Who Were The Canaanites?

Q

Re: Zechariah 14:20-21. On that day HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the LORD’s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD Almighty.

Can you tell me what is meant that there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD? Who are the Canaanites? Thank you so very much for all you do.

A

The term Canaanites generally refers to the different people groups who inhabited the Promised Land before God gave it to the Israelites. He had waited patiently for 400 years for them to turn from their sinful ways and come back to Him (Genesis 15:13-16). When they didn’t He sent the Israelites to destroy every one of them as a punishment for their rebellion.

But the Israelites disobeyed God and left some of the Canaanites alive, even letting their sons and daughters intermarry with them. From then on, the Canaanites enticed the Israelites into pagan worship and other detestable practices causing them ongoing problems that endure to this day. The Angel of the Lord had predicted this would happen because of their disobedience (Judges 2:1-3).

After the 2nd Coming when the Lord removes all unbelievers from the Earth the Canaanites will finally be gone.