Brave Rifles: The Theology of War

By Bradford Smith

What does God think about me killing all these people?

This one question haunted SSG Stephen Conway, from hell-on-earth in Ramadi, Iraq to his home that became a battlefield.
Brave Rifles takes you there, puts the gun in your hand, your finger on the trigger, the enemy before you, then walks you through the Sacred Scriptures to apply the healing salve of God’s word to those stricken by the horrors of war.

What does God think about war?
Should a Christian fight?
What about Jesus? The Ten Commandments?
What about atrocity?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Olivia Kimbrell Press
• Release date: Nov 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9781681901107

Book preview

No Higher Call

by

Published by

Olivia Kimbrell Press™

If only one…

Copyright Notice

Brave Rifles: The Theology of War

First edition. Copyright © 2017 by Bradford Smith. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or recording — without express written permission of the author. The only exception is brief quotations in printed or broadcasted critical articles and reviews. This book is a work of nonfiction. Specific names and places of individuals and towns may have been changed in order to protect the privacy of those involved or where required by law in the case of minor children.

PUBLISHED BY: Olivia Kimbrell Press™*, P.O. Box 470, Fort Knox, KY 40121-0470

The Olivia Kimbrell Press™ colophon and open book logo are trademarks of Olivia Kimbrell Press™. *Olivia Kimbrell Press™ is a publisher offering true to life, meaningful fiction from a Christian worldview intended to uplift the heart and engage the mind.

Some scripture quotations courtesy of the King James Version (KJV) of the Holy Bible. Some scripture quotations taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible® (HCSB), Copyright© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Some scripture quotations courtesy of the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Holy Bible, Copyright© 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas-Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Original Cover Art by Amanda Smith (www.amandagailstudio.com)

Library Cataloging Data

Names: Smith, Bradford (Smith Bradford) 1973-

Title: Brave Rifles; The Theology of War / Bradford Smith

448 p. 6 in. × 9 in. (15.24 cm × 22.86 cm)

Description: digital eBook edition | Print on Demand edition | Trade paperback edition | Kentucky: Olivia Kimbrell Press™, 2017.

Summary: The warrior before God from the Bible to the battlefield.

Identifiers: ISBN-13: 978-1-68190-110-7 (ebk.) | 978-1-68190-108-4 (POD) | 978-1-68190-109-1 (trade)

1. military theology God 2. soldier prayer war 3. relationship suicide 4. justified warfare honor 5. trauma atrocity PTSD6. Jesus combat love 7. US Army fight win

Introduction

Introduction

The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools…Thucydides 460-400BC

Preparatory Fires

Saturday, February 27th

You’re up, Mike confirmed. We need you.

My heart leaped in my chest and butterflies flooded my gut right there by the milk section of the local Wal-Mart.

I hadn’t been to the show in a few years and even worse, I had been left behind to command the rear detachment on a recent deployment, a fate far worse than death as anyone who has endured this indignity will attest. Few things humble a soldier like watching your brothers-in-arms head to battle without you. I remember telling my boss, a great friend of mine and an officer for whom I have tremendous respect, that I would never forgive him for leaving me behind. Unfortunately, it made the most sense.

Nevertheless, I stewed in the rear for ten excruciating months, concerning myself with trivialities, inspections, unit statistics and measurements, all manner of garrison whitewashing. Meanwhile, my comrades covered themselves in glory on the battlefield, taking the fight to the wicked men and entities who stand opposed to all that we cherish. They performed magnificently.

They didn’t lose a single soldier in combat though we lost six on rear detachment. Pride swelled my heart on the day my brothers stepped off the plane, any bitterness quickly forgotten amidst the joyous reunification of family and friends. I hadn’t realized how my heart yearned to be there alongside and what a bitter pill it had been to swallow, staying behind.

When I got my orders sending me back to the unit, I quickly got on the horn and started gathering information. I called the executive officer, an old friend of mine, who let me know they were expecting me and might need me for a short deployment. Surprised, I told him I was more than available and would be honored but didn’t think too much about it. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to get the nod.

So I was more than surprised when I ran into Mike and he confirmed.

Where to? I inquired.

Iraq.

The subtle humor of two middle-aged men lingering near the milk section of Wal-Mart discussing a secret war against ISIS while trying to maintain control of our kids struck me. Not wanting to violate operational security any further, I didn’t ask any more questions. I told him I intended to sign back into the unit in a week or so and I’d come get an operational lay-down.

