The Conquest of Canaan - Genocide or Just?

This Sunday we kick off an in-depth study of the book of Judges. Early on in the book we run into an issue that has been the subject of much discussion and even angst - the conquering of Canaan and the destruction and driving out of the people who lived there.

As I mentioned in the sermon this morning, there are important issues to wrestle through here. Many have done so and in their wisdom found God wanting. But is that true? Is this a big hole in Christian belief that God would do this? As an overview, I gave three things to consider as we think about the conquest of Canaan:

1. The depravity of the Canaanites was notorious
2. Sin is really serious and deserves destruction
3. There is mercy from wrath

I also mentioned a couple of resources that I think you will find helpful if you want to do a deeper dive. These are by Gavin Ortlund, a thoughtful and biblical apologist who speaks well on this issue. The first video is a six minute summary of the main issues to consider and the second video is a long-form deep dive into the material. I hope you find these helpful!