Tuesday: Dispossession or Annihilation?
Daily Lesson for Tuesday 28th of October 2025
Compare Exodus 23:28-30; Exodus 33:2; Exodus 34:11; Numbers 33:52; and Deuteronomy 7:20 with Exodus 34:13; Deuteronomy 7:5; Deuteronomy 9:3; Deuteronomy 12:2-3; and Deuteronomy 31:3-4. What do these texts reveal about the purpose of the conquest and the extent of the destruction?
God’s original purpose for the Canaanites was not annihilation but, instead, dispossession. An examination of the passages that describe the way Israel had to be involved in the battles of the conquest used terms that speak about the dispossession, ejection, and dissipation carried out against the inhabitants of the Promised Land. The second group of terms that express destruction and have Israel as the subject of the action refer mostly to inanimate objects, such as articles of pagan worship and objects devoted to destruction. Evidently, the places of pagan worship and the altars constituted the main centers of the Canaanite religion.
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
Holy war is mainly oriented toward Canaan’s corrupt culture and society. In order to avoid contamination, Israel had to destroy all the elements that were propagating corruption. However, all the inhabitants of Canaan, and those who, on an individual basis, recognized God’s sovereignty prior to the conquest, or even during the conquest, were able to escape through immigration (Joshua 2:9-14; compare with Judges 1:24-26). The only part of the Canaanite population doomed to destruction were those who withdrew into the fortified cities, obstinately continued to rebel against God’s plan for the Israelites, and hardened their hearts (Joshua 11:19-20).
However, this does raise a question: If the initial purpose of conquering Canaan was to drive out the inhabitants of the land and not to annihilate them, why did the Israelites have to kill so many people?
Analysis of the biblical texts related to the conquest of Canaan revealed that the original intent of the conquest implied the dissipation of the Canaanite population. However, the majority of the Canaanites, like the pharaoh of Egypt, hardened their hearts and, as such, became one with the culture to such an extent that the destruction of their culture meant they had to be destroyed, as well.
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What elements in your own character and habits must be uprooted and annihilated? |
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As we explore today's study, "Dispossession or Annihilation?", let's remember that the topic is a question. This is closely tied to the theme of the week "God Fights for You". How could the answer to this question impact our lives today? God repeatedly assured Moses and Joshua that He would fight for Israel, and all Israel needed to do was trust and stand back (Exodus 14:14, Deuteronomy 1:30, Joshua 10:14). Indeed, we see God fighting for Israel (without Israel lifting a finger) against the army of Sennacherib, king of Assyria (2 Kings 19:35-37).
A puzzling aspect is why God involved Israel in the conquest of Canaan when He could have done it alone. The answer lies in God's desire for Israel to learn and understand the significance of His commandments and the consequences of disobedience (Deuteronomy 8:1-20). Israel's involvement would teach them about God's justice, mercy, and the dangers of self-exaltation and idolatry (Deuteronomy 18:9-14). The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah serves as a stark reminder of God's judgment against wickedness and corruption (Genesis 18-19). Similarly, Canaan's corruption and wickedness led to their downfall. Israel's role was to witness God's judgment and learn to walk in His ways (Deuteronomy 12:1-4), revering, serving, and obeying God (Deuteronomy 13:4).
As we reflect on this, let's examine our own lives. Do we unwittingly worship other things – our education, jobs, wealth, relationships, or material possessions? (Matthew 6:24, 1 Timothy 6:10). The lesson from Canaan's desolation and Israel's occupation is clear: for God to reign in our hearts, we must destroy our selfishness and focus all praise as well as worship on Him (Matthew 16:24-25, Luke 9:23-24).
I am a big fan of maps. I love to learn about the location of historical places because it gives an insight into the events that took place there. So, as a little aside this morning and a bit of a break from the morality of conquering the land and its people, here is a little bit about Jericho to provide a perspective for us. (We have the rest of the week for the heavy stuff!)
