Objections Answered | 7

7. We Are Told To Seek Counsel When Waging War

Objection.

“Every purpose is established by counsel, and with good advice make war.”

“By wise counsel thou shalt make war,” etc.

Here, war is recognized as a duty under certain circumstances, and the manner in which it is to be undertaken is pointed out: namely, by wise counsel.

Answer.

The inspired Proverbs are maxims of wisdom illustrated. For the most part, they were delivered by some familiar subject that existed at the time.

The object here is not to inculcate the lawfulness of war but the necessity of sound wisdom in relation to the actions of men; and the subject of war appears to be introduced merely to illustrate this idea.

The counsel and wisdom of men in relation to their temporal and worldly concerns are often worthy of imitation in reference to spiritual things;

for the children of this world are, in some sense, wiser in their generation than the children of light, and the conduct of worldly men is often very appropriately introduced to illustrate Christian duty.

Our Lord said,

“What king, going to war with another king, sits not down first, and consults whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?”

Doubtless our Lord’s design was to warn people to count the cost before they professed to be followers of him, that they might not be deceived and discouraged, and that they might act from principle and not from hypocrisy.

But he inculcated these things by referring to the example of kings in their consultations about war, and it is believed that the passages cited previously are of similar import.

These references to war, being introduced merely for the illustration of other subjects, will no more prove the lawfulness of war than the reference of the apostle to the Olympic games, for illustration, will prove the lawfulness of those heathen feats.

But if this explanation should not be satisfactory, it may be observed that the Proverbs were written under the Old Testament economy which tolerated offensive as well as defensive war:

Therefore, it does not appear that any war can be undertaken under the present dispensation, “by wise counsel,” except that which is spiritual;

so that, if the ancient was typical of the new dispensation, then the passages quoted will now apply only to spiritual warfare.