God and Arms

One of the things that I enjoy doing is trying to dispel what I think are some of the erroneous views of Jesus.  The one we will look at today is pacifist Jesus. 

One of the Scriptures most often cited is the turn the other cheek passage.  They claim that this passage shows clearly that Jesus was a pacifist and that we should never fight back.  They also like to suggest that it is somehow a lack of faith to be prepared to defend ourselves.  "If you really had faith then you'd let God take care of you".  To counter that I often quote Luke 22:35 and 36.

Luke 22:35-37(NKJV)

35And He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?” So they said, “Nothing.”

36Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. 

37For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ £ For the things concerning Me have an end.”

You can see here that the first part of the passage is Jesus saying that the first time He sent the disciples out He told them to depend totally on God for everything. 

The second time He sent them out Jesus tells them that essentially they are going to have to take some responsibility for their provisions and safety.  Specifically Jesus tells them that if they don't have a sword they should sell their cloak and get one.

Now if Jesus is such a pacifist, why would He tell the disciples that they needed to arm themselves and be ready to defend themselves. 

Another tenants of our faith is that God and Jesus are one and are therefore always in agreement.  So if Jesus is a pacifist then God would have to be one as well.  That makes sense doesn't it? 

Well look what I ran across today.

Nehemiah 4:13-18(NKJV)

13Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 

14And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

15And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work. 

16So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah. 

17Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. 

18Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me.

If God is a pacifist why did He encourage His people to be armed and ready to fight?

As I've said many times, the Bible is a book of balance and I think you will see that demonstrated here. 

Just as in the New Testament where we having Jesus telling us that sometimes we need to depend on God and sometimes we need to be prepared to provide the manpower, we see a similar situation in the Old Testament.

There are many examples of battles in the OT where God essentially said "Step aside folks, I got this one".

But as the passage above shows, there are times where He put the weapons in the hands of the Jews and said "You need to do the work on this one.  I'll be there to help but you need to take the lead on this one". 

We see essentially the same message from both God and Jesus.  They are in agreement and no they aren't pacifists!

So how do you know when to depend on God and when you need to defend yourself?  I would suggest listening to the Holy Spirit and let Him guide you.

What's that?  How do you get the Holy Spirit?  That's easy.  Just accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  Just ask Jesus to come into your life and take over, guide you.   Have a conversation with Jesus.  "Dear Jesus…."