תהלים, פרק קל״ה, פסוק י׳

The conquest of the Promised Land stands as a profound display of God's absolute will and His direct control over human history. The military campaigns fought by the Israelites were not bound by the natural rules of warfare. The Israelites were a small, exhausted people, worn down by years of slavery and crushing labor. Standing in their way were numerous, powerful nations firmly and securely established in their territories. Defeating such formidable enemies was impossible by natural means and was achieved solely through God's direct help and intervention [רד״ק, מאירי, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The defeated populations consisted of the seven idol-worshipping Canaanite nations [מצודת דוד]. The powerful rulers who fell to the Israelites included the kings of Midian, along with regional leaders like Sihon and Og [אבן עזרא].

This total devastation raises a historical question regarding God's justice. God completely wiped out these kings, even though they had never oppressed the Israelites in the past. In contrast, He did not entirely destroy the Egyptians, who had actually subjected the Israelites to bitter slavery. The reason for this difference is that the destruction of the Canaanite rulers was not a punishment for previous wrongs. Instead, it was done strictly to transfer their territory to the Israelites, as the land had been designated for them from the very beginning [אלשיך].

Furthermore, the miraculous way these wars were fought served a specific purpose. These supernatural events were not performed to strengthen the faith of the Israelites, but were aimed directly at the opposing kings and nations. Because these nations refused to recognize God through the normal laws of nature, God altered the natural order. He struck them down in a highly visible, miraculous manner to clearly prove His ultimate power to them [מלבי״ם].