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Sermon Outline

Lessons of Faith from Joshua

The Conflict Behind All Conflicts

Lesson #4 for October 25, 2025

Scriptures:Joshua 5:13-15; 6:15-20; 10:14; Isaiah 37:16; Revelation 12:7-9; Deuteronomy 32:17; Exodus 14:13-14.

  1. What is “The Conflict Behind All Conflicts”? Are we a part of that conflict? Is God?

[From the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide=BSG:] Reading the pages of Joshua, we are confronted with the aggressive military campaigns carried out at the command of God, in the name of God, and with the help of God. The idea that God was behind the conquest of Canaan pervades the book of Joshua, and it is expressed in the assertions of the narrator (Josh. 10:10, 11), in God’s own words (Josh. 6:2,Josh. 8:1), in Joshua’s addresses (Josh. 4:23, 24; Josh. 8:7), by Rahab (Josh. 2:10), by the spies (Josh. 2:24), and by the people (Josh. 24:18). God claims to be the initiator of these violent conflicts.—BSG* for Sabbath Afternoon, October 18.†‡§

[From the Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide=T-BSG:] There is no doubt that the book of Joshua is also a book of war. However, God’s direct involvement in the conquest of Canaan drastically affects the nature of this war, which some have called a “holy war.” For those touched by the sting of war, however, the combination of “war” and “holy” may be especially troubling. For many Christians, though, even more vexing is God’s characterization as a warrior who not only commands the Israelites to advance against the Canaanites and other peoples but also fights for them…. We will attempt to tackle this sensitive and fraught topic.—T-BSG* 52.‡

[T-BSG:] Our study of this topic involves a two-part approach. The first part relates to worldview, which provides the lens through which we interpret biblical data. The second part involves a good analysis of the biblical data itself, including a proper understanding of the biblical language, its literary aspects, and its historical context. This … lesson focuses on the first part of the approach. The great conflict between good and evil, which started with the rebellion of Lucifer in heaven, is an indispensable aspect of the proper worldview to deal with this complicated matter. God’s involvement in Joshua’s wars can be correctly understood only in light of His participation in this broader conflict. The correct understanding of this great conflict impacts all biblical doctrines. It is not an exaggeration to affirm that the great conflict is the most appropriate Adventist lens through which to interpret this issue and Scripture as a whole. Indeed, the Bible encourages us to employ this lens from the very beginning.—T-BSG* 52.†‡

God’s “Original” Plan for the Israelites to Take Canaan

  1. We should never forget God’s plan—His original plan—for the conquest of Canaan.

Exodus 23:20-33: 20 “I will send an angel ahead of you to protect you as you travel and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. 21Pay attention to him and obey him. Do not rebel against him, for I have sent him, and he will not pardon such rebellion. 22But if you obey him and do everything I command, I will fight against all your enemies. 23My angel will go ahead of you and take you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will destroy them. 24Do not bow down to their gods or worship them, and do not adopt their religious practices. Destroy their gods and break down their sacred stone pillars. 25If you worship me, the Lord your God, I will bless you with food and water and take away all your sicknesses. 26In your land no woman will have a miscarriage or be without children. I will give you long lives.

27 “I will make the people who oppose you afraid of me; I will bring confusion among the people against whom you fight, and I will make all your enemies turn and run from you. 28I will throw your enemies into a panic; I will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites as you advance. 29I will not drive them out within a year’s time; if I did, the land would become deserted, and the wild animals would be too many for you. 30Instead, I will drive them out little by little, until there are enough of you to take possession of the land. 31I will make the borders of your land extend from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Mediterranean Sea and from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will give you power over the inhabitants of the land, and you will drive them out as you advance. 32Do not make any agreement with them or with their gods. 33Do not let those people live in your country; if you do, they will make you sin against me. If you worship their gods, it will be a fatal trap for you.”—American Bible Society. (©1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation®* [GNT] (Today’s English Version) [TEV], Second Edition,Exodus 23:20-33). Philadelphia: American Bible Society [abbreviated as Good News Bible-TEV* or GNB-TEV*].†‡

