The Promised Land

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Augustine3

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I’ve heard the explanation that God never personally ordered genocidal warfare but Moses gave this concession in Deuteronomy due to the unholiness of the Israelites. Let us consider the verse below:

“I will send hornets to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way” – Exodus 23:28

We learn by this that God had intended to drive out the inhabitants by pestilence. My question is since God was going to use pestilence to make way for the Israelites, what difference would it have made whether the Israelites were holy or not?
 
I am not sure what your real question is. Concerning the Israelites some were holy and some were not. I am not sure what you are getting at. Are you saying you have to be holy to do God’s wrath for Him?
 
Actually, God also says to the Israelites that He is driving out the Canaanites because of all the evil living they had done for generations, the land vomiting them out, NOT because of “your righteousness” (speaking to the Israelites).

He could have given them the Land of Canaan without driving out EVERY people in it, only those that fought against Israel, but the Canaanites were very sinful in God’s eyes and worshipped foreign deities, both of which would lead the Israelites into sin.
 
I heard that genocidal warfare was not part of God’s plan. God intended to drive out the inhabitants before the Israelites settled in the land, there would be no need for the Israelites to fight. But because the Israelites had sinned time and time again, they were unable to be a light to the other nations, Moses therefore commanded them to exterminate the inhabitants before the Israelites adopted their pagan practices.

That’s my question – If God had intended to drive out the inhabitants before the Israelites had crossed into the promised land then what’s the holiness of the Israelites got to do with it?
 
Augustine3 said:
I heard that genocidal warfare was not part of God’s plan. God intended to drive out the inhabitants before the Israelites settled in the land, there would be no need for the Israelites to fight. But because the Israelites had sinned time and time again, they were unable to be a light to the other nations, Moses therefore commanded them to exterminate the inhabitants before the Israelites adopted their pagan practices.

That’s my question – If God had intended to drive out the inhabitants before the Israelites had crossed into the promised land then what’s the holiness of the Israelites got to do with it?
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Thanks for the clarification, it helped me understand.
It is hard to understand why God did what He did. He needed the Canaanites to be out of the land so the 12 tribes could set up shop so to speak and be formed as His people. The Canaanites were pretty despicable with false gods but they also had infant sacrifices which is very displeasing to God. Even though there is a final judgment, there may be smaller judgments that is in line with God’s will for our benefit. If the Canaanites had been allowed to live on where they were at, there is no telling what they might have done that was evil. It was all in God’s permissive will. IMHO.
The holiness of the Israelites may have had nothing to do with the outcome but in the action as casting the first stone.
 
But that’s my point. God was intending to drive out the Canaanites and others through pestilence. Why switch plans allowing Moses to command combat? They would have been driven out through pestilence anyway?
 
Augustine3 said:
But that’s my point. God was intending to drive out the Canaanites and others through pestilence. Why switch plans allowing Moses to command combat? They would have been driven out through pestilence anyway?
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I looked up some supporting information about the pestilence. The Hebrew term for hornets is sir’ah which is a disputed term that some interpreters say refers to hornets leashed onto the enemy to cause them panic. If this is true then the Israelites still needed to drive them out with a little help from small friends.
 
mdcpensive1 said:
I looked up some supporting information about the pestilence. The Hebrew term for hornets is sir’ah which is a disputed term that some interpreters say refers to hornets leashed onto the enemy to cause them panic. If this is true then the Israelites still needed to drive them out with a little help from small friends.
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Thanks for your effort I appreciate it 👍

They actually do get help from the angel that God also intended to send.

“I will send an angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite” – Exodus 33:2
 
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