A contest between nations or states, (or Kingdoms), carried on by force, either for defense, or for revenging insults and redressing wrongs, for the extension of commerce or acquisition of territory, or for obtaining and establishing the superiority and dominion of one over the other.
Key Verse: The Lord Jesus warned: Matthew 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Mark 13:7, Luke 21:9
From Creation to the Flood (some 1600 years) the Scripture tells little of man.
Besides the Generations, there are some facts recorded in Genesis:
4:2 They were Farmers and Shepherds: Cain and Able
4:8,23 They were murderers
4:19 They practiced polygamy
4:20 They lived in tents
4:21 They enjoyed music
4:22 They worked with brass and iron
Then it concludes: Genesis 6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Since this verse tells how evil man had become, one can conclude that they also fought wars with each other. War is mentioned in Scripture over 200 times.
The first occurrence of War is in Genesis (and Abraham resolved it):
Genesis 14:2 That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.
As the children of Israel travel toward the promise land:
Exodus 1:10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
Exodus 13:17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:
Moses reminds the people that God is leading them:
Exodus 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.
Exodus 17:16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
Not war but riotous sin:
Exodus 32:17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.
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