The Israelites were given a gift. Canaan was a gigantic piece of amazing property that boasted fantastic natural defenses, abundant resources, and proximity to major trade routes. If you were to had your pick of any part of the world to start your civilization, Canaan would be at the top of the list (next to Texas).
It was so great that multiple groups regularly fought for more territory. The Moabites, the Philistines, the Amorites, the Hittites—all of these peoples controlled various sections, but none controlled it all. If they could though, they would.
The Israelites have that opportunity, given to them directly by God Himself. The only catch is that they have to take all of it. Leave no part of their predecessors. Cleanse the land. All of it.
That command is a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you have a huge area to dwell in that is stable. On the other, world domination isn’t really your game. Unlike other cultures, you won’t try to take the Israelite “brand” to Italy or China. It stays in your physical area.
A lot of critics hate this section of the Bible, primarily because they believe the conquest to be nothing more than a racially-charged genocidal purge.
In truth, it was an attack on the false gods that dwelt in the land. God’s instructions (Numbers 33:52-53) were to drive out the inhabitants (step one), destroy their places of worship (step two) and then inherit the land (step three). The goal wasn’t specifically annihilation, but that was necessary in order to achieve the above goals.
Apparently, that’s where things got sticky for Israel. If the goal is to inherit the land, couldn’t they do that without destroying everyone? No doubt those people had fascinating parts of their own culture; why not leave that intact if it serves your purpose? You don’t have to control all the land to actually control the land, right?
Or maybe, Israel had a problem with the destruction. I know that would cause me to take a moment to make sure I heard God right, but it doesn’t seem like Israel had that problem in the past. Their destruction of the Midianites was complete—arguably the most lopsided battle in world history.
If there was any concern about the need to fully dominate the land, Joshua gives them a warning: If they leave other peoples there, they eventually will become thorns in their sides and pricks in their eyes.
Militarily, they’ll be annoying. Battles and skirmishes over border lands will become a daily routine; the situation in Judges bears this reality out (Judges 3).
The real threat is spiritual. And I don’t just mean for Israel, but for you and me.
Think about this. What God told the people to do was absolutely ruthless. Annihilate everyone. Cleanse the land. Keep yourselves separate. No intermarriages at all.
The people compromised though. They let some things slide and ignored other commandments of God.
And what happened? They were destroyed.
Now listen to what Jesus tells us to do: “If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut if off and throw it from you” (Matthew 5:30).
That’s ruthless, too. Do you know all the things we use hands for in this world? Cut it off in order to remove the temptation from your life? Unthinkable!
What’s even more unthinkable is giving sins a foothold in your life. I don’t know anyone that’s cut off their hand (thankfully), but I know people that have removed television from their homes. Or others that have moved out of state from certain influences. Those seem extreme too, but are they necessary? To them, they were.
The fact is that unless we completely eradicate the temptations in our lives, we will always be tempted by them. Sometimes that’s inevitable—we have to engage with society at some point, obviously—but that doesn’t mean we can’t take steps to minimize them.
Don’t make the mistake the Israelites did in rationalizing their Canaanite neighbors and allowing false religion to just simple coexist. God asked them to draw a line, and they didn’t.
Likewise, He’s asked us to draw a line. Don’t compromise with sin and allow it to take root. Rid it, remove it, get it out of your life. Otherwise the threat will always be there.