Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Gen. 15:16; Lev. 18:24-30; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8; Exod. 23:28-30; Deut. 20:10, 15-18; Isa. 9:6

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).

The book of Joshua contains some disturbing scenes. Serious questions are raised by the concept of a divine or holy war portraying a group of people with a God-given mandate to destroy another group.

The issue of divine war in the Old Testament is challenging. God appears in the Old Testament as the sovereign Lord of the universe; therefore, everything that happens must, somehow, be related to His direct or indirect will. So, the question “How can God allow such things?” becomes inevitable. Last week, we saw that God Himself is involved in a conflict that is far greater than any war or battle fought in human history, a battle that permeates every aspect of our lives. We saw, too, that the events of both biblical and secular history can be fully understood only in light of this conflict.

This week, we continue to explore the complexity of divinely sanctioned wars, the limitations and conditions of divine war, the final vision of peace offered by the Old Testament prophets, and the spiritual implications of such wars.

* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, November 1.