Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class on November 1, 2025.

Main Theme: We will explore the purpose of divine wars and discover the peace and restoration God intends them to bring.

Read in Class: Genesis 18:25, Psalm 7:11, Psalm 50:6, and 2 Timothy 4:1. Ask the class to identify the common thread of these passages.

Study: What are these verses saying about God’s moral character? How does the role of God as the Judge of the universe help us understand the question of divine war?

Apply: How is a God who will not endlessly tolerate sin, oppression, the suffering of the innocent, and the exploitation of the oppressed part and parcel of the gospel?

Share: Your friend says that many of us find comfort in the fact that God knows our hearts. But if God knows our hearts, doesn’t He also know the selfish intentions of our hearts as well as the good intentions? If He knows when we are doing our best, doesn’t He also know when we are not doing our best? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Exodus 23:28-30, Numbers 33:52, and Deuteronomy 7:20. Ask the class to find the common thread of these passages.

Study: What do these texts reveal about the purpose of the conquest and the extent of the destruction?

Apply: What elements in your own character and habits must be uprooted and annihilated?

Share: Your friend says that many today preach about the love and forgiveness of God, but not about his wrath. Should we also preach about the wrath of God? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Deuteronomy 13:12-18, Deuteronomy 20:10, 15-18, and Joshua 10:40. Ask the class to identify the main idea of these passages.

Study: How does the law of warfare and the procedure against an idolatrous town in Israel, expressed in Deuteronomy, help us understand the limitations of total destruction in the war that the Israelites were engaged in?

Apply: What are the spiritual implications of the Canaanites’ defiance of God for our context today? That is, what are the consequences of our free choices for us personally?

Share: Your friend asks how she can be peaceful towards people who are hostile towards her. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Isaiah 60:17, Hosea 2:18, and Micah 4:3. Ask the class to identify the common thread of these passages.

Study: How do these passages describe the future God desires for His people?

Apply: Think about all the ways we can, by seeking to emulate Jesus, be agents of peace. What about your own life right now? In what ways, in whatever conflict you might be facing, could you be an agent of peace instead of conflict?

Share: Read 2 Kings 6:16-23. Is there a friend you can pray for God to open their eyes, so they can see the goodness of God and the purpose He has for their lives?