Deuteronomy 9-- The wickedness of these nations

Scripture: Deuteronomy 9 (especially verses 4-6)

Two chapters ago, we were confronted with God's command for Israel to destroy all the inhabitants of the promised land. I explained one half of "why this is okay," which was that God issued the command, it was in a unique way that is not common to history and thus not setting a precedent for religious violence, and that God can do whatever He wants. But this still seems to leave one glaring question... why did God command Israel to wipe out whole towns and tribes?

Deut. 3-- Do Not Be Afraid of Them

Scripture: Deuteronomy 3 (especially verses 21-22)

In an interesting twist in Moses' story arc, he's not allowed to enter the Promised Land after decades of leading Israel toward it. It's a punishment for public insubordination and disrespect toward God (the story of which is here in Numbers 20 and, for a more thorough explanation, this article is what I found on Google).