Yahweh Is a Warrior

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Question
In what sense is Yahweh a warrior?
Answer
When Israel came out of Egypt and they'd seen God display his mighty powers in defeating Pharaoh and his forces at the Sea of Reeds, there's an affirmation that Israel makes as they praise God and they say, "The Lord Yahweh is a warrior." So, in that sense they can call Yahweh a warrior, one who had come and was able to defeat these foes that faced Israel and to deliver them. Now, if we mean by warrior kind of this this kind of God as a warrior figure who just loves killing people, that's not what's meant here. When we see God acting as a warrior and being praised as a warrior, it's a warrior who came to save an oppressed people; it's a warrior who came because he had made covenant promises to Israel and he maintained those. So, this isn't the only side of God's character, but it's an aspect of how God expresses himself as a warrior to save his people, and we see even the prophets develop this motif of the Lord is a warrior where he is also coming in judgment against evil. So, he's a warrior who wants to undo all that's evil to create situations within which his people can flourish and experience the good life.

Answer by Andrew Abernethy, Ph.D.

Dr. Andrew Abernethy is Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College & Graduate School.