Why Your Church Needs Vacation Bible School, Gods Amazing Conversions Through Dreams and Visions Part Three, Gods Amazing Conversions Through Dreams and Visions Part Two, Ice Dragon: Legend of the Blue Daisies Movie Review, Phoenix Wilder And The Great Elephant Adventure Movie Review, The Boxcar Children: Surprise Island Movie Review. Of course not. He blogs at, How J. K. Rowling Played, then Lost, the Polarization Game, GAFCON IV: Lessons from a Communion in Birth Pains, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Christian Nationalism, What to Do When Your Child Is Addicted to Video Games, Radical Christian Gentleness in an Era of Addictive Outrage, The FAQs: Anglican Group Calls on Church of Englands Leader to Repent, Whats the Earliest Evidence for Christianity? The strategic location where the Canaanites were settled carries great. Kerby Anderson provides an overview of some ancient Christian heresies that are still being embraced today: legalism, gnosticism, mysticism, and marcionism. 33:56; Lev. Lets first frame this question with context. It has been suggested that such obliteration language was hyperbolic.{10} Commands to destroy everyone are sometimes followed by commands not to intermarry, such as in Deut. Why didnt God just tell Israel; move in, settle down and coexist? No matter what explanation of the death of children is given, no one except the most cold hearted will find joy in it. Bible Based.We believe in solo-scriptura. Would 45 be ok? Abraham continues to bargain down to 10 righteous people. God destroys Sodom. All rights reserved. In his article Yahweh Wars which was written after Is Yahweh a Moral Monster?, Copan presents two scenarios, one in which everyone was put to death, and the other in which the targets were military leaders and soldiers. The first fact Robert believes that the Bible contains the truth that God wants us to base our lives upon. Perhaps what the skeptic is really concerned about is whether the just destruction of the Canaanites is license for Christians to resort to killing the wicked. God knows who will or will not repent of his or her sin and if He concludes that all the children would have been similarly corrupted, then He is perfectly right to institute capital punishment. But there is a major difference. For further information or to subscribe to the CHRISTIAN RESEARCH JOURNAL go to: http://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/. Their task was to prepare the way for the arrival of the Messiah. A more detailed version is also available on our Web site with the title Yahweh War and the Conquest of Canaan. Real Questions. Not even 10 righteous people could be found. When angels arrive, however, the men of the city try to rape them and not only does Lot not find anyone who will repent, Lot himself tarries so long that the angels take Lot and his family by the arms and all but drag them out of the city. Thus, they were all without excuse for not worshiping God. Instead, the Israelites worshiped the Canaanites gods and did evil (Judg. For further information Este artculo es una exclusiva en lnea de Christian Research Journal. God had promised this land to their ancestor Abraham around 500 years earlier (Gen. 15:18-21), but it would be their responsibility, under the leadership of Joshua, to clear out the local inhabitants and take possession of the land. So the Lord said that Israel became like Sodom to me (Jer. Convention on the Punishment and Prevention of the Crime of Genocide, Article II, University of the West of England, at: www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/. In the old testament God tells Joshua to kill all the Canaanites, including women and children. Presumably, the Canaanites could have done the same thing. Israel received direct word from God that they should do this. Like all Ancient Near East (ANE) pantheons, the Canaanite pantheon was incestuous. Probe VP Steve Cable examines some of the findings of the Probe Survey 2020: The Changing Face of Christianity in America. Ones background theological beliefs make a big difference in how one sees this. 6:23), and ultimately every unrepentant sinner will have to face Gods judgment. 7.1-2; 20.16-18). It is reasonable to believe that other people had heard what Rahab (and Jericho) had heard, thus giving them the opportunity to repent and be spared. Christians today are engaged in warfare on this level. 4:26; 7:4). Maybe this was just an example of Ancient Near Eastern military language.{11}. This wasnt merely punishment, however. Their purity laws pointed to the holiness demanded by God. God has done everything in His power to save the sinner through the plan of redemption (John 3:16). For one thing, the Israelites would intermarry with them, and their spouses would bring their gods into the marriage with all that entailed. The ceremony ends with directions: To be repeated five times by the company and the singers of the assembly.12 About this John Gray comments, We may well suppose that this activity of El was sacramentally experienced by the community in the sexual orgies of the fertility cult which the Hebrew prophets so vehemently denounced.13, Child sacrifice. Here we encounter the issue of authority. God spoke these words to the Israelites as they were encamped on the plains of Moab and about to cross the Jordan River into Canaan. It doesnt stop there. 