Friday: Further Thought – The Conflict Behind All Conflicts
Daily Lesson for Friday 24th of October 2025
Read Ellen G. White, “The Fall of Jericho,” Pages 487–493, in Patriarchs and Prophets.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
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, He, as the Sovereign Lord of the universe, intervened. The motif of Yahweh 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 (Revelation 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.
“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their duty to enter the land at the time of His appointment, but through their willful neglect that permission had been withdrawn. . . . 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, p. 392.
Discussion Questions
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This week we have been encouraged to think about the big conflict. Most of us can pull out the Bible texts that support our view of what happened, why it happened and who the protagonists are. And we have another lot of Bible texts we can use to show that God fights for us and that we need the guidance of the Holy Spirit and so on. You might say we are pretty good in discussing the war, its strategies, it weaponry and the ultimate victory.
My son has a PhD in pure maths. The stuff that he did his research on is so esoteric that about the only thing I understand in his thesis is his acknowledgement that we, his parents, supported him. He now works in the real world on a national defence project. I asked him about it once and he simply replied that if he told us, the secret service would come and shoot us if he told us. I did ask him if his PhD research was useful and relevant to what he was doing and his response was, “All the time!”
Theory applied to practice. That is what it is all about. We can have the greatest understanding of the cosmic conflict but our little sphere of influence is where we have to fight the good fight. Our Canaan to conquer maybe one or two interactions with people today. Yesterday, for me, it was a 92-year-old woman who had to give up her volunteer work because she is too sick to carry on. The weapons I carried were words of appreciation, and spending a little time with her to know she was a much loved member of our team. Today I have to write an email to a discouraged family member in New Zealand, who is feeling the weight of life events. I was going to visit her in person, but that is not going to happen now and the best I can do is write to her. That is the focus of my interaction with the cosmic conflict today.
We like the notion that the Lord is on our side and fights our battles for us, and the Holy Spirit guides us. But we still have to put our feet in the waters of the Jordan and turn all that theoretical theology into practical Christianity. My takeaway thought for the week is: Let’s get off our butts and join the fight! Remaining in our seats and writing cute words about it is tantamount to rebellion.
Our ego is the biggest battle to fight.
Larry Crabb insightfully reminds us that “the difference between the spiritual and unspiritual community is not whether conflict exists, but our attitude toward conflict and our approach to handling it.” This truth points us to the reality that conflict is not merely a relational or circumstantial problem but rather it is ultimately a spiritual one. Behind every conflict lies the deeper struggle that began in the Garden of Eden, when humanity chose independence from God (Genesis 3:1–13). Since then, our hearts have been divided by pride, fear, and selfish desires (James 4:1–2). The real battle, therefore, is not just between people, but within our own hearts, between our will and God’s. Until that inner war is surrendered to Christ, conflict will continue to expose our need for His grace and transformation (Romans 7:23–25; Proverbs 13:10).
It is often during these very times of crisis and conflict that our lives, homes, and families feel uprooted—as though everything stable and secure is being torn apart. Yet even in these painful disruptions, God is powerfully at work. His goal is not to destroy, but to deepen our faith and strengthen our dependence on Him (Romans 8:28–29). When storms and conflicts hit the Israelites as they entered Canaan, God invited them and us indeed to see beyond the chaos and recognize His refining purpose. If we handle conflict with humility, forgiveness, and trust, we discover that God uses even the hardest seasons to rebuild what matters most our faith, our families, and our character—on the solid foundation of Christ (Matthew 7:24–25; Colossians 3:13–15). What feels like uprooting is often God’s way of replanting us in richer soil, where spiritual growth and lasting peace can take root.
Unfortunately, because of the Fall of mankind, we all are faced with various kinðs of conflict, sometimes in the same day. Because my fallen nature is constantly warring within me against my spiritual nature, I have to constantly be aware of Jesus's desire to take up residence in my life. His presence in my life is the only hope I have that my spiritual nature will ever be victorious.
