Why Did God Destroy the Canaanites? 400 Years of Mercy

Why did God destroy the Canaanites? It is one of the most common objections raised against the God of the Bible. When people want to criticize Him, they point to the conquest of Canaan and ask how a good God could command the destruction of an entire people. The title of this study might sound like it does not make sense: God’s mercy to the Canaanites. When we think of the Canaanites, we think of judgment, not mercy. But even though the Canaanites are one of the clearest pictures of God’s judgment in Scripture, they are also one of the clearest pictures of His mercy—and my hope is that you will see that by the time you finish reading. Table of contentsGod Told Abraham the Canaanites Were Not Wicked Enough YetGod’s Mercy to the Canaanites: He Gave Them Centuries to RepentGod’s Mercy to the Canaanites: He Spared Rahab and Her FamilyGod’s Mercy to the Canaanites: He Spared the GibeonitesOnly One City in Canaan Wanted Peace with GodGod’s Mercy Can Be Shown to Us the Same WayThey Had Faith in GodThey Feared GodThey Repented of Their SinsGod’s Mercy Is Available to YouFrequently Asked QuestionsWhy did God destroy the Canaanites instead of forgiving them?How long did God give the Canaanites to repent?Were any Canaanites saved? God Told Abraham the Canaanites Were Not Wicked Enough Yet To answer the question, we have to go back long before Joshua ever set foot in the land. God made the Abrahamic Covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12, and one of the most important parts of that covenant was the land of Canaan that God promised to give Abraham’s descendants. God repeated the covenant in Genesis 15, and that is where He told Abraham how long the wait would be: Genesis 15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. This was not the best news for Abraham to receive. He learned that his descendants would not receive the land for four hundred years, and that while they waited they would suffer. This refers to their time in Egypt. If I were Abraham, I would be thinking, “I sure hope there is a good reason my descendants have to suffer for four hundred years. It had better be for some great, godly people!” The news gets a little better in the next verse: Genesis 15:14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Abraham learned that God would judge Egypt, and that Israel would leave with much of Egypt’s wealth—which is exactly what happened. Exodus 12:36 says they plundered the Egyptians when they left. Abraham even received some personal news: Genesis 15:15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. In other words, “All your descendants will suffer terribly—but do not worry, you will be fine!” Then God told Abraham the reason Israel could not enter the Promised Land for four centuries, and I suspect it would have been very disturbing for him to hear: Genesis 15:16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” Put simply: the Amorites had not been bad enough yet. In Abraham’s day the Canaanites were broadly defined as Amorites, because they were the most prominent group in Canaan. And that brings us to the first way God showed His mercy to them. God’s Mercy to the Canaanites: He Gave Them Centuries to Repent God told Abraham his descendants could not enter the Promised Land because He was waiting for the wickedness of the land’s inhabitants to reach the level that warranted the judgment He would pour out on them. Think about what that looked like year after year. Each year that passed, the Canaanites came closer to the point when God’s divine longsuffering could no longer put up with them. Each year they engaged in more wickedness, which meant more of God’s wrath was stored up against them. Finally, when they exhausted His patience, He would unleash His righteous fury: the suffering of the Israelites in Egypt would be over, and He would use Israel to remove the Canaanites from the land. But until that happened, what could the Canaanites still do? They could repent. Otherwise, why give them all that time? Here is the question I want you to consider. If God wanted to be merciful to the Canaanites, how long do you think He might give them? A few weeks? A few months? Maybe a few years if He wanted to be really merciful? He gave the Ninevites forty days. He gave the Canaanites more than four hundred years. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. Notice that Peter had to say the Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise—referring to His promise of judgment—because that is the criticism against Him. He is