The book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible offers profound wisdom about the cyclical and changing nature of life. In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, the author reflects on the different seasons and purposes under heaven, concluding that there is a time for every activity or human experience under the sun.
Specifically, verse 8 states “a time for war, and a time for peace.” This pairs war and peace together as opposites, implying there are appointed times ordained by God for both armed conflict and harmonious relations. Just as there are periods of planting and harvesting, weeping and laughing, keeping and throwing away, so too there are divinely ordered occasions for turmoil and tranquility between people.
A surface reading might fatalistically convey that humans are helpless pawns in the hands of an impersonal fate. However, a deeper investigation in light of the larger biblical narrative reveals profound truths about God’s sovereignty, human evil, just war, and the yearning for shalom.
1. God’s Sovereignty Over Human Affairs
While humans have moral agency, the Bible maintains that God reigns supreme over history, timing, and outcomes. Isaiah 46:10 declares that God knows the end from the beginning and purposes His will to stand. Proverbs 19:21 states “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” God uses everything that unfolds, including violence and upheaval, to accomplish His divine purposes.
From a human perspective, war often erupts due to escalating political tensions, power grabs by dictators, ethnic strife, and competing economic interests. While moral blame lies with those who unleash cruelty and oppression, Ecclesiastes affirms nothing takes God by surprise. He remains in control, able to constrain or halt conflict if He chooses.
2. The Depravity of Mankind
A biblical worldview asserts that humans are fallen and sinful, prone to greed, violence, hatred, and power lusts. Jeremiah 17:9 is blunt: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” What constantly astonishes historians is not that wars occur, but that there are any periods of peace at all, given human nature.
Left unchecked, the darkness within each person’s heart would replicate endlessly across all societies. By God’s common grace, He blocks the worst impulses so that war does not engulf everything. But sin ensures seasons of war will come. While seeking to diminish violence, Christians remain realistic about human evil.
3. Just War Principles in Scripture
The Bible depicts warfare as an unfortunate necessity under fallen conditions, with military force morally justified in certain defensive situations. When sanctioned for a just cause, war expresses love for innocents preyed upon and upholds the corporate responsibilities of civil authorities (Romans 13:1-4). Scripture gives criteria to evaluate if a war is just.
For example, only defensive wars with limited objectives can be justified, not wars of aggression for land, plunder, or power. Leaders should seek political solutions first before resorting to force (Matthew 5:9). Non-combatants should receive protection (Deuteronomy 20:10). And the means and course of warfare should be governed by proportionality and moderation.
While ambiguities exist in applying just war principles, they enable an ethical framework for state duties and individual participation that attempts to combine justice with mercy.
4. God’s Vision for Shalom
The cyclic nature of seasons implies that even lengthy eras of peace will come to an end. But the divine fingerprints over history point to a larger purpose being worked out. God’s vision is for shalom- the Hebrew concept of comprehensive flourishing, righteousness, and delight.
Isaiah 2:4 expresses the hope that under Messiah’s reign, “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” Micah 4:3 echoes this expectation that when God’s kingdom fully comes “they shall beat their swords into plowshares.” Until then, followers of Jesus live as peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), guided by the ethics of shalom.
5. Trusting God’s Providence
Seasons of war challenge faith because they involve immense loss and suffering. Ecclesiastes does not minimize this pain but calls believers to trust in God’s mysterious providence. As finite creatures, humans cannot grasp the infinite mind of the Creator or how all things work together for good (Romans 8:28).
After disaster strikes Job’s family, his bewildered wife tells him to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9). Job refuses, declaring even if he is slain, “I will hope in him” (Job 13:15). Despite agony, Job’s confidence in God’s wisdom triumphs. Similarly, walking by faith means affirming divine goodness when we cannot trace God’s hand.
War’s chaotic injustice prompts longing for Christ’s return. But it also creates opportunities to be peacemakers, extend care, and restore what was ravaged. Ecclesiastes 3:11 remarks God has made everything beautiful in its time. This beauty emerges when people take war’s wreckage and create hope.
6. Being Ready for Surprise Spiritual Awakenings
Scripture records how God’s Spirit sometimes ushers in widespread revival during periods of upheaval and war. Social disorder loosens people’s grip on false securities, laying bare deeper spiritual needs. Crisis humbles pride, spurs repentance, and renews prayer.
During World War II, over 80% of Americans attended church as existential threats loomed. Times of threat revive interest in eternal issues. People become more receptive to the gospel, finding in Christ the only unshakable foundation amid swirling chaos.
While never glorifying violence, Christians recognize God may permit it to awaken spiritual hunger and teach humanity hard lessons. Renewal often requires stripping away idolatry so hearts turn back to the Lord. War’s calamities remind people of their finitude and prompt new openness to God’s grace.
7. The Need for Discernment
Since there are times for both war and peace, discernment is required to know God’s purposes in each situation. Ecclesiastes rebukes passive fatalism that neglects moral deliberation. Assessing war is complex, requiring prudence and humility.
In simplistic wars of aggression or oppression, the just response is resistance and protest. But when caught in escalating cycles of violence with fault on all sides, spirit-filled wisdom is essential. Knee-jerk ideological reactions unguided by biblical principles often worsen conflicts.
Seeking accurate information, listening to diverse voices, including those marginalized, weighing costs versus benefits, and pursuing non-violence whenever possible fosters discernment. Above all, the virtues of love, hope and courage when faced with hatred and fear can prevent war’s contagion from spreading.
8. Longing for the Prince of Peace
For Christians, the incarnation is the ultimate revelation of God’s sovereign purposes in history. Jesus came at the perfect time (Galatians 4:4) to deal with sin’s root causes and offer reconciliation with God and between people groups.
Isaiah 9:6-7 presents Messiah as the “Prince of Peace,” indicating He would establish lasting peace undefined by the constraints of time. While presently all still suffer under war’s curse, Christ’s atoning sacrifice and resurrection guarantee that one day wars will cease forever under His benevolent rule.
Until that day arrives, believers endure hard seasons knowing final victory has been secured. No matter how dark things seem, the light has already overcome (John 1:5). This hope sustains and empowers God’s people to emulate the Prince of Peace.
9. Living Mercifully in Wartime
Those enduring war’s hardship are often tempted toward hatred, dehumanization, and venous retaliation. Yet Jesus calls His followers to a radically different ethic – loving enemies, forgiving persecutors, overcoming evil with good.
As victims, Christians receive comfort knowing justice will ultimately prevail. As participants, they maintain compassion toward all people as image bearers of God. And as observers, they intercede for peace, care for the displaced, and provide humanitarian aid in war zones.
Believers reject corrupted nationalist ideologies that twist love of country into idolatry. Patriotism submitted to a higher allegiance cultivates mercy, honors human dignity, upholds ethical restraints, and strives to break violence cycles through grace.
10. Longing for Christ’s Return
War’s devastation underscores the tragic brokenness of a fallen world dominated by the Devil, sin and death. Though redemption has come, creation groans as it awaits full restoration and the sons of God to be revealed (Romans 8:19-22). Maranatha! (“Come, Lord!”) expresses the aching desire for Christ’s return.
Only with God dwelling intimately among His people again can the peace Ecclesiastes glimpses from afar finally become reality. While temporarily living as aliens and sojourners, believers cling to the hope that King Jesus will conclusively end all wars upon His Second Coming.
The Scriptures promise that none who hope in the Lord will be disappointed (Isaiah 49:23). God’s purposes stand. His timing is perfect. And in Christ all death-dealing antagonism will be no more. The day is coming when swords will be beaten into plowshares forever.