How can the loving God of the Bible ask people to annihilate Canaanite nations, and even shockingly say ″show them no mercy″ (Deuteronomy 7:2)? Perhaps you have asked or have been asked this question.

Well, the principles of warfare explained in Deuteronomy 7 are for never-to-be-repeated wars (called herem wars) fought to occupy the promised land. These are different from the rules for ″ordinary″ wars against cities outside the territory promised to Israel (20:10-15). In the herem wars, the Israelites were commanded to haram or ″destroy them totally″ (7:2). The verb haram comes from the same root word as the noun herem, which means to ″ban from common use″. In effect, haram conveys a sense of being completely devoted to God either for His service or for total destruction. The fact that Moses uses the word thrice demonstrates how emphatic the command is (vv. 2, 26).

Several reasons can be given for the total annihilation of the Canaanites. First, the conquest of Canaan was not a case of some innocent people being destroyed to give a favoured people a land. Moses says, ″On account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you″ (9:5). The Canaanites were people who burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to their gods (12:30-31), among other evils. God says, ″The land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants″ (Leviticus 18:25). This destruction was punishment for gross wickedness, sanctioned by God, the perfectly holy and righteous judge.

Deuteronomy gives the second reason several times: these people and their practices could ensnare Israel and lead them astray (Deuteronomy 7:3-5, 16, 25-26). Israel was supposed to be the bearer of God's revelation to the whole world. Its people needed to be protected from evil, much like how cancerous cells need to be removed to prevent the destruction of the whole body. In spite of God's efforts to protect them, however, subsequent history shows that Israel often abandoned God's ways in preference for those of their neighbours, some of whom remained in the promised land because Israel did not obey the command regarding total destruction.

The principles of the herem wars are not for us to practice today, especially the terrible practice of ethnic cleansing. However, this account demonstrates the importance of destroying whatever hinders our relationship with God. Christ sends us into the world to live with people of other faiths (John 17:15-18). We will be exposed to things that are very appealing and even addictive, which can lure us into sin. We must deal with such things severely, lest they cause us to stumble and jeopardise our witness for Christ.