A Tricky Question

A question I have been struggling with lately is “can violence ever be justified?”  I do not know the answer.  I want to know because I see so many people causing injustice that should be stopped.  I see times when violence was used to stop evil (World War II and Osama Bin Laden) and I see times when violence achieved nothing (Vietnam and Iraq). 
 
The Hebrew word used in the sixth commandment is “lo tirtzach”, which could be translated to either “thou shall not kill” or “thou shall not murder.”  Where is the line drawn between killing and murder?  Is self-defense and war murder?  If Joseph Kony were killed, would the one who did it be condemned or praised?
 
I don’t know any of the answers and it drives me crazy.  I keep praying but He keeps telling me I need to find the answer for myself.  There are so many verses that speak against violence.
 
 

 

 

 
 
But sometimes that cheek is not your own but one of a 7 year old boy who is forced to do unspeakable things.
 
Joseph Kony has been used peace talks of five different occasions to rearm himself.  He has no desire to make peace.  He is fighting for nothing more than for power.  Ending a conflict peacefully should be the goal, but what is the next step when peace fails? 
 
I have asked many people about this topic while trying to write this blog.  I got many different answers.  Most of the time though, the answer was “I haven’t really thought about it.”  I hadn’t either until recently.  There are so many variables with this question.  At first thought, I want to say, kill the oppressors and let God judge their killers.  I also want to say violence is not the answer because everyone can be saved by God’s grace and redemption.  And I also want to not have an opinion because I will never experience what children in Uganda and victims of sex trafficking experience. 
 
Again, I don’t know the answer.  But I do want to try to love the best I can.  Which is more than possible when I am armed with God’s love.