There it is, slipped so casually into the Biblical narrative: Thus it was said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord (Numbers 21:14). Aren’t you curious about that famous book, and why you’ve never read it?
So were our classical commentators. Yonatan Ben Uzziel, (Babylonia, c. 3rd century) decided: it’s another name for the Torah. Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra (Spain, 11th century) decided: It’s a freestanding book, dating from the days of Abraham, but lost to us moderns. Rashi (France 11th century) said: It’s an idiomatic expression referring to stories of God’s miracles.
I’m curious about that famous book, too. And not just because obscure Biblical references are fun puzzles. But because Wars of the Lord is a topic of great contemporary interest. People of many different religious traditions claim to be fighting them, right now. Their more peaceful co-religionists denounce their militarist spirit, and secularists run from the horrors of religion altogether. Who is right? And can the Book of the Wars of the Lord help us decide?
Diverse views of religious war existed in Biblical times, too. The prophet Samuel thought marching under the banner of God is a good national project. Samuel would not support a king who disagreed. The book of Deuteronomy also affirms such a project — as long as ethical rules of warfare are followed. The book of Judges, however, describes multiple tragedies caused by religious fervor in war.
The book of Numbers points us towards a fourth perspective, I think. When it speaks of Wars of the Lord, it does not refer to acts of human armies. Instead, it hints at wars that God conducts in the heavenly realm. Think about it – it’s perfectly consistent with the narrative of Numbers.
All the books of the Torah recount miracles, but Numbers stands out for its use of magical realism. Just before Wars of the Lord, we read about an irrational ritual for healing grief; water flowing from a rock at God’s word; and a copper snake neutralizing snake venom. Shortly after Wars, the Israelites defeat the giant King Og and the semi-divine King Sichon, descendent of the Nephilim. No human army could have subdued these mythical monsters. Israelite victories reflect Wars of the Lord, waged in a heavenly realm.
According to visions of the Prophet Zechariah, Wars of the Lord belong only in the heavenly realm. Our human role is to support God by building a just society on earth. Zechariah’s first night vision features horses reporting that the world is at peace. But the report upsets Zechariah’s angelic companion, who cries out to God to set the world aright by waging war. Three more visions reveal the role assigned to humans in God’s campaign. We must de-politicize religion, stop cheating our most vulnerable social classes, and get serious about banishing evil from our land. Only then will God deploy the heavenly horse-drawn chariots in battle — a battle that will not advantage one nation over another, but bring all to the same fate.
Maybe these heavenly wars actually happen – and maybe they don’t. All metaphysical theories about the true reality that drives our world are speculations. But, for sure, important traditions in our Torah tell us NOT to solve problems by marching to war under God’s banner. Instead, they teach, we should focus our efforts on justice, for that is the role assigned to human soldiers in God’s cosmic battle for this good planet earth.
Image: heavenawaits.wordpress.com. Originally offered as a dvar Torah at Or Shalom Synagogue for Parshat Chukat.
Biblical references: Og’s size: Deut. 3:11; Sichon and the Nephilim: Gen. 6:1-4, Num.13:21-33; midrash cited in Babylonian Talmud Niddah 61a; Zechariah’s first vision of horses: Zech. 1:8-11; Zechariah’s vision of diarchic leadership: Zech. 3-4, esp. 4:11-14; Zechariah’s visions of the anti-cheating scroll and the tub of evil: Zech 5; Zechariah’s vision of the divine chariots ready for deployment: Zech. 6:1-8; Zechariah’s vision of punishment and restoration for both Israel and the nations: Zech. 14.
