his people. "Remember what Amalek did unto thee, by the way, when you were come forth out of Egypt."
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Now please try to picture this. Here is a people coming forth out of Egypt, struggling, maybe confused, maybe still don't have everything together just yet. Watch verse 18, "How he met thee by the way." And in other words, Amalek was the aggressor purposely, deliberately pressing an attack. "How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary, and he feared not God." So what did Amalek do? Amalek purposefully met Israel, pressed an attack, smote those who were feeble, smote the hindmost. In other words, he wasn't really fighting in the open, so to speak.
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It's kind of a guerrilla tactic. And look what God says, verse 19, "Therefore it shall be, when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven, thou shalt not forget it." Now God said, "I want you to remember. When I give you peace and I get you established, I want you to turn around and wipe out the Amalekites."
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Turning your Bibles, if you would, to 1 Samuel 15. 1 Samuel 15, beginning there with verse 1. Look what God says. "Samuel said also unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel."
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"Now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies. I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not, but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox, sheep, camel, and ass." God says, "Go and kill them, and kill them all."
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You say, "But now wait a minute, Brother Weaver. How can you say that's an aggressive war? Because we just read where Amalek attacked Israel first, yeah, 400 years earlier." 400 years earlier. And now what God is doing, God is initiating an aggressive war, an offensive war. He says, "You go and wipe out the wicked and take care of them." Now, so technically speaking, this had to be an offensive war, because God is the one that is initiating it. So very obviously an offensive war is not wrong when God initiates it. Wars to eliminate wickedness and ungodliness and tyranny are just and right according to the Bible. So it's not just simply a defensive war that is just and sinless, and I've pointed out how some defensive wars can be unjust and sinful, but in this case we find that offensive wars are sometimes just and sinless as well. Let me just stop and give you a little bit of history. There is a pastor by the name of David Jones who, in 1775, preached a message from Nehemiah 4 and verse 14 entitled, "Defensive War in a Just Cause Sinless."
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Now, I have that sermon and I've read that sermon, and in this sermon Pastor Jones is defending the colonists from a charge of rebellion against England during the American Revolution or the American War for Independence. Moreover, in this sermon he demonstrates the justice and the necessity of resisting tyranny. George III, by the way, was the aggressor from the Revolutionary War or the War for Independence. Why was he the aggressor?
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He was the one that sent the troops over here. We did not send troops over there. He sent troops over here. So Pastor Jones has preached this sermon, "Defensive War in a Just Cause Sinless." Let me go a step further. There was a man in Scotland by the name of John Knox. John Knox is known as the trumpeter of Scotland. John Knox also taught that defensive wars were just and sinless. He also demonstrated from Scripture that wars against tyranny and totalitarianism, although they were offensive or aggressive wars, were also just and sinless. You remember it was Queen Mary who said that she feared the prayers of John Knox more than all of the armies of Europe. And John Knox certainly was a strong man, and that's why he was called the trumpeter of Scotland.
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In fact, you should read some of his books. In fact, I've got one entitled, "The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women." And he's not preaching just against women, but he's preaching against wicked Queen Mary and those wicked rulers. I'm giving you all of this information because I want to read to you about another pastor by the name of Jonas Clark. If you don't have this book, I strongly suggest you buy it. You can buy it for ten bucks. The name of it is "The Chaplains and Clergy of the Revolution" by J. T. Headley. It's a very important book, and it has all kinds of thrilling information in it. But I want to read to you, just for a moment, about Pastor Jonas Clark.
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Many of you have never realized that the Battle of Lexington Green, Lexington and Concord, the shot that was fired around the world, most of you have never realized that the colonists who fought at Lexington Green had been trained by their pastor. Their pastor was their captain and their leader. Here was a regiment of Redcoats that drew up and aimed their weapons at this little green full of colonial Minutemen and demanded that they disperse and throw down their weapons. And of course, the Minutemen did not. And then some of the Englishmen began shooting, and some of the colonial Minutemen fell dead. And of course, then the colonial Minutemen fired back.
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Now, let me ask you a question. Have you ever wondered why Jonas and those men at Lexington Green allowed the British to shoot first? You say, "Brother, that's just the way it happened." No, that's not just the way it happened. They wanted to make sure they were right. Okay, that's the answer. You see, what has been said about Jonas Clark was this. He knew his Knox. What does that statement mean, he knew his Knox? Then he knew the teaching of John Knox when John Knox taught that a defensive war was just and sinless. So Pastor Clark, according to many scholars, was just making sure that what America engaged in was a defensive war.
