Glorying in war?

Exodus 14:15-18 (NRSV) Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. But you lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground. Then I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and so I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his chariot drivers. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained glory for myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his chariot drivers.'


If there is any passage in scripture where 'glory' appears to mean 'a nice
knock-down argument', this is it. God, speaking to Moses, characterizes
his rescue of the Israelites and destruction of the Egyptian army as an
opportunity to 'gain glory for myself' (v. 17).

This is an image of God as the ultimate military commander, glorying in the victory of one side and the defeat of the other. 'Glory' here means not so much the nature of God, but God's reputation.

Some scholars would claim that this is the dominant image of God in the Old Testament-a violent, biased God whose reputation is mainly founded on the military triumphs he gives to his chosen people over all others.

Others, however, would notice that the chosen people themselves bear no arms in this battle, but leave the outcome to God, so, in fact, passages like this can never be used to justify any human war or arms race. Our superior firepower gives us no excuse to claim that God is on our side.

For myself, I think that the idea of God as gaining glory from war is not the only image the Old Testament offers us. It is balanced, even in earliest times, by the God of peace-someone who 'breaks the bow and shatters the spear' (Psalm 46:9).

The full glory of God is in the one whose coming is promised, who is called Prince of Peace and under whose rule 'there shall be endless peace' (Isaiah 9:7).

Reflection

'He makes wars cease to the end of the earth' (Psalm 46:9). How can
you participate in the peacemaking work of God?

Veronica Zundel

[Originaly printed in www.New Daylight magazine]