Sabbath School Lesson for October 25-31, 2025
Introduction of Lesson 5, God Fights for You
Memory Text: “And Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel” Joshua 10:42 ESV
Many times we feel perplexed as Joshua relates the Israelites’ takeover of Canaan. The violent killing and bloodshed found in the book of Joshua are difficult to understand in the light of God’s loving, merciful character that is portrayed throughout the Bible.
Their mandate from God to destroy the unrepentant tribes of Canaan has led to the concept of a holy or divine war. Knowing about the great conflict of good over evil that has gripped our planet helps us uncover the conditions and limitations of a truly divine war, one that is fought only when direct instructions from the sovereign King of the universe are delivered to the leaders God has chosen.
As Joshua 10:42 declares, a holy war is one in which God fights for His people, delivering them from their enemies and allowing peace to reign in place of war and chaos.
- Sunday: The Canaanites’ Iniquity
- Monday: The Supreme Judge
- Tuesday: Dispossession or Annihilation?
- Wednesday: Free Choice
- Thursday: The Prince of Peace
Sunday: The Canaanites’ Iniquity
God explained to Abraham in the early days of their covenant that the Canaanites in the land His faithful servant was promised would have four generations of probation to see if they would repent of their idolatry (Genesis 15:16).
Just how terrible their customs had become in Canaan was described later by Moses in his warnings for God’s people not to join their abominable practices, lest they, too, suffer the same fate as their pagan neighbors. See Leviticus 18:24-30 and Deuteronomy 18:9-14.
Practices such as child sacrifice, spiritualism, fortunetelling, witchcraft, and despicable, deviant, sexual rites would not be tolerated any longer. Plenty of time and opportunities to see God’s power and majesty were allowed before the eradication of these particularly evil tribes would be demanded by God.
Verses and questions:
Deuteronomy 18:9-12
- What were some of the despicable acts of idolatry that the Israelites were warned about?
- What sins of a similar nature do people commit today?
Leviticus 18:24-27 and Ezra 9:11
- In what way had the whole land been defiled and in need of cleansing?
- How might this be a foreshadowing of the way God will finally cleanse the whole earth, when most of its inhabitants also refuse to repent?
Monday: The Supreme Judge
Only God, the supreme Judge of the universe, can bring an end to Satan’s attempted, devious takeover of our small world. Besides being patient, we know that God is a righteous and merciful Judge, giving all His creatures the freedom to choose to love Him in return.
Being holy, God cannot tolerate sin forever. The wars ancient Israel fought or saw being fought on their behalf were not designed to bring glory or righteousness to His chosen people. It was part of the plan that God used to establish more justice and peace in the lands which had yielded most to Satan’s temptations.
God’s justice shows no partiality. The Hebrews were plainly warned that they, too, would suffer the consequences of their unfaithful actions, if they chose to turn their back on God and worship idols. Consequently, there were times when they suffered oppression, God did not fight for them, and their enemies prevailed in battle.
Verses and questions:
Genesis 18:25, Psalm 7:11, and Psalm 50:6
- What are some words used to describe God as a Judge?
Deuteronomy 9:4, 5 and 12:29, 30
- Why were the Israelites told that their victories did not sanctify or cleanse them of any wrongdoing?
- What was the reason that God allowed such horrific consequences for those living in Canaan?
2 Timothy 4:1, 8
- When and how will the final judgment take place?
Tuesday: Dispossession or Annihilation?
The fact that there were some individuals in Canaan who were spared the fate of so many idolaters there helps us understand that it was not God’s plan to annihilate them all. Those who chose to be on God’s side before or even during the conquest were allowed to escape the carnage.
The reason why the dispossession of the land included annihilation of so many pagans was no doubt because they, like Pharaoh back in Egypt, had hardened their hearts to the extent that they were no longer capable of hearing God’s voice calling them to repent.
It was mostly their worship practices that were so abhorrent to God, rather than the people themselves. This was seen in the way God repeatedly instructed the Hebrews to destroy all the pagan altars and worship articles that were in the land. The Canaanites had become so identified with their culture of idolatry that their destruction was necessary in order to rid the world of their influence.
Verses and questions:
Exodus 34:11-13 and Deuteronomy 12:2, 3
- Why was it important to destroy all the pagan altars and not just the people in Canaan?
- What kind of idols or harmful lifestyle habits in our own life should we ask God to destroy for us?
Wednesday: Free Choice
In order to better understand the parameters of a divine or holy war, we note that it must be totally under God’s direction. In addition, we find that it is limited to a certain period of history and geographical area. That would include the conquest of ancient Canaan, which may have foreshadowed God’s final destruction of the world at the end of the millennium, spoken of in Revelation 20.
The fact that there was the possibility to change sides, as seen with Rahab, Achan, and the Gibeonites, demonstrates the free choice given to all God’s creatures. We are all given a reasonable time of probation to make our choices.
The decisions made by God in this regard are not arbitrary or nationalistic in nature. The Hebrews were warned that they, too, could lose their privileged status with God, if they joined those in rebellion of Yahweh’s authority and imitated the idolatrous lifestyle of their pagan neighbors.
Verses and questions:
Deuteronomy 20:10, 15-18 and Joshua 10:40
- What were some of the principles of warfare given to the Hebrews, regarding their conquest of Canaan?
- How was free choice factored in their actions? And why does God allow us this freedom to choose our consequences?
Thursday: The Prince of Peace
How sweet it is to dwell on the ultimate, lasting peace that will come only through the Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ. Many Messianic prophecies allude to this peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).
Isaiah beautifully described Him as “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Christ’s self-sacrificial, radical love, demonstrated on the cross, was His most powerful weapon to strike down Satan’s rule over our lives. Because of this event, we can look forward to the time when “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Micah 4:3).
As we wait for the Lord’s return, when this final, lasting peace will be won, let’s continue to trust in His promise of salvation. He will save all who repent and follow Him into battle now. Christ’s victory against Satan in the end is guaranteed.
Verses and questions:
Isaiah 9:6. 11:1-5, and Micah 4:3
- What kind of weapons does the Prince of Peace use?
- What can we look forward to when Christ comes as our Judge?
Friday: Final Thoughts
Roman church leaders encouraged the Crusades by using religious rhetoric to send well-intentioned knights into a “holy war” against Islamic invaders of the Holy Lands. Most historians and many theologians now see the illegitimacy of such claims back then.
Satan delights in getting nations to fight against each other, and he uses many devious ways to bring about unwarranted destruction. It must especially thrill him when wars of any kind are taken up in the supposed name of God. We must not forget that just because someone says they are acting in the name of God doesn’t necessarily mean they are.
All nations are granted a time of probation to see if they will help or harm their people. We are admonished to follow the laws of the land when they are helping others (Romans 13:1). But as we’ve seen in the book of Joshua, we sometimes are also asked to join God in fighting for love and justice. God fights for us, but He also fights with us.
Using spiritual warfare rather than physical weapons, we can join God in fighting back the forces of evil by lifting our voice against unjust actions of our government and in many cases, voting for leaders who are a more positive influence on the people (Acts 5:29).
Next Week: The Enemy Within
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