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I'm not going to read it all, but I've got two or three pages. I want you to listen carefully about Jonas Clark. Here's just a statement concerning his people. "The people had become so thoroughly indoctrinated in his views and had been so animated by his appeals from the pulpit and in public meetings that they had in them embodied instructions to their delegate to the provincial legislature as the expression of their wishes and determination. Those instructions remain to this day," that is, what these people sent to their legislators. "Those instructions remain to this day and are engrossed on the town records as a standing memorial, not only of his patriotism, but of his ability as a statesman." Now, I'm skipping down.
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"No single individual," says a distinguished man, "probably did so much to educate the people up to the point of intelligence, firmness, and courage as their honored and beloved pastor." I'm skipping down. "John Adams and John Hancock, when proscribed by the royal government, found an asylum in his house." So where did Adams and Hancock hide? They went to Pastor Jonas Clark's house and he hid them.
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Now listen, they were there, they were there when the first verbal message came from Warren that mischief was afoot. Then says Mr. Clark, Pastor Clark in a note, he makes of this event, "came and expressed in writing, stating that eight or nine officers of the King's troops were seen just before night passing the road toward Lexington in a musing, contemplative posture. It was suspected that they were out upon some evil design."
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Now listen, "ten or twelve men on account of Hancock and Adams were detailed to guard my house that night." So here Pastor Jonas Clark is, with ten or twelve armed men around his house to protect himself and, of course, John Adams and John Hancock.
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Now listen, he says, "Those officers passed through the town. Three men were sent to watch them. At ten o'clock said officers stopped on the borders of Lincoln, seized their bridles, put pistols to their hearts," that is to those men who were following, "and swore if they stood another step they were dead men. Between the hours of twelve and one o'clock, we received intelligence from Warren that a British detachment was on its way to destroy the stores at Lexington. The three held a hurried consultation and resolved to fight. At two o'clock, peal after peal from the belfry, called the inhabitants, excited inhabitants, together on the church green."
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Where did the militia meet? On the church green. "There they found their pastor, who had arrived before them. The roll was called, and 150 answered to their names. The men, the hour, the crisis at hand, made the scene on that quiet green a most solemn and impressive one. The church, the pastor, and his congregation, thus standing together in the dim light while the stars looked tranquilly down from the sky above them, formed the subject for a great historic picture. As the pastor surveyed the silent ranks, a strange light gleamed in his eye, for he saw clearly beyond that night's business, and his attentive ear caught from afar a faint but distinctly the clock of destiny striking. The great question with Hancock and Adams had been, would the people fight?
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Would these humble mechanics and farmers dare resist the drilled troops of England? Clark knew they would. He had trained them for this hour. Were his years of labor to be in vain? No, they would fight, and if need be, die too under the shadow of the house of God." Meantime, Swift writers come quoting from George Bancroft. "How often in that building," talking about the church now where the green was, "how often in that building had they, with renewed professions of their faith, looked up to God as the stay of their fathers and the protector of their privileges? How often on that village green, hard by the burial place of their forefathers, had they pledged themselves to each other to combat manfully for their birthright inheritance of liberty?
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There they now stood, side by side, under the provincial banner, with arms in hand, silent and fearless. The ground on which they stood was the altar of freedom, and they were to furnish its victims. How often, he might have added, that they had been told from the pulpit of that sacred building that resistance to tyranny was obedient to God, and that not merely as freemen to combat for their birthright inheritance of liberty, but as Christians to defend the altars of their religion. They stood there in stern and silent array.
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"In the sharp rattle of musketry that followed the brutal order, 'Throw down your arms and disperse, throw down your arms and disperse,' Mr. Clark, that is, Pastor Clark, heard only what he knew would be the result of his own teachings. Still, the crash of the sudden volleys sent a quick, keen pain through his heart for its toll of death."
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Now listen, "...and as the white puffs of smoke lifted up in the morning air, he saw the green covered with reeling and falling forms. Hasting further after the retreat of the British, a sad sight met his gaze, for there under the windows of his church lay seven stalwart men, stretched stark and stiff in death, and many wounded. There lay Jonas Parker, the strongest wrestler in Lexington, pierced with ball and bayonet. In the morning he had sworn never to run from British troops, and he had kept his word, falling on the very spot where he had taken his post at the beat of the drum. There, too, lay old Caleb Monroe, his gray hairs dabbled in blood, and nearby him Caleb Harrington, fallen on the doorsteps of the house of God, into which he had gone for and besides them other well-known forms.