Iraq. I hadn’t been to Iraq since 2010 and frankly, never intended to return. As a matter of fact, I prayed in earnest that the fight would end such that my sons would never have to fight there. The good Lord was going to give me another chance to make good on this desire.

I hardly heard a thing as I finished off the grocery list Ami had sent with me. Memories flooded my brain, memories of days long gone, of battles fought and brothers lost. My mind immediately began to visualize what I’d be doing, who I’d be with, the steps and things I needed to accomplish to get there. I needed to get a read-on, an operational lay-down. I needed to get some new kit, get to the range. I needed to update powers of attorney and any other paperwork…and I needed to tell Ami.

That last part was always the hardest. My wife is the greatest trooper I know, yet for some reason, I always hesitated to tell her and I do mean always, perhaps searching for the right time, as if there were such a thing. One particular incident highlighted my ridiculous attempts to handle my wife with the kid gloves I seemed to think were necessary.

I had just returned from a stint in Iraq, maybe two months long—my unit deployed on frequent but short in duration trips, unlike the yearlong deployments that became customary across most of the Army. About a week after returning, I got word that we were dispatching a group back to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban. I had not been to Afghanistan since 2003 as fighting in Iraq consumed most of our unit since the invasion. I immediately began lobbying the headquarters to send my company.

I assembled my planners, a few big brains from the company, and we produced some quick charts, replete with multi-color bar graphs and timelines that showed why it made complete operational sense to send us. Chris, my senior warrant officer, advised caution, A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. We were offering to bear the burden up front in exchange for some slack at a later date. Chris turned out to be 100% correct, not that I’d ever tell him.

But, we got what we wanted. I would deploy my company to fight the Taliban on their turf, the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan. I never suspected that I’d spend the next three years in and out of that God forsaken desert. Leaving in two weeks, I knew time was already short. Now, how to tell Ami?

With a heavy heart, I drove home from work that day. I’d only been back a week. What would she say? How would she react? What about the girls? Would they cry? It was a sweaty July afternoon as I pulled up to our home. Ami, a serial reorganizer, had the garage door up and most of our junk strewn across the driveway. Instantly, she could tell something was wrong as I plodded up the driveway, my feet heavy.

I plopped down and just spat it out. I’m deploying again.

When?

Two weeks, I muttered, choking back tears. Looking up, I’m sorry, baby.

How long?

Two, maybe three months.

She hesitated for maybe a second and then, Does this mean you’ll be home for Christmas now?

What was this? A glimmer of hope? More than likely, I offered hesitantly.

Then go knock it out and get back to us for Christmas.

My spirit soared! I couldn’t believe what a trooper my wife was though I don’t know why I doubted. She came into our marriage a young, naive twenty-something-year-old and then a year later, the war started. I spent the next decade coming and going while she held the fort down and raised our girls. I cannot imagine how difficult that must’ve been but she never complained. Her only demand was that when I was home, I was home.

Though I hated leaving her and the girls, coming home always made it worthwhile and almost worth going in the first place. It was the good-byes. I dreaded the good-byes almost more than the deployment itself. The days just before leaving were always ferociously painful and absolutely excruciating. I just wanted to get there, get the clock punched, and get home.

I had a switch. I discovered it years before at the airport. I don’t remember when it was or where I was going, but Ami and the girls drove me to the airport as I was flying commercial on this particular deployment. At the airport, all three of the girls were misbehaving, acting out in anticipation of me being gone. I struggled between not wanting to fuss at them in our last few moments together and wanting them to calm down. As I embraced Ami a man approached and interrupted. Though I was not in uniform, he must’ve gathered what he was witnessing.

Excuse me, Sir. Are you a deploying soldier? He asked.

I am.

I didn’t want to interrupt, but just wanted to thank you for your service.

I gratefully accepted his thanks before turning back to my family. With a heavy heart, I bid Ami farewell, kissed the girls and gathered my things. Once I cleared security, I quickly occupied a seat behind a large sign that would conceal me a bit and I sat down and—don’t judge me—cried, quietly, periodically peeking to ensure no one was watching. After a minute, I gathered myself, girded up my loins, and uttered an internal, Okay, let’s do this.

