Holy Warfare

Exodus 15:2-3 The Lord is my strength and song,And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him. The Lord is a man of war; The Lord is His name.
The term "Holy War"will likely conjure up images of the ill-advised crusades or even the jihad being waged by Muslim extremists against our own country. However, despite the many negative connotations placed on this term by our society, a "Holy war" does have historical and Biblical support. Romans 8:28 says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose". Would this not also apply to war? A good example would be the battle of Ramoth-gilead.
Considering that King Ahab and his wife were pretty much the two worst rulers Israel had to suffer through, it is reasonable in my view to assume that the randomly aimed enemy arrow that lethally wounded him was guided by divine providence. However, I will admit that not everything, in peace or war, is directly caused by divine intervention. France and Germany were defeated not by a miracle but by their inability to realize that invading Russia during the Wintertime was a very bad idea.
Still, not only do I believe that God guides battle in general, but that he provides special benevolence to those who fight in his name. This is evident throughout the Old Testament, but especially in the campaigns of King David. God gave him such victory over his enemies that his son was able to rule Israel in almost complete peace. This is not a phenomenon restricted to Biblical times either. So-called secular history shows us that the untrained and inexperienced American forces of the Revolutionary war won many battles against the greatest military force on Earth when by every right they should have been utterly defeated.
While this may be able to stump the secular, the explanation is really quite simple for a Christian and probably said best by George Washington himself: "The Hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all of this, that he must be worse than an infidel who lacks faith, and more than wicked, that has no gratitude to acknowledge his obligations". Put simply, at the time America was a God-fearing Nation fighting for those beliefs, while Britain was not. Their are numerous fascinating accounts from throughout the war of how "chance" and luck" constantly favored the Americans. Even the weather seemed to fight for them: For just one example: During the crossing of the Delaware, minutes before daylight, a thick fog rolled in and hide the American boats. When the British tried an identical maneuver, a extremely violent storm ruined the entire endeavor. Even now, It is reasonable to assume that the outcome of entire battles is being decided by the prayers of loved ones.
An important thing to make note of, however, is that God does not indiscriminately favor one side in a war just becuase they profess to be believers. The conquest of Jericho was only accomplished by falling a specific set of directions. The Israelite forces were routed in their attack on Ai due to the sin present in their own camp. King David accomplished much more on the battlefield than the Lip-service only Christian King Saul ever did. Thousands of years later, both in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, American forces suffered their greatest defeats when they overstepped their boundaries and went on the offensive against Canada. Truly, our Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Of more importance than all this, is that God does occasionally call his children to go to war for him. The Israelite's were called to commit outright genocide against the many inhabitants of Canaan after-all (Although anyone who has carefully studied these people can tell you that it was more than justified). It is also my belief that America was called to fight for her freedom in order to establish a land where one could worship God however they wanted, and a Nation founded on Christian principles.
Now, I will not deny that Religion has been used to justify many horrendous acts throughout history, and that so-called "Holy wars" such as the Crusades were almost always just political power grabs. I also suspect that many people would point to Luke 6:29, the popular "Turn the other cheek" passage, as evidence that God does not support violence. However, I would in turn point to John 2:13-17 where, put simply, Jesus beats the snot out of those desecrating the Temple With a Whip.
Second Timothy 1:7 states plainly "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind". God may not endorse violence as a first response, but if push comes to shove, I fully believes he is okay with and even expects us to stand up and defend ourselves and his way of life. What's more, we can be confident in the fact that he has given us a spirit of power and that if we fight in his favor, there isn't a force beneath the Sun that can stand against us.