Soldier Saints of the Old Testament

“Time is too short for me to speak of Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the Prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms… Their weakness was turned into strength as they became mighty in battle and put foreign armies to flight.” (Hebrews 11:32-33)

Across the English-speaking world, many nations observe 11 November as Remembrance Day, or as Veterans Day. On this day, they honour those who have died in the line of duty, in wars past and present. As these commemorations take place, let’s look at some stories about bravery in battle that are included in the Old Testament.

Many Old Testament heroes were military men and women. This is perhaps not surprising, since numerous wars are described within its pages. And in the New Testament, we find faithful warriors of old celebrated in the holy hall of fame (Hebrews 11:32-33).

Joshua brandished his sword against enemy cities, David famously defeated Goliath with a slingshot and King Josiah fell in battle while fighting the Egyptians (1 Samuel 17:1-58; 2 Chronicles 35:20-27; Sirach 46:1-6). But there were also brave women too. Rahab helped the spies to conquer Jericho, Deborah commanded the Israelite armies, and Judith struck down the Babylonian general, Holofernes (Joshua 2:1-21; Judges 4:4-10; Judith 13:4-10).

Since King David was known as a warrior, the Psalms include several prayers for victory on the battlefield (18:32-50; 20:6-9; 144:1-10). The Book of Proverbs speaks of the importance of following wise advice when waging war (20:18; 21:22; 24:6). And the Book of Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is both “a time for war, and a time for peace.” (3:8)

In the Book of Daniel, St Michael the Archangel is described as a heavenly warrior, fighting the evil spirits active on the political scene (Daniel 10:13, 20-21). And in the two Books of the Maccabees, we find accounts of the Jewish freedom fighters who battled the forces of the oppressive Seleucid Empire (e.g. 1 Maccabees 3:1-26; 5:1-68; 2 Maccabees 2:19-23).

Although the Old Testament features many saintly soldiers, there is also an emphasis on peace, not war. For example, the Book of Psalms says that God intervenes to end wars across the world (Psalm 46:9). And the Prophets spoke of a time when the nations would no longer fight each other, peace would reign and war would be abolished (Isaiah 2:1-4; Hosea 2:18; Micah 4:1-4; Zechariah 9:9-10).

Even in the Book of Deuteronomy, we find that enemy cities were first to be offered peace terms (20:10). And many of the military stories in the Bible are actually examples of wars fought in defence – such as Abram defeating the four kings, David prevailing over Goliath and Judith striking down Holofernes.

In summary, here are ten examples of battlefield believers from the Old Testament:

1. Abram meets Melchizedek
2. Moses appoints Joshua as leader 
3. Deborah judges Israel
4. Gideon and his fleece
5. Samson removes the gates of Gaza
6. David defeats Goliath
7. Naaman the Syrian commander
8. King Josiah the reformer
9. St Michael the Archangel
10. Judith beheads Holofernes

The stained glass detail at the start of this article of St Michael the Archangel dates to 1944, and is by Geoffrey Webb. It’s found within Our Lady Queen of Peace, in Braintree, and was a gift of US airmen stationed nearby during the war.