I flipped the switch. Good-byes complete; time for business. I could press start on the countdown clock and anticipate the first warm embrace of my beautiful wife and the joyous squeezes from my girls.

Now, though, I had to tell Ami once more and as I had not deployed in a few years, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. We had also since added the boys to the clan.

I hesitated for my usual day or two before I finally just blurted it out, The unit’s deploying me.

When?

About the 1st of May.

How long?

Maybe two months.

Okay.

That’s it.

Yes.

It should be my last one.

Okay.

Well okay, I finally responded, not quite sure what to say. I’ll tell the people. I had become unfortunately infamous in my home for forgetting to tell the girls when I was leaving to go out of town. Vowing not to replicate the error, I set about informing the people.

Daddy’s going to fight the bad guys, I confided in my little guys. I had intermixed our nightly bedtime stories with frequent tales from the battlefield so they were well versed in the need and duty to fight the bad guys.

My girls received the news with the matter-of-fact nature that only a military family will ever understand. I knocked on my youngest daughter’s bedroom door. I have cancer and I’m deploying, I told her as she peeked out, wasting no time with sugar-coating—I had recently been diagnosed with a basal cell carcinoma on my head, mild skin cancer.

When?

First of May for two months.

You’ll miss my birthday, she informed me. I hung my head in repentance.

I’ll make it up to you.

It’ll cost you, she smiled wryly.

I loved my girls. It was all set. Ami knew. The people knew. Almost time for business. A nearly forgotten sense of anticipation stirred my soul.

There are few things more exhilarating than leading men into battle. I recalled strapping on my kit…body armor, helmet, magazines, weapon, get it up and get it on, feeling invincible, powerful, united with men of steel from throughout the ages, a brotherhood of knights standing firm against the forces of darkness, preparing to descend from the blackness of night onto the unsuspecting heads of our enemies, visiting the wrath and judgement of a righteous and angry God unto the wickedness of evil men.

Seared in my memory is the gruff chorus, the guttural hum of engines starting, the synchronized whir of the rotors, the wind and driving sand, the airframe trembling in anticipation as the throttle was advanced to full open, the boys loaded, weapons and radios checked, and the uneasy silence on the net as the armored fist of martial supremacy waited to strike, poised to pounce and unleash hell and hellfire. I exalted. Rarely have I felt more alive, more real, than when marching lockstep with my brothers into a fight. Fear and uncertainty coupled with the quiet confidence of your own readiness, your own preparation, and the determined heart of the man on your left and right. Would I still have what it took?

Ever since I was a boy, I dreamed of fighting, leading men into battle and now it seemed, the Lord was offering me one more chance. I prayed that I still had what the men needed. I prayed for our victory. I prayed that I would honor the Lord, our God during this unsuspected, but welcome hour of testing. I’m sure that my heart might just beat right out of my chest.

Chapter 1

1. Approaching Jericho

As Joshua surveyed the Wadi Qelt prior to the siege of Jericho, a man stood before him bearing a sword. Joshua approached the man and asked, Are you for us, or for our adversaries? The man responded, No; but I am the commander of the Army of the LORD. Now I have come. At this, Joshua fell to his knees in the dirt and worshiped him saying, What does my lord say to his servant? (v. 14b) The man beheld Joshua and responded, Take off your sandals… for the place where you are standing is holy.

Joshua 5:13-15b

First Things

Brave Rifle, Joshua stands as one of you, one of us, speaking directly from the pages of Scripture. The Bible, God’s direct revelation to us, brims with the desperate sounds of battle: clashing swords, driving chariots, the battle cry of a thousand warriors. Blood is spilled. Nations rise. Kingdoms fall. Through it all, the Lord our God sits high and lifted up, searching hearts and testing men. (Romans 8:27)

Men perpetuate a damaging myth concerning the reality of Jesus Christ that resonates throughout the Church and western society. Popular accounts almost always depict Jesus in a certain way—soft and kindly, loving and forgiving, gentle and meek, likely pacifistic, definitely non-threatening. He would make no demands or do no harm.

In essence, modern day Jesus is a woman.

He exists, complete with European good looks and wind-blown hair, as a warm and fuzzy character, affable and sensitive, yearning in His heart for you. This faux Jesus heads an increasingly feminized Church, a church from which men flee in droves.

