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SDA Sabbath School Lesson 4- 4th Quarter 2025-The Conflict Behind All Conflicts

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Richard Myers:
4th Quarter        Lesson 4                                                                                                       October 18-24

                                                                                                                               


 
The Conflict Behind All Conflicts

Commentary in Navy                  Inspiration in Maroon


Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Josh. 5:13-15; Isa. 37:16; Rev. 12:7-9; Deut. 32:17; Exod. 14:13-14; Josh. 6:15-20

Memory Text: “And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.” Joshua 10:14

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.

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?

Why would one think that love would prevent war? Are not the wicked bound for not only death, but suffering for every sin? It was clearly stated that God repented of making man and destroyed all of humanity and animals except for what was on the ark. How is it that professing Christians would question the character of God because He destroys the wicked. Was it not for our sake that He destroys the wicked? And not only for our sake, but for the security of the universe. How sad that one would question His love. Has He not proved His love by risking His Son that some might live in a world without sin?

This week and next, we are going to explore the difficult question of divinely commanded wars in the book of Joshua and elsewhere.

It is not a difficult question when one understands God's government stands on His mercy and His justice. The problem is that few are truly converted and know the character of our God. Study the sacrifice asked of Abram. Is this not proof enough to know of His love? I wondered why God would ask a father to kill his son? Now I know. All ought to understand why God asked Abram to kill his son. It is a revelation of our heavenly Father's love for you and me.

* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 25.

Richard Myers:
Sunday         October 19
Commander of the Army of the Lord

Read Joshua 5:13-15.

5:13   And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, [Art] thou for us, or for our adversaries? 
 5:14   And he said, Nay; but [as] captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? 
 5:15   And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest [is] holy. And Joshua did so. 

What does this text say about the background of Canaan’s conquest?

God was interested since He sent the captain of the host who was going to lead with a sword.

Israel has 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, Israel has only slings, spears, and arrows to take on a city fortified to withstand a long siege.

"More concerning?"  After all God had done for them?  Have they no faith in the powerful God who they serve? If God asks us to do something, do you think we can do it? It depends on the faith of His children. We have our small part to do and God does the rest. Concern?  That God's work will be done, if not by us, then by others who are faithful.

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?

Compare Joshua 5:14-15 with 2 Kings 6:8-17, Nehemiah 9:6, and Isaiah 37:16. What do you learn about the identity of the commander of the Lord’s army?

While the expression “commander of the army of the LORD” is unique in the Hebrew Bible, the combination of the terms “commander” and “hosts” always refers to a military leader. The word “host” in Scripture can refer to military troops, to the angels, or to celestial bodies.

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, 2 Sam. 9:6, 2 Chron. 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.

What comfort can, and should, we draw, from knowing that the “Commander of the army of the LORD” is at work in defense of His people?

We indeed are still His modern day Israel. But, the battle we have to fight is with self. Until there is revival and reformation in His church, the battle is within not without.  When 48% of the 40,000,000 who have come in the church have left, it ought to awaken to us the fact that the church remains in a Laodicean condition. That means most of the church are not in a converted state. In Ellen White's day there were few who were truly converted. As it is today, many were  buried alive and this  is why there are so many problems in our churches, and why there  is rebellion at the highest level. 

The minds of many are clouded with unbelief because those who unite with the church as the chosen of God do not reveal the virtues that are the fruits of the Spirit. Joining the church is not a sure evidence that a man has joined himself to Christ. The new birth is a rare experience in this age of the world. This is the reason why there are so many perplexities in the churches. Many, so many, who assume the name of Christ are unsanctified and unholy. They have been baptized, but they were buried alive. Self did not die, and therefore they did not rise to newness of life in Christ.
 
Thousands who claim to be religious are not Christians. Paul was very strict in carrying out his religion, but he was not a Christian until Christ revealed Himself to him and talked with him, showing him that he was persecuting his Master in the person of His saints. Then Paul was converted. He became one of the sect he had despised and hated; and for his love of Christ he received the same cruel treatment that he had once cooperated with others in giving.

The churches have an abundance of the religion and zeal that Paul had. Many persecute those who differ from them in religious matters. But no true Christian will persecute one who conscientiously differs from him in faith. Those who try to force the consciences of their fellowmen do it because Christ is not abiding in their hearts. They do not realize that they have the attributes of Satan, but he delights to make them his instruments to bear witness against God’s chosen ones. They strive to make them observe rites that have no foundation in the Word of God. When these persecutors have the Spirit of Christ, they will hear and receive the words of Christ “Touch not Mine anointed, and do My prophets no harm” ( 1 Chronicles 16:22). Christ and Him crucified will absorb the whole soul.
(Colossians 3:12-17, 23-25, quoted.)

What does God require? Perfection, nothing less than perfection. But if we would be perfect, we must put no confidence in self. Daily we must know and understand that self is not to be trusted. We need to grasp God’s promises with firm faith. We need to ask for the Holy Spirit with a full realization of our own helplessness. Then when the Holy Spirit works we shall not give self the glory. The Holy Spirit will graciously take the heart into His keeping, bringing to it all the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness. We shall be kept by the power of God through faith.

When we are daily under the control of God’s Spirit, we shall be commandment-keeping people. We may show to the world that obedience to God’s commands brings its own reward, even in this life, and in the future life eternal blessedness. Notwithstanding our profession of faith, the Lord by whom our actions are weighed, sees but an imperfect representation of Christ. He has declared that such a condition of things cannot glorify Him.  12MR 52.

