Reading the Old Testament, one of the most difficult things to understand is the Lord’s command to destroy the Canaanites. Why would a good God command the elimination of an entire people? In Deuteronomy 3, Moses recounts that at the Lord’s command: “We completely destroyed them [Og and his territory]…every city—men, women and children” (v. 6). We may not have an answer to every question, but we can start to grapple with it.

First, we should consider the historical situation. Things were not peaceful and calm in Canaan before Israel arrived. Egypt had previously exerted political control over Canaan, but with the demise of Egypt in this period, the land devolved to a kind of lawlessness where local strong men (translated “kings”) were more like roving gangs. The Lord reminded Israel that “it is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations” (Deut. 9:5). The people of the land engaged in child sacrifice, cultist prostitution, and systematic oppression and violence (Lev. 18:25–28). There is a sense in which Israel’s violence was a kind of counter-violence to what was happening in Canaan.

It was also possible for Canaanites to embrace faith in the Lord and join Israel. They had had 40 years of warning. They had heard about what the Lord did to Egypt. Rahab and her family are a good example of Canaanites who took refuge in the Lord (Josh. 2:8–11).

Most importantly, Scripture teaches that the whole earth and its people belong to the Lord (Ps. 24:1). He is the sovereign Creator, and as finite creatures limited in perspective we may not fully understand all His ways (Isa. 55:8–9). We learn from Scripture that He is always good and just.

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