Men flee the contemporary love songs sung to Jesus. Men can scarcely stomach the endless line of pretty young men who croon incessantly about how they’ve fallen in love with Jesus. Men throw up in their mouths a little bit each time they sit before stylish and manicured preachers who prattle on about how Jesus just loves absolutely everybody.

We possess no need for a docile Jesus or a safe Jesus. The contemporary caricature of Jesus lacks the breadth of the true person of Christ.

Let us learn about war and those conducting it. Let us examine the corporate aspects of bloodshed and refuse enlightenment from the usual fathers, though their commentary may prove useful. Instead, let us seek illumination from the Warrior of all warriors, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Lord, Christ Jesus.

He is a fierce warrior. He is a proud warrior. He is a powerful warrior, giving no quarter to His enemies, destroying nations, shattering kingdoms, ruling all with a rod of iron. He presently sits at the right hand of God on high until all of His enemies yet kneel as His footstool. (Hebrews 10:13, Psalms 110:2) On that day, He will return in power and glory and set all things right, settling accounts, reconciling the books forever. At His very name, at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father Almighty. (Philippians 2:10,11)

Is this the Jesus you learned about in vacation Bible school?

Jericho and Ai

Consider Jericho. Joshua miraculously forded the Jordan River at the head of an army of 40,000. On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life. (Joshua 4:14) Israel trembled with anticipation at the fulfillment of an ancient promise, a promise to the entire nation and indeed, to all nations.

Sitting just west of the Jordan River Valley, Jericho stood as the keystone to the entire conquest, the lynchpin that must fall should the rest of Canaan follow suit. Joshua, bold in his convictions and bearing the Ark of the Covenant at the head of his army, marched on Jericho while the king and his people braced for the onslaught.

Joshua wisely dispatched two spies to scout out the city who sought refuge in the home of Rahab the prostitute (Joshua 2)—here I’ll refuse a generalized statement concerning the moral ambivalence of the average spy! Under interrogation, Rahab lied to the leaders of Jericho and sheltered the spies, allowing them to escape the city from a bedroom window as her home was built into the city wall. In exchange, the spies promised that Israel would spare her household from the coming slaughter.

The spies reported to Joshua, Truly the LORD has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us. (Joshua 3:24) Canaan had observed Israel’s advance for decades. For nearly 40 years, Israel maneuvered in the wilderness near Kadesh-Barnea, just south of Canaan. Frequent contact between them educated Canaan as to Yahweh’s promise and Israel’s intent to invade. Now, Canaan watched helplessly as Israel marshaled for war east of the Jordan River.

They heard of Israel’s skirmishes with Arad and the Amorites. (Numbers 21) They trembled as Israel invaded Heshbon and defeated Sihon following his defiant refusal to grant Israel passage. (Deuteronomy 2) They received reports of the slaughter as Israel devoted to destruction every city, men, women, and children. (Deuteronomy 2:34) Only the livestock survived. King Og of Bashan suffered a cruelly similar fate. (Deuteronomy 3) The Edomites deterred Israel forcing them to circumnavigate their territory, prompting the invasion of Canaan from the east. Jericho shuddered, shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. (Joshua 6:1)

Joshua, at the behest of the commander of the Lord’s army, prepared to tread the holy ground of conquest, intent on fulfilling God’s plan and promise. Israel’s warriors consecrated their hearts for the fight; Jericho awaited the sword.

This would not be a typical siege. At the LORD’s command, Joshua assembled his army and selected seven priests, providing each with a trumpet to march before the ark. Forming a procession, they marched the perimeter of the city, first the men of war, followed by the priests and the ark, and then the rear guard. No one spoke as the priests continually blew their trumpets.

How strange this must have seemed to the people of Jericho. Expecting an attack, perhaps a blockade, maybe an assault on the ramparts, they instead watched this bizarre procession. Imagine the uncertainty. What were they doing? When would they attack?

Israel marched one time in procession around the city for six consecutive days. Jericho would not survive a seventh. On the seventh day, Israel circumnavigated the city seven times, at which point the army shouted as the priests blew their trumpets. Jericho’s walls fell opening the city for invasion. Only Rahab and her household survived as they (Israel) devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword. (Joshua 6:21) They killed the livestock! They killed the women and children, everyone except Rahab and her household, just as God ordered.

