Lorenzo Palon

Reading Joshua Within the Whole Story of Scripture

Political conflicts often misuse the book of Joshua. Some Christians place modern warfare, settlement expansion, displacement, and territorial claims beside Israel’s ancient conquest of Canaan. Then they quickly invoke phrases such as “promised land,” “God’s chosen people,” and “divine mandate.”

But Scripture must not become a weapon for political ambition.

Joshua belongs to Israel’s covenantal history. By this, we mean the unique story of God’s covenant dealings with Abraham’s family: His promises, commands, judgments, worship, priesthood, land, exile, and hope for restoration. We cannot lift the conquest narrative out of its ancient setting and apply it directly to a modern government, army, or territorial movement.

Israel’s reception of the land was not proof of Israel’s moral superiority. Moses made the point unmistakably clear:

“It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land” (Deuteronomy 9:5).

The same God who judged Canaan also warned Israel: idolatry, injustice, and violence could drive them from the land as well (Leviticus 18:24–28). Election was never a blank cheque. It was a calling to live under God’s rule.

That should make every reader pause. When a nation invokes Scripture to justify expansion, domination, or displacement, are we hearing the voice of biblical faithfulness—or the language of power seeking sacred approval?

Election Is for Blessing, Not Superiority

God called Abraham not simply to form a protected ethnic group. Through Abraham, God promised to bless every family on earth (Genesis 12:3). Israel’s election was therefore vocational. God chose Abraham’s family for the sake of the world.

This is where religious nationalism becomes dangerous. Religious nationalism arises when people treat a nation, ethnicity, political party, or territorial project as though God has placed it beyond question. It makes the nation sacred. Military strength then appears to signal divine favor, while criticism of political policy gets treated as criticism of God Himself.

Imagine a family forced to leave a home that has sheltered several generations. Their photographs, prayers, meals, memories, and graves belong to that place. Now imagine someone telling them that their suffering is acceptable because another group claims a divine promise over the land.

Whatever one believes about ancient biblical promises, no Christian should speak lightly about the pain of displaced people. Human beings are never merely obstacles in another group’s sacred story. They bear God’s image.

The modern state of Israel is not identical with ancient covenant Israel. A contemporary state does not automatically inherit Joshua’s mandate. Nor does any political movement receive divine immunity simply because it uses biblical language.

Loving Jewish People Without Ignoring Palestinian Suffering

Christians must reject antisemitism without hesitation. Jewish people have suffered persecution, exclusion, violence, and false accusations across centuries of history. Tragically, many people claiming Christian identity have carried out much of this hatred.

Paul warns Gentile believers against boasting over Israel:

“Do not be arrogant toward the branches” (Romans 11:18).

The church must never erase Jewish history, dismiss Jewish suffering, or treat Jewish people as outside God’s continuing concern. Romans 9–11 does not permit that.

Yet rejecting antisemitism does not require Christians to bless every action of a modern state. Love for Jewish people cannot become indifference toward Palestinian suffering. Likewise, concern for Palestinians must never become an excuse for minimizing terrorism, hostage-taking, attacks on civilians, or hatred directed toward Jewish people.

A biblical conscience refuses to make innocent lives expendable.

Can we grieve for an Israeli family mourning a loved one killed by violence? Can we also grieve for a Palestinian family mourning a child killed in the war? Christian faith should make the answer yes.

The Cross Changes How We Read Power

Jesus did not advance God’s kingdom through conquest. He announced good news to the poor, healed the wounded, welcomed the excluded, confronted hypocrisy, and called sinners to repentance. When violence was proposed as the means of securing His mission, He rejected it.

“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus told His disciple, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52).

Christ’s kingdom does not grow by the elimination of enemies. It grows through truth, sacrificial love, forgiveness, witness, and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

The cross redefines victory. God overcomes evil not by becoming more violent than His enemies but by bearing violence and defeating death through resurrection. The risen Christ gathers Jews and Gentiles into one new humanity (Ephesians 2:14–16).

This does not mean political questions suddenly become simple. Security matters. Terrorism must be condemned. Civilian life must be protected. Occupation, collective punishment, forced displacement, and the destruction of homes and communities must also be examined with moral seriousness.

No nation is beyond accountability before God.

A Better Christian Witness

The church does not inherit a mandate to seize land. It inherits a mission to proclaim the crucified and risen Christ to every people.

Psalm 34:14 calls us to “seek peace and pursue it.” That pursuit includes praying for leaders, defending the vulnerable, rejecting hatred, and telling the truth even when it unsettles our political tribe. It also requires us to resist every attempt to make God the mascot of national ambition.

The promised future of Scripture is not a world in which the strong permanently conquer the weak. It is a world in which the nations are healed.

“The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2).

That is the horizon Christians must keep before us. Joshua may remain difficult, but Jesus teaches us how power is finally redeemed. The church must never use Scripture to sanctify conquest. It must bear witness to the Prince of Peace, who calls every nation to repentance, justice, mercy, and hope.

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