Wednesday: Free Choice
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 29th of October 2025
Read Deuteronomy 20:10,15-18; Deuteronomy 13:12-18; and Joshua 10:40. 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?
The Hebrew text uses a unique term to describe the destruction of people in war: cḥerem. This term refers to what is “banned,” “damned,” or “dedicated to annihilation.” Most of the time, it designates complete and irrevocable placement of people, animals, or inanimate objects in God’s exclusive domain, which in warfare involved, in most cases, their destruction.
Image © Review & Herald Publishing from GoodSalt.com
The concept and practice of cḥerem as a total eradication of a people in war needs to be understood in the light of Yahweh’s conflict with the cosmic forces of evil, where His character and reputation are at stake.
Again, since the emergence of sin in the world, there is no neutrality: one is either on God’s side or against Him. One side leads to life, eternal life, and the other to death, eternal death.
The practice of total destruction describes God’s righteous judgment against sin and evil. God uniquely delegated the execution of part of His judgment to His chosen nation, ancient Israel. The devotion to destruction was under His tight theocratic control, limited to a certain period of history, the conquest, and to a well-defined geographical area, ancient Canaan. As we saw in yesterday’s study, those who came under the ban of destruction consistently rebelled against God’s purposes and defied them, never repenting either. Therefore, God’s decision to destroy them was neither arbitrary nor nationalistic.
Moreover, Israel would expect the same treatment if they decided to adopt the same lifestyle as the Canaanites (compare with Deuteronomy 13:1-18). Even if it seems as though the groups situated on either side of the divine war are pre-defined (the Israelites are to inherit the land and the Canaanites are to be destroyed), there is the possibility to move from one side to the other, as we will see in the cases of Rahab, Achan, and the Gibeonites.
People were not arbitrarily given protection or placed under a ban. Those who benefited from a relationship with Yahweh could lose their privileged status through rebellion, and those under the ban could submit to the authority of Yahweh and live.
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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? |
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Hmmh! Now this is insightful! It highlights the essence of God's justice, which manifests with purpose, intention, deliberation, and reason, yet uniquely infused with mercy, goodness, and love. God's consistency remains unchanged – God is love (1 John 4:8). It's concerning when we attribute a hateful character to God - in the name of judgement -and describe His actions as mere mortal reactions (His hate or displeasure). One of the most significant human errors is evaluating God's character and actions based on our limited understanding.
God's grace stems from His unexplainable love, (Jonah 4:10-11) and He desires the best for all (John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:9). God had no personal vendetta against the inhabitants of Canaan, as we might assume. God's love for all remains unchanged, and His offer of salvation stays the same (Romans 5:8) - for all. If the people of Canaan chose to fear God and follow His commandments, He would have immediately granted them favor (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). Similarly, Israel's fate depended on their choice to obey God too; if they strayed, judgment would follow (Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 15). God would not look away and allow Israel to be a "favored spoilt child", Isreal would suffer the consequence of their choices.
Ultimately, it comes down to choice. God doesn't interfere with our decisions; He advises, pleads, and reaches out, but the choice is ours (Joshua 24:15). Both Israel and Canaan had the freedom to choose "life and blessing" or "death and curse" (Deuteronomy 30:19). God's character doesn't dictate our choices or free will; we are the ones who decide our fate. We, too, today – Christians – are not entitled, but we have a choice to make. For God or against, the consequence will follow. Our decision will determine our fate, just as it did for Israel and Canaan.
Thanks for your wonderful explanation
The following passages refer to Joshua and the Israelites putting everyone to the sword in Jericho (Joshua 6:20-21), Ai (Joshua 8:24-28), Makkedah (Joshua 10:28), Libnah (Joshua 10:29-30), Lachish (Joshua 10:31-32), Eglon (Joshua 10:34-35), Hebron (Joshua 10:36-37), Debir (Joshua 10:38-39), Hazor (Joshua 11:10-11). They do not make easy reading.
We have put forward arguments that these folk were so depraved and had reached the stage where God had to destroy them. And we have added the rider that God’s ways are not our ways. Some of this makes sense to us committed Christians. But our commission is to take the Gospel to the whole world. That means to unbelievers.
Can I ask you to consider this: Imagine for a moment that this forum is not filled with loving caring Christians who understand a lot of “Jesus’ talk”, but with unbelievers who have read these passages and are trying to come to terms with what they say. They are not going to say amen just because it sounds nice. What answers can we give that does not sound like it came out of a catechism? Step out of your comfort zone.