  1. Having read and understood Exodus 23, how could they not trust Him and let Him guide?

[BSG:] This reality raises unavoidable questions. How can we understand that God’s chosen people carried out such practices in Old Testament times? How is it possible to reconcile the image of a “warlike” God with His character of love (for example,Exod. 34:6,Ps. 86:15,Ps. 103:8,Ps. 108:4) without diluting the credibility, authority, and historicity of the Old Testament?—BSG* for Sabbath Afternoon, October 18.‡§

[BSG:] We are going to explore the difficult question of divinely commanded wars in the book of Joshua and elsewhere.—BSG* for Sabbath Afternoon, October 18.†‡

  1. What is implied byJoshua 5:13-15?

Joshua 5:13-15: 13 While Joshua was near Jericho, he suddenly saw a man standing in front of him, holding a sword. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you one of our soldiers, or an enemy?”

14 “Neither,” the man answered. “I am here as the commander of the Lord’s army.”

Joshua threw himself on the ground in worship and said, “I am your servant, sir. What do you want me to do?”

15 And the commander of the Lord’s army told him, “Take your sandals off; you are standing on holy ground.” And Joshua did as he was told.—GNB-TEV.*

[BSG:] The Israelites have just crossed the Jordan and stepped onto the enemy’s ground. The fortress of Jericho lies in front of them, its gates firmly shut (Josh. 6:1). At this point, the people are unaware of any battle strategy. What is even more concerning is that Israel has only slings, spears, and arrows to take on a city fortified to withstand a long siege.—BSG* for Sunday.‡§

[BSG:] Joshua’s questions regarding the identity of the strange visitor receive a rather obscure answer: “No.” The visitor’s answer reveals that He is unwilling to step into the categories defined by Joshua. In other words, the ultimate question is not whether He is on Joshua’s side; rather, is Joshua on His side?—BSG* for Sunday, October 19.‡ [CompareExodus 14:14.]‡

  1. What do other passages in Scripture tell us about the Commander of the Lord’s army? SeeJoshua 5:14-15; 2 Kings 6:8-17; Nehemiah 9:6; andIsaiah 37:16.

[BSG:] The pre-incarnate Christ appears to Joshua not merely as an ally nor even as the true Commander of Israel’s army but as the Commander of the unseen yet real army of angels involved in a far greater conflict than that of Joshua with the Canaanites. Joshua’s answer clearly indicates his understanding of the Commander’s identity. He is equal to God, and Joshua falls prostrate in front of Him as a sign of profound respect and worship (Josh. 5:14,Gen. 17:3, 2Sam. 9:6, 2Chron. 20:18). Joshua is ready to receive the battle strategy for a military campaign that is an intrinsic part of a far greater conflict in which the God of hosts Himself is involved.—BSG* for Sunday.‡§

  1. Is God, the Commander of His army, still on our side? Are we on His side?

War in Heaven

  1. Did Joshua fully understand the issues in the great controversy? He had Job to read!

Revelation 12:7-9: 7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, who fought back with his angels; 8but the dragon was defeated, and he and his angels were not allowed to stay in heaven any longer. 9The huge dragon was thrown out—that ancient serpent, named the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him.—Good News Bible-TEV.*†

  1. Read Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:11-19.

Isaiah 14:12-14: 12 “King of Babylonia, bright morning star, you have fallen from heaven! In the past you conquered nations, but now you have been thrown to the ground. 13You were determined to climb up to heaven and to place your throne above the highest stars. You thought you would sit like a king on that mountain in the north where the gods assemble [Armageddon]. 14You said you would climb to the tops of the clouds and be like the Almighty.”—Good News Bible-TEV.*‡ [This cannot refer only to a human being! This is Satan’s story.]‡