Ancient Jericho was not very big. Archeological evidence shows that it was about 6 to 9 acres in size. We had paddocks (fields) that big for the fifty-odd cows on our dairy farm. That means the perimeter was most likely less than a kilometre. The population cannot be determined with any accuracy, but estimates vary from several hundred to a maximum of between two and three thousand.
The archaeological remains are in a mound called Tell es-Sultan. It is quite close to the Dead Sea (less than 15km) and the Jordan River, We should not overlook the fact that it is 275m below sea-level. Like most ancient cities, it has been built and destroyed several times with each rebuilding above but using previous layers of civilisations. Readers should be aware that the site has been the subject of several archaeological investigations, many of them setting out to prove the Biblical account. Some of these reports are unreliable. There is a fair degree of agreement that there was a major attack at some stage in the likely period of the Exodus, and the city was burned in the process. Among that evidence is some charred grain in storage, which suggests that the attack was quick and not the result of a drawn-out siege. If the city had been under siege for any length of time, there would have been no stored grain.
I too like looking at the historical connection between the Bible and historical events. I’ve never thought about the size of Jericho. I always believed that Jericho was a huge city.
I am not sure why the lesson writer conveniently avoided to mention the Bible passages where God gave clear instructions for total annihilation of some Canaanite communities! As much as some of these passages raises some moral questions, the fact remains some sections were totally exterminated under God’s directions. This does not mean God was wrong. The Bible is explicitly clear that God’s modus operandi is far beyond human understanding (Isaiah 55:8-9). God was simply demonstrating that sinners who fail to take the advantage of His grace will cause upon themselves His wrath. In Deuteronomy 7:1-5, did God not command the Israelites to destroy the Canaanite nations completely, without mercy, because of their sinfulness? In Joshua 6:17-21, did God not say that "The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD”, a form of total destruction? In Joshua 10:28-40, did Joshua not defeat the five kings of the Amorites and their cities, utterly destroying everything in them, including the people, cattle, and property? Likewise, in Joshua 11:11-15, Joshua destroyed the cities of the north (Hazor), killing all the inhabitants and burning the cities to the ground.
God did not suddenly and instantly want to destroy these communities; He had given them humble time to turn away from their wicked ways. God had spoken to Abraham many years earlier saying; “In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."(Genesis 15:16). It is apparent that God had delayed judgment, but their sin was so great that God’s judgment was inevitable. Is this not going to be the same scenario at the end of this earth’s history? Is God not going to totally annihilate sin and sinners? The Bible is clear on this matter.
”Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7, ESV).
well articulated may God bless you 🙏🙏🙏
Thank you for this reminder of the context of the texts referenced in the lesson.. As it is, the listed texts indicate that God intended to completely drive out the Canaanites and/or "deliver them" into their hands for destruction.
See more context in Ex. 23:33; Deut. 7:2, 24 right next to the texts referenced in the lesson.
In Nu. 33:55 the Israelites are warned against failing to completely drive out the Canaanites. Also compare Deut. 31:4 with Deut. 3:6 and Nu. 21:35 "So they smote [Og], and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive: and they possessed his land."
We do not "rightly divide the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15) by selectively quoting Scripture or softening the language to make God appear "kinder" to our modern sensibilities.
Instead, we need to understand the overarching context of the controversy between Christ and Satan. God sees the larger picture and knows who had decisively rejected His overtures of love. As you pointed out, the Canaanites had the example of Abraham in their history, but much more recently, they knew of the miraculous delivery of the Israelites from Canaan, the crossing of the Red Sea, the daily portions of manna, the crossing of the Jordan and then the falling of the walls of Jericho without human intervention. Rahab believed before the walls of Jericho fell. Others had more reasons to submit to the God of heaven but defied Him instead. And He knew there was nothing more He could do for them and they were judged for destruction - just as all of rebellious humanity will be judged after the righteous are delivered from sure death at their hands.