Militarily, Israel’s rousing success at Jericho defied all expectations. Word of the victory soon spread and so the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land. (Joshua 6:27) Canaan trembled further. Emboldened, Israel looked to the city of Ai. Situated just west of Jericho, God once more delivered the city up to Israel just as He had Jericho. Following an initial setback, Israel slaughtered the entire population of 12,000. (Joshua 8)

As imminent as total victory must have seemed, Israeli momentum soon flagged. The Gibeonites avoided destruction, essentially deceiving Israel into signing a treaty allowing them to live and remain in the land. (Joshua 9) The remaining Canaanites fought tough, ceding ground but never yielding until the offensive finally stalled. Israel, for a number of reasons we will examine, failed to replicate the initial successes at Jericho and Ai.

Joshua’s eventual death further derailed the invasion and the conquest concluded incomplete, giving way to the historical time of the Judges. Israel’s hopes of peace waned alongside their wavering resolve. The failed invasion would haunt Israel for the remainder of its existence. Perpetual warfare plagued the nation and eventually a series of Gentile kingdoms would subjugate Israel until its destruction in A.D. 70, all stemming from the unfinished conquest of Canaan.

Main Effort

Now these are the nations that the LORD left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before. These are the nations: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the LORD, which he Commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.

Judges 3:1-6

War serves many purported masters. From antiquity, war served the political and economic ambitions of the nation-state and the subsequent defense against rival nation-state aggression serving their own political or economic ambitions. War frequently served religious purposes.

Religion and warfare share a distinguished and sordid historical cohabitation. Men have shed blood on behalf of God for as long as any can remember. Yet, secular examinations of the business of war have neglected examining war with the assumption that a particular religion might be true. They’ve examined war from an external vantage, treating religion as a competing ideology that might drive the impassioned zealotry of certain men. In doing so they have overlooked examination from the actual viewpoint of said ideology.

We will address and examine the issue of war from a decidedly spiritual perspective. The scrupulous student of the Bible proclaims all things as spiritual. All things possess a spiritual component. All people possess an immaterial aspect. Spirituality governs all things, all relationships, all interactions, and all issues. This includes war. Would not a spiritual examination prove useful, essential even?

I don’t intend, in this work, to make a defense of the Christian religion. Though evangelism is not my primary objective, nevertheless as a believer, at some level, evangelism governs my intent. Why would anyone adhere to a system without proclaiming it to be true? This work contains, intertwined with applicable battlefield accounts, certain relevant aspects of my own journey from unbelief to belief. For a more exhaustive exploration of the truth claims of Christianity, explore Lewis’ Mere Christianity or McDowell’s More than a Carpenter.

Perhaps you adhere to another faith. Perhaps you have no religious faith, at least any that maintains bearing upon the reality of your life. I still contend that the enclosed examination might prove useful to you. I could tell you that God’s common grace stipulates that, he makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust, (Matthew 5:46b) that His grace benefits all people, not just Christians. However, the discerning skeptic would instantly recognize the circular logic contained herein.

We will search the Scriptures for what He says concerning war and I’ll leave you to draw whatever conclusions you may. Perhaps, following examination, you may decide to discard these conclusions. Perhaps you will come to recognize that all of creation speaks to the existence of a Creator, even man at his most hostile…especially man at his most hostile.

We will seek a deeper motive concerning war, a truer conviction than previously asserted. We’ll seek to define a distinction between God’s kingdom and worldly kingdoms and associated methods of establishing these disparate realms. We’ll meditate on the idea that all things serve the purposes of God, including war. We’ll examine God’s intentions for the business of war as we glean from our text the following observations:

1. God tests through war and,

2. God teaches through war.

I pray that the Holy Spirit would teach us, enlighten us, and reveal to us truths of God’s word contained in the Bible. God bless you in your pursuit.

Chapter 2

2. Context of the Examination

The rigor of the Christian existence stuns the newly-minted believer. Upon my conversion in 2005, I never imagined the sheer level of inclusiveness insisted upon. I had intended, now that salvation had been taken care of, to return to my previous existence. Almost immediately, the spirit and the flesh began warring with one another. They remain locked at the horns to this day.

Totality of Surrender

The Bible calls the believer to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances. God calls the believer to take up the cross daily, to crucify the flesh daily. Jesus demands absolute surrender of one’s life unto His authority. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Galatians 5:24, Matthew 16:24) Peter, speaking on behalf of the Apostles, declares, See, we have left everything and followed you. (Mark 10:28) The Apostles abandoned everything to follow Jesus—their vocation, their families, their security.

