Why Were The Canaanites Destroyed?

Answer: Antonio, thank you for the question.

We’re going to learn, God sent the Israelites to live in the land of Canaan, a land which later became known as “Israel.” The original mission of the Israelites was to dwell in the land and serve God. However, the Canaanites were already in the land, that’s why their called “Canaanites.”

So then, why did God order the destruction of the Canaanites?

It was due to their wickedness and many grievous sins.

Now, that’s just the very basis of this story.

However, there’s more…

Before we dive in, I want you to remember three things about this subject.

1. God is fair.
2. It concerns prophecy.
3. God was proving the Israelites.

Now, let’s cover the details.

The Iniquity Of The Amorites

In Genesis 15, God made a promise to Abraham that one day, his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan. In Genesis 15:16 were told, this would occur far into the future as “the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”

That tells us a lot right there…

It tells us, the Amorites who occupied Canaan were wicked people. Due to that, God was waiting for their wickedness to reach a level that He deemed appropriate for punishment. Moreover, I contend, that is why God waited before sending the Israelites into Canaan.

The fact of the matter is, God would later use the Israelites to punish the Amorites — and others — for their wickedness, while allowing His people to settle there. In turn, God was also proving the Israelites, to see if they would remain faithful to Him, while facing the societal pressures they would soon encounter.

The Destruction Of The Canaanites

In Deuteronomy 7:1, God mentions seven nations the Israelites were to destroy in Canaan.

1. Hittites
2. Girgashites
3. Amorites
4. Canaanites
5. Perizzites
6. Hivites
7. Jebusites

In verse 2, God explains they were to be utterly destroyed.

Deuteronomy 7:2
And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:

Now, let’s read why God ordered the destruction of the Canaanites.

Deuteronomy 9:4
Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.

This verse proves my point.

God was addressing the Israelites. God wanted to ensure they didn’t set themselves up on an ego trip. If you recall, just a couple chapters back in Deuteronomy 7:6, God told the Israelites He “Hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”

That didn’t mean God was going to order the destruction of a race of people, for His people. Hey, God doesn’t play favorites, He created everyone. Instead, God ordered the destruction of the Canaanites due to the “wickedness of these nations.” Those nations that lived in the land of Canaan.

God will now stress the point…

Deuteronomy 9:5
Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

So there you have it.

God wanted the Canaanites destroyed due to their wickedness.

If that were not enough, God specifically explained what the wickedness was, and what the “abominations of those nations” were, (Deuteronomy 18:9).

Deuteronomy 18:10-11
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,

11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

See: Deuteronomy 18:9-14

Why?

Deuteronomy 18:12, 14
“For these nations” … “For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.”

In the prior verses, God said the nations of the land used “divination,” were “enchanters,” “witches,” “charmers,” “wizards,” consulted with evil “spirits” and used “necromancy.”

This told the Israelites, the people of Canaan were extremely wicked, and God was vehemently against them. Not that God needed to justify His request and actions, but that’s exactly what He was doing. Moreover, God didn’t want these abominations rubbing off on His people, (Joshua 23:7).

It is quite clear, “the iniquity of the Amorites” had now come to a full, which is why God demanded their destruction. To put it bluntly, they earned their destruction.

Destroy The Canaanites

Now, interestingly enough, before the Israelites entered the land, God told them to destroy everyone in Canaan. We now know, this was due to their wickedness and the abominations they performed.

God further explained…

Exodus 34:12
Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:

God knew, the Israelites might get a little softhearted. As we’ve learned, God explained in great detail why the Canaanites were to be destroyed, and God further elaborated, that failure to follow His command would lead the Israelites into a trap.

Let’s further the point…

Deuteronomy 7:16
And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.

Simply stated, God wanted the Canaanites destroyed for their many sins, and God certainly didn’t want their wickedness to consume His people who were to remain holy to Him.

Unfortunately, the Israelites didn’t listen.

As soon as they entered Canaan, they forgot about God, and they embraced the societal norms around them.

As Biblical history explains…

Judges 3:5-6
5 And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites:

6 And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

The Israelites didn’t destroy everyone in the land as God commanded.

So, the people in the land became a “snare” to them. The Israelites soon embraced the people in the land, they even married into the Canaanite family, and vice versa. This unified all the peoples together, but this unification of peoples, meant they were all divided against God.

What happened?

Judges 2:11-12
11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:

12 And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.

Due to this, it led to the destruction of Israel by God Himself.

Did The Canaanites Know Righteousness?

Now, there’s something else I want you to consider…

Though we’re not told this, the people of Canaan must have known what “righteousness” was, they just didn’t care. I can say that, as God doesn’t punish people who don’t know His Law. In fact, natural law becomes a law to them, (Romans 2:14). The Canaanites violated natural law, clearly from what God told us.

Now, is it possible that the people of Canaan knew about Jehovah, outside of the Israelites?

Absolutely!

How can I make that claim?

Never forget about early ministries like that of Melchezidek. He was the king of Salem — arguably Jerusalem before it was so-called — which was in the land of Canaan, before it later became known as Israel. So it’s very likely, the Canaanites knew about Jehovah and His Laws. They just chose to ignore them, and live according to their own ways.

When we look at our world, not much has changed, has it?

Summary

As we learned, this entire subject encompasses many important Biblical concepts.

First, God punishes heathen nations when their wickedness reaches a certain level. As we learned, God waited for the wickedness of the Amorites — and others in Cannan — to peak before He sent the Israelites into the land to destroy them.

Now, this should have only resulted in blessings for Israel, had they listened to God. Instead, they refused to destroy the people of Canaan. Instead, the Israelites lived among the people, and they embraced their evil societal customs, which eventually led to the corruption of Israel.

So within the task of destroying the wicked, God was also proving the Israelites, to see if they would remain faithful to Him, so He could reward them. God wanted there to be a difference between His people and the wicked, just as in Egypt.

As I close, take this whole account and apply it to the modern world…

You can see how the Amorites and those in Canaan resemble the world, and we resemble the Israelites. Don’t walk in their steps, don’t disappoint God. Remain faithful to our Heavenly Father, and He will remain faithful to you.