Tuesday
Hear, O Israel. You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky. The people are strong and tall – Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: “Who can stand up against the Anakites?” But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the Lord has promised you.
After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.”
(Deuteronomy 9:1-6, NIV)
Although the Lord is normally portrayed in the Old Testament as the One who protects Israel from her enemies, there are exceptions to this. One exception is the conquest of Canaan, during which the Israelites are instructed by God to fight the tribes that occupy the Promised Land and, in fact, are told to wipe them out. These “holy wars,” unlike the experience of crossing the Red Sea, involve the Israelites as warriors, although the fact that they are vastly outnumbered again points to the power of the Lord who brings them victory.
Today’s verses introduce two important Biblical doctrines: God’s grace and God’s judgment against evil. God’s grace is evident in the selection of the Israelites as God’s chosen people – not because of anything they have done (v. 5), but because of his free choice. Did you notice that three times in these six verses God repeats the statement that possession of the land is not because of their righteousness?
The second doctrine, however, is our focus today: God’s judgment. Our passage clearly indicates that God allows – even orders – war as a means of punishing evildoers. The nations that occupy Canaan are idolators, and God cannot dwell in the midst of his people in a land full of false idols. Here the holiness of God and the justice of God burst through the pages of Scripture. God will not allow sin and idolatry to go unpunished, and he often chooses war as an instrument of his judgment.
Prayer
Holy God, forgive us for our sin, forgive us for worshipping false gods. You are a God of justice and we praise you for who you are. Amen.