Ezekiel 28:11-19: 11 The Lord spoke to me again. 12“Mortal man,” he said, “grieve for the fate that is waiting for the king of Tyre. Tell him what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: you were once an example of perfection. How wise and handsome you were! 13You lived in Eden, the garden of God, and wore gems of every kind: rubies and diamonds; topaz, beryl, carnelian, and jasper; sapphires, emeralds, and garnets. You had ornaments of gold. They were made for you on the day you were created. 14I put a terrifying angel there to guard you. You lived on my holy mountain and walked among sparkling gems. 15Your conduct was perfect from the day you were created until you began to do evil. 16You were busy buying and selling [This word can also mean “slandering”], and this led you to violence and sin. So I forced you to leave my holy mountain, and the angel who guarded you drove you away from the sparkling gems. 17You were proud of being handsome, and your fame made you act like a fool. Because of this I hurled you to the ground and left you as a warning to other kings. 18You did such evil in buying and selling [slandering] that your places of worship were corrupted. So I set fire to the city and burned it to the ground. All who look at you now see you reduced to ashes. 19You are gone, gone forever, and all the nations that had come to know you are terrified, afraid that they will share your fate.”—Good News Bible-TEV.*‡ [War in heaven began with Satan misrepresenting or slandering or lying about God!]‡

  1. Clearly, these passages although stated to be to the king of Tyre and the king of Babylon are actually referring to Lucifer who would become Satan and Lucifer’s rebellion in heaven.

[BSG:] God populated the universe with responsible creatures to whom He gave free will, a prerequisite for them being able to love. They can choose to act in accordance with, or against, God’s will. The most powerful of angels, Lucifer, rebelled against God, and took a lot of angels with him.

Isaiah and Ezekiel refer to the conflict, although some commentators try to restrict the meaning of Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 to the king of Babylon and to a ruler in Tyre. However, there are clear indicators in the biblical text that point to a transcendent reality. The king of Babylon is presented to have been in heaven at the throne of God (Isa. 14:12, 13), and the king of Tyre is said to have resided in Eden as a protective cherub on God’s holy mountain (Ezek. 28:12–15). None of this is true about the kings of Babylon and Tyre.

Neither can it be said about the earthly kings that they were blameless and the “signet ring of perfection.” Consequently, these characters point beyond the literal kingdoms of Babylon and Tyre.

Isaiah presents a “parable” (Heb. mashal) that conveys a meaning beyond the immediate historical context. In this case, the king of Babylon becomes a paradigm of rebellion, self-sufficiency, and pride. Similarly, Ezekiel makes a distinction between the prince of Tyre (Ezek. 28:2) and the king of Tyre (Ezek. 28:11, 12), where the prince, being active in the earthly realm, becomes the symbol of a king who acts in the heavenly one.—BSG* for Monday.†‡§

[BSG:] According toDaniel 10:12–14, these rebellious heavenly beings obstruct the fulfillment of God’s purposes on earth. It is in light of this connection between heaven and earth that we have to understand the divinely sanctioned wars of Israel. We need to recognize them as earthly manifestations of the great conflict between God and Satan, and between good and evil—all ultimately with the purpose of restoring God’s justice and love in a fallen world.

What are ways we see, in the world around us and in our own lives, the reality of this cosmic battle between good and evil?—BSG* for Monday, October 20.‡

The Lord (Yahweh) Is a Warrior

  1. What does it mean to say that God is a warrior? A careful reading of the stories of Israel throughout the Old Testament demonstrates that when they went to war with God’s direction, God fought for them.

