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WHY .... doesn't Jehovah God consider warfare ... murder? It seems clear to me that Jehovah allows civil governments to run their own affairs as they see fit, and even has no objection to them judging and executing wrongdoers ... and even commands us to be in subjection to these governments, as even the very worst of them are better than anarchy. People generally misinterpret the scripture that say " Thou shalt not kill." where the scripture more actually says "Thou shalt not murder". There is a very real difference. A sovereign government, executing a wrongdoer is implementing the political will of that government ... whether it be a government the size of a continent .. or an extended family sized tribe of Jewish sheepherders living way out in the middle of nowhere, living in tents, governed by a patriarch. I have not been able to find in the Bible where actual warfare, committed by any sovereign group, is considered to be murder ... either by the perpetrators of the war, or the defenders of the war against them, except in the case of "war crimes" against non combatants and other cases. Did you know it is legal to drop napalm on civilians in war, from an aircraft ... but not from a flame thrower from a soldier on the ground? ....but I digress. Even people that warred against the Jews were not considered murderers..... they were considered warriors. I am working on getting this all straight in my mind now ... as there seems to be a profound truth buried in this stream of thought, somewhere, but I cannot get it to crystallize, or perhaps it is approaching 3AM, and I am too tired to think about it. But whatever it is that is ... what profound basic principle that I am missing ...is based on having a correct answer as to WHY ... WHY does God NOT consider warfare to be murder. I suspect when I figure it out, it will be like driving down a road in a southerly direction, thinking you are going North ... and then you see that landmark or sign that indicates you are really going South ... and that feeling you get when your whole frame of reference rotates in your head, like the world just rotated 180 degrees. It's like deja vu, and geography, combined. Perhaps my premise is faulty, but I don't think so. Please feel free to destroy my premise, or my stream of thought, or my conclusions. I try to be "loyal" to whatever is true, and not an agenda of defending an agenda. Knowing "WHY?" things are the way they are, is the key to good philosophy. Bad philosophy will waste our lives, which are pitifully short.

"Love one another."— (John 13:34): "Do not owe anything to anyone except to love one another."(Rom.13:8) “Above All Things, Have Intense Love” WHY? ??? First, “because love is from God.” (1 John 4:7) Jehovah, the Source of this endearing quality, loved us first. The apostle John says: “By this the love of God was made manifest in our case, because God sent forth his only-begotten Son into the world that we might gain life through him.” (1 John 4:9) ??? God’s Son was “sent forth” by becoming a human, carrying out his ministry, and dying on a torture stake—all so “that we might gain life.” How should we respond to this supreme expression of God’s love? John says: “If this is how God loved us, then we are ourselves under obligation to love one another.” (1 John 4:11) ??? Note that John writes, “If this is how God loved us”—not just you but us. The point is clear: If God loves our fellow worshipers, then we ought to love them too. ??? Second, it is especially vital that we love one another more now in order to extend help to our brothers in need because “the end of all things has drawn close.” (1 Peter 4:7) We are living in “critical times hard to deal with.” (2 Timothy 3:1) World conditions, natural disasters, and opposition bring hardships upon us. Under trying circumstances, we need to draw ever closer to one another. Intense love will bind us together and motivate us to “care for oneanother.”—1 Corinthians 12:25, 26. ??? Third, we need to love one another because we do not want to “allow place for the Devil” to take advantage of us. (Ephesians 4:27) Satan is quick to use the imperfections of fellow believers—their weaknesses, faults, and mistakes—as stumbling blocks. Will a thoughtless remark or an unkind act cause us to withdraw from the congregation? (Proverbs 12:18) Not if we have intense love for oneanother! Such love helps us to maintain peace and unitedly to serve God “shoulder to shoulder.”—Zephaniah 3:9. ??? https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102004259?q=love+one+another&p=par

What We Learn From God’s Permission of Wickedness "But for this very reason I have kept you in existence: to show you my power and to have my name declared in all the earth." (Exodus 9:16) For the Sake of His Great Name What is involved in connection with the fulfillment of Jehovah’s purpose for the earth and mankind? God’s name is involved in the fulfillment of his purpose regarding the earth and mankind. That name, Jehovah, means “He Causes to Become.” So his name embodies his reputation as the Universal Sovereign, the Purposer, and the God of truth. Because of Jehovah’s position, the peace and well-being of the entire universe require that his name and what it encompasses be given the full respect it deserves and that all be obedient to him. (a) According to Exodus 9:15, 16, why does Jehovah allow the wicked to continue for a time? (b) In Pharaoh’s case, how was Jehovah’s power shown, and how was His name made known? (c) What will result when the present wicked system ends? What Jehovah said to the ruler of Egypt in the days of Moses further indicates why God has allowed the wicked to continue. When Pharaoh forbade the departure of the sons of Israel from Egypt, Jehovah did not immediately strike him down. Ten Plagues were brought on the land, demonstrating Jehovah’s power in amazing ways. When warning of the seventh plague, Jehovah told Pharaoh that He could easily have wiped Pharaoh and his people off the face of the earth. “But, in fact,” Jehovah said, “for this cause I have kept you in existence, for the sake of showing you my power and in order to have my name declared in all the earth.”—Exodus 9:15, 16. (a) What group is now benefiting from Jehovah’s long-suffering? (b) How will the dead benefit? But what about inhabitants for the earth? Jehovah’s long-suffering has also made possible the gathering together of “a great crowd” out of all nations. They now number into the millions. Jehovah has promised that this earthly class will survive the end of this system and have the prospect of everlasting life on a paradise earth. (Revelation 7:9, 10; Psalm 37:29; John 10:16) In God’s due time, multitudes of the dead will be resurrected and given the opportunity to be earthly subjects of the heavenly Kingdom. God’s Word foretells at Acts 24:15: “There is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.”—John 5:28, 29. Has there been any injustice in all of this? No, because by holding off his destruction of the wicked, or “vessels of wrath,” God is showing compassion to others, in harmony with his purpose. This shows how merciful and loving he is. Too, having had time to observe the unfolding of his purpose, we learn much about Jehovah himself. We marvel at the various aspects of his personality that come to light—his justice, his mercy, his long-suffering, his diversified wisdom. Jehovah’s wise handling of the issue of universal sovereignty—his right to rule—will forever stand as a testimony to the fact that his way of ruling is the very best. With the apostle Paul, we say: “O the depth of God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How unsearchable his judgments are and past tracing out his ways are!”—Romans 11:33. If we are loyal to Jehovah, he will reward us generously. His Word says: “Become steadfast, unmovable, always having plenty to do in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in connection with the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58) It also states: “God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name.” (Hebrews 6:10) James 5:11 notes: “Look! We pronounce happy those who have endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome Jehovah gave, that Jehovah is very tender in affection and merciful.” What was the outcome for Job? “As for Jehovah, he blessed the end of Job afterward more than his beginning.” (Job 42:10-16) Yes, Jehovah is “the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him.” (Hebrews 11:6) And what a reward we have to look forward to—everlasting life on a paradise earth! https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102002067?q=ex+9%3A16&p=par