I guess looking at the texts, if God had driven the Canaanites out, there would have been no need for Israel to kill them as they would be gone. But I think on one level these nations would need to submit to God's judgment for this to happen.
Really God was punishing them by banishment (not so different from Israel going into captivity). It leads me to wonder if they had submitted to that punishment if they might have been won back to the true God wherever they ended up.
But submission to God's punishment would be necessary for this to happen. The Canaanites would have to accept that they deserved to be driven out. Given how wicked they were, this was unlikely to happen. That's why they fought against God's people, defying God's judgment and so had to be destroyed.
I don't know if this reconciles the two competing ideas, but it makes sense to me.
Thank you, such a clear explanation with no omittance. Isaiah 55:8-9 is indeed the case for his judgment and for His love.
Rebellion of the Canaanites is evident in today's lesson. God's love extends to all. But not all respond to His love. God gives multiple second chances out of loving mercy for sinners. That is all of us. There comes a time though when Gods love expires. Instead of turning to the living God for mercy and learning about the living God the Canaanites fortified themselves preparing to repel any repentance from their idolatry. What chance did they have, the same as the Ninevites had. They were wicked but turned to God when weighted in the balance. The love of God is far greater than we can imagine. Until we get to heaven, we may not know the extent of the work the Holy Spirit did for the Canaanites, they snubbed their nose to God. It pays to listen to the direction the Holy Spirit is guiding us to. God is a God of love who does not give up on us unless we give up on Him.
College Level
Simply God proffers His love. It is our choice to reciprocate, and hold on to it. John 14:15.
The destruction of the Canaanites was not an act of divine cruelty or even a mean God who ejoys bloodshed or even "a bloody God" like Zipporah moses'wife had ealier observed but an expression of God’s righteous judgment and purposeful dispossession. God had patiently endured the Canaanites’ wickedness for over 400 years (Gen. 15:13–16), giving them ample time to repent. When they refused, persisting in practices such as idolatry, sexual immorality, and child sacrifice to Molech (Lev. 18), God’s justice required action. The command to “utterly destroy” them (Deut. 20:16–17) was therefore a form of annihilation, a removal of entrenched evil from the land. Just as God once judged the world through the flood, He now used Israel as His chosen instrument to cleanse the land of corruption that had defiled it beyond recovery.
At the same time, this act was one of dispossession, intended to establish God’s covenant people in the land He had promised. The removal of the Canaanites was not only punitive but protective—meant to prevent Israel from adopting the same detestable customs that brought divine wrath upon those nations. By dispossessing the Canaanites, God preserved Israel’s holiness and ensured the fulfillment of His redemptive plan. Thus, the annihilation and dispossession of the Canaanites were inseparable aspects of God’s justice and mercy eradicating sin while securing a sacred space for His people to live in obedience and covenant faithfulness.
My comment is in response to the question at the bottom of today's lesson;"What elements in your own character and habits must be uprooted and annihilated?"
Sin comes in many different "flavors" and unfortunately the devil knows our favorite, and entices us through temptation to imbibe of it. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life encompass all sin. Thankfully Jesus was victorious against the devil in the wilderness of temptation in each of those three areas, and has offered that same victory to us. How do we obtain it? The same way that Jesus did, by fully submitting ourselves to the Father and using the Word of God.
Whatever would come between myself and my Savior must be uprooted, and annihilated from my life. It comes down to which would we rather have, Jesus, or our sin? We cannot have both, they are mutually exclusive. Only Jesus can deliver us from our sin, but only if we let him. Let's let him.
Just like a teenager who goes through a rebellious phase smoking, drinking, partying, or engaging in other destructive behaviors their parents may cry, warn, and plead with them to change. The parents hate the destructive actions, but they still love the child deeply and long for their return.
Similarly, God hates our sin, but He does not hate us. He longs for us to turn back to Him. There are still habits and attitudes in our lives that need to be uprooted and destroyed so that we can live fully in His love and righteousness.