[BSG:] During their long sojourn in Egypt, the Israelites have forgotten the true God of their ancestors. As many episodes of their travels through the wilderness demonstrated, their knowledge of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob faded, and they had mixed pagan elements into their religious practices (compare withExod. 32:1–4). Under the oppression of the Egyptians, they cried to the Lord (Exod. 2:23–25), and at the right time, the Lord intervened on their behalf.—BSG* for Tuesday, October 21.†‡§

  1. How was it possible for them to make a golden calf and claim that it was Yahweh?

[BSG:] However, the conflict described in the first 12 chapters of Exodus was greater than a simple power struggle between Moses and the pharaoh. According to ancient Near Eastern war ideology, conflicts between peoples were ultimately considered as being conflicts between the respective gods. Exodus 12:12 declares that the Lord inflicted judgment, not only on the pharaoh but also on the gods of Egypt, those powerful demons (Lev. 17:7,Deut. 32:17) that stood behind the oppressive power and unjust social system of Egypt.—BSG-for Tuesday, October 21.†‡§

Exodus 12:12: “On that night I will go through the land of Egypt, killing every first-born male, both human and animal, and punishing all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord [Yahweh].”—Good News Bible-TEV.*†‡

[BSG:] Ultimately, God is at war with sin and will not tolerate this conflict forever (Ps. 24:8; Rev. 19:11; Rev. 20:1–4, 14).—BSG* for Tuesday.†‡§

Revelation 19:11: Then I saw heaven open, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True; it is with justice that he judges and fights his battles.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

  1. What does it mean to say that “justice” fights battles?

[BSG:] The concept of the total destruction [haram] of the Canaanites must be understood on the basis of the biblical worldview, in which God is involved in a cosmic conflict with the exponents of evil in the universe. Ultimately, God’s reputation and His character are at stake (Rom. 3:4,Rev. 15:3).—BSG* for Tuesday, October 21.‡§

Romans 3:4: Certainly not! God must be true, even though all human beings are liars. As the scripture says,

“You [God] must be shown to be right when you speak;

you must win your case when you are being tried.”—Good News Bible-TEV.*‡

  1. ReadRevelation 15:3.

[BSG:] Since sin has entered human existence, nobody can stand on neutral ground. One must be either on God’s side or on the side of evil. Hence, with this background in mind, the eradication of the Canaanites should be viewed as a preview of the final judgment.—BSG* for Tuesday, October 21.†‡ [What happened to Israel later? See2 Chronicles 33:9.]‡

Exodus 14:13-14,25: 13 Moses answered, “Don’t be afraid! Stand your ground, and you will see what the Lord will do to save you today; you will never see these Egyptians again. 14The Lord will fight for you, and all you have to do is keep still.”…

25He made the wheels of their chariots get stuck, so that they moved with great difficulty. The Egyptians said, “The Lord [Yahweh] is fighting for the Israelites against us. Let’s get out of here!”—Good News Bible-TEV.*†‡ [Moses wrote this!]‡

  1. After all that God had done for them in Egypt and getting them out of Egypt, how could they question His abilities and His guidance?

[BSG:] God’s miraculous intervention for the helpless Israelites, untrained in military skills, becomes the pattern…. If Yahweh [sic] does not fight for Israel, they have no possibility of success.—BSG* for Wednesday, October 22.‡§

[EGW:] At this time even, had they shown true and sincere repentance, God might have given them another trial, as he did the ancient Ninevites; but instead of this they sank down in utter despondency. They knew that God was in earnest with them. They passed a sleepless night, but with the morning came a hope. They determined to redeem their cowardice. They would not look toward the wilderness, or the Red Sea, but they would equip themselves for war, and would seize the land and possess it by their might, peradventure their works might be accepted of God. They confessed saying, “We have sinned against the Lord, we will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God commanded us.” [Deut. 1:41] Here again their transgressions had turned their light into darkness. The Lord had never told them “to go up and fight.” He did not design that they should gain the land of promise by warfare, but through submission and unqualified obedience to his commands.—Ellen G. White, The Signs of the Times,* September 2, 1880, par. 4.†‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p820.2792&index=0]‡

  1. If one has read the Old Testament, s/he recognizes in places like Isaiah 37, 2 Kings 19, and 2 Chronicles 20 & 32 that when the children of Israel allowed God to fight their battles for them, the results were miraculous!
  2. They did not need to fight! But, if they allowed God to win all their battles for them, then God would get all the credit; and they would not get the credit! They wanted their enemies to believe that they were powerful soldiers who could conquer any enemy!

