God waited because the iniquity of the Amorites, or Canaanites, had not yet reached the full.
In Genesis 15, God told Abraham that Israel would be away for 400 years and that the Canaanites could not be removed until their iniquity was full. Les Feldick teaches that God gave the Canaanites those 400 years to clean up their act, but instead they degenerated deeper into wickedness, eventually reaching the epitome of evil. At that point God was just in instructing Israel to destroy them completely, for their own protection.
Genesis 15:16 — This verse explicitly states God's reason for the delay: the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full.
Genesis 15:13 — This verse gives the 400-year timeframe during which Abraham's descendants would be in a foreign land before the Canaanites' iniquity was full.
Deuteronomy 7:2 — This verse records the command to utterly destroy the Canaanite nations after the period of waiting was over.
God's Word directly answers the question in Genesis 15. In verse 13, God tells Abram that his descendants will be strangers in a land not theirs, and will serve and be afflicted for 400 years. Verse 16 then gives the reason for the wait: "But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." The Bible does not present the delay as hesitation or indifference. It says the full measure of the Canaanites' wickedness had not yet been reached. Once that measure was full, the biblical record shows that God commanded Israel to smite the nations of Canaan and utterly destroy them without making a covenant or showing mercy (Deuteronomy 7:2).
Les Feldick explains that when God gave Abraham the title deed to the land of Canaan, He also told him Israel would not occupy it for 400 years. The reason was not arbitrary: the iniquity of the Amorites, or Canaanites, had not yet reached the full. God in His patience gave these people 400 years to straighten up their act. They did not. Instead, they degenerated down, down, down into immorality and wickedness, until they were even offering their own children in fire to pagan gods. By the time Joshua crossed the Jordan, their iniquity was full, and God could in all justice tell Israel, "clean them out, don't spare a one." Les also teaches the protective purpose: if Israel left any Canaanites alive, they would be like a rotten apple in a barrel and corrupt the entire nation. Israel did not fully obey. They became soft-hearted, made servants of the Canaanites, and incorporated them into their lifestyle. Within a couple of generations, Israel turned her back on Jehovah and followed the gods of the Canaanites. As a result, the book of Judges became a spiritual roller coaster and Israel eventually fell into the very idolatry God had warned them about.
When God gave Abraham the title deed to the land of Canaan, He told him the nation would not occupy it for 400 and some years. Les explains that God could not permit the Amorites or Canaanites to be removed until that time because their iniquity had not yet reached the full. God gave the Canaanites those 400 years to straighten up their act.
Instead of cleaning up their act, the Canaanites degenerated down, down, down. They began on an immoral plane and kept going lower. By the time Joshua crossed the Jordan, they had gone so deep into sin and wickedness—even offering their own children in fire to pagan gods—that God was perfectly fair in telling Israel to clean them out and not spare one.
Les teaches that if even one Canaanite remained, the corruption would spread through the whole nation like a rotten apple in a barrel. The Canaanites' influence would make Israel's own sons and grandsons like them. God's command was not only judgment but also the protection of Israel from being drawn into the same idolatry.
Israel got soft-hearted and decided it was better to make servants of the Canaanites rather than kill them. They incorporated the Canaanites into their lifestyle. Within a couple of generations Israel turned her back on Jehovah and went headlong after the gods of the Canaanites. The history of the book of Judges became a roller coaster, and Israel eventually even offered their own children in fire to idols, just as the Canaanites had.
Why God Commanded Israel to Destroy Entire Nations — Deuteronomy 7
They don't do anything without offering a blood sacrifice. So even in transferring real estate, they took these animals, kill them, part the carcasses and leave sort of a walkway down between the halves, and then the two men who were transferring real estate would make a blood covenant by virtue of probably a cut in the hand, and they would shake hands and thereby make a contract.
Israel's 400 Years to Clean Up
Les says the command to leave no Canaanite alive was just because the Canaanites had 400 years to clean up their act, but instead they degenerated; when Israel spared them, they soon joined their idolatry.
Iniquity Not Yet Full
Les teaches that God could not allow the Amorites or Canaanites to be removed until 400 years passed because their iniquity had not yet reached the full.
400 Years of Increasing Wickedness
Les says the Canaanites began on an immoral plane and kept going down, so God gave them 400 years, at the end of which their wickedness was so complete that justice permitted Israel to 'clean them out.'
The Rotten Apple Principle
Les says God was fair to command Joshua to kill all the Canaanites, not sparing even infants and the elderly, because sparing even one would corrupt the whole nation like a rotten apple in a barrel.
God Gave Canaanites a Chance
Les says one of the first prophecies in the Bible is the 400 years of bondage, and God gave the Canaanites those 400 years to straighten up their act.
The Tragic Results of Disobedience
Les shows that the Canaanites' influence took Israel right into idolatry, making the book of Judges a spiritual roller coaster.
The Epitome of Wickedness
Les says the Canaanites reached the epitome of wickedness by offering their children in fire to pagan gods, which is why God could in justice tell Joshua, 'don't spare a one.'
Genesis 15:13: And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
God's promise of 400 years before Abraham's descendants could possess the land.
Genesis 15:16: But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
This is the direct biblical reason for the delay: the iniquity of the Amorites and Canaanites was not yet full.
Deuteronomy 7:2: And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:
After the wait, God commanded Israel to utterly destroy the Canaanite nations without mercy.
Yes. Les says God gave the Canaanite people 400 years to straighten up their act. Instead of cleaning up their act, they degenerated down, down, down until their iniquity was full and God in justice told Israel to destroy them.
Les explains that God told Joshua not to spare even an infant or an old person because if even one Canaanite was left, that one would be like a rotten apple in the barrel and would corrupt the whole nation.
Israel got soft-hearted and made servants of the Canaanites. Within a couple of generations Israel turned her back on Jehovah and went after Canaanite gods; the history of the book of Judges became a spiritual roller coaster.
Watch the Teaching: Why God Commanded Israel to Destroy Entire Nations — Deuteronomy 7