LAWS
CONCERNING WARFARE
Chapter 20 of Devarim (Deuteronomy) deals with the laws concerning war. And
the first thing mentioned regarding war is about one of the most powerful
spiritual weapons: faith…
(Deu. 20:1) When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and
chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for
the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the
land of Egypt.
Israel must know that victory over their enemies will not depend in the
size of their army (i.e. horses and chariots), or their military ability, but victory
will come from God, who is their Defender.
(Isaiah 41:12-14) You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall
not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I,
the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you,
“Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men
of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord;
your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
The problem is that people are led by what they see, instead of trusting
the spiritual reality. This is why the Bible says that if an Israelite feel
fear when he sees the enemy, then he shall remember that God is Almighty.
God’s people should learn to defeat fear. And the most powerful weapon to
overcome fear is faith. Paul shows that faith is one of the essential pieces of
the spiritual armor:
(Ephesians 6:16) In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with
which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
Even though the Levites didn’t serve in the army like all the other
tribes, they played a very important role during war.
(Deu. 20:2-4) And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall
come forward and speak to the people and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel,
today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart
faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for
the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you
against your enemies, to give you the victory.’
Before the war, the priest not only encouraged the people but also led
them to put their eyes on God, where victory comes from.
The Torah teaches that before going into physical war, spiritual war must
be waged. The real war takes place in the minds and hearts, and the main enemy
is fear.
WHO SHOULD
NOT PARTICIPATE
The Torah makes a list of people that shouldn’t participate in war. The
common characteristic of all of them is that they don’t have the complete
courage to face the mission they have ahead—for different reasons:
a.
Because of a new house
(Deu. 20:5) Then the officers shall speak to the people,
saying, Is there any man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it?
Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man
dedicate it.
b.
Because of a new vineyard
(Deu. 20:6) And is there any man who has planted a vineyard and
has not enjoyed its fruit? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in
the battle and another man enjoy its fruit.
c.
Because of marriage commitment
(Deu. 20:7) And is there any man who has betrothed a wife and
has not taken her? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and
another man take her.
d.
Because of fear
(Deu. 20:8) And the officers shall speak further to the people,
and say, ‘Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go
back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.
If someone is fearful or has his mind set on something else, it is better
that they don’t fight, because it will undermine the courage of his fellowmen
in the army. Fear is contagious, as we can see in the story of the spies (Deu.
2:28; Num. 13:31-33; Num. 32:9).
AT THE FOREFRONT
In the battle, the commanders shall not hide behind the soldiers but go
in front of them, setting the example.
(Deu. 20:9) And when the officers have finished speaking to the people, then
commanders shall be appointed at the head of the people.
PEACE
OFFERINGS
Before attacking any city, God instructed that the Israelites should first
offer “the terms of peace”:
(Deu. 20:10) When you draw near to a city to fight against
it, offer terms of peace to it.
This is not an invitation to start “peace dialogues” in which both parts
yield something. Rather, it is an opportunity for them to surrender in peace,
without the need to go into battle. No one has to die if they surrender.
(Deu. 20:11) And if it responds to you peaceably and it opens to you, then all the
people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you.
The definition of peace in the bible is: everyone surrendering to the
order of God. That is the way that real peace is achieved. That was the peace
that David achieved after defeating the enemies that opposed him.
(1 Chronicles 22:18) Is not the Lord your God with you? And has
he not given you peace[a] on every side? For
he has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is
subdued before the Lord and his people.
David said these words at the end of his reign, when he had already
conquered all the territories of the Promise Land (for in the times of Joshua, some
places where left unconquered, and some enemies where still living amongst them—
Joshua 11:19-20; Judges 1).
IF THE ENEMY
DOESN’T SURRENDER
What happens if the enemy doesn’t accept to submit?
(Deu. 20:12) But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against
you, then you shall besiege it.
“Besiege” is to surround a city with the purpose of capturing it until it
surrenders or is defeated. Once the city is subdued, what has to be done to the
population and everything that it is found there?
(Deu. 20:13-14) And when the Lord your God gives it into your
hand, you shall put all its males to the sword, but the women and the
little ones, the livestock, and everything else in the city, all its spoil,
you shall take as plunder for yourselves. And you shall enjoy the
spoil of your enemies, which the Lord your God has given you.
These instructions apply only to the cities that are outside of the
Promise Land (Deu. 20:15); but for those populations inside Israel’s territory,
God instructs not to leave a living soul.
(Deu. 20:16) But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God
is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes.
Why such a severe treatment for the Canaanites? For the simple fact that
if they don’t eliminate them, the Israelites will eventually die because of
their bad influence:
(Deu. 20:18) that they may not teach you to do according to all
their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so
you sin against the Lord your God.
If they had surrendered to God, then they would have been saved. But history
shows that none of the Canaanite cities accepted the peace offering, only the
people of the city of Gibeon.
(Joshua 11:19-20) There was not a city that made peace with the people of
Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took them all
in battle. For it was the Lord's doing to harden their
hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should
be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be
destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
Even though the Gibeonites made peace by deception, they finally
surrendered to Israel and served by carrying water and wood for the temple
(Joshua 9).
TREES
The Torah also instructs the Israelites to be careful not to destroy the
trees, in the process of war.
(Deu. 20:19) When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against
it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe
against them. You may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the
trees in the field human, that they should be besieged by you?
They shall not destroy the trees because they could provide food for
them. The only type of tree that they were authorized to cut is the ones that
do not produce fruit. The wood could be used for construction purposes.
(Deu. 20:20) Only the trees that you know are not trees for food you may
destroy and cut down, that you may build siege works against the city that
makes war with you, until it falls.
SLAVES OF WAR
In chapter 21 we can find another law of war, and we will go over it now:
In ancient wars, part of the victor’s booty were the people, who were
taken as slaves. In the case of women, it was common to be taken as sex slaves.
But the Bible make it clear that the Israelites are not allowed to do this. If
an Israelite wants a woman, he must make her his wife (and not take her just
for his pleasure).
(Deu. 21:10-13) When you go out to war against your enemies, and
the Lord your God gives them into your hand and you take them
captive, and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you desire
to take her to be your wife, and you bring her home to your house, she
shall shave her head and pare her nails. And she shall take off the
clothes in which she was captured and shall remain in your house
and lament her father and her mother a full month. After that you may go
in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife.
In all wars, there is usually a lot of abuse and rape. But God requires a
higher standard from his people. It is not permitted for the Israelites to have
intimate relations with a woman unless it is his wife.
More posts on the book of Deuteronomy: Devarim
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