ve them out from before thee
in one year; lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field
multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from
before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. And I will
set my bounds from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines,
and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants
of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods."

Ex. 34:10-12: "And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy
people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth,
nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see
the work of the Lord: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with
thee. Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive
out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and
the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Take heed to thyself,
lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither
thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee."

They were in no way to covenant with this people and interfere with
the execution of divine judgment. They were commanded, willing or
unwilling, to be in a measure the executioners of those under
sentence. These people of Canaan were deprived of all rights by the
divine sentence and the Israelites were not to grant any. To do so was
direct disobedience, and yet most of the tribes failed to obey the
command, permitting many of the inhabitants to remain.

When the Gibeonites deceived Joshua and secured a pledge, the pledge
of their lives was kept, but they were made slaves, doomed to drudgery
forever, "hewers of wood and drawers of water." Josh. 9:23.

This compromise was contrary to the divine command for their utter
destruction. To condone the guilt of these people, or to interfere
with their execution, was as flagrant a violation of law as that of a
modern community that seeks to protect criminals, or that interferes
with the execution of those convicted of capital crimes.

This class of strangers had no rights that Hebrews were permitted to
respect. They were not to be given any privileges. They were to be
treated as Hindoo widows are treated, "accursed of the gods and hated
of men." Debts were not to be forgiven them. The year of Jubilee did
not affect them. They remained enslaved forever. The Sabbath's