THE CURRENT CEASEFIRE between Israel and Hamas was finally signed after 469 days of intense war and three hostages were initially freed by Hamas. But still the wars between Israel and Hezbollah, then Israel and Yemen, then between Russia and Ukraine continue to escalate. These conflicts confirm the paradox that going to war to achieve peace is only illusory.
The Endless Cycle of Conflict: A Grim Reality
These modern-day conflicts expose humanity’s inability to break free from the cycles of endless violence. Ceasefires does not end wars, but may just be a lull of the moment to war’s fierce continuation later. Nevertheless, we must give peace a chance at all cost, in all ways.
These wars, from past to present, are justified as necessary to secure peace, yet they leave in their path unimaginable devastations, destructions, diseases and death.
History noted that World War I did not stop war; instead, it set the stage for World War II, which will also set the stage for a nuclear Armageddon in World War III. The “war to end all wars”, promised in World War I then, was just an illusory rhetoric than a reality. The wars that intended to end all violence often ends up perpetuating it.
Thus, we go to war to stop a war, so war has not ended.
The Foolishness of Starting a Conflict
The tragic event of October 7, 2023, like countless others in history, serve as a stark reminder of the uncontrollable nature of violence once unleashed.
When Hamas treacherously attacked Israel in October 7, this aggressor’s celebration of victory was only short-lived. Israel unleashed its revenge that devastated every life, street, nook and alley in the Gaza Strip. Not a building survived the IDF’s brutal carpet-bombing spree. The maze of underground tunnels was also obliterated in fire and fury.
Wars know no boundaries. No controlling traffic lights. The kill-switch for war is non-existent. The reset button for war is illusory. Its destruction is limitless.
Proverbs 17:14 (BSB) warns, “To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so, abandon the dispute before it breaks out.” This biblical wisdom underscores the folly of initiating conflicts – be it domestic or cross borders – as it only leads to surefire retaliation and massive devastation, both to the victims, its aggressors, and the entire geopolitical order.
The Anatomy of War
These common views about war are true: that war emanates from geopolitical rivalries, ideological disagreements and conflicting economic interests. But in essence, these are only symptoms of a much greater malady.
Let’s revisit the biblical account of the first ever conflict known to man. The Bible’s account of Cain who murdered his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8) demonstrates how godlessness, or having no fear of God, results to greed which leads to envy and anger resulting to violence by inflicting merciless harm and death to a fellow human being, or even to one’s own brother by blood.
Ever since that day, every conflict and war in this world followed Cain’s signature template and is unchanged – in its anatomy and outcome – in our generation and the next.
The Cause of War: The Human Heart being Inherently Evil
The real culprit in any war – be it between family members, rivalries between business competitors, or between warring clans and nations – is firstly man’s unregenerated and godless heart that is inherently evil. Man, and not machine, is firstly the brain that causes the hand to pull the trigger.
Without the fear of God, like Cain’s, a human heart is capable to spew unvarnished greed, a conceited pride, deep-seated envy, extreme hate, murderous instincts, willful revenge and is capable to inflict evil destruction to another.
Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT) said, “The human heart is the most DECEITFUL of all things, and desperately wicked; who can understand it?” The heart being referred to here is the seat and center of every man’s wellbeing – how his mind thinks, how his heart feels, how his emotions react, how he makes choices that impact others.
War, at its core then, is more than just a failure of diplomacy and humanity. Evil is firstly not a failure of systems, but essentially a failure of substance. And the heart is the core substance of every human being. A defective heart is a destructive one capable for any evil deed imaginable.
All wars begin with evil design conceived first, and which lurks within the human mind, then emboldened by a godless heart, fueled by selfish pride and without empathy for another.
Then, at its peak, that heart can unleash evil deeds – through ideological, territorial, or resource-driven disputes – that end up in war at its worst.
The Staggering Cost of War
Regrettably, the toll of war extends far beyond the battlefield. First, it’s the massive loss of lives; then the displacement of war refugees that drain limited resources; then the economic ruin and collapse due to a nation’s shattered infrastructures and services; then the environmental impact that leaves destruction to our planet affecting ours and the future generations. Yes, the toll of
wars is horribly endless.
Reflecting on the Cycle of War
Ecclesiastes 3:8 states, “A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” While this acknowledges the inevitability of conflict in human history, it also calls for discernment. How often has war, when intended to bring peace, has instead perpetuated more violence?
Can we really stop a war by going into another war? Then, if it were true, our world would have been exceedingly peaceful since a long, long time ago. But this narrative is patently untrue.
Wars always create unwanted collaterals. After the Iraq war was won, ISIS was born. After the Afghan war cleared, the Taliban emerged. Thus, these new war fronts have begun.
The Call to Peace
Isaiah 2:4 envisions a world where nations “shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore~” O God, we pray, when shall humanity learn to unlearn war?
This vision challenges humanity to break the cycle of war by choosing and cultivating peace. It calls us to confront the root causes of conflict with courage, and an unwavering commitment to justice, all under the guidance of God.
Thus, this becomes essentially true: “For evil to prosper, it is enough that good men do nothing”.
Wars will not End until we Stop Viewing them as Solutions
True peace requires more than treaties but firstly, the transformation of the human heart – one that subscribes to God’s design for peace resulting to reconciliation, rebuilding and restoration.
TO FINALLY END Cain’s murderous DNA that runs deep in each of us, let us heed this admonition: “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.” (Proverbs 3:7)
It is a daunting task, but one that aligns with the highest aspirations of humanity and the divine call for an authentic change of heart (Read Ezekiel 36:26-27). That change is essentially true for humanity to find its salvation. To neglect it is to endlessly wallow as victims of war’s damnation./PN
