Lesson 2 Key Human Issues: War and Peace
A. Overall Lesson Objective
•To understand that a biblical world view can explain conflict or peace, so we understand that God knows all things and can provide guidance to walk through both.
B. Learning Competencies
•Conflict and war involve extreme circumstances and behavior, but God, from the beginning, is aware of these things. Like Genesis, the New Testament record illustrates that our personal conduct in these times is still under scrutiny.
•Times of peace are the same in this sense: God eyes our peaceful times but His Record shows more concern for peace within hearts. The Bible draws attention to the differences between real peace and peace that does not reach or affect the heart.
•Peace is a popular lure for people, but if it does not involve the same kind of peace that He gives as we choose to walk in a relationship with Him, then it is not the same type or caliber of peace.
C. Lesson
Overview
Many types of media spend an inordinate amount of time on human conflict. Wars and rumors of wars are forecast by the Bible to be prevalent in the last days. History illustrates the incredible cost of human conflict. At the same time, there is a general sense of a need for peace, but is it real peace? Organizations espouse the value of peace and spend trillions in currency to promote it. Is this concept of peace an answer to all the problems? These are significant questions. This lesson provides a biblical creation context to war and peace.
🦕 CT? Using the results of the homework, the teacher will use them to identify students’ assessments of God’s awareness of war and peace. Reference verses: Luke 3:14, John 14:27
🦕 CT? Explain God’s awareness of degrees of violence? (Genesis 6:13)
War
War and peace are relative terms about whether parts of mankind get along with other parts. While God’s standards of behavior have not changed, one must realize, as we have said, that mankind is fallen (Lessons 8-9). He sins from birth but is given chances to reach out to God (Acts 17:26-27). In the course of life, people and nations can be in conflict or peace but have opportunity to reach to God in both situations. Both are addressed in the scripture in terms of actual people and events or by what God says or does not say about people in roles during war or peace. Consider the following two examples:
1.The Centurion visits Jesus in Matthew 8:5-13. Context is critical. Jesus was Jewish by ancestry; the Jews were governed by force in those days; they paid the Roman Empire money in the form of taxes while events cited in the Gospels were happening. A Centurion, responsible for carrying out part of this governing, came with a need. Jesus, the same One who made the universe and earth, did not give (and never did give) a lecture about Rome or tell the centurion to change his profession. He received him, heard his need, and commented on his faith. The Centurion’s servant was healed. The local Jewish leaders must have been very agitated. In another portion of the Bible, John the Baptist spoke to soldiers who were convicted of their sins and asked Him what they should do. John did not lecture them about their place as soldiers, but He told them not to abuse their authority as soldiers on the job. Who is this God that does these things? He recognizes that the harshest of human behaviors are present with us but addresses how we are to act as individuals in these affairs! Notice, also, God’s attitude toward the authority of rulers in Romans 13:1-7 and their role in restraining sin in a fallen world.
2.God permits harsh economic things and even war. Sometimes, He causes them to happen to get people to repent. Is your God big enough to oversee such affairs? It is the same God Who created the universe that does it. God can even use unbelieving, evil men to achieve His purposes, for example, using conquest by pagan rulers to bring judgment upon His people Israel. There are also examples where He uses unbelieving, pagan rulers to bring them blessing, like what occurred when the Persian king Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild the temple. Now read Amos 4. Consider what God is doing to get a people’s attention. This is not a comfortable portion of scripture, but God knows the heart of every person, each little village, and each little family in the fields around the area when this chapter was written. War happens, too, in some of these verses. Read it prayerfully. This is the Creator God who knows everything and recognizes that we tend not to respond to Him. But, He perseveres to get our attention—even in harsh circumstances. Note the last few verses, where God identifies Himself as the God of Creation.
Peace
The lure of false peace is a biblical theme with a lesson that comes from a biblical view of creation. There are several portions of the Bible where peace, by man’s standards, was declared false by God. War is certainly a terrible thing and full of violence. Peace, on the other hand, can seem very nice. In its non-godly form, however, it is just as damaging as war. How can this be? God recognizes true peace from false peace just as He recognizes the difference between peace in the heart and temporary peace that does not touch or help the heart of man. Consider the kind of peace that God addressed in John 14:27, which He said was different compared to the peace that the world gives. What does the world say is peace? A typical definition of peace means we are not beating each other up in a large conflict. But are we at peace with God? Remember the days of Noah? God said every thought of every man was evil, which included every human body without exception—little ones, old ones, young maidens, young men. No exceptions were made except for Noah. God made the judgment; His assessments are without error. This was not referring to war in a classic sense as we know it. External war, however, is not what is described. People were being married just as if this was a normal time (Matthew 24:37-40). But was it normal? God says the violence in men’s hearts was so bad it could not be repaired or changed (Genesis 6:5-7). Then it is not a surprise that God said that the message of the Gospel does not cause ‘peace’; it causes conflict as our world views are challenged as they are confronted with the difference in God’s statements about mankind compared to our notions. Jesus addressed the same issue in Luke 12:49-53. In parallel with popular concepts of pursuing peace, most people have a notion that the world (people in it) are getting better; this conclusion is also evident from an evolutionary world view. God disagrees. The biblical creation view is the opposite: God created all things “good,” but they were infected by sin; we got worse. The Bible is clear: the inclination of our hearts is not peaceful without God’s remedy (to believe in Jesus Christ)—no matter how peaceful the world appears to be.
Conclusion
One can see from these portions of the Scripture that God is not oblivious to our warring or peaceful ways, although He works through circumstances in both. He knows that all was good before man fell; He also knows things have not been good since then. However, He provides Himself as the source of true peace in the soul of a man through belief in Jesus Christ. We cannot easily fathom how He works in multiple and radically different circumstances (from war to things that seem peaceful), but we forget that He is the Perfect Overseer and Counselor and Helper in time of need or blessing. The whole book of Job speaks to such a situation. Job could not see his real situation. God could. Would you expect anything different from an Eternal Creator God, who was able from mankind’s beginning to see our frailties, failures, and violent ways, yet be perfect in His judgment and extend mercy as appropriate?
🦕 CT? If a God were not able to completely understand man’s behavior of war and peace, would He be truly Eternal God? Why or Why not?
D. Assignment
Using history books or online resources, estimate the number of countries and people affected since 2000 by large disasters, diseases, or famines. The numbers may be hard to obtain, so provide a general estimate for only five.
E. Learning Activity
A father and mother have three sons. They love them all. There was a recent war on the border of their country. One son objected to killing on religious grounds and had been jailed for 3 months. One son was a decorated officer, whose platoon killed the most enemy in a short time compared to all other units. A third son worked for the U.N. and had tried to negotiate a peace before the battle occurred that had yielded the deaths in the neighboring country—at the hands of the second son’s platoon. None of these sons are currently getting along, and they are bitter toward each other. You, the parents, as Christians, must say something to help the situation. What will you say? Use the lessons learned from the class to formulate your fatherly speech and advice. List and discuss the major points.
F. Concluding Assessment
God is aware of our warring ways and our efforts to bring peace to the earth without Him. Knowing Him is the solution to such matters of the heart.