Exodus 23:28–29 (KJV)
“And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.”
In this passage, God was preparing Israel for life in Canaan.
He promised to remove the Canaanite nations gradually, not instantly.
This shows that even then, God was patient, strategic, and merciful giving time for repentance and for Israel’s growth.
The “hornets” symbolize divine intervention not human cruelty. God was in control, ensuring that judgment was measured and purposeful.
When Jesus came, He revealed the ultimate fulfillment of God’s plan for conquering Canaan not by force, but by love and transformation.
Instead of driving out the Canaanites,
He drew them in through grace.
“A Canaanite woman… cried, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord.’…
Jesus answered, ‘O woman, great is your faith!’”
— Matthew 15:22–28
Jesus didn’t send hornets; He sent the Holy Spirit.
He didn’t destroy nations; He made disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).
His victory was not territorial but spiritual conquering hearts rather than cities.
The old conquest removed evil by separation.
The new conquest removes evil by transformation.
Jesus’ kingdom is not advanced by swords or hornets, but by the power of truth and love.
Through His cross, He breaks down the walls between nations and makes all people one in Him (Ephesians 2:14–16).
God once promised to clear the land little by little;
Jesus now clears the heart little by little removing pride, hatred, and sin.
His mission is not to drive people away, but to drive sin out of people.
What elements in your own character and habits must be uprooted and annihilated?
Tricky question to answer. However, since we are all sinners and in need of God's mercy, we all have areas for improvement. The beginning of change may be the recognition of our own downfalls. If we’re open, Christ can do what’s impossible to us!
When we struggle to understand the destruction of the Canaanites, we must remember that a time is coming when every question about God’s justice will be settled. Before the final destruction of the wicked, “every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10–11). In that moment, all created beings—both the saved and the lost—will acknowledge that God’s judgments have been righteous and true. The same God who judged the Canaanites will once again reveal His perfect justice and mercy so clearly that none will have reason to doubt His fairness.
I believe the crusades were an example in many ways of a mis-guided twisting of what the Bible says about holy war to meet our own understanding:
• The Crusades (1095–1291 mainly) were launched by Western European Christians, especially under the authority of the Pope.
• They were called holy wars because their goal was religious — to reclaim or defend Christian holy sites (especially Jerusalem and the Holy Land) from Muslim control.
• The Church taught that fighting in the Crusades was an act of penance and devotion, offering spiritual rewards like forgiveness of sins.
• Crusaders often wore a cross on their clothing — the word “Crusade” comes from crux, Latin for “cross.”
The Christian (Western/Church) Perspective
Spiritual Motivation
• The Church, led by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont (1095), called the Crusades as acts of faith.
• Christians believed they were fighting to defend Christ’s heritage, protect pilgrims, and liberate Jerusalem, the city where Jesus was crucified and resurrected.
• Crusaders were promised forgiveness of sins and eternal reward if they fought for God’s cause — making it a pilgrimage with a sword.
View of the Enemy
• Muslim forces were often seen as infidels (non-believers) occupying holy land that “belonged” to Christendom.
• The war was framed as defensive — to protect Christians in the East and holy sites.
The Muslim Perspective
View of the Crusaders
• Muslims did not see the Crusades as “holy” but as foreign invasions by violent European outsiders.
• Crusaders were often remembered for their massacres, especially the brutal siege of Jerusalem in 1099, when thousands of Muslims (and Jews) were killed.
Religious Response
• Over time, Muslim leaders such as Saladin (Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn) saw the conflict in religious terms too — as jihad, or defense of the Islamic world.
• The call to defend the ummah (Muslim community) united previously divided Muslim states.
• The eventual recapture of Jerusalem in 1187 was seen as a divine victory and a point of pride.
Long-Term Muslim View
• Many Muslim historians saw the Crusades as a temporary disturbance — a few centuries of aggression that ultimately failed.
