Bible: How not togo to war

“Hawks” or so-called military experts will certainly not quote Bible verses as they assess plans and operations for war, and most technical experts will shy away from quoting the verses lest they be laughed out of the room.

But anyone who actually reads the Bible will surely find enough verses and guidance regarding wars. For instance, in the books of Matthew (12:25), Mark (3:24-25) and Luke (11:17), the apostles all repeat the words of Jesus Christ:

“And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”

The original situation or context of that lesson was Christ’s response when the priests in his time claimed that “the miracles that Jesus performed were by the power of Beelzebub, the ruler of demons.”

So far, you might think all this is religious and spiritual. I thought of that as well until I saw several videos on YouTube where US politicians, experts as well as very well-known media personalities threw everything at Donald Trump and opposed the war against Iran.

Before all of that, Trump and the US government were already “at war” against illegal criminal immigrants. But when ICE agents started unilaterally throwing everybody into the bus regardless of factual and actual citizenship, the US became a house divided.

The US under President Trump essentially went to war on two fronts: at home and against Iran and in both, maybe 30-50 percent of Americans did not have his back. Kidnapping a head of state and assassinating another without cause or non-declaration of war simply do not fit well with people.

On a global scale, unlike in World War II where the US, Europe and Asia banded together in their righteous cause against Germany, Italy and Japan, today’s war against Iran is only supported by Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

When Donald Trump called on “the world” to participate in military action to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, he received a very quick reply from all over Europe: “No, thank you.” We did not start this fight and have no part in it. Who wants to spill or pay blood for oil?

While people the world over are still talking about the continent-wide snub that Trump received for his trumpet call, experts will eventually be talking about how the snub will impact US declarations of keeping the shipping lanes between Taiwan and the Philippines open.

As I reflected on that, I remembered how, during the Vietnam War, the United States was practically on the brink of civil war because of an unpopular war far, far, away in Southeast Asia. Most Americans did not even know where Vietnam was and why they went to war against them.

So, when the US government declared a mandatory draft of eligible men, recruits dodged the draft by crossing over to Canada or, like Muhammad Ali a.k.a. Cassius Clay, went to jail as a conscious objector on religious grounds, while student protesters were shot dead on campus or beaten in streets.

Eventually, the doubt, questions and challenges infected or affected US soldiers in the battlefields and rice paddies in Vietnam. Accounts of insubordination, drug use and “fragging” an officer using a fragmentation grenade leaked to the press and the house divided grew weak.

That led to the fall of Vietnam.

From the lessons about a house divided, another lesson on war is about counting the cost, written in the book of Luke 14:31-32.

“Suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able, with 10,000 men, to oppose the one coming against him with 20,000? And if he decides he can’t, won’t he send an emissary and work out a truce?”

In case you didn’t read or hear about it, Iran had actively pursued a peace treaty or ceasefire agreement after the US first attacked Iran’s nuclear facility in Feb. 28, 2026. There was already something on the table because Iran wanted to avoid a full-on war.

But instead of diplomacy, the US and Israel declared war against Iran, believing it would be a quick victory. Both assumed that they had an abundance of firepower and technology versus a weak opponent.

Perhaps the US even believed that the Gulf states would quickly intervene to convince Iran to surrender. That was where tacticians failed.

They failed on intelligence gathering, knowing just how much and how many weapons and experts did Iran have and how suicidal Iranians could be in the face of annihilation.

Vietnam showed the world that advance technology and superior fire power were no match for a people united by anger, hurt and desperation. Unfortunately, the US quickly forgot the lesson or foolishly underestimated “the enemy.”

Today, Donald Trump is once again relearning the lessons from the Vietnam war. Trump would probably be in a better situation if he had memorized Proverbs 24:17 that tells us:

“Do not gloat when your enemy fails; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice.”

Unfortunately, gloating is a Trump trademark and now his karma is the embarrassment of having to go it alone to clear the Strait of Hormuz, the failure of US defenses to protect facilities such as their embassy in Saudi Arabia and the possibility of being abandoned by the Gulf states as well.

But the most important lesson of all is from King David who “always” asked God first: Lord shall I go to war…?

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