10 Interesting Facts About The Old Testament

6. The Canaanites were too Wicked to Occupy Canaan any Longer

The Old Testament reveals that God promised Abraham that his descendants would be given a land by God that they could call their own. They would drive out the original inhabitants and conquer the land and not allow anyone to live. The Bible gives the reason why. God reveals earlier in the Scriptures that the wickedness within the land of Canaan was great, and that because of their wickedness the land would vomit them out (Leviticus 18:25). Even during the time of Abraham God revealed that they were very wicked, but not ready to be removed yet, because their "wickedness was not complete." (Genesis 15:16). But what exactly was the wickedness of the Canaanites? What were they doing that made them exceedingly wicked? The Bible says that there were seven nations in the land of Canaan that would be conquered. They were worshipers of false gods who demanded live human sacrifices to appease them. One famous archaeologist made a chilling remark in one of his books. He stated that the foundation of nearly every building that was erected in the ancient world was erected over the offering of a firstborn sacrificial victim who was "buried alive." The Old Testament reveals that the Canaanites were actually sacrificing to demons, and all of the rituals, and temple prostitution, and incest, and orgies, and divination, and many other gross immoralities were inspired by the worship of demons. 400 years earlier when Abraham sojourned the land of Canaan, he witnessed the destruction of the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire and brimstone from heaven because of their wickedness. Only Abraham's nephew Lot and his two daughters escaped the devastation.

Note: It is important to note that Noah's son Ham had committed a sin and Noah cursed Ham's son Canaan as a result (Genesis 9:25). The Bible does not mention the exact nature of Ham's sin, nor does it mention why Canaan was cursed, but some have speculated that Ham committed incest with his mother and they gave birth to Canaan, therefore Noah cursed Canaan.

Also see The Seven Nations of Canaan

"When the LORD your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you," (Deuteronomy 7:1)

"For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. 'You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled, lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people. 'Therefore you shall keep My ordinance, so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 18:25-30).

"Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete." (Gen 15:16).

Image of God's Judgement

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