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"The bright spring morning broke tranquilly over the scene, the dewdrops glistening beside the red stains that sprinkled the startling grass. The birds came out and sang upon the budding trees, and nature gave no token of the bloody murder that had just been committed. Pastor Clark gazed long and earnestly on this tragic spectacle, but no tear of regret mingled with the loss of sympathy which he shed. Those lifeless forms before him were holy martyrs in his sight, the first precious sacrifices laid upon the altar of his country, which was yet to grow under its load of victims.
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He said," listen carefully, "'he had no misgivings from that day,' said he, 'will be dated the liberty of the world.' No sound broke the stillness of the scene, but he heard far up in the dome of the universe a bell tolling the death of tyranny." Let me tell you something, folks. Let me go a little bit further. I'm certainly not going to criticize Jonas Clark. I'm certainly not going to condemn him, for that man and for those men who fell that day at Lexington Green. But let me go a step further.
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Let me just reinforce in your mind that not only defensive wars are just and sinless, that is, usually speaking, when we are defending our rights, our liberties, our freedoms, but I want you to understand that offensive and aggressive wars can also be just and sinless. Let me explain something. I want you to understand that we have a biblical obligation to defend our lives and our families. Are you listening?
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Let's suppose that here stands a man with a pistol in my face and he says, "Pastor Weaver, I'm going to kill you. And then after I kill you, I'm going to kill your wife and your children."
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Now, if I just stand there and I say, "Well, if it makes you happy, go ahead and do it." If I stand there and allow that man to kill me and then my wife and my children, what have I just done? I have not only assisted him in the act of murder, I've actually violated the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," because I have allowed him to murder me.
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What must I do scripturally? Scripturally, I must do everything within my power to stop him from murdering me and murdering my family, even if it means taking his life. You say, "Brother Weaver, it would be a defensive act in that sense of the word. You're defending your life. You're defending your family." I understand that. But let me tell you something. If I saw a man jump out of a car, and run up to me with a gun, if I even thought his intention was killing me and my family, guess what I would do?
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I'd shoot first, and then I'd question him. Why? Because I have a responsibility to defend my life. Are you listening? Self-defense, according to the Bible, is obligatory. We have the right, we have the obligation to defend our lives. That would not only be our individual lives, the life of a family, the life of a church, but also the life of a country. Let me show you.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 22. Let me show you a case example of the sixth commandment. Look in Deuteronomy chapter 22, and let's begin reading there with verse 23. Deuteronomy 22, verse 23. God says, "If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her, then shall you bring them both out into the gate of that city, and you shall stone them with stones that they die."
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Now watch carefully, "the damsel because she cried not being in the city, and the man because he had humbled his neighbor's wife, so shalt thou put evil from among you. But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her and lie with her, then the man only that lay with her shall die. But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing. There is in the damsel no sin worthy of death, for as when a man rise up against his neighbor and slayeth him, even so it is in this manner. For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her." Now I want you to watch this. God says if a man finds a damsel in the city and lies with her, God says you take them both out and put them to death. Why? He says, "because the damsel being in the city cried not." Since she did not cry out, she was consenting with the sin, she was consenting to the crime, and therefore she is to be put to death as well.
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But in the field, God says, when a man finds a woman and forces her, he says, you don't put the woman to death. Why? Because she cried out and there was none to save her.
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Now, what does that mean? If you go back to the city and the Bible says, "because she cried not out." That means this, if that woman had cried aloud, any man who heard her would have been responsible, would have been duty-bound, would have been obligated to save her life. Even if it meant killing the man who was attacking her. You see what I'm saying? We have the right, we have the obligation, we have the duty before God to preserve our lives, the lives of our family, the lives of our church, the lives of our countrymen. So a just war is not just simply a defensive war, but it can also be an aggressive war when that war is fought against tyranny, totalitarianism, wickedness, ungodliness in order to save our lives and our freedom and our liberty.
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As Isaiah 8 and verse 20 says, "To the law and to the testimony, if they agree not, it is because there is no light." Shall we pray? Father, we are so thankful today for the Word of God, we are so thankful that thy Word has all the answers. We ask, Father, that you would teach us, fill us up in the most holy faith, help us today in Christ's name we pray, amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:49:54Z

