How Can God Allow Violence? The Canaan Case | Ep. 20

What do we do when a passage about the conquest of Canaan seems to clash with what we know of God’s love?

Introduction

The conquest narratives in Deuteronomy and Joshua describe warfare in Israel’s history and include commands that trouble many readers. In Episode 20 of A Case for God, Tammy, founder of You Ministries, considers how an all-loving God can be associated with violence in Scripture. This investigation takes the hard words seriously and asks how their ancient setting, the whole biblical story, and Jesus’ teaching guide our reading and our conduct today.

Why the Conquest of Canaan Still Matters Today

Deuteronomy 7 addresses Israel as it prepares to enter the land, naming particular peoples and warning against worship of their gods. Joshua recounts campaigns under Israel’s leader. These are difficult texts because they concern real human lives, not merely an abstract argument about divine justice. A reader may ask what happened, why the commands appear, and how God’s love relates to judgment.

Christians differ about how to interpret the language of complete destruction, the relationship between command and historical description, and the place of these events in the unfolding biblical story. Those questions warrant careful study. We should resist making the human cost disappear through a quick explanation, just as we should resist using an ancient account as permission for violence now.

The question is urgent because religious language has sometimes been used to justify harming others. Deuteronomy’s address to ancient Israel is not a standing command to Christians or to any modern nation. Jesus calls His followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. Reading the passages together requires both honesty about the troubling text and clarity about the life Christ commands us to live.

Key Scriptures for This Investigation

The tension should be visible on the page. These passages let the conquest command, the declaration of God’s love, and Jesus’ instruction speak in their own contexts.

Deuteronomy 7:2 (ESV)

“then you must devote them to complete destruction.”

Connection: The command is stark, and its words should not be softened or presented as a general model for later believers. Read the surrounding chapter to see whom it addresses and why.

1 John 4:8 (ESV)

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Connection: John connects knowledge of God with love. In the next verses, he points to God’s sending of His Son as the clearest expression of that love.

Matthew 5:44 (ESV)

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Connection: Jesus gives His disciples a direct instruction for their treatment of enemies. It prevents us from recruiting the conquest narrative to excuse personal revenge.

Romans 12:19 (ESV)

“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God,”

Connection: Paul distinguishes God’s judgment from our impulse to retaliate. That distinction matters when readers face violence in Scripture or in their own lives.

These verses do not remove every historical or theological question about Canaan. They give us a framework for pursuing those questions without claiming God’s authority for our own anger.

Key Takeaways from the Investigation

• Read a difficult command in its setting and acknowledge the people affected by it.
• Let the witness to God’s love in Christ guide how you understand your own calling.
• Reject personal revenge and practice prayer, peace, and care toward others.

👉 Watch the Full YouTube Lesson👈

Want the complete biblical investigation? Tammy walks through the conquest of Canaan, the passages that raise questions about divine violence, differing interpretations, and ways to read these texts responsibly that cannot all fit into this companion blog.

👉 Watch Episode 20 on YouTube Here👈

In This Episode, You’ll Discover

• 📖 Why Deuteronomy 7 is difficult and why its ancient setting matters.
• 🧠 How the conquest narratives have raised questions about history and interpretation.
• 🔍 What the Bible says about God’s love alongside its accounts of judgment.
• 🙏 How Jesus directs His followers to treat enemies.
• 💡 Why a troubling text must never become an excuse to harm a neighbor.

Join the Conversation

Have you ever struggled to read a violent passage in the Bible alongside Jesus’ teaching about love? Share your thoughts in the comments on the YouTube lesson, and don’t forget to Like, Subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss another episode of A Case for God.

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Conclusion and Weekly Reflection

The conquest of Canaan leaves us with hard questions about divine judgment, historical violence, and the lives caught in war. Scripture does not ask us to pretend those questions are easy. It also declares that God is love and records Jesus’ unmistakable call to love our enemies. We can keep studying the ancient text while refusing to turn it into a warrant for violence today.

This week, take an honest inventory of your response to a passage that unsettles you. Do you skip it, explain it away, or let it send you back to the wider story of Scripture? Read Deuteronomy 7 and Matthew 5 slowly, ask God for humility, and consider how you might show love in a relationship strained by disagreement.

Remember: Christ gives you a way to walk in love even while you wrestle with difficult questions. God hears your honest prayer. You are called to follow Jesus with truthfulness, humility, and care for your neighbor.

Next Episode Preview

Join us next week as we examine Thomas Aquinas and natural law, asking a question that follows this difficult discussion: Is there a universal moral law?