• The Crusaders were gone by 1291, and the Islamic world remained strong under the Mamluks and later the Ottomans.
• The memory of the Crusades still lingers today as a symbol of Western invasion and religious arrogance for some.
Overall Success or Failure
• Religiously and politically: Mostly failures — the Crusaders ultimately lost all territories they had gained.
I agree that the Crusades were certainly misguided. But there's more to the story.
While the Crusades may be compared to the Israelites taking possession of Canaan from a secular perspective, they are not comparable from a biblical Christian perspective.
The Crusades cannot be compared to the Israelites taking possession of Canaan for these reasons:
I suspect our readers could come up with more reasons.
Another reason I would give is that after the cross, God never intended to have a nation of believers in one place. The Israel of the Old Testament was intended to be in a particular place, at the cross roads of nations, to be light and draw people. Of course, the biggest reason was that the Messiah would come from Israel and people needed to be drawn to Israel for that reason.
After Jesus died, He did not command believers to stay in one place but rather to go to all nations. While the church is a very real entity, it is not meant to be established in particular places or be associated with nations. That would mean crusades for any other reason than witnessing would be wrong.
Great comment. Thank you!
I have tried to parse this out. Also the fact that Muslims see the US similarly to the way God say Canaan, and events such as 9/11 as Holy Wars defending God's will. So how do we distinguish?
1. As Inge says, there should be a direct command from God, although there are false prophets, so that isn't enough.
2. God's plan for Israel was to supernaturally fight for them. Neither of the instances I sited (or any others I could mention) were supernatural. They relied on human effort, cleverness, power, etc.
3. God's victories were decisive. None of these "Holy Wars" were.
Steps to Christ tells us how to avoid the quadmire self can get us into.
Avoid:
We should not make self the center and indulge anxiety and fear as to whether we shall be saved.
Why:
All this turns the soul away from the Source of our strength.
Remedy:
Commit the keeping of your soul to God.
Trust in God.
Talk and think of Jesus.
Let self be lost in the One who died for your sins.
Remove doubt, dismissing your fears.
Say with the apostle Paul: Galatians 2:20
Rest in God. He is able to keep that which you have committed to Him.
Leave yourself in His hands, He will bring you. off more than conqueror through Him that has
loved you. Steps to Christ page 71.2
The tragedy of Adventist theology is that we try to explain every facet of God, relying on assertions from Mrs White. The weakness of Theology as a Science is that we can make assumptions that we don’t have to back up with facts.
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How do we prove that “God’s original purpose for the Canaanites was not annihilation but, instead, dispossession (Tuesday’s lesson)? How do we demonstrate that the Canaanites were destroyed by God because they derided and mocked the Israelites for erring in the desert (Patriarchs and Prophets)? Why didn't God annihilate Israel during the reign of Salomon when high places were built for Moloc? Was there any other way that an ominiscient, omnipotent (more powerful than Satan, I believe) God could preserve His creation? Why did HE seem to have forgotten Israel in Egypt for so long?
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I would say that we need to stop making fools of ourselves and pretend that we need to be God’s psychologists and apologists. Deut. 29:29, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”
Hi Clarisse, I think there are definitely things that we try to explain away too easily. But I do think that the verses we looked at in Tuesday's lesson that talk about God sending the hornet to drive the Canaanites out are good evidence that God's ideal plan was dispossesion.
As for Solomon and the idol worship he was involved in, God certainly did judge Israel for that. Remember the kingdom was torn apart and Solomon's son only retained 2 tribes. Beyond that, however, God had promised an eternal kingship (culminating in Jesus) to David, so that is likely the biggest reason He did not wipe out Israel at that time. Also, the years of apostasy seem to be about 20 years (Solomon was faithful at the beginning and Ecclesiastes suggests he repented at the end). That is quite a bit smaller than 400 years of evil in Canaan. It's also unlikely that all of Israel was worshipping idols.