The invasion of Canaan, in which God executed His wrath in an immediate and dramatic fashion, was a foretaste of the judgment to come. But a greater wrath lies ahead, and there is only one way to escape it—by trusting in Christ alone. Ultimately, then, the invasion of Canaan, for the people of God, is an act of grace.

Those who reject the claims of Christ are going to reject the Bible as a whole, so we are not surprised when we find non-Christians questioning the stories and teachings of Scripture. We are living in a funny age, however, when even many professing Christians want to cast the Bible in a negative light. It is not uncommon to find people who claim to be followers of Christ calling the character of God into question or rejecting the truthfulness of entire portions of Scripture because they believe certain biblical stories and events are contrary to God’s mercy. The story of the invasion of Canaan is one of those stories that prompts many people, including many professing Christians, to question the Scriptures. Charges that “God commanded genocide” are frequently uttered. I responded to that charge and why it is false in the first four parts of this series.
Even after responding to the charge of genocide, however, we still need to consider how the story fits into the broader biblical revelation of the character of God. Truthfully, the command to eradicate the Canaanites troubles many believers who have a high view of Scripture. Part five of this series looked at some things in the story itself that are evidences of God’s mercy even in the midst of judgment, helping us to see that the Lord was merciful even to the Canaanites. In this article, we will consider other aspects of God’s character that should make the story less problematic for those of us who submit to the Bible as God’s Word.
The Problem Is Us
When we encounter something that troubles us in Scripture, we are tempted to think that the problem is with the text or with the God who revealed it. In reality, the problem is us. Since God’s character defines what is good and right, the problem is never God or what He has said; rather, the problem is our misunderstanding or our refusal to believe that what God has said is true.
When it comes to the story of the invasion of Canaan, Dr. Derek Thomas said it best when he remarked that part of the reason so many people find the story ethically difficult is because we have such a low view of sin.1 To put it another way, we all too often do not really believe we are unholy and that God is holy.
My intent here is not to pick on anyone. I cannot tell you how many times I have failed to understand the depth of my sin and the degree to which God is opposed to it. But the biblical authors, at least when they set the text to writing, did not have the same problem. The prophet Habakkuk, for example, notes that God is so pure that He cannot even look at evil (Hab. 1:3). Habakkuk’s point is not that wickedness is invisible to God but that the Lord cannot tolerate evil in His holy presence. The Lord must destroy evil. He is thoroughly opposed to it.
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Are we looking forward to the new creation? Isaiah and Paul are telling us: we should be! Our hope for the new creation should be what sustains us here and now. It’s what we were made for. 

When I was studying to be a pastor, I was invited to speak to a primary school class at a Christian school. The topic was heaven. I had to stand in front of a bunch of kids and tell them what heaven is like.
It was awful. I knew heaven would be good, but I had no idea how to describe it. The thing about kids is that you can’t fake it in front of kids. They know if you don’t know what you’re talking about.
And so I bombed that day. I couldn’t paint an accurate picture of what heaven is like. I couldn’t answer any of their questions, at least accurately. I left from that experience devastated, because I knew that I should know better than what I did.
We need to understand what heaven is like. We are alive for only a short time here on earth. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are meant to think a lot about heaven. It’s supposed to get help get you through this life, which can be very hard.
But here’s the problem: It’s hard to hope for something we don’t know very much about. So what I want to do is to give you a picture of heaven today, one that I hope will be exciting enough to give you hope no matter what you’re going through today.
We’re in a series through the entire Bible from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. Right now we’re in the part of the story in which we hear from a prophet named Isaiah, written some 2,700 years ago. Today we’re in the latter part of Isaiah, which is significant. The first part of Isaiah—chapters 1 to 35—contain a lot of doom and gloom. The second part of Isaiah—chapters 40-66—give us a lot more hope. Isaiah has a lot to say to Judah. He accuses them of sin. He calls them to repentance. He talks about God’s judgment. But he also provides hope: hope that God isn’t done with them, and that he will bring the restoration that we need.
We’re in the hopeful part of the book of Isaiah today. In the passage we’re looking at today, God gives us a glimpse of what we’re waiting for. We need to hear this.
Two Descriptions
So what is our future like? You’re going to like this. Two things:
It will be a place of joy.
For behold, I create new heavensand a new earth,and the former things shall not be rememberedor come into mind.But be glad and rejoice foreverin that which I create;for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,and her people to be a gladness.I will rejoice in Jerusalemand be glad in my people;no more shall be heard in it the sound of weepingand the cry of distress.(Isaiah 65:17-19)
I want you to notice a couple of things. First, Isaiah says that God will create a new heavens and a new earth. The new creation will not mean the end of the earth. It will mean the recreation of the heavens and the earth. We need to get rid of the idea of a disembodied, floating existence somewhere out there. Think about the recreation of the world, except as it should be.
The Christian hope is not merely that someday we and our loved ones will die and go to be with Jesus. Instead, the Christian hope is that our departure from this world is just the first leg of a journey that is round-trip. We will not remain forever with God in heaven, for God will bring heaven down to us.(Michael Wittmer)
What is it like in this remade heaven and earth? Isaiah says that the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. “About five seconds into this new world, you and I will turn to one another and say, ‘Cancer, terrorism—what were they? Hmmm. Can’t seem to remember. No matter. Here we go!’” (Ray Ortlund). Now I can get behind that.
But that’s not even the best part. It will not just be a place where bad things are forgotten, it will be a place of joy. Verse 18 envisions this new heaven and new earth with a new Jerusalem at the center, and that it will be filled with joy. In this new earth, we get what we want and need most: God, and it will make us very, very happy. It will be what we’ve longed for all this time. The new creation will be a place of inexpressible joy.
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Written by Robert D. Jones |
Friday, February 25, 2022
The Bible, of course, never guarantees that fearful things won’t happen to us. God doesn’t promise a “safe,” tragedy-free life. Friends do forsake us. Illnesses do strike. Family members do die. Bosses do fire workers. But God through Isaiah does guarantee that amid our understandable fears, He loves us, is for us, is with us, and will help and uphold us. Nothing will ever happen to us outside of His sovereign, wise, and perfect will. 

Fear is among the most common problems we face. We live in a fallen world filled with uncertainties. The types of fear we face seem endless: fear of failure, the future, rejection, being alone, conflict, intimacy, death, job loss, sickness, and a host of other realities. When you add imagined possibilities, the list truly has no limit.
Moreover, the consequences can be ruinous. Fear robs us of the joy, peace, and confidence we should have in Christ. It fixates our thoughts on us instead of God. It drains our physical and emotional energy. It keeps us from sharing Jesus with others and serving one another. Fear cripples the Christian.
The Bible, however, brings good news: God’s Word has much to say about fear. Wherever you find fearful people in Scripture you repeatedly find God’s response, “Do not fear!” or “Don’t be afraid!” In fact, it’s the Bible’s most frequent command.
But easier said than done, right? That’s why God doesn’t leave the matter as a mere command. He supplies solid reasons not to fear and He calls us by faith to apply them.
God’s Answer in Isaiah 41:8-10
There are many places we can go in Scripture to find answers to the problem of fear. One of my favorites is Isaiah 41:8-10, a concise passage packed with potent help for our fears:
8 “But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend,9 I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you.I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
How can we as followers of Christ fight against our fears?
First, we can fight fear by remembering that we are God’s sons and daughters and by living out that identity each day. God engages His people in verses 8-9 by reminding us of who—better, whose—we are and what He has done to rescue and redeem us.
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