Deuteronomy 7:17-19: 17 “Do not tell yourselves that these peoples outnumber you and that you cannot drive them out…. 19bIn the same way that he destroyed the Egyptians, he will destroy all these people that you now fear.”—Good News Bible-TEV.*†

[EGW:] “And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven….” If the children of Israel had not murmured against the Lord, He would not have suffered their enemies to make war with them.—Ellen G. White, The Story of Redemption* 134.1.†‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p145.609&index=0]‡

  1. How might “murmurings” impact our lives today?

[EGW:] For forty years did unbelief, murmuring, and rebellion shut out ancient Israel from the land of Canaan. The same sins have delayed the entrance of modern Israel into the heavenly Canaan. In neither case were the promises of God at fault. It is the unbelief, the worldliness, unconsecration, and strife among the Lord’s professed people that have kept us in this world of sin and sorrow so many years.—Manuscript 4, 1883.—Ellen G. White, Evangelism* 696.2.†‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p30.3860&index=0]‡ [Israel was kept out of Canaan for 40 years; we have been kept out of the heavenly Canaan at least 181 years since 1844! Are we that much worse than ancient Israel?]‡

The Second Best Option for Israel to Take Canaan

  1. When the Israelites chose to rebel against God, He allowed the Amalekites to attack them.

Exodus 17:7-13: 7 The place was named Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites complained and put the Lord to the test when they asked, “Is the Lord with us or not?” [Next: War with the Amalekites]

8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9Moses said to Joshua, “Pick out some men to go and fight the Amalekites tomorrow. I will stand on top of the hill holding the stick that God told me to carry.” 10Joshua did as Moses commanded him and went out to fight the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11As long as Moses held up his arms, the Israelites won, but when he put his arms down, the Amalekites started winning. 12When Moses’ arms grew tired, Aaron and Hur brought a stone for him to sit on, while they stood beside him and held up his arms, holding them steady until the sun went down. 13In this way Joshua totally defeated the Amalekites.—GNB-TEV.*†‡ [Was it Joshua who won that battle? Or, God?] [Don’t forget about Haman the Amalekite in the book of Esther!]‡

[BSG:] The first time Israel fought after the Exodus [sic] is recorded in Exodus 17, where the Israelites defended themselves against the Amalekites. Israel had witnessed God’s almighty power in both afflicting the Egyptians and leading the Israelites to freedom. We have seen that God’s initial plan for Israel did not include fighting against other people (Exod. 23:28,Exod. 33:2). But shortly after their deliverance from Egypt, the Israelites started to murmur on the way (Exod. 17:3), even questioning God’s presence in their midst. It was at this moment that Amalek came to fight against Israel. This was not by chance. God allowed the Amalekites to attack Israel so that the Israelites might learn to trust Him again. [Wasn’t the cloud still there?]

Without compromising His principles, God comes down to the level where His people are, continually calling them back to the ideal plan: complete and unreserved trust in divine intervention. In fact, the law of warfare (Deuteronomy 20 [ContrastExodus 23:20-33.]) was given only after the 40 years of wilderness experience, which was also caused by Israel’s unbelief. New circumstances demanded new strategies, and it was only then that God required Israel to completely annihilate the Canaanites (Deut. 20:16–18).—BSG* for Thursday, October 23.†‡§

Deuteronomy 20:1-18: 1 “When you go out to fight against your enemies and you see chariots and horses and an army that outnumbers yours, do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who rescued you from Egypt, will be with you. 2Before you start fighting, a priest is to come forward and say to the army, 3‘Men of Israel, listen! Today you are going into battle. Do not be afraid of your enemies, or lose courage, or panic. 4The Lord your God is going with you, and he will give you victory.’…

8 “The officers will also say to the men, ‘Is there any man here who has lost his nerve and is afraid? If so, he is to go home. Otherwise, he will destroy the morale of the others.’ 9When the officers have finished speaking to the army, leaders are to be chosen for each unit.

