Innocence Lost: A Biblical Perspective on Collateral Damage

As the United States continues its military campaign against Houthi terrorists in Yemen, and Israel continues its effort to destroy Hamas in Gaza, critics are once again condemning such strikes, pointing to collateral casualties as proof that such action is unjust. But as Christians, we cannot base our judgment on emotion or human reasoning—we must stand on the unshakable foundation of God’s Word. Does Scripture condemn military action when innocent lives are lost? No. But it does demand that justice and compassion go hand in hand.

We Minimize Harm—But Not at the Cost of God’s Justice

We must be clear—human life is sacred. Every innocent death is a tragedy, and a righteous nation should do everything possible to minimize harm to non-combatants. We do not celebrate collateral casualties, nor do we excuse recklessness in war.

However, our compassion cannot become an excuse for inaction against evil. When God brought judgment on wicked nations in Scripture, He did not withhold justice out of fear that some would suffer unfairly. A nation that supports evil cannot expect to be untouched by its consequences.

When Jericho fell under God’s judgment, He did not command Israel to spare those who merely “supported” the city’s leadership. He ordered total destruction. (Joshua 6:21 ESV) Likewise, when Nineveh’s wickedness reached its full measure, its citizens perished under divine judgment. (Nahum 1:8 ESV) 

God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11), yet He executes justice when sin reaches its full measure. This is why a just government must be both fierce against evil and deliberate in its pursuit of righteousness.

The Sword Is Meant to Restrain Evil—Not Wielded Recklessly

As we previously discussed in “God’s Avenger”, the Lord gives governments the right to wield force, but that force must be used wisely. 

The U.S. did not start this conflict in Yemen—the Houthis did. They’ve terrorized international shipping, fired missiles at civilians, and done Iran’s bidding for years. And Israel didn’t start the war in Gaza—Hamas did. They committed the most vicious and violent terrorist attack against innocent men, women, and children in modern history. A just government cannot stand idly by while evildoers wage war on the innocent, especially when there is reason to believe they’ll do it again.

But again, we must also acknowledge that God does not authorize indiscriminate destruction. A nation acting under the banner of righteousness must take every measure to protect the innocent while eliminating the wicked. Precision, restraint, and wisdom must guide every military action.

But when innocent people do suffer in war, the moral responsibility for their deaths lies not with the nation enforcing justice, but with the wicked who made war necessary in the first place.

Jesus Did Not Call for Pacifism in the Face of Evil

Some argue that Jesus opposed all violence, using His words to Peter as proof:

“Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52 ESV)

But this was not a condemnation of war nor of self-defense—it was a rebuke of Peter’s interference with God’s redemptive plan at that moment. Nowhere in the New Testament does Jesus rebuke soldiers for their profession. In fact, He praises a centurion’s faith without telling him to abandon his role (Matthew 8:5-13).  Nor does Jesus ever tell Peter or anyone else to throw away their swords, so weapons of war clearly have a Biblical purpose in the hands of Christians.

Likewise, Jesus never overturned the biblical principle that rulers must punish evildoers. The idea that Christians must oppose military action because Jesus promoted peace is a modern distortion of Scripture, not biblical truth.

Justice With Compassion, Not Compromise

War is always tragic, but refusing to confront evil because of its cost is far worse. A just nation must do everything possible to protect the innocent, but it must also wield the sword when necessary to restrain evildoers. The United States’ response to Houthi terrorism aligns with the biblical mandate that governments must punish wickedness—even when collateral damage is an unfortunate reality.

So we pray for the innocent. We grieve every life lost. But we do not flinch in the face of evil. 

“In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:10 ESV)