I know that some folk would like a nice, cute answer that we can sign off with, “Which has been proved!” like a geometry theorem but this one is more like one of those maths puzzles where we are after a “best fit” solution.
If you want some reading on this topic, a good place to start is C S Lewis’s book “Reflections on the Psalms” in the chapter, “The Cursings”. The Psalms, as you probably already know, have several very tough Psalms that we do not often quote.
[Postscript: Before I finished writing this comment, I read passages about the killing of infidels in the Qur’an. They gave me pause for thought!]
I need to begin by acknowledging that the portions of the Bible that we have been studying sound troubling to modern ears. But, on the whole, I think the author has provided context that helps us make sense of these passages. We don't like to think of "judgment," but I believe that's what these passages represent.
You write
I don't think we have put forward those arguments. According to the biblical record, those are God's arguments, referenced by the lesson author and by readers of this blog.
Since we are to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves," we should probably not begin with those passages. And then there's the fact that spiritual things are spiritually discerned. We can't provide the spiritual discernment, but God can. If persons are genuinely seeking truth, He can give them the discernment which will help them understand His ways.
You also wrote
CS Lewis always provides good reading, but "The Cursings" are a very different topic from what we are discussing in this lesson. They deal with the psalm writers (often David) cursing their enemies, and I believe that's a valid topic for discussion, but that's not really relevant to our current lesson.
In fact, CS Lewis makes a good case for God's acts of judging in his book, Mere Christianity, in Chapters 3, 4 and 5. He doesn't address the topic directly, but it's very clear that he takes God's right to judge as a given. And that's precisely what we are dealing with here - God's right to judge, based on His full knowledge of the present spiritual condition and likely future choices of those He judges.
Can we explain that to someone who doesn't believe in God? Maybe not.
Someone pointed me to this post which I believe to be relevant, "Why a Good God Commanded the Israelites to Destroy the Canaanites." The author begins thus:
(I believe my post, "Are We Kinder Than God?" may also be relevant.)
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I have provided links for the books in Kindle format, and I'm delighted that they are offered for much less than I paid for mine. Maurice knows a link where you can read them for free, and he just might post it in a response. 😊
I agree with Inge here. Joshua is definitely not the place to start when talking to non-believers. I think we would all agree that the gospels are the starting point for virtually anyone.
Non-believers vary quite a bit. Some are very hostile and they don't actually want answers for what is written in Joshua and other troubling passages. They actually want excuses not to believe. Others are thoughtful people with genuine concerns and they need answers. We do need wisdom to know how to answer each person. And ultimately God's spirit is necessary for them to understand.
The issue for me is that the answers we give to oursleves often sound like church dogma and that does not wash well with thinking non-believers. I have been in ethics classes and discussion groups where this topic has come up. I have offered a range of possible interpretations with the invitation, "Have you thought about it this way, or this?" Telling people "the answer" often gets their back up, but offering a range of reasonable frameworks allows them to work through the options themselves. And in the end, if they don't come up with the same answer we have in the back of our mindes, we are still friends and can come back to the topic later from a different angle. The truth often requires soakage time rather than being driven in by a sledgenhammer.
It seems to me that much depends on our attitude, tone of voice, and what relationship we have with the "unbeliever." When we come across as dogmatic, we close the conversation or start an argument. Neither is helpful.
What you suggest is a teacher's way to proceed. 😊 With younger students, I have used story-telling. If they have no religious background, they don't even know about the creation story, much less about the origin of sin and the ongoing conflict. In my view, this kind of question cannot be satisfactorily answered in one session, let alone one statement. It takes time, and that's a good reason not to close off the conversation with a dogmatic statement.
In a brief encounter, I might ask for a better alternative. God actually provided a demonstration. He allowed the first murderer to live, and that resulted in a world so dominated by evil that the few faithful believers were in danger of being exterminated. So what was God to do?
There is no better explanation than that provided by the great conflict between Christ and Satan - a conflict between the two great principles of self-renouncing love and the service of self.
I think we need to pray for wisdom to discern between people who are genuinely searching and those who only want an argument, like the man who wrote, "When I was an atheist, I loved causing Christians to doubt God. It was fun for me." (I believe the article I referenced is quite good and not so different from what we might give.)
Thank you so much Inge! Much to think on and I have bookmarked those posts.
Maurice, a possible response to an unbeliever could be:
You’re right — the accounts in Joshua where entire cities were destroyed don’t make for easy reading. They challenge our understanding of a loving God. But if we step back and look at the bigger picture, we begin to see something deeper going on.