Jesus even calls the believer to abandon that which he loves. To the man desiring to first bury his father, an exceedingly important thing, Jesus declares Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:60) To the man desiring to hesitate for a moment and bid his family farewell, Jesus responds, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62) These declarations, when taken at face value, clash with the selfish, innermost recesses of the residual self. (Romans 6:6)

Jesus’ words in Luke chapter 14 force the issue.

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:26

Jesus calls the believer to hate those he should otherwise love, a difficult prospect demanding an explanation. Jesus does not actually intend hatred toward those He elsewhere calls us to love and to serve. This passage and those previously mentioned call the believer to fully surrender the totality of one’s existence to the authority of Christ.

Jesus does not actually call the believer to hate his family. Speaking in hyperbole, He posits that the believer’s love for Him must be so extreme that in comparison, his feelings towards his family would be as hatred. These ideas did not resonate well within my newly formed heart as a young believer.

I recall a particular encounter early in my walk as God wrestled more and more of my life into His purview. As all that belonged to me continued to dwindle, I shouted in frustration at Ami, It can’t all be about God can it?! God, it would seem, intended exactly that.

From the Soul

Paul writes, Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. (Col. 3:23) The verse literally reads that whatever you do, do it from the soul. Do nothing half-heartedly. Do everything as if you serve the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are a plumber, clear clogged toilet bowls as if working for Jesus. If you are a dentist, drill cavities as if working for Jesus. If you are a barista, brew espresso as if laboring for Christ Himself. Whatever you do, do it from the soul, with all your heart, unto the Lord.

Could this apply to warfare as well? Could one wage war from the soul? Could one wage war unto the Lord?

The Bible calls us to be consumed by the Lord. Matthew records Jesus answering questions concerning the greatest commandment. He responds, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37) Here Jesus referenced the great Shema’, the uniquely monotheistic Hebrew statement of faith, Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:4,5) Jesus’ reference speaks to a totality of the believer’s love for God.

Love God with all that we have, all of our existence. Surrender all things to Him, to His will. These directives confront those wishing to confine their Christianity to a certain sphere of their existence. I assert that my own struggles in this regard likely resemble those of countless brothers. For the believer, the remnants of the dying flesh war with the Spirit concerning dominion until glorification, the final settling of the accounts in death. The unbeliever wrestles yet a different animal, wages a different war.

Interpretations

As we flesh out the idea that God tests and teaches through war, a thorough understanding of means becomes necessary are we to proceed. How do we draw our conclusions? On what basis? Absent a solid grasp of methodology, Judges 3:1-6 will ring hollow.

God has revealed Himself to us in the pages of Scripture. How we interpret Scripture drives our conclusions as indicated by the fact that many arrive at different conclusions about God from the same text.

Context proves decisive in any endeavor. I am a biblical literalist in my interpretive philosophy. I take what the Bible says literally unless it provides a reason to do otherwise. An example of this would be in Galatians when Paul speaks of the covenants,

Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants.

Galatians 4:24

Paul references the true account of Sarah and Hagar but provides in the following text an allegorical interpretation concerning the covenants.

The rich literature of the Bible brims with all manner of literary styles: historical narrative, genealogy, statutes/laws, parable, prophecy, poetry, allegory and apocalyptic writing. When we read the Bible, we must accurately assess the style of literature as we seek an accurate comprehension.

When Jesus presents a parable, we understand this to be a fable-type story generated for the purposes of teaching a lesson. As Jesus described the dishonest manager, we don’t necessarily conclude that Jesus knew a dishonest manager. Perhaps He did, but we concern ourselves with the lesson from the parable. Sometimes Jesus alerts us to the fact that He speaks in parable. Most of the time He does not.

The book of Revelation is the most difficult book in the Bible to understand; after years of study I still tremble at the thought of preaching through it. Everyone desires to know what happens at the end, so what do they do? They flip to Revelation and start reading. Instantly Scripture confronts them with surprising images, confusing scenes, and haunting characters. Will angels literally sound trumpets, pour out bowls, and break seals during a future time of judgment? Perhaps, but I know that Revelation, as an apocalyptic writing, utilizes extreme forms of vivid imagery and intricate symbolism to make various points. Curiously, you’ll find those who waffle on other literal aspects of the Bible resolutely declaring future tribulations and anti-Christs, beasts and dragons and the like, all from a cursory reading of Revelation.

