Thinking Biblically About the Israel Iran War
Last week, Israeli jets began a stunning assault on Iran, specifically its nuclear warhead and ballistic missile programs. Iran has responded by shooting ballistic missiles into civilian communities in Israel. Although Israel has successfully shot down the vast majority of these missiles, they have not been able, even with US help, to shoot down all of them, leading to destruction all around Israel as well as 24 civilian deaths.
How can we think biblically about Israel’s pre-emptive assault on Iran.
First, self-defense is permitted in the Bible. For example, in Exodus 22:3, if a thief, caught in the midst of a break-in, is killed by a homeowner, then the homeowner is not guilty of manslaughter. Also, in the New Testament (Luke 22:36), the Lord directed his followers to carry a sword, implicitly for their self-defense. Furthermore, Romans 13:4, gives the government a responsibility to use the power of the sword to protect the innocent and to punish the wicked. This demonstrates that the biblical right of self-defense is for governments, not merely for individuals.
Second, the Israeli attack met the standards of Just War theory. Since the time of Augustine, Christian theologians have discussed and determined what could be deemed a just war. Here they are:
1. A war must have a just cause. It can’t just be a war of aggression, to take land or natural resources. In this war, Iran, the world’s worst state sponsor of terror, was close to nuclear breakout. Moreover, Iran, ever since the Islamic revolution, Iran has called for and worked toward the annihilation of Israel. What could be a more just cause than preventing Iran from gaining the ability to carry out yet another Holocaust of the Jewish people.
2. A war must be waged by legitimate authority. No individuals or groups other than the actual government of Israel could take this action. Only the government has been given the sword to act as “God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong” (Romans 13:4).
3. A war must be a last resort. The west has been negotiating and trying to prevent Iran from seeking and fulfilling its nuclear aspirations for some 25 years. Recently, the US president gave the Iranian government 60 days to come to an agreement. When those negotiations failed, Israel acted. Of course, some have argued that Israel should have waited longer. But think of the tragedy that would have resulted if Israel had waited as Iran strung the US along. Afterwards, Israel could no longer take pre-emptive action because by then, Iran would already have nukes. Or worse, if Israel could only retaliate for a nuclear bomb on Tel Aviv, rather than to prevent one.
4. A war must have a just intention. It can’t be mere vengeance or hatred for an enemy. It must be to protect the nation or prevent disaster. Israel’s goal is just. It is to prevent the Iranian Islamic government from wiping out Israel.
5. A war must be fought justly. Armed conflict must focus on legitimate military targets and not civilians. There may be civilian collateral damage but it should never be the goal. Israel has indeed made the Iranian military its target while Iran has deliberately attacked civilians.
6. A war must be proportionate. Proportionality does not mean both sides having the same number of deaths or equal destruction. Rather, it means that the attack must be proportional to the objective. For example, Israel, if it had nuclear bombs, could end the Iranian plan instantly by dropping a nuke on Tehran. That would be disproportionate. Instead, Israel is acting to end the threat with a proportionate attack on Iran’s military leadership, missile production and launchers, and of course nuclear sites.
Holocaust survivor and Noble Laureate, Elie Weisel, was once asked what was the great lesson of the Holocaust? His reply was, when someone threatens to kill you, believe them. Iran has been threatening to kill all the Jewish people for a generation. The Jewish State has learned the lesson of the Holocaust and believed Iran. And instead of being victims this time, the Israeli government set out to invalidate the Iranian threat.