Les Feldick Bible Study

What did God offer Israel to take possession of in the promised land without fighting?

God offered Israel the Canaanites' vineyards, gardens, orchards, fields, and houses—everything the Canaanites had progressively produced—as a valid offer to possess. They would not need to lift a sword or lose blood, yet Israel rejected the offer in unbelief.

Les explains that God told Israel the land was theirs for the taking: “Go in and take it. You won't have to lift a sword. You won't lose a drop of blood.” The offer was valid, and they could have had everything the Canaanites had progressively produced—their vineyards, gardens, orchards, fields, and houses. But they did not take it; they rejected it in unbelief. Les connects this same pattern to Israel's later rejection of the king and kingdom, but the promised-land offer itself was a genuine opportunity to possess the Canaanite holdings without warfare.