As with any subject, context is decisive. What is the literary context? People turn to Revelation to understand end times events, but skip the vast wealth of previous writings concerning end times—Ezekiel, Daniel, and even Jesus who offers much on the issue in texts such as Matthew chapters 24 and 25.

Historical context provides an equally important factor. What is the historical context of the text? When did it happen? Who wrote it? To whom is the author writing? What is the occasion, what is prompting the author to write? What does the author intend? What was happening at the time?

Neglect of literary and historical context frequently leads to misinterpretation. Consider our tendency to elevate ourselves, to consider ourselves as the focus. Poor biblical interpretation allows us to do exactly this with Scripture, apply texts to ourselves that the author never intended.

Jeremiah 29:11 provides an outstanding example of this,

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

Many take this verse and declare it a promise for themselves or maybe a friend who struggles in a particular way. Look, God has great plans for you! Just look at Jeremiah 29:11. God wants to prosper you, just look, it says it right here in Jeremiah. He has a great plan for you!

With the noblest of intentions, they miss the mark concerning the application of this text. What about the martyrs, the countless number who were burned at the stake or drowned for their faith? Did God not have a wonderful plan for their life? What about the Army private who gave His life to Christ and was killed on a remote mountain in Afghanistan less than a week later? Did God not have a wonderful plan for his life? What about the Apostles? They were tortured, crucified, beaten, and burned, all but John dying a martyr’s death. Did God not have a wonderful plan for their life?

With assurance, I agree that God definitely has a plan for your life. With even more assurance I’ll declare that this plan likely includes suffering of some kind, not what most would call wonderful and prosperous. Jeremiah wrote to the exiles in Babylon, urging them to retain hope. He exhorted them to continue to have children and encourage their children to have children, that He will one day return them to the Holy Land and restore them. Jeremiah declared a blessing upon the children of the exiles, since those he addressed would likely die prior to the return. You want to believe that God has a wonderful plan for your life, plans to prosper you and He may. This text just doesn’t support that idea.

People apply Matthew 18:20, For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them to mean that somehow, when people gather to pray, God draws near as if He magically hears these prayers more clearly. Scripture speaks to the omnipresence of God. He already exists everywhere, in all places. Corporate prayer pleases God, but this text does not support the notion that a gathering produces a special presence or manifestation.

In this passage, Jesus concludes a diatribe on church discipline, confronting the sin of a brother in Christ, gently seeking restoration. After an initial one-on-one confrontation yielding no repentance, the offended party brings in witnesses and eventually the church. Church discipline honors God and requires the presence of two or more and God assures the believer of His presence during these encounters.

I saw Philippians 4:13 on a workout shirt the other day, I can do all things through him (Christ) who strengthens me, as if the presence of Christ would help knock out another rep or shave a few seconds off a time. John 14:13, Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, spawned an entire cottage industry of prosperity preaching. Proclaim it, speak it into existence, ask it in the name of Jesus and it will be done!

Unfortunately, these misapplications enslave a multitude and deceive many into false understandings about God. When reality fails to meet their faulty biblical understanding, they turn to God in anger or even worse, abandon Him entirely.

Context is key, decisive. To fully understand any Scripture we must ascertain its literary and historical context and interpret it through the lens of the entirety of God’s word. Thus the historical-grammatical hermeneutic most faithfully interprets the Bible. We first seek the original meaning, translate it to our context, and only then seek application. The plainest reading and most simple understanding of any passage is always best. As Jesus said to Nicodemus,

If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

John 15:12

I think of Occam’s razor, a principle that declares that all things being the same, the simplest answer is usually the correct one. The more vigorously one must develop a belief or a doctrine, the less likely it is to be true.

The historical-grammatical method requires that I err on the side of the word of God. I may not comprehend exactly how something in the Bible may be true, but if it’s in the Bible I declare it to be true. It just so happens that all of my studies have done nothing but reinforce my belief in the Bible and this method of interpretation, especially considering that I am a math/science type of person. I was raised in a family of engineers. Methodical query is in my genes.

Heresy beckons. As we stray from the historical-grammatical hermeneutic, all things lose their footing; foundations crumble. Modern