The Canaanite nations had become utterly corrupt — filled with violence, child sacrifice, and the exploitation of the vulnerable. God had given them over four hundred years to change (Genesis 15:16), but they hardened themselves. What we see in Joshua isn’t a rash act of divine anger, but a final act of justice after generations of mercy ignored.
It might help to think of it like this: imagine a father who discovers that one of his children has built a bomb that will destroy the rest of the family. Every instinct in him wants to save that child, but if that child refuses to stop, the father has no choice but to act — not out of hate, but out of love to save the others. That’s how God’s judgment worked here. His command was an act of painful necessity to preserve life, truth, and goodness before evil completely consumed His people and the world’s hope for salvation.
The same God who once judged evil so decisively later chose to bear judgment Himself on the cross. In Jesus, He took upon Himself the guilt and violence of humanity so that mercy could triumph over judgment.
So while these stories are hard, they remind us that God is not indifferent to evil — and that His ultimate purpose, even in judgment, is always to save.
Wow. What a thought provoking post. I rarely comment but though2t this one is significant, so I want to put in my two cents.
I read Old Testament many years ago, because I kept hearing from others that the OT God was blood thirsty and violent God. I was reading quite meticulously, researching every bit I could not understand. My conclusion was quite different: I saw God as a pleading father who was hurt time and again and who finally had no choice but let the judgement fall.
Years later while studying criminal theories and abnormal psychology I developed interest in heavy subjects, such as child sexual abuse, satanic ritual abuse and complex trauma typically caused by events and people who have power over someone else. I was flabbergasted at the depravity of the human mind and the depths of evil that humans are capable of. From a Christian’s perspective I understand that we indeed do not fight against flesh and blood but principalities and powers who use humans for their own agenda.
It may be hard to read that God commanded to destroy so many people, but if their mind was as depraved as those who molest children, who traffick other humans into sexual slavery or servitude, or who lure kids to use illicit drugs, I can understand why destruction was necessary. We are given a glimpse of the depravity of mind in Soddom and Gomorah, and it was probably the case in those other cities as well. I mean the gods they served were demons, to whom they sacrificed their children and indulged in religious sexual orgies. It is not that different from contemporary satanic ritual abuse (those who are familiar with this little talked about subject will understand). It seems that people of those nations were beyond redemption due to their own choosing, as is the case of pedophiles. Their mind is so conditioned that it’s virtually impossible for them to be rehabilitated and they reoffend once back in the community. As a mental health professional I cannot emphasize enough the devastation and life long healing it takes for the victims of such person. If you ask me - this person deserves death. And because I know who God is, I believe with my whole heart that this was the only way to deal with the situation.
Lastly, in my experience very few people want to discuss the heavy topics that I had mentioned. Everyone else turns away in denial and disbelief or utter disgust, because it is too hard to hear. Now imagine we would be eye witnesses of what happened in those days? Maybe, just maybe, we would
understand that destruction was the only way to not let the evil spread.
"I mean the gods they served were demons"
This is a good point, and more literal than the context would suggest. Anything supernatural about those gods, any practices that they advocated literally came directly from the devil and his assistants.
Life is full of choices- we make them every day. From simple decisions like what to wear or what to eat, to the greater moral and spiritual choices that define who we are, each decision shapes our path. God has given every person the gift of free will, the power to choose right or wrong, obedience or rebellion. The children of Israel were often faced with this very choice: to serve the one true God or to follow after other gods. In Joshua 24:15, Joshua challenged the people, saying, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Their decision determined whether they would walk in God’s blessings or suffer the consequences of turning away. Likewise, God still calls us today to choose life, as He said in Deuteronomy 30:19, “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.”
Free will is God’s way of allowing us to show our love and loyalty to Him. He does not force anyone to serve Him instead, He invites us to follow Him willingly. Throughout Scripture, God’s people had to make the conscious decision to trust and obey, even when temptation and false gods surrounded them. In the same way, we must choose daily to serve Christ rather than the world. Jesus stands at the door and knocks, as Revelation 3:20 reminds us, offering fellowship to those who open their hearts to Him. Our choices reveal the direction of our hearts — whether we follow God in faith or turn away in doubt. Choosing to serve the Lord, as the children of Israel were called to do, remains the greatest and most life-giving decision we can make.
How free is "Free Will"? Does "Free Will" operate within the boundaries of God's Will?
God created human beings with a capacity to make meaningful choices, to obey or disobey, to love or to rebel (Genesis 2–3; Deuteronomy 30:19). The Bible presents two truths:
1) God is absolutely sovereign - He rules all things, determines history, and accomplishes His purpose (Isaiah 46:9–10; Ephesians 1:11).
