Going Deeper – Week 3 - Conquest: What about Old Testament violence?
- Stephen Sutton
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
This week in our God’s Book series, we come to what may be one of the hardest questions in the whole Bible. Why is there so much violence in the Old Testament? And more specifically: Does God condone warfare and violence?
This is not an easy topic. For me personally and for many people, the stories of conquest in Joshua are some of the most difficult parts of Scripture. So this week, we are not going to pretend that it isn’t there. We are going to lean in really carefully and honestly, and see what we can find out.
Read Ahead This Week
Here are the key Bible passages for this week:
Isaiah 2:1-5 - The promise of a world where swords become ploughshares and nations no longer train for war.
Deuteronomy 20:1–20 - Instructions about Israelite warfare.
Joshua 6:15–25 - The conquest of Jericho, including the rescue of Rahab.
Ephesians 6:10–20 Paul’s teaching that our struggle is not against flesh and blood.
These are the main passages behind this week’s sermon theme.
A Helpful Starting Point
The Bible begins with peace. In Genesis, God creates a good world. No bloodshed. No violence. No warfare. And the Bible ends with peace. In Revelation, God restores creation. Tears are wiped away. Death is defeated. Violence is gone.
So the whole Bible is moving from peace, through the messy middle of human violence and evil, towards God’s final world of peace. That's important. Because when we read violent passages in the Old Testament, we need to remember the bigger story this whole thing is a part of. God’s ultimate desire is not violence. God’s ultimate promise is peace. Shalom everywhere!
Isaiah says it beautifully:
“They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks.”
That is where the story is heading.
Descriptive or Prescriptive?
One really important thing to notice is that not every violent story in the Bible is there because God approves of it.
Some things in the Bible are descriptive, not prescriptive.
In other words, sometimes the Bible is describing what happened, not prescribing what should happen.
The book of Judges is a good example. It is full of disturbing stories, but the point is not, “Go and do likewise.” The point is to show what happens when people turn away from God and everyone does what is right in their own eyes.
But What About Joshua?
The conquest of Canaan is harder because there are moments where God does appear to authorise force.
That is why this week is hard.
So we will need to read these passages:
In context. The conquest was a unique moment in Israel’s story. Israel was a displaced people, rescued from slavery, being brought into the land promised to Abraham. It was not a blank cheque for violence in God’s name today.
In Christ. Jesus shows us the fullest revelation of God. In the New Testament, God’s people are not a nation-state with borders and an army. Our fight is no longer against flesh and blood. It is against evil, sin, injustice, darkness, and death.
In community. This is not a topic to process alone. It is exactly the kind of question we need to wrestle with together, with humility and care.
Watch or Listen This Week
A few BibleProject resources may help you:
Joshua Overview This is a good place to start. BibleProject’s Joshua guide says the battle stories are not there to teach readers to commit violence in God’s name, but to show God bringing justice on human evil while moving the story forward. - https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-joshua/
BibleProject Podcast: “Do Jesus’ Teachings Conflict With Old Testament Violence?” This is a deeper listen, especially if you want to think about Jesus’ teaching on enemy love and nonviolence alongside Old Testament violence.
A Question to Carry Into Sunday
As you read this week, sit with this:
How does Jesus reshape the way we understand violence, enemies, and peace?
That question matters because Jesus does something astonishing.
He does not overcome his enemies by shedding their blood.
He makes peace by shedding his own.
A Simple Practice This Week
Pray this slowly:
Jesus, make me a peacemaker. Where there is anger in me, bring peace. Where there is resentment in me, bring mercy. Where there is fear in me, bring trust. Teach me to live your way. Amen.
This will be a difficult week, but it could also be a deeply forming one.
The Bible is honest about violence because the world is violent. But the hope of Scripture is that God is bringing his world back to peace through Jesus.
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