13-14), but in nearby cities they were to save nothing alive that breathes (v. 16). They are insisting that God and Christianity are in fact poisonous and must diligently be resisted and defeated. Rick Wade provides an expanded discussion of the issues around the Israelites battles against the Canaanites. Humans do not have the right to do whatever we want. If He wanted to strike me dead right now, thats His prerogative (Reasonable Faith . Dawkins objects that it adds injury to insult that the unfortunate beast is to be killed too.23 But Dawkins doesnt seem to grasp that no one would want to have animals around who were used to having sex with humans.24 Moreover, this might also explain why God used a flood to destroy what Dawkins called the presumably blameless animals in the days of Noah.25 If pre-flood humankind frequently had sex with every imaginable animal, then even though it wasnt the animals fault, it would be harmful to allow these animals to be a part of Gods start-over society. Although early Canaanite laws proscribed either death or banishment for most forms of incest, after the fourteenth century BC, the penalties were reduced to no more than the payment of a fine.8 In the larger ANE context, it is helpful to consider that in an Egyptian dream book dreams of having sex with your mother or your sister were considered good omens.9, Adultery. But God has no such prohibition. Abraham decides to bargain again okay, okay but what about if Im 5 people short? At first, the Israelites tried to compromise and worship God the way the Canaanites worshiped their gods. The Bible is explicit concerning the sins of the Canaanites: idolatry, incest, adultery, child sacrifice, homosexuality, and bestiality. Kyle, Canaan, in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, James Orr, ed. 6. Plano TX 75075 1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! To understand what God was doing in Canaan, one must see it within the larger context of redemptive history. Can these be put together? It may not be altered or edited in any way. Was God just in destroying the Canaanites? Clay Jones is assistant professor in the Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics program at Biola University and specializes in issues related to why God allows evil. Leviticus 27:29 says very plainly that every person devoted to destruction was to be killed. Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?27 Ultimately the Lord then agrees to spare both cities if only ten righteous people were found. God didnt. He was keeping track of the measure of their sins, and, during Abraham's time, it was not yet "full." So the Amorites were warned that judgment was coming. But no one repented so all but Noah and His family were destroyed. 5. I consider Jesus the be the perfect example of how to be good, Jesus would never hurt anyone. Bestiality. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. (Deut. God gave us life, and He has the right to take it away. Revelation 2:21-23. Rick Wade provides a biblically informed perspective of these Old Testament events, looking back at them with a Christian view of history and its significance. God would hardly have chosen a Baal-worshipper to be a type, prophetically previewing his Son (Hebrews 7:3). Bible Verses, Quotes, Christian Answers, Songs and More. That being said, I do not think God had the Israelites comb the land to find and destroy every person; they were to devote to destruction the people who remained in the cities when they attacked. There is no denying that God, in the Old Testament, commanded the nation of Israel, His chosen people, to exterminate many nations of people. Before He redeemed humankind, He needed to unambiguously demonstrate what exactly He was redeeming them from: a blatant and unrestrained evil that resulted in a worthless, nasty, and cruel existence. Or better yet why didnt God give Canaan a chance to repent? Ironically, the unbelievers moral criticisms presuppose a transcendent source of morality. In phase one, God fought the flesh-and-blood enemies of Israel. He is convinced that the hope of the world lies in men and women having a saving relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. To answer these questions, we must understand the place of the erem laws in the history of redemption. If Jesus had died to redeem humankind prior to humankinds comprehending the depth of their sin, then people would question the need for Jesus death. . With Miller, I think they can. In Genesis 15:16 the LORD made reference to the Canaanites when he said, "the sin of the Amorites (Canaanites) has not yet reached its full measure." God was waiting to fulfill his justice against this people. Tremper Longman III, The Case for Spiritual Continuity, in C. S. Cowles, Eugene H. Merrill, Daniel L. Gard, and Tremper Longman III, Show Them No Mercy: