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Levi Jones

Eye for an Eye Creates a Blind World

The Old Testament is often seen as extremely violent. In fact, for some people it

is so violent they believe that the God of the Old Testament cannot possibly be the same,

loving God found in the New Testament. We will explore the six dimensions of being

created by God. Understanding who God created us to be will help us discern proper

response to violence and war that has become so prevalent in our world. Consistently,

the Old Testament moves the community from a culture of warfare to a culture striving

towards lasting peace. We will see that being created in the image of God empowers us

to interact with our world with a different mindset. It will prepare us to be a community

that upholds and strives for peace to preserve relationship between God, humans, and

created order.

Imago Dei

One of the key issues for the discussion of war is the idea of “Imago Dei.”

Genesis 1 asserts that we were created in the “image of God.” There are implications that

this “image” imposes on our interaction with God, humanity, and created order

(Gonzalez). As such, it is vital to understand these implications so that we might better

understand and answer the question of war and ethics in light of the Old Testament. As

portrayed in Genesis 1 and 2, God created us as: composite creatures, laborers, stewards,

moral creatures, communal creatures, and as equals. These characteristics will structure

our Biblical response to war and violence.

The Value of Human Life

To start, we must first establish that we are composite creatures. We consist of

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both body and spirit together. These are not two distinct, separate components of our

nature. These components are joined and inseparable. In Genesis 2, God formed us from

the dust and breathed the breath of life into us. This “breath” can also be translated as

“spirit” (Unger 1043). Likewise, Ezekiel 37 paints a picture of God making dusty bones

live again by breathing new life into them. This indicates that life is derived from God,

not humanity. Moreover, this picture indicates that people are composed of dirt and

breath, body and spirit. These two components are inseparable aspects of the human

creature. War tends to twist our perspective of the human creature as only body while

ignoring their spirit. This, in a very real sense, makes people just animals. When we

divorce the body from the spirit of a person, we desensitize ourselves to their unique

qualities bestowed by God, an essential quality of their humanity. We also lose a sense

of their meaningfulness to God as a unique, integral part of His created order. As with

Psalm 8:4, we may question, “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man

that you care for him” (NIV)? God places value on every individual.

In Genesis 4 we have the story of the first murder. Cain kills his brother, Abel,

due to jealousy and anger. God states that Abel’s blood cries out to Him from the

ground. God then proceeds to pronounce judgment upon Cain for his sinful action. Why

is Cain’s behavior wrong and destructive? In reality, it is based on the value of human

life instilled by God. More than being a story simply about murder, this narrative shows

disrupted order of brotherly unity and community. Cain has neglected brotherly

responsibility (Brueggemann 60). Despite this neglect by Cain, it is important to note

God’s reaction towards Cain’s violence. Hearing God’s judgment upon him, Cain states

that he cannot bear this punishment. God then shows unbelievable mercy to this
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murderer by marking him with a sign of protection. God chooses mercy over retribution

(Brueggemann 61). Like God, we must seek reconciliation over retribution.

Created to Create/ Shepherding Stewards

People were created to labor in creation and be stewards over creation. These two

concepts are closely connected and difficult to separate, so we will talk about them in

conjunction. God created humanity to add value to creation and not merely toil in

creation. As such, God has empowered us to “govern” over creation as seen in Genesis

1. This is a vital construct of right-relatedness in our interaction with God, people, and

created order. Concerning human life, C. S. Lewis aptly wrote in his book, The Weight

of Glory, “You have never met a mere mortal (15). In other words, life is valuable and

precious. We have a significant role in shaping the lives of others, for the good or the

bad. Erwin McManus, lead pastor of Mosaic in Los Angeles and founder of Awaken,

noted, “A significant part of seizing divine moments is recognizing that God’s intention

is to use us as vessels for good. Not simply to do good, but to generate good, to lead

others toward good” (126). This is a great responsibility not to be taken flippantly. We

were created to be agents of the Divine in the world, to enhance not destroy. This God-

given dominion is not tyranny but rather becoming a servant to and for creation

(Brueggemann 31-35).. As such, creation, including humanity, as God’s good work is

not to be exploited and domineered but nurtured to produce life. This service to creation

can be seen as the preservation and nurture of right relationship between God and

humanity, as well as, human to human relationships.

The idea of stewardship is vastly different from ownership. Martin Buber in his

book, I and Thou, argues that the relationship of an owner is “I-It,” whereas the
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relationship of a steward to an object is “I-Thou-It.” Simply, stewardship involves our

[I] care of creation [It] with and for God [Thou]. The “It” is not under our solemn

control. We are caretakers, shepherds, and servants of creation with and for God. This is

still very much God’s created order, not to be confused as our own (Buber). When we

view ourselves as stewards, we have a true perspective for how we are to treat others.

For instance, in the narrative of 1 Samuel, Israel has demanded a king. Saul consequently

is appointed ruler over Israel. Over time, Saul becomes controlling and self-seeking. He

shifts from seeing himself as God’s appointed servant for Israel to the mindset that Israel

serves him. This attitude leads Saul to make numerous attempts on David’s life due to

the fear of losing “his” kingdom. Wisdom literature, especially the Psalms, label such

pursuit as vain and out of touch with reality. The Psalmist often claims that all of heaven

and earth is God’s domain. We must ultimately answer to God for our stewards, or lack

thereof.

War is often fought out of a sense of ownership. Ownership can take many

forms: resources (including people), national pride, and entitlement. Having a healthy

perspective as stewards, we can relate properly to God, others, and creation. We

correctly understand that we are responsible to others besides ourselves, including the

Creator.

Moral Creatures

God created us with certain boundaries to abide by. Most often these are thought

of as the Law. The Law helps to regulate behavior that is destructive to our relationship

with God and others. One of the most convincing arguments against war is found in the

Decalogue located in Exodus 20:13: “You shall not murder.” Murder is an ethical
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violation of God’s Law because it ruptures and violates relationships. In addition to this

external Law, we have a sense of internal inhibitions. There is a sense that as moral

creatures, we have the concept of wrong versus right. C. S. Lewis commented, “…

human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a

certain way, and cannot really get rid of it” (Horton 165).

What is the origin of war? According to the book of Jeremiah, war and violence

are the result brought about by the sinfulness of communities. War and violence is a

common theme throughout Israel’s history. Several times, as in the book of Jeremiah, the

Israelites are taken into exile. This violence brought against Israel was seen as the

removal of God’s protection from the surrounding nations. War was allowed to come

upon Israel so that they would turn back to God. The book of Judges is also a good

picture of this theme. Israel would turn their back on God, God would allow them to be

taken captive, the people would cry out against their oppression, and God would save

them from their enslavement. War was not simply a punishment but a consequence of

sin.

There are repercussions connected to bloodshed and war, specifically defilement

and disconnection. 1 Chronicles 22, 28, and 1 Kings 5 recall the construction of the

temple. It had been King David’s desire to build the Temple of the Lord. However, God

denies David this privilege due to the war and bloodshed he participated in. Solomon,

David’s son, would be the one that would be granted this opportunity. Solomon’s

kingdom would also be marked as a kingdom of peace. In the midst of this peace, God

would erect His Temple.

Person is People
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We cannot escape the fact that we are communal creatures. We identify ourselves

by our language, geography, region, state, city, and ethnicity. In addition, we identify

with people through our education, hobbies, likes/ dislikes, and work. God created us to

be this way, to interact with each other in relationship. Genesis 2 shows us the vital

importance of relationships in composing our identity and make-up. As such, anything

that would destroy community can be seen as being disruptive to God’s will and plan for

humanity. War and violence definitely classify within this category.

Exodus 19:6 gives us a viewpoint of God’s will for His people. He desires for

them to become a community, a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” This call for a

holy community finds its roots in the promise given to Abraham in Genesis 12. God tells

Abram that he will be a great nation and have a great name. In addition, God will bless

Abraham who will in turn bless the nations. God’s community is called to be a blessing

to the nations. As a godly community, we should weigh our actions in regards to the

repercussions they will have on others. We are called to be a community set apart.

Violence is not a part of the original creation set forth by God but is rather a result of the

sin that has pervaded our world.

Another example of community is found within the context of Nehemiah. The

Israelites had been exiled from their land and Jerusalem was in shambles. Nehemiah

gathered the Israelites together to work on rebuilding the city of Jerusalem. The people

worked together to re-fortify the crumbling walls. At the same time, the people stood

watch over the city walls with their weapons to make sure they were not attacked

(Nehemiah 4). Together they protected the city from being attacked and overrun by their

enemies. They did not attack the nations that threatened them but were not ignorant of
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their schemes for destruction. Like the Israelites of Nehemiah, we should endeavor to

live in peace without being naïve about the intentions of the other nations.

