Why Did God Command Israel to Go to War? God couldn’t give Canaan country to Israel without war???
the OT are the shadow of the NT so God wants teach us the lesson of the process of the Spiritual life in Christ, they crossed the Red sea winch is big deal escape from Egyptians but still fought with Canaanites in order to posses Canaan if we apply it now Even though we are saved from Satan’s Bondage since we live in the sinful evil world we have to fight(spiritual battle) in order to posses the Promise land which is the kingdom of God
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One explanation of God’s command to Israel to go to war is that His original intent was to drive out the inhabitants Himself, but God turned the responsibility over to the nation and withdrew Himself after Israel sinned. In other words, His command to go to war was a consequence of their turning from Him. However, as we will see, God fully intended for Israel to go to war and drive out the inhabitants of the Promised Land. This can be seen in His multiple instructions to them over many years. Notice the intent of this initial command:
But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off. You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars. . . . I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. And I will set your bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the River. For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.” (Exodus 23:22-24, 27-33; emphasis ours throughout)
God spoke this on the heels of giving the Ten Commandments and the terms of the covenant. These instructions, then, were spoken on the same occasion that God said, “Thou shalt not kill,” or to be more precise, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13, New King James Version).
All the Old testament events are shadow for the New testament Christian Life
The Canaanites were, in a sense, squatters in a land that did not belong to them. How so? Some 400 years earlier, God had promised the faithful man Abraham that his descendants would possess the land of Canaan. (Genesis 15:18) God kept that promise when he caused the nation of Israel, which descended from Abraham, to occupy the region. Of course, some might protest that the Canaanites already lived there and therefore had a right to the land. But surely, as the Sovereign of the universe, God has the ultimate right to determine who will live where.—Acts 17:26; 1 Corinthians 10:26.
This is really good question. because I always think about why God let me experience this kind of difficulties, why let me have a lot of struggles! This question remind to look at the Israel history and get lesson from them.
This is a good question. i think people of Canaan did not want to quit easily, so they have to face war. This is also like our spiritual battle. if we enter Canaan, we still face spiritual battle.
There must be some necessary reason that God led them in this way at that time.
I think Israelites need to be sanctified in order to enter the promise land. Man can forget about God so easily and easily lose grateful hearts towards Him, it’s a training progress.