Wild Animals and Empty Space
Why God Does Not Remove Sin All at Once
In Exodus 23:29, God explains to Israel why He will not drive out the Canaanite nations all at once:
“I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals multiply against you.”
At first glance, this explanation feels odd.
If Yahweh can defeat nations, topple kings, and overthrow fortified cities, why would a few wild animals pose a problem? Surely the God who parts seas and sends plagues can handle predators roaming an empty land.
That tension is not a flaw in the text. It is the invitation to think more deeply.
The issue is not God’s power. It is what happens when something is removed faster than it can be rightly inhabited.
God is not only clearing enemies, He is forming a people
The problem God names is not the presence of enemies, but the danger of emptiness.
An uninhabited land does not remain neutral. It becomes overrun.
So God says He will work slowly:
“Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land.”
It is paced victory. But why?
God’s concern is not speed, but stewardship. He is not merely clearing space. He is preparing a people capable of living faithfully in what He gives them.
We may instinctively equate holiness with removal. If something is bad, we want it gone. Completely. Immediately.
But God understands something we often miss: removal without formation creates vulnerability.
Empty space is dangerous space
The land of Canaan was not meant to be empty. It was meant to be inhabited, cultivated, governed, and cared for. If the nations were removed before Israel was ready to occupy the land fully, chaos would follow.
Wild animals are the symbol of that chaos.
They represent what moves into territory that is unmanaged and uninhabited. Not evil in themselves, but destructive when allowed to dominate space that was meant for life.
This principle reaches far beyond ancient geography.
God is showing us that absence alone is not transformation. Something removed must be replaced. Space cleared must be filled.
Jesus and the danger of the empty house
Jesus later echoes this same logic in stark spiritual terms.
In Matthew 12:43–45, He describes a person freed from an unclean spirit. The house is swept and put in order. But it is left empty ...
... and something worse moves in.
The problem is not the initial cleansing. The problem is the emptiness that follows it.
Exodus 23 is making the same point long before Jesus states it explicitly. God does not want empty land. He wants inhabited land. He does not just want a cleaned-up life. He wants a transformed one.
Sanctification is more than subtraction
When God brings someone to faith, there is often immediate and dramatic change.
Major sins fall away. Old habits break. Destructive patterns end.
This is real grace at work.
But if everything were stripped away at once, before new loves, new trust, and new habits were formed, the result would not be holiness. It would be instability.
Into that empty space, other things rush in.
Pride. Legalism. Self-reliance. Shame. Control.
These are the “wild animals” of the spiritual life. They are not always as obvious as the sins they replace, but they are often more dangerous.
A person may stop doing the wrong thing and yet become harsh, fearful, or self-justifying in the process.
God’s slowness is protective.
Why God works “little by little”
Exodus 23 shows us that God is not interested in merely removing what is wrong. He is interested in growing what is right.
Love must be cultivated. Trust must deepen. Obedience must mature.
Those things take time.
God removes sin at the pace that faith, humility, and dependence can actually take root. If He removed everything instantly, we might confuse emptiness for maturity and restraint for righteousness.
But a cleared land that is not yet inhabited is more dangerous than a land still being reclaimed.
A different way to read delay
We often interpret God’s slowness as reluctance, or even tolerance.
Exodus 23 reframes it as wisdom.
God knows that what He removes must be replaced with something better. And until that something is growing, He works patiently, deliberately, and with care.
The presence of ongoing struggle does not mean God is absent. It may mean He is guarding us from something worse.
Grace that forms, not just forgives
The promise of Exodus 23 is not that the enemies will remain forever. God is clear. They will be driven out.
But they will be driven out as Israel grows.
This is sanctification as formation, not just correction. Growth precedes clearing. Inhabitation accompanies removal.
God is not in a hurry to empty us. He is committed to making us whole.
And sometimes, the wild animals we never see are the very reason He moves so patiently.