Destroying the Seven Nations
TEXT: Deuteronomy 7:1-6 New Living Translation, "When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These seven nations are greater and more numerous than you. 2 When the Lord your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. 3 You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, 4 for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you. 5 This is what you must do. You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols. 6 For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.”
INTRO: It is obvious that we, all of us, are entering a new season. And, transition & change is not always easy for everyone; but it’s necessary if God’s plan for the new season is to become a reality.
In Joshua 3:9-17 there is a about the story of Joshua leading the Nation of Israel across the Jordan River in order to possess the Promised Land. As that passage in the Book of Joshua starts out, the story begins with this statement. “So Joshua told the Israelites, "Come and listen to what the Lord your God says. 10 Today you will know that the living God is among you. He will surely drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites ahead of you. 11 Look, the Ark of the Covenant, which belongs to the Lord of the whole earth, will lead you across the Jordan River!”
Interesting isn’t it? The same seven nations are listed here in Joshua as are listed in Deuteronomy.
In order to possess the promise, these seven nations must be utterly destroyed. If not, they will cause you to merge with and intermarry with them, compromising who you are and cause you to backslide and turn away from the Lord.
As I studied these seven nations, I found some amazing parallels, some similarities between what Israel had to deal back in the day, and what we must overcome to inherit and occupy the things which God has promised us today.
The first thing I want to note is that the Bible specifically identified each nation by name and then said, “These nations are greater and more numerous than you.” This tells me that within my own ability, I am powerless to defeat these stronghold nations by myself or even with the help of any earthly army I can mobilize.
The Bible says, in 1 Peter 5:8-9 “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.”
So, the devil is like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. What is the purpose of a Lion’s Roar? Incredibly, the roar of a lion can be heard by the human ear for up to five miles if conditions are right. And, one of the purposes of his roar is to establish territory. He wants to be king of all the territory in which he roams. It’s the same for the devil, he wants to establish rulership of your territory. Yet the word says to stand firm against him and be strong in your faith.
You know, that's an interesting statement about faith, we can be strong in it. We have a choice about our faith and how strong or how weak we stand with it.
Now let’s look at each of the seven nations, what they are, what their names mean and so forth.
1. The Hittites
The name Hittite means “An annoyance, those who are broken, those who fear.”
The Hittites were a well developed culture with strong political structure and a thirst for war. They used shock and awe tactics to drive fear into the hearts of their enemies and would often employ tactics that would crush their enemy’s governments, military, cultural, and economic structures.
Here is the scriptural promise of victory to overcome “Those who are broken and fear.”
2 Tim 1:5-7 “I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. 6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
Isaiah 35:1-4 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.2 It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.
3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. 4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
2. The Girgashites
Their name means, “Dwelling on clay soil, Driven out, or stranger drawing near.”
There is little known about these people but we do know they were a dispossessed people who lived in central Canaan. They lived on clay soil which speaks of the agricultural hardship, and poor harvest. And since they were a dispossessed people and their name means driven out, there is a relationship here with lack of provision, a lack of possessing the land and the idea of being unrooted.
Psalms 1:1-3 King James Version “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Colossians 2:6-7 New Living Translation, “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
Ephesians 3:16-19 New Living Translation, “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.”
3. The Amorites
The Amorites are “Mountaineers or those who rule from a high place, Talkers and Slayers.” They were considered the most fierce of all the seven nations. And, every military strategist will tell that he who controls the high ground has all the advantages.
So, the Amorites stand upon their high ground and will try to talk you down, make you compromise or quit. But the good news is, he can certainly be defeated by the Lord your God.
Isaiah 55:9-11 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
4. The Canaanites
Their name means “To be brought low or subdued, to humble.” These people were Baal worshipers who also recognized many other idols, especially centered around the topic of fertility and sexual perversions.
The idea is that of sexual seduction and immorality. Listen folks, if the devil cannot bring you down through personal attacks and ambush, he will try to tempt you with a Delilah. Remember her? She was a Canaanite. She was the one who seduced Sampson and got him to reveal the secrets of his strength. She brought him down through seduction and will try to get you in the same way.