Concepts of a Just War

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver examines the biblical doctrine of just war, arguing that neither all defensive wars are just nor all offensive wars are unjust. Using Scripture, he demonstrates that defensive wars can be wrong when they overstep moral bounds, defend wickedness, or contradict God's will, while offensive wars can be just when initiated by God or fought against tyranny and wickedness. He illustrates with biblical examples and historical references to the American Revolution, emphasizing the obligation to defend life, family, and liberty.

Introduction: The Standard of God's Word

Weaver opens with Isaiah 8:20, establishing that all actions must be judged by the law and testimony of God's Word, setting the foundation for evaluating war.

The Flawed Assumption: Only Defensive Wars Are Just

He challenges the common belief that only defensive wars are just and that all offensive wars are unjust, stating that exceptions exist for both.

Defensive Wars That Are Unjust

Now, what in the world were the Gileadites and the Benjamites doing? They were defending themselves. Oh? Or let me say it another way. They were defending the Sodomites.

Offensive Wars That Are Just

If you look in your Bibles very quickly, first of all, to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 1 and verse 24.

Scripture Reading — Numbers 31:1-8

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites, after which shalt thou be gathered unto thy people. And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the Lord of Midian. Of every tribe a thousand throughout all the tribes of Israel shall you send to the war. So they were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand, armed for war. Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, with the trumpets to blow in his hand. They warred against the Midianites as the Lord commanded Moses, and they slew all the males. And they slew the kings of Midian beside the rest of them that were slain, namely Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian.

If you look at Matthew 21, beginning with verse 33, you'll see that the Lord himself basically used this same illustration. Matthew Chapter 21, verse 33. Look what our Lord says.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 21:33-41

"Hear another parable. There was a certain householder who planted a vineyard and hedged it round about and digged a winepress in it and built a tower and let it out to husbandmen and went out into a far country. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants and beat one and killed another and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did unto him likewise."

Abraham's Offensive War: The First Just War

Weaver examines Genesis 14, where Abraham's rescue of Lot is an offensive war that receives divine approval through Melchizedek's blessing, demonstrating that aggressive wars can be just.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:1-24

"Let them take their portion."

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:1-24

"Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled."

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 7:1-3

"for this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham, returning from the slaughter of the kings, blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being by interpretation king of righteousness, and after that also king of Salem, which is king of peace, without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest continually."

Wars Against Tyranny and Wickedness

He argues that wars to eliminate wickedness and tyranny are just, using God's command to destroy Amalek (Deuteronomy 25; 1 Samuel 15) as an example of a divinely initiated offensive war.

Now watch this in Deuteronomy 25, beginning there with verse 17. Look what God tells his people.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 25:17-19

"Remember what Amalek did unto thee, by the way, when you were come forth out of Egypt."

Now please try to picture this. Here is a people coming forth out of Egypt, struggling, maybe confused, maybe still don't have everything together just yet. Watch verse 18,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 25:17-19

"How he met thee by the way."

And in other words, Amalek was the aggressor purposely, deliberately pressing an attack.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 25:17-19

"How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary, and he feared not God."

So what did Amalek do? Amalek purposefully met Israel, pressed an attack, smote those who were feeble, smote the hindmost. In other words, he wasn't really fighting in the open, so to speak.

Historical Application: The American Revolution

The Obligation of Self-Defense

He concludes by emphasizing the biblical duty to defend life, family, and country, using Deuteronomy 22 to show that failing to resist an attacker is a violation of the sixth commandment.

