If God is Love, why did He command the ancient Israelites to kill all the Canaanites?
Most of us have probably wondered about this at some point. I think that it is important to realize that we ask this question in the light of The Age of Grace. Jesus by His death at Calvary changed the rules. Until that instant, throughout history, it was impossible for man to be released from the evil that stained his soul.
Evil is a sticky thing. When we step in it, some of it stays on us. It affects us until it is removed.
When Jesus died on our behalf, he defeated evil so that we could be set free from it. He gave us authority over evil.
The people who lived before Jesus did not have this available to them. If they disobeyed God and walked in evil, they were to present an animal sacrifice so that God would forgive them. However, this did not release them from the evil that stuck to them as a result of their sinful act.
(I believe that there are instances, in the times before Jesus, that God, in His mercy and compassion, actually caused repentant sinners to die so that they could be with Him in glory rather than leave them to suffer the evil in this life that would have resulted from their sin.)
The peoples occupying the lands that God gave to the Israelites had not just touched evil they had wallowed in it. They were descended from Canaan who had been cursed by Noah for evil done by him and his father (Gen. 9:25). The Canaanites' religions and practices were filled with gross sin. God did not want His people exposed to this evil and required that it be removed. Because the grace to separate the evil from the people had not yet been dispensed, this meant that the people had to be removed.
It is important to remember that even though God is Love, He does not compromise His standards. He is a Holy God, and He requires holiness from those who would serve Him.
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