In Chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Joshua, we see how God uses him to fulfill His promise made with Abraham and Moses. When Joshua became the leader of the Israelite tribes, after the death of Moses, God instructed him to occupy the land which God had promised to his forefathers.
Joshua was a prominent person during the events of Exodus. He was known as a member of Moses’s team that conquered Canaan and divided the land among 12 tribes. In Hebrew Bible we learn that God promised to give the land of Canaanites to Israel after they came out of Egypt.
I would like to respond to the objection that people pose on destruction of Canaanites. They say that God and Israelites were unfair in destroying the land of Canaan and killing humans and even animals to enter the Promised Land.
In chapter 01, we see how God uses Rahab to glorify His name and be an instrument for fulfilling His plans. She was known as the prostitute of Jericho but she helped the spies of Joshua in getting the reports.
Historical background
Throughout the Old Testament we learn that God chose Israelite to be His Nation as well as to be a blessing for other nations. God also made a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you”.
Later, God made a Covenant with Moses and the Jewish people, it was also a renewal of the Covenant that God had made with Abraham. In Exodus 19:5-6 “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”.
God keeps His promises
We read in Bible that God’s Word is unchangeable, and He fulfills His promises and covenants from the beginning to the end. The destruction of Canaanites was also the fulfilment of His promises and covenants with Abraham, Moses, and the Israelites. To fulfill His Divine Plan God uses ordinary persons to carry forward His plans as He used Rahab, Joshua, Spies and many other characters which are not even mentioned in the book of Joshua. The following are some Bible verses to strengthen my argument that God’s Word and His Promises are unchangeable:
Joshua 21:45 “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; everyone was fulfilled”.
Jeremiah 1:12 “The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”
Lamentations 2:17 “The Lord has done what he planned. He has fulfilled his word, which he decreed long ago”
History of Canaanites
We need to understand that the Israelites were the chosen nation and God made a covenant that He will give them the Promised Land and they will be a blessing for other nations.
Here, it is important to understand that God wanted Israelites to follow His Law and practice it so that other nations may be blessed through their religious practices. God never wanted Israelite to be influenced by other religions that were not from God.
When we read about Canaanites, we learn that they were not ignorant about God’s Law, but they never accepted that Law and neither were they planning to in the future. They, in fact, corrupted the land which God promised to give to the Israelites. If they would have lived in the same land with Israel, the Canaanites would not have let Israelites practice the Law that God had given them
It was important to destroy all the false pagan religions before Israelites could start practice of following the one true God. Unfortunately, the Israelites did not eliminate all the Canaanites which later led to the fall of Israel and they become captive themselves.
Conclusion
The impression that has been given many times is that Canaanites were ignorant of God. No! It is a completely wrong impression because they heard the Word of God but rejected it and continued on with their sinful practices. God is Just and He in His best judgment took His decision. God was patient as He gave 400-450 years to Canaanites to turn to Him, but they rejected Him. God’s faithfulness in fulfilling the covenant promises date all the way back to the time of Abraham when God promised Abraham that the land of Canaan would belong to his descendants.