Richard Myers:
Monday        October 20
War in Heaven

Joshua understood that the battle was part of a larger conflict. What do we know about the conflict in which God Himself was involved? Read Rev. 12:7-9, Isa. 14:12-14, Ezek. 28:11-19, and Dan. 10:12-14.

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.

And since then, he has taken many more from here on this Earth! Every day there are more who have closed their probations  by hardening their hearts against the truth. They believed the lie that if one sins he will surely not die.

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), which 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.

According to Daniel 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?

Let us look at the battle which comes close to each of us daily through the message given to Ezekiel who was made a watchman to warn Israel that when one sins, he does not have eternal life. Why was this  message presented three times by Ezekiel in chapters 3, 18, and 33?

What was this that was so  very important?  From chapter three verse  twenty: "Again, When a righteous [man] doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand."  How does this apply to our day? In two ways.

First, we must understand the lie that Satan propagated in the Garden when he deceived Eve in believing God lied to her when He told her she would surely die if she ate from the fruit in the  midst of the Garden.  Eve believed the lie that if she disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit she would surely not die. So it has always been the same lie that deceives most all who have gone into the grave and will remain in the grave until a thousand years after Christ's return. Satan deceived Israel into believing they had obtained eternal life in sin. And so it is today. Many in Babylon believe the lie that they will surely not die if they sin. They have been taught that once saved always saved, there are no abortions in heaven. Even in His modern day Israel the same lie has deceived a multitude. The remains in a Laodicean condition wherein most in the church believe they are saved when they are not. They have been taught that if they sin a known sin, they have eternal life because Jesus stands in their place in the judgment. It is His righteousness that saves them in sin. We cannot be perfect, thus when we sin a known sin, His righteousness will save us in our sin. He will forgive us even though we have not truly repented of our sin. They refuse to believe those who are born of God do  not sin even though they see the  Bible says "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother." 1 John 3:7-10.

Secondly, not only will the saved who where righteous and then sin be lost, so will those who do not warn the righteous that if the righteous sin their previous righteousness will not be remembered and they will  surely die in their sin, their blood will be on their head. "Again, When a righteous [man] doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous [man], that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul." Eze. 3:20,21.

How many today are not warning the church that if we sin a known sin we will surely die unless we repent? Instead they say that it is the righteousness of Christ that stands in place of their unrighteousness. They teach that the saved wear filthy clothes.

Richard Myers:
Tuesday        October 21
The Lord Is a Warrior

Read Exodus 2:23-25; Exodus 12:12-13; and Exodus 15:3-11. What does it mean that God is a warrior?

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 with Exod. 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.

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 god or 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.

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). All the fallen angels, as well as the human beings who have definitely and irrecoverably identified themselves with sin, will be destroyed. In light of this, the battles against the inhabitants of the land have to be perceived as an earlier stage of this conflict, which will reach its apex on the cross, and its consummation at the final judgment, when God’s justice and character of love will be vindicated.

The concept of the total destruction 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. What is ultimately at stake are God’s reputation and His character (Rom. 3:4, Rev. 15:3).

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.

But, the final judgment will be perfect, not as the failure in eradicating the Canaanites.

The reality of the great controversy allows for only one of two sides. How do you know which side you are really on?

The requirement for being on the side of God is to love the Lord our God with all of the heart. How do we know of we love Him? "And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us." 1 John 3:24. In other words, if we are partakers of His divine nature, we will be filled with the Holy Spirit. If so, then will not all  of the fruits of the Spirit be seen in our lives? Yes, not one will be missing. We will  have love, joy, and peace in this world as well as the world to  come.
 

Richard Myers:
Wednesday        October 22
The Lord Will Fight for You

According to Exodus 14:13-14, 25, what was God’s original and ideal plan concerning the involvement of the Israelites in warfare?

 14:13   And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 
 14:14   The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 
 14:25   And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

At that time God commanded Israel to not fight.

In that moment of crisis, when the people of Israel were forced into a physical impasse, “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” Exod. 14:13-14. According to the biblical narrative, even the Egyptians themselves understood that reality: “Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.” Exod. 14:25.

God’s miraculous intervention for the helpless Israelites, untrained in military skills, becomes the pattern. The Exodus constituted the model, the paradigm, for God’s intervention on behalf of Israel. Here not only is the battle fought by Yahweh, but Israel is required not to fight (Exod. 14:14). God is the warrior; the initiative belongs to Him. He establishes the strategy, defines the means, and conducts the campaign. If Yahweh does not fight for Israel, they have no possibility of success.

Ellen G. White interprets this as an expression of the fact that God “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. As in their deliverance from Egypt, God would fight their battles for them. All they had to do was stand still and witness His mighty intervention.

History demonstrates that whenever Israel had sufficient trust in God, they did not need to fight (see 2 Kings 19, 2 Chronicles 32, Isaiah 37).

In God’s ideal plan, Israel never needed to fight for themselves. It was a consequence of their unbelief, expressed after the Exodus, that God permitted them to have a part in the war conducted against the Canaanites. In the same way, they did not need to raise a single sword against the Egyptians during the Exodus; it would have never been necessary for them to fight in conquering Canaan (Deut. 7:17-19).

“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, p. 134. How might murmurings impact our lives today?

God allows tribulation to come in our lives whether we murmur or not. But, if in Christ He will not allow the tribulation to be more than we can bear. When we murmur against God, Satan can go much further in hurting us. It is interesting that God did not purpose for Israel to go to war, but is that true in the past before Israel was a nation or after Israel was cut off?

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