10 “When you go to attack a city, first give its people a chance to surrender. 11If they open the gates and surrender, they are all to become your slaves and do forced labor for you. 12But if the people of that city will not surrender, but choose to fight, surround it with your army. 13Then, when the Lord your God lets you capture the city, kill every man in it. 14You may, however, take for yourselves the women, the children, the livestock, and everything else in the city. You may use everything that belongs to your enemies. The Lord has given it to you. 15That is how you are to deal with those cities that are far away from the land you will settle in. [The women were to become Israelites!]

16 “But when you capture cities in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, kill everyone. 17Completely destroy all the people: the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, as the Lord ordered you to do. 18Kill them, so that they will not make you sin against the Lord by teaching you to do all the disgusting things that they do in the worship of their gods.”—Good News Bible-TEV.*†‡

  1. They demonstrated that the Amalekites were overcome in that battle because God fought for them. How God would deal with those wicked and rebellious people is clear.

The Battle for Jericho

Joshua 6:15-21: 15 On the seventh day they got up at daybreak and marched seven times round the city in the same way—this was the only day that they marched around it seven times. 16The seventh time around, when the priests were about to sound the trumpets, Joshua ordered the people to shout, and he said, “The Lord has given you the city! 17The city and everything in it must be totally destroyed as an offering to the Lord [haram or charem]. Only the prostitute Rahab and her household will be spared, because she hid our spies. 18But you are not to take anything that is to be destroyed; if you do, you will bring trouble and destruction on the Israelite camp. 19Everything made of silver, gold, bronze, or iron is set apart for the Lord. It is to be put in the Lord’s treasury.”

20So the priests blew the trumpets. As soon as the people heard it, they gave a loud shout, and the walls collapsed. Then all the army went straight up the hill into the city and captured it. 21With their swords they killed everyone in the city, men and women, young and old. They also killed the cattle, sheep, and donkeys.—Good News Bible-TEV.*†‡

  1. Try to imagine the thoughts of the people of Jericho as the Israelites kept marching around their city again and again for seven days.

[BSG:] Besides the reality that war became a necessity for the children of Israel, it also turned out to be a test of their allegiance to Yahweh [sic]. God did not give up on them but allowed them to witness His power by experiencing total dependence on Him. [There was nothing they could have done by themselves.]

The participation of the Israelites in the conquest is evident from the conclusion drawn by Joshua at the end of the book. Here the Canaanites are said to have been fighting against the Israelites (Josh. 24:11). While the collapse of the walls of Jericho was the result of a divine miracle, the people of Israel had to be actively involved in the battle and face the stubborn resistance of the city’s inhabitants.—BSG* for Thursday, October 23.‡§

  1. Each time the Israelites had to face an enemy in war, the results should have taught them to trust evermore completely in God.
  2. A review of the Old Testament shows that whenever they went to war following God’s instructions and guidance, they did very well. However, whenever they tried to go to war on their own, it was a disaster! Remember Kadesh-Barnea. (SeeDeuteronomy 1:41.)

[BSG:] Israel’s participation in armed conflict became a way to develop unconditional trust in Yahweh’s [sic] help. Yet, the people were always reminded (Josh. 7:12, 13; Josh. 10:8) that the outcome of each battle ultimately lay in the Lord’s hands, and the only way they could influence the outcome of a military conflict was through their attitude of faith, or unbelief, toward the promises of the Lord. The choice was their own.—BSG* for Thursday, October 23.‡§ [Did any of Israel think that they had conquered Jericho without God?]‡

[BSG:] When rebellion against God’s authority arose in the universe, either God was going to cease to be what He essentially, immutably, and eternally is and give away the leadership of the whole universe to one of His rebellious creatures, or He was going to be the holy, righteous, loving, and merciful Father of all that exists. The Bible presents the second picture, and in this case, the clash between the forces of evil and His power is inevitable.