2. Human beings are accountable for their choices (Romans 14:12; Revelation 22:17).
A fundamental question arises, How can human beings have free will if God’s will ultimately govern all things?
“The Lord Almighty has sworn, ‘Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.” (Isaiah 14:24)
“In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.” (Ephesians 1:11)
So, how free is “Free Will”? Free will operates within the boundaries of God’s sovereign will. So, we are free to make choices, but not free to escape the sovereignty of God. Human choices operate within the moral boundaries that God has set. Human choices are not absolute. “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” (Proverbs 16:9). The Bible goes on to say, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21). These truths express the mysterious harmony of divine sovereignty and human freedom.
“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”(Philippians 2:13).
If God "determines history," would that not make Him responsible for all the awful persecutions, torturing and burning of Christians?
If God "determines history," would that not make Him responsible for the holocaust?
If God "determines history," would that not make Him responsible for all the suffering and lives lost in the current conflicts between Israel and Hamas as well as Russia and the Ukraine?
Or maybe you would like to revise that statement?
Dear Inge,
Yes, the word "determine" does not carry the point I wanted to convey. I should have qualified it or put it as follows:
“God rules all things, governs history, and accomplishes His purposes (Isaiah 46:9–10; Ephesians 1:11).”
“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”
— Genesis 50:20
Thanks, Omwenga. That's better. The point is essential because some actually teach that God determines all choices beforehand, and that means that humans have no genuine free choice.
Your reference to Genesis 50:20 is especially powerful because it demonstrates that God can overrule even bad decisions for good.
What powerful statements, Mrs. Anderson. That may be something difficult for our limited condition to understand: we do not know the hearts of men, nor the future! Perhaps all of the tragedies you mentioned are still on course because of God's mercy in saving more and more people (how would I know better). Thank you for stepping up and addressing the subject.
Gods judgement is not of a Authoritative, totalitarian, or based on personal whims. Our fate is not based on Race, Status, or background. Our Choice determines our Fate. Salvation or Ruin?
What will we choose? Who will we choose to serve? We have Freedom to choose. Thank God always because as sin abounds His grace abounds more.
The ḥerem laws in Deuteronomy remind us that Israel’s wars were not about nationalism, but about loyalty to God in a cosmic conflict between two kingdoms the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. Those placed under the ban symbolized unrepentant rebellion against God, while those who turned to Him, like Rahab and the Gibeonites, found mercy.
This shows that even in divine judgment, God offers freedom of choice, anyone can cross from darkness to light through faith and obedience. Likewise, in our time, the call remains the same: to choose allegiance to Christ rather than to the powers of deception portrayed in Revelation 13 and Daniel 7. Every decision today reveals whose kingdom we truly belong to, the Lamb’s or the beast’s.
In John 14 and 15, Jesus teaches that our human mind is deceitful and easily led astray when we depend on ourselves. That’s why we need the Holy Spirit to dwell within us to guide our free choice according to God’s will. When we abide in Christ through the Spirit, our decisions bear good fruit and bring peace. But without Him, everything becomes confusion and spiritual failure.
In His mercy, God gave us free will. But what we think of as freedom can make us slaves to our own choices. Because we are (very) limited in knowledge, time, and space, questioning God's character can be dangerous, but we are also free to do that. Let each one speak for themselves, but in my experience, I choose to seek the will of God in my life—that saves me from many pitfalls and (massive) waste of time.
In his dealing with his created creatures, God, though he is Sovereign, he has deliberately chosen to let them function through the basis of self determination. In short, God is not a control freak, or micromanager. We are not puppets, we are real people that have been given the capacity to reject God’s love and embrace the adversary's evil tendencies and tactics. To always interfere with the human capacity to freely choose which side of the Great Controversy they will align themselves with would be a violation of the "rules of engagement" to force people to choose one way or the other. Even Satan is limited by this principle. He has freedom to tempt but cannot compel an individual to act. (Rom.6:16) James 1:14,15 pulls back the curtain on the mystery of iniquity in mankind. Neither side can force the issue, even though God has the ability to do so through His Omnipotence.
There are principles that God has established whereby all Creation is affected by. One such principle is "the soul who sins is the one who will die." (Eze 18:4) This was stated to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. (Gen. 2:17) Yet Satan refuted it and told Eve that God was lying, and was only trying to protect His turf. Did they die when they disobeyed or not? While they didn't physically die they certainly did spiritually, and they began the process of dying. Had they not been banished from the tree of life they would have lived forever as fallen human beings. Imagine if you will, if every rebellious and evil person that ever lived, never died. Life would be unbearable on this planet.
