Why The God Of Peace Is Compelled To Fight

After praising God as "a manly person of war," Moses declared: "Who among the gods is like you, O Jehovah? Who is like you, proving yourself mighty in holiness?" (Exodus 15:11) The prophet Habakkuk similarly wrote: "You are too pure in eyes to see what is bad; and to look on trouble you are not able." (Habakkuk 1:13) Although Jehovah is a God of love, his is also a God of holiness, righteousness and justice. At times, such qualities compel him to use his destructive power. (Isaiah 59:15-19; Luke 18:7) So God does not blemish his holiness when he fights. Rather, he fights because he is holy. -Exodus 39:30.

Consider the situation that arose after the first human couple, Adam and Eve, rebelled against God. (Genesis 3:1-6) Had he tolerated their unrighteousness, Jehovah would have undermined his own position as Universal Sovereign. As a righteous God, he was obliged to sentence them to death. (Romans 6:23) In the first Bible prophecy, he foretold that enmity would exist between his own servants and the followers of the "serpent," Satan. (Revelation 12:9; Genesis 3:15) Ultimately, this enmity could only be resolved by the crushing of Satan. (Romans 16:20) But that judgment act would result in great blessings for righteous mankind, ridding the earth of Satan's influence and opening the way to a global paradise. (Matthew 19:28) Until then, those who sided with Satan would constitute an ongoing threat to the physical and spiritual well-being of God's people. On occasion, Jehovah would have to intervene.

Next time: God Acts To Remove Wickedness

Draw Close To Jehovah, 2002