When political or sociohistorical powers associated with chaotic and rebellious cosmic forces manifested the same defiant attitude against Yahweh [sic], He, as the Sovereign Lord of the universe, intervened. The motif of Yahweh [sic] as a warrior becomes a prefiguration of that ultimate victory, which will finally put an end to the ongoing cosmic conflict between good and evil (Rev. 20:8–10). Moreover, Israel’s divine wars not only reflect a glimpse of the cosmic conflict as in a mirror but are part and parcel of the same controversy, anticipating God’s end-time judgment in the sphere of present history.—BSG* for Friday, October 24.†‡§ [Was Satan happy about losing Jericho?]‡

Revelation 20:8-10: 8 And he [Satan] will go out to deceive the nations scattered over the whole world, that is, Gog and Magog. Satan will bring them all together for battle, as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. 9They spread out over the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people and the city that he loves. But fire came down from heaven and destroyed them. 10Then the Devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.—Good News Bible-TEV.*‡ [See The Great Controversy 662-678.]‡

[EGW:] God had made it their privilege and their duty to enter the land at the time of His appointment, but through their willful neglect that permission had been withdrawn. Satan had gained his object in preventing them from entering Canaan; and now he urged them on to do the very thing, in the face of the divine prohibition, which they had refused to do when God required it. Thus the great deceiver gained the victory by leading them to rebellion the second time. They had distrusted the power of God to work with their efforts in gaining possession of Canaan; yet now they presumed upon their own strength to accomplish the work independent of divine aid. “We have sinned against the Lord,” they cried; “we will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God commanded us.”Deuteronomy 1:41. So terribly blinded had they become by transgression. The Lord had never commanded them to “go up and fight.” It was not His purpose that they should gain the land by warfare, but by strict obedience to His commands.—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets* 392.3.†‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p84.1784&index=0]‡

[EGW:] The utter destruction of the people of Jericho was but a fulfillment of the commands previously given through Moses concerning the inhabitants of Canaan: “Thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them.”Deuteronomy 7:2. “Of the cities of these people, ... thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth.”Deuteronomy 20:16. To many these commands seem to be contrary to the spirit of love and mercy enjoined in other portions of the Bible, but they were in truth the dictates of infinite wisdom and goodness. God was about to establish Israel in Canaan, to develop among them a nation and government that should be a manifestation of His kingdom upon the earth. They were not only to be inheritors of the true religion, but to disseminate its principles throughout the world. The Canaanites had abandoned themselves to the foulest and most debasing heathenism, and it was necessary that the land should be cleared of what would so surely prevent the fulfillment of God’s gracious purposes.

The inhabitants of Canaan had been granted ample opportunity for repentance. Forty years before, the opening of the Red Sea and the judgments upon Egypt had testified to the supreme power of the God of Israel. And now the overthrow of the kings of Midian, of Gilead and Bashan, had further shown that Jehovah was above all gods. The holiness of His character and His abhorrence of impurity had been evinced in the judgments visited upon Israel for their participation in the abominable rites of Baalpeor. All these events were known to the inhabitants of Jericho, and there were many who shared Rahab’s conviction, though they refused to obey it, that Jehovah, the God of Israel, “is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath.” Like the men before the Flood, the Canaanites lived only to blaspheme Heaven and defile the earth. And both love and justice demanded the prompt execution of these rebels against God and foes to man.—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets* 492.1-2.†‡ [https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p84.2263&index=0]‡

©2025, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. *Electronic version. †Bold type is added. ‡Brackets and content in brackets are added. §Italic type is in the source.   Last Modified: September 15, 2025                                        Email: Info@theox.org