Concepts of a Just War

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	621199580
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Abraham, Covenant, and Promise
Genre	Sermon
Date	1996-12-01
Dictation Name
Book	Book 077: Genesis: Abraham, Covenant, and Promise — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	83

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Standard of God's Word: Weaver opens with Isaiah 8:20, establishing that all actions must be judged by the law and testimony of God's Word, setting the foundation for evaluating war.
The Flawed Assumption: Only Defensive Wars Are Just: He challenges the common belief that only defensive wars are just and that all offensive wars are unjust, stating that exceptions exist for both.
Defensive Wars That Are Unjust: Weaver provides biblical examples of defensive wars condemned by God: Simeon and Levi's excessive vengeance (Genesis 34), Benjamin's defense of Sodomites (Judges 20), and Zedekiah's resistance to Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 27).
Offensive Wars That Are Just: He shows that offensive wars can be just, citing Israel's reconnaissance of Canaan (Deuteronomy 1), the war against Midian (Numbers 31), and God's sovereign right to dispossess nations (Psalm 24; Matthew 21).
Abraham's Offensive War: The First Just War: Weaver examines Genesis 14, where Abraham's rescue of Lot is an offensive war that receives divine approval through Melchizedek's blessing, demonstrating that aggressive wars can be just.
Wars Against Tyranny and Wickedness: He argues that wars to eliminate wickedness and tyranny are just, using God's command to destroy Amalek (Deuteronomy 25; 1 Samuel 15) as an example of a divinely initiated offensive war.
Historical Application: The American Revolution: Weaver references pastors David Jones and John Knox, and details Pastor Jonas Clark's role at Lexington Green, illustrating that defensive war against tyranny is just, but also that offensive resistance to tyranny is biblically supported.
The Obligation of Self-Defense: He concludes by emphasizing the biblical duty to defend life, family, and country, using Deuteronomy 22 to show that failing to resist an attacker is a violation of the sixth commandment.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Not All Defensive Wars Are Just

Defensive wars can be unjust when they overstep justice (Genesis 34), defend wickedness (Judges 20), or contradict God's command (Jeremiah 27).

Simeon and Levi killed an entire city in rage; Benjamin defended Sodomites; Zedekiah resisted God's command to submit to Babylon.

Not All Offensive Wars Are Unjust

Offensive wars are just when God commands them (Numbers 31) or when they are fought to eliminate wickedness and tyranny (1 Samuel 15).

God commanded Moses to 'avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites' and later told Saul to 'utterly destroy' Amalek.

God's Ownership Justifies Dispossession

Because God owns the earth, He has the right to dispossess nations that reject Him, making offensive wars for this purpose just.

Psalm 24:1 and the parable of the vineyard in Matthew 21 show God's sovereign ownership and right to judge.

Abraham's War Was Offensive and Just

Abraham's pursuit and attack on the kings who captured Lot was an offensive war that received divine blessing through Melchizedek.

Genesis 14:14-16 describes Abraham arming 318 trained servants and pursuing the enemy; Melchizedek blessed him afterward.

Historical Precedent for Just Offensive War

John Knox and Jonas Clark taught that wars against tyranny, even if offensive, are just; Clark ensured Lexington was a defensive engagement to align with this teaching.

Clark 'knew his Knox' and wanted to ensure the colonists were in a defensive posture before firing.

Self-Defense Is a Biblical Obligation

Scripture requires individuals to defend their lives and families; failing to do so is a sin against the sixth commandment.

Deuteronomy 22 implies a duty to rescue; Weaver states that allowing murder is assisting in the act.

Scripture References

Isaiah 8:20: Foundation for evaluating all actions by God's Word; used to introduce the message.
Genesis 34:1-31: Example of a defensive action (Simeon and Levi avenging Dinah) that was unjust due to excessive cruelty.
Judges 20:1-14: Benjamin's defensive war to protect Sodomites was unjust because it defended wickedness.
Jeremiah 27:1-11: Zedekiah's defensive war against Nebuchadnezzar was unjust because it opposed God's command to submit.
Deuteronomy 1:24: God authorized reconnaissance for an offensive war to take Canaan.
Numbers 31:1-8: God commanded an offensive war against Midian, showing offensive wars can be just.
Psalm 24:1: God's sovereign ownership of the earth justifies His right to dispossess nations.
Matthew 21:33-41: Parable of the vineyard illustrating God's right to judge and dispossess rebellious tenants.
Genesis 14:1-24: Abraham's offensive war to rescue Lot, blessed by Melchizedek, as the first just war.
Hebrews 7:1-3: Confirms Melchizedek's blessing of Abraham, showing divine approval of his war.
Exodus 17:8: Amalek's initial aggression against Israel, setting the stage for later judgment.
Deuteronomy 25:17-19: God's command to remember Amalek's treachery and later blot them out.
1 Samuel 15:1-3: God's command to Saul to destroy Amalek, an offensive war against wickedness.
Deuteronomy 22:23-27: Implies the duty to rescue a victim, supporting the obligation of self-defense.