Romans 13:12-14 New Living Translation, “The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. 13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don't participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”
5. The Perizzites
The Perizzites are pretty interesting. Their name means “Belonging to an open village, or a squatter.” Now, this may seem harmless enough but we were never intended to join the village of the enemy. Remember who you are! Never forget your purpose! What were you born for? Are we supposed to just walk in to the open village and claim squatter’s rights on available real estate?
Or, turn that around the other way. Are we letting the devil walk into our open lives and claim squatter’s rights on land and possessions that belong to us and not him? You don’t have to take it!
Philippians 3:18-21 New Living Translation, “For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.”
We are citizens of heaven, our passports have been stamped and we have a different purpose than to just occupy, to live life with no purpose. We are a people of purpose, of destiny, of meaning.
The next nation that must be conquered is…..
6. The nation of The Hivites
The Hivites are “Showers of life, those who live wickedly.”
For this, I want to bring back Psalms 1 again. It says “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
We are told three things to not do….
A. Do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly
B. Stand in the way of sinners
C. Sit in the seat of the scornful
7. The last nation we will be talking about is the Jebusites. Now the Jebusites name means “trodden down, polluted.”
Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”
1 Peter 1:22-23 “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.: ”
These are the seven nations which are mightier than you and they already possess that which the Lord has promised you. They stand between you and your purpose and destiny. And, remember, they are mightier than you.
Now, let’s look at this just a moment. Think about it. These nations did not inhabit the wilderness. As long as the Israelites remained in the desert, the wilderness, they didn’t have to worry about the seven nations that were mightier than themselves. But, they were never meant to settle in the wilderness. Think about it…….
The Manna every morning
The quail because they whined, complained and grumbled
The Law on Mt. Sinai
The Tabernacle
Their clothing and shoes never wearing out
All these things were wilderness things. But they were never supposed to live in the wilderness, just pass through. You see, God does take care of us in the wilderness even though He never intended for us to dwell there.
And, in today’s world, we have people still living a wilderness experience, a place God never intended us to live. We started passing through something and became fearful, uncertain, questioning, complaining and full of doubt.
The first question in the Bible is found in the Garden of Eden where the devil said to Eve, “Has God really said to not eat from that fruit?” and he is still using that one today.
Did God really say he would provide?
Did God really call you to the ministry?
Did God really promise you that your family would get saved?
Did God really promise you a baby?
Did God really promise you this or that?
Folks, if God has said it, then to me that is the same thing as marching orders. If God has promised a Land of Canaan then why am I here in the wilderness? Why am I seemingly even content to continue living this way when God has something so much better?
Conclusion: Let me ask you an important question; Are you totally content with the Gospel of Salvation or are you wanting to be active in the Gospel of the Kingdom?
Salvation is awesome. Remember the Greek word SOZO? It means Saved, Healed and Delivered. These things are great but is that all there is? What happens after you are saved, healed and delivered? There is so much more.
We can partner with the Lord and through the supernatural hand of Jesus we can defeat these seven nations and make our way out of the wilderness into the land of promise.
Look at the rest of the scripture where we started the sermon, it says; Deuteronomy 7:16-24, “"You must destroy all the nations the Lord your God hands over to you. Show them no mercy, and do not worship their gods, or they will trap you. 17 Perhaps you will think to yourselves, 'How can we ever conquer these nations that are so much more powerful than we are?' 18 But don't be afraid of them! Just remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all the land of Egypt. 19 Remember the great terrors the Lord your God sent against them. You saw it all with your own eyes! And remember the miraculous signs and wonders, and the strong hand and powerful arm with which he brought you out of Egypt. The Lord your God will use this same power against all the people you fear. 20 And then the Lord your God will send terror to drive out the few survivors still hiding from you!
21 "No, do not be afraid of those nations, for the Lord your God is among you, and he is a great and awesome God. 22 The Lord your God will drive those nations out ahead of you little by little. You will not clear them away all at once, otherwise the wild animals would multiply too quickly for you. 23 But the Lord your God will hand them over to you. He will throw them into complete confusion until they are destroyed. 24 He will put their kings in your power, and you will erase their names from the face of the earth. No one will be able to stand against you, and you will destroy them all.”
