Faith and War - Moses 7:13

And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.

It is common practice among the nations to trust in armaments and war machines. However, if we look at the pattern of ancient Israel, the only time they were truly safe was when they were focused on keeping the commandments of God. The secret to winning a war is not in powerful armaments nor tactics, but in the righteousness of the people.

Consider Balaam's advice to the wicked king of Moab. Because Israel was righteous, they could not be overthrown and so instead of a military assult, they sent idol worshippers and whores among them to seduce them. This was the most effective strategy because it made them lose the favor and protection of God. However, when the unrighteous were destroyed from among them, Israel overran Moab.

In the Old Testament, He is called the "Lord of Hosts" for a reason. It means God of war. But His warfare is different than that of the world. He uses the vices of the wicked against them. Indeed "it is by the wicked that the wicked are punished" (Mormon 4:5)

Except in special circumstances, such as under Joshua and Moses, God's children are not commanded to go to war, but instead to rely on the arm of the Lord. Such was the situation of Zion in Enoch's day and such is our situation, though we are permitted to defend ourselves (Alma 43:46). God protects his saints in other ways.

When the armies of Assyria had encamped with hundreds of thousands against Israel, the people feared, but Isaiah the prophet told King Hezekiah:

Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it. (Isaiah 37:33)

And the Lord delivered on His promise:

Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. (Isaiah 37:36,37)

Thus the best defense and the surest form of safety is not in armaments, missile silos, war ships, bombs and airplanes, it is simply to have faith and to keep the commandments of God.