Christianity isn't a do it yourself endeavor. Rather it is Christ saying, "Let's do this thing called life together. When I take Him up on His offer then my life takes on new meaning, purpose, and direction. Being a Christian is anything but boring.
I agree with Maurice, not all of the cosmic conflict involves literal fighting. Sometimes it involves going out of our way to help a person in need. We have to fight against our natural selfishness. A song by the group , Newsong, captures the essence of our calling as Christians, titled, "We wear His Name." Part of the lyric goes, "in a world that's lost in hopelessness, we are called to be the light. We wear His Name!."
As a Christ follower, the cross becomes the cross hairs in the enemy's scope. He would take us all down in an instant if he could. This is war! Lord, teach us to "fight." Never forget that as Christians we wear HIS Name, the name above all names. Let's wear it in such a way that brings glory to it.
We Wear His Name, Newsong
We can apply the principle of standing still and waiting for the Lord by trusting His timing and power instead of trying to handle everything ourselves. Standing still means staying calm, prayerful, and faithful while God works. As brother Maurice said; “ Let’s get off our butts and join the fight .” I agree with him. We must remember that our faith also calls for action—so let’s get up and join the fight! Sitting back and only talking about it isn’t faith at all; it’s disobedience. True faith moves when God says move.
I feel more comfortable with saying that God's original purpose for conquering Canaan was for them to never use "Violence, or Unjust Military Campaigns," rather than to say that they were never to use "Warfare." I say this because of what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 13:1-4. With what Paul says here, it is very clear to me that it has always been God's plan for Nations to have "Military," as well as "Law Enforcement Power," for the purpose of utilizing this power against their own wicked and rebellious citizens and also to defend themselves against other aggressive nations against them.
We in North America and other countries live in a kind of bubble when it comes to war. Most of us have not experienced its devastation firsthand, and as a result, we often hold a sanitized or distant view of what war really is. This distance gives us a false perception of its nature and blinds us to the role war has played throughout history in shaping nations and even in executing divine judgment. Because of this detachment, it’s difficult for many to grasp how a loving and just God could have permitted—or even used—wars in the past as instruments of judgment upon entire nations. Our modern worldview, shaped by comfort and peace, struggles to reconcile divine justice with the harsh realities of human rebellion and the measures God sometimes employed to restrain evil and preserve righteousness.
Well, we got to the main point of this week’s Lesson, then: our strict obedience x God’s fight for us. Our “stillness” refers only to the energy we spend on defending ourselves in this cosmic conflict; rather, our focus should be on the will of God!
I cannot help but consider our Creator God feeling sorrow for His chosen people, foreknowing the incredible suffering they would endure by the hands of His enemy – Lucifer – and his followers. He chose the children of Isreal to be His people - to be their God - , and, like Jesus, their calling was ordained to fulfill a greater purpose. He steadfastly loves His Creation, experiencing sadness during these times of great upheaval – Ezekiel 18:23.
Though we know why and how the 'conflict behind all conflicts' arose, it might be helpful to define this ‘conflict’ as it manifests here on earth. Though the angels’ rebellion in heaven was without merit - unjustified, the ensuing conflict required/demanded to employ God’s infinite, perfect Justice - Grace and Mercy – to prove to all that this rebellion was without merit – Eph.3:10.
God's justice required heaven’s intervening hosts to interact with man. Lucifer’s ‘rebellion’ not merely expresses a differing ‘opinion’, but a challenge to change the ‘spiritual/moral’ foundation guiding humanity; enticing them to follow him. Lucifer's power struggle with God to establish his 'way' leads to strife and death. Lucifer's way can never generate true affection or adoration for himself, as this is the reflection of the Creator's Love by that which He created – 1 John 4:7; Eph.1:3-5.
It is our Creator’s Love which is to be reflected in all aspects of His Creation - especially in times of conflict. The usurper attempted to change this, replacing it with his own, imperfect nature, so causing death and destruction. But our Creator was prepared to respond - using His perfect Justice to demonstrate the superiority of His better Way - His Way of Love and Justice - governing all His Creation – Psalm 145:9; Psalm 19:1.