God, Himself (the preincarnate Jesus, and Godhead) established ground rules such as disobedience will eventually lead to death, and the principle of sowing and reaping. They are as immutable as the law of gravity, you might not believe in it, but it functions. Were my parents more honorable than God by disciplining me for my disobedience? Certainly not! Neither were they being unloving by disciplining. They were definitely less patient in administering discipline. When that belt came whistling through those belt loops there was no more pleading, it was judgment day.
Too many view God's right to punish sin and evil doers as unfair, unjust, unrighteous, and unloving when in fact it is exactly the opposite. The amazing thing to me is that He isn't more swift in doing so. This is what they have chosen. Mankind shouldn't be surprised when they reap what they have sown.
I do not understand the purpose why God’s ‘character’ and ‘reputation’ is being pointed out as being “at stake". Lucifer’s actions were generated by a ‘different’ spirit than God's, and ever since, our God Almighty is 'fighting' to remove the spirit of the forces of evil.
God’s character and reputation derive their ‘rightness/holiness’ from the Spirit they emanate from - the Holy Spirit of the Godhead – Father – Son – and Holy Spirit. God, in essence, is Spirit - John 4:24. 'Evil' acts came into the world through the disobedience of Lucifer to this Holy Spirit.
'Evil' acts emanate from Lucifer’s character as the result of disobedience to the Holy Spirit. The acts of 'Goodness', attributed to God's 'character', are the reflection of His Oneness with the Holy Spirit. The Oneness is not based on Father – Son and Character, it is Father – Son – and Holy Spirit.
Only the Holy Spirit can deal effectively with evil and the resulting sin. Even though lands, peoples, their possessions, and in the end, the whole earth is being removed, the new earth can only be established when all is again united by one Spirit – the Holy Spirit of God. Eph.1:22; 1 Cor.15:27.
Man sins because he is separated from the Spirit of God, not from His character. It is useless to know and count off all the forms of mankind’s transgressions as this does not bring us closer to Him. It is much more important to understand that we need to accept the Holy Spirit in order to, again, establish the union between God and man.
It is God's Holy Spirit which removes our sin as He takes residence in our heart and mind. Psalm 103 – vs. 11-12: ”For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His Love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Brigitte, I believe that God's reputation is at stake in the way that he handles this dumpster fire of rebellion that started in heaven and is burning out of control on earth. Some accuse God of being both too lax and too harsh when it comes to handling the Great Controversy. In the end what more can God do than what he has already done through Jesus dying in man's stead? Lamentations 3:22, 23. Even in the secular realm, calamities are considered "acts of God." So Satan causes all these problems and then turns around and blames God for causing them. Actually God is using them to unmask the real culprit, as the book of Job reveals. One day the Universe will have peace, and all that live eternally will be convinced that God is love. Until then the character assassination of our heavenly Father rages on.
Tim and Stanley – in response to your comments, please permit me to ask a question helpful to clarify my concern.
Question: “What do you think exists first – the Spirit or the act?”
I hold that questioning God's acts leads to doubting His character, which is His Spirit.
We believe that God’s Spirit is holy, uncompromised by sin. Man judging God’s ‘character’ by His acts, is like using a blind man to be our guide. I hold that all God's acts emanate from the holiness of His Spirit. Because God is holy, uncompromised by sin (unlike man), all acts are the perfect expression of the Spirit of Holiness.
Any attempts to assess God’s Character using man’s imperfect, fallen nature will, inevitably, lead to question His character. Focusing on the quality of His character instead of the Holiness of His Spirit creates and fosters ‘controversy’ - Mark 7:20-23.
Judging Him using aspects of our definition of ‘character’, leads to a place we ought not to go - the same path Lucifer walked. He assumed God's 'character' to be imperfect because he judged Him by his own imperfect perception.
Faith does not question God’s Wisdom and Providence – “the protective care of God as a spiritual power”. It focuses instead on trusting His Spirit - made of all that is Good - Eph.2:10.
Phil.4:7-9 - Rejecting the judgement of our own eyes, accepting God’s Holy Spirit revealing all God's actions as perfect justice and righteousness derived from His character, we are admonished: vs.9 - ”Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you ... “
Brigette,
I like the question you've raised - something we should really ponder about.
Your concern about the "at stake" mention is valid. "At stake" can also be translated as "at risk". Put it in a sentence, "God's character and reputation is at risk" and it sounds so incorrect as it implies vulnerability.
It's as if God is proving something. However, I am hoping we understand the context of the commentors, its definately coming from a good place.
But your concern is real; it's a valid observation.