God acts in behalf of community throughout the Old Testament. In the book of

Esther, we see a great example, even though God is not explicitly mentioned, of God’s

interaction through an individual for the preservation of a community. Haman, the king’s

right-hand man, designs a plan for mass genocide of the Jews. However, thanks to two

Jews, Esther and Mordecai, the king is warned of this diabolical plan. As a result, Haman

is hung on the very gallows he constructed to kill the Jews. Moreover, Haman’s plan is

thwarted by non-violent partition from Esther. This narrative underlines God’s concern

for the weak and helpless by delivering them from the “powers that be.”

God desires the preservation of community. This is a goal we should endeavor to

live out. War destroys communities, leaving them ruptured. Families are ripped apart.

Life is fissured as a result of such violence. It is important to note God’s concern for

community and we should reflect such concern in and through our lives. Furthermore,

our methods of opposition, as a community of faith, should reflect a non-violent response

and reliance on God’s faithfulness to deliver.

Created as Equals

War and violence generally have the tendency of making one person or group

subdue or bring under control another group. You have likely heard the adage: “Might

makes right.” Scripture consistently does not hold this as a desirable situation. The best

example of equality is found in the first two chapters of Genesis. However, there is a

general concern, at least within the community of Israel, for equality among the people in

the community. One man was not to be subordinate to another.

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In the book of Leviticus, we find the concern outlined in the practice of the Year

of Jubilee. The Year of Jubilee was designed to return the people their land every fifty

years. This was so that the poor people of the community would not continuously be

exploited and own nothing. It was also a way to equalize the social status of the

community. God did not desire for people to rule over other people.

1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles detail the rule of various kings over the

Israelites. Many of these kings were sinful, arrogant, and selfish. They made the life of

the Israelites hard and miserable due to their wickedness. There are only a few examples

of kings that did not have this type of rule (ex. Hezekiah). Yet, the numerous bad

examples far outweigh the good. God had warned the Israelite community about the

dangers of setting a person over them to rule. We can see, even apart from war, God did

not desire for His covenant community to exist under the rule of others.

Psalms also has many examples of laments and cries to God for salvation from the

oppression of the Psalmist and his community by his enemies. These enemies seek the

Psalmist’s life and the life of his people (chapter 9-14, 17, 22, 25-27). These enemies rise

up against the author to rule, overthrow, and destroy him. The lamenter cries to God to

act on his behalf. God then is praised as having acted for the preservation of the author

and the community. God is not a silent bystander. He acts to preserve life and

community. Being created in the image of God, we are called to preserve life and

community.

War poses one person against another. The result is always one person or group

triumphing and subduing others. This is in opposition to God’s will for humanity as a

whole, to live as equals. With this in mind, it is important that we work toward a world
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that promotes equality among individuals. War, as an instrument that creates inequality,

must be opposed and avoided, if at all possible, by God’s people.

Conclusion

God created us in His image. This image should cause us to think about our

reaction to war in a different light. As composite creatures, we are more than just

biological bodies. As such, we are more than just animals, disposable and insignificant.

God created us to be laborers that create and add value to creation rather than destroy it

through such sabotage. In addition, we were fashioned to be stewards for creation, rather

than exploiters, working for the good of creation. We were formed as moral creatures

with good desires. However, these desires can be twisted due to sin. Violence and war

are examples of the corruption of the good. Humans are communal creatures designed

for relationship. Finally, people were created by the Creator to be equals in relationship.

War and violence desecrate and sever relationship, which is in opposition to

God’s will for humanity. As seen in the Garden of Eden, God desires for humanity to

live in peace and right-relatedness to Him and each other. The image of God that we bear

is a call to strive to re-create the order and peace found in this picturesque utopia. The

Old Testament moves toward a desire for lasting peace between all of humanity.

Works Cited

Brueggemann, Walter. Genesis. New York: Geneva P, 1986.

Buber, Martin. I and Thou. Trans. Walter Kaufman and S. G. Smith. New York: Simon &
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Schuster, Incorporated, 1971.

Gonzalez Justo L., Zaida Maldonado Perez. Introduction to Christian Theology. New

York: Abingdon P, 2004.

Horton, Ryan, ed. The Portable Seminary. New York: Bethany House, 2006.

Lewis, C. S. The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses. New York: Harper San

Francisco, 2001.

McManus, Erwin Raphael. Chasing Daylight : Dare to Live a Life of Adventure.

Danbury: Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2006.

Unger, Merrill F. Unger's Bible Dictionary. 3rd ed. Chicago, IL: Moody P, 1980.