Sermon on Biblical View of Self Defense Mr Eldon Raines. 4-22-17

Biblical view of self defense - lethal force. How do we define a lethal weapon

“And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.”
Genesis 14:14-16 KJV

The men were trained in warfare. Self defense is defined as protecting yourself or others. Not for vengeance.

What about christians?  What about us? Is it biblical for us to have weapons or defend ourselves. Some will say Christian's should not. But this is not biblical

“And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end. And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.”
Luke 22:35-38 KJV


With Christ returning to the father they were not going to have that protection.

We can see not only do we have a right to self defense we have an obligation

“God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.”
Psalms 82:1-4 KJV

“If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain;”
Proverbs 24:11 KJV

Does this include suicide?  Suicide is self murder. Murder is a transgression

“But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.”
Ezekiel 33:6-7 KJV

Your property

“When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence.”
Deuteronomy 22:8 KJV

Of a person comes on your property you are responsible for that person while they are on your property.

You also need to keep your animals safe

“If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit. But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.”
Exodus 21:28-29 KJV

“And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”
Genesis 9:5-6 KJV

This was before the days of Noah but is not obsolete

Killing or blood shed is not always wrong

But then we turn 180 degrees. Some blood shed is perhaps legal.

Blood is precious.  The tendency is to think of blood as just another bodily fluid. But it is precious to God. An attack on man is an assault on Gods imagine.

David was called a bloody man. He was, he was a warrior. David killed Goliath at the command of God.

“But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.”
1 Chronicles 22:8 KJV

Why was davids disqualified. He did was he was supposed to do.

Did davids sin disqualify him?  No he repented and was forgiven. His bloody nature made him unfit for this spiritual role.

People are desensitized to blood shed.

Killing someone can disqualify you from some spiritual roles.

“Thou shalt not kill.”
Exodus 20:13 KJV

A more proper term is murder.

Murder is wrong. Murder is different. Do everything you can to avoid taking life. As my father said do everything you can to stay out of a fight but if you end up in one, go for blood. Do enough damage that they don't want to come back for lunch

“And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past; As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live: Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.”
Deuteronomy 19:4-7 KJV

Accidental killing god set up cities to protect those people from avengers. Sanctuary cities today are different.

“They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.”
Nehemiah 4:17-19 KJV

Cv battalion. A bumblebee with a gun in one hand while building.

“So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day. So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.”
Nehemiah 4:21-23 KJV

Back to he new covenant

“And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end. And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.”
Luke 22:35-38 KJV

Two swords are enough for prayer.

Some say Jesus was only spiritual terms. But what about the serpent who cut of the ear. Was he thinking in spiritual terms?

They carried weapons with Jesus consent. There is not claim as to why they carried them or if it was right or wrong.

“In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;”
2 Corinthians 11:26 KJV

1 Jesus expected them to have swords
2 between 12 they had 2 swords.

But it would be a mistake to think a weapon guarantees safety. You have to be trained and practice. You have to put in your mind if the situation happens you have to use it or the person breaking in could take it and use it on you.

Our founding fathers knew what they were doing when they put in the 2nd amendment. Think of what our country would be without it.