Historical References

Pastor David Jones, 1775 sermon 'Defensive War in a Just Cause Sinless': Preached to defend colonists' resistance against England, arguing defensive war is sinless.
John Knox, Scottish Reformer: Taught that defensive wars are just and that offensive wars against tyranny are also just; known as the trumpeter of Scotland.
Queen Mary (Mary, Queen of Scots): Feared John Knox's prayers more than armies; referenced in context of Knox's teaching on resistance.
Pastor Jonas Clark and the Battle of Lexington Green: Clark trained his congregation as militia; ensured the British fired first to maintain a defensive posture, reflecting Knox's teaching.
John Adams and John Hancock: Found asylum in Pastor Jonas Clark's house during the lead-up to Lexington.
George III: Described as the aggressor in the American War for Independence by sending troops to the colonies.
Book: 'The Chaplains and Clergy of the Revolution' by J. T. Headley: Recommended as a source on the role of clergy in the American Revolution.

Important Quotes

To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Foundational verse establishing that all actions, including war, must be judged by Scripture.

You cannot make a blanket statement and say, well, all defensive wars are just, and that's it. Nor can you make a blanket statement and say, all offensive or all aggressive wars are unjust and ungodly.

Core thesis of the sermon, challenging simplistic views on just war.

A defensive war is wrong, it is wicked, it is unjust when it oversteps the bounds of morality, justice, and righteousness.

Summarizes the first condition under which a defensive war becomes unjust.

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein.

Used to argue God's sovereign right to dispossess nations, justifying offensive wars.

Resistance to tyranny was obedient to God.

Key principle from Pastor Jonas Clark's teaching, justifying war against oppressive rulers.

If I stand there and allow that man to kill me and then my wife and my children, what have I just done? I have not only assisted him in the act of murder, I've actually violated the sixth commandment.

Argues that failure to defend oneself or family is a sin, reinforcing the duty of self-defense.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does Isaiah 8:20 serve as the ultimate standard for determining whether a war is just or unjust?

[Context]

Weaver begins by establishing that all actions must align with God's Word.

[Question]

In what ways did Simeon and Levi's defense of Dinah cross the line into injustice, and what principles can we draw from this for modern conflicts?

[Context]

Genesis 34 is used as an example of a defensive action that became unjust due to excessive force.

[Question]

Why was Benjamin's defense of the Sodomites in Judges 20 considered unjust, and what does this teach about defending immoral causes?

[Context]

The Benjamites defended wickedness, making their defensive war wrong.

[Question]

How does God's command to submit to Nebuchadnezzar in Jeremiah 27 challenge the idea that all defensive wars are justified?

[Context]

Zedekiah's resistance was against God's will, showing that obedience to God overrides national defense.

[Question]

What does Abraham's offensive war in Genesis 14 teach us about the legitimacy of using force to rescue the innocent?

[Context]

Abraham's rescue of Lot was an aggressive war that received divine blessing.

[Question]

How does the command to destroy Amalek in 1 Samuel 15 illustrate that offensive wars can be just when initiated by God?

[Context]

God commanded an offensive war against Amalek for past sins, showing divine sanction.

[Question]

What can we learn from Pastor Jonas Clark's insistence that the British fire first at Lexington about the importance of maintaining a just cause?

[Context]

Clark wanted to ensure the colonists were in a defensive posture to align with just war teaching.

[Question]

How does Deuteronomy 22:23-27 support the idea that self-defense and defense of others is a biblical obligation?

[Context]

The passage implies a duty to rescue those in danger, which Weaver extends to the obligation of self-defense.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:36:56Z