Introduction
‘When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you—and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy. Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire.’ Deuteronomy 7:1-5
Driving Out The Nations
There are seven nations which Moses lists here, all of which Israel were to drive out of the Promised Land, which they did successfully because the Lord was with them, Exodus 34:11-16.
The Hittites were sons of Heth who had grown into a very powerful nation of people. The Girgashites were a little known people who probably lived in the area just west of the Jordan, Joshua 24:11.
The Amorites were a people who lived on the east side of the Jordan and northern parts of Canaan, Deuteronomy 1:7. The Canaanites were a people who were descendants of Canaan, the grandson of Noah, Genesis 10:15-18 / Deuteronomy 1:7.
The Perizzites lived in the hill country of Palestine and were probably related to the Rephaim, the giants of the land, Joshua 17:15. The Hivites were a people who lived in the far northern regions of Palestine around Mount Hermon and Lebanon, Joshua 11:3 / Judges 3:3.
The Jebusites were a people who lived in the southern area of Palestine, around present-day Jerusalem. The original name of the area where Jerusalem was eventually established was named Jebus.
Moses gives Israel five commands in relation to their treatment of the Canaanites.
1. Israel are commanded to utterly destroy the inhabitants of Canaan.
2. Israel are commanded not to make any covenants with Canaan, they were to destroy them rather than try to make establish any type of relationship with Canaan.
3. Israel were to show no mercy to them, all of them were to be destroyed.
If they showed them any mercy, God wouldn’t be pleased as it was against His will and if they showed any mercy they would lead Israel into spiritual idolatry.
4. Israel weren’t to marry any of the Canaanites.
If they married these foreign women, this would only lead to them accepting false gods, just to please their foreign wives, 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1.
5. Israel were to destroy all the altars and pillars in the land of Canaan that was dedicated to other gods.
One of those images they were to destroy was the ‘Asherah’, the ‘goddess of the Sidonians’, 1 Kings 11:5. This is first mentioned in Exodus 34:13, with the same command to destroy it.
When Abraham was in the land of Canaan almost 500 years earlier, the iniquity of the inhabitants of the land at that time hadn’t yet reached the point of no moral return, Genesis 15:16 / Deuteronomy 7:5 / Deuteronomy 18:9-12 / Leviticus 18:21-25.
However, at this time when Israel was about to enter the land, the iniquity of the Canaanites was full grown.
Under no circumstances were the inhabitants of Canaan, who maintained the wicked culture that is mentioned here, to survive history. The Israelites were not to marry them, Numbers 25:1-9, and neither were any remnants of their idolatrous relics of worship to be preserved.
‘For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him. Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.’ Deuteronomy 7:6-11
Moses now commands that Israel are to take possession of Canaan by destroying all inhabitants and images without showing mercy. The reason behind this is simply because they ‘are a holy people, they are God’s chosen people, His treasured possession, 1 Peter 2:9.
Although Moses led the people, God owned them because it was God who ‘redeemed’ them out of Egypt, Deuteronomy 7:8.
Similarly, God owns Christians today, through the blood sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross, Acts 20:28 / 1 Corinthians 6:20 / 1 Corinthians 7:23. As Christians, we were redeemed from the slavery of sin by Jesus’ blood, Colossians 1:20-23.
God chose Israel because of the ‘love’ He showed in the covenant He made with Abraham, Genesis 12:1-3 / Galatians 3:6-9 / Romans 9:6-18. God also chose Israel because He was determined to keep His covenant He made with Abraham, Genesis 12:1-3 / Galatians 3:6-9.
In other words, God didn’t choose Israel because of who they were, He chose them because of His promise to their fathers. God wants Israel to know that He keeps His promises.
‘If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors. He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and olive oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor will any of your livestock be without young. The LORD will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you.’ Deuteronomy 7:12-15
Moses tells Israel that God, out of His love, will reward those who are faithful to him and punish those who reject His will. Anyone who recognises God’s will for mankind through obedience can expect to be blessed. This again, reminds us that God’s blessings are dependent upon our obedience to Him.
God promises to keep His covenant agreement He made with Abraham, that is, the promise of land, they will be a great nation, and seed promise, Genesis 12:1-3.
He will love them by giving them the blessings of many children and He will bless the fruit which comes from the ground. Those who are obedient to Him will be blessed with grain, new wine, and oil.
God will multiply their cattle and flocks of sheep and He will remove sicknesses and diseases from the people and lay them upon their enemies. Unlike Egypt, which was plagued with disease, Israel would be blessed to be a healthy nation free from plagues.
‘You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you. You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?” But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God. The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. But the LORD your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed. He will give their kings into your hand, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you; you will destroy them. The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the LORD your God. Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.’ Deuteronomy 7:16-26
Moses again reminds Israel to destroy everyone in Canaan, and they have to show no pity towards them. they should not serve their gods and not to be afraid of the Canaanites.
If any at point they do become fearful, they should remember all the might deeds God did in Egypt, Philippians 4:13.
When Israel came face to face with these mighty nations, they were to put their trust in God. In turn, God would ‘send the hornet among them’, in other words, God would be with Israel by way of a hornet in that He would strike terror into all their enemies, Exodus 23:27-30. The ‘hornet’ sent by God is His miraculous care for them, Joshua 24:12.
‘Little by little’, that is, slowly but surely, Israel would defeat the nations of Canaan but notice that God didn’t overthrow them all at once, this was because the wild beasts would take over the civilised areas and farms.
Because Israel defeated all these nations in Canaan, Moses wants Israel to understand that God really does mean it when He told them He loves them.
Moses wants them to understand that God will fight for them and they will be victorious as long as they are obedient to Him and keep His commandments.
Moses also wants to teach an attitude in Israel in relation to the wicked practices of the Canaanites. Rather than being curious and experimental with Canaan’s idolatry and riches, Israel were to develop an attitude of hatred and disgust for those things ‘devoted’. A ‘devoted’ thing was cursed, banned, forbidden, things that should be utterly destroyed, forbidden for common use.
Moses tells them that foreign wives, images, and Canaanite gold and silver were to be despised and detested. Israel were to develop an attitude of hatred for the things that God had a hatred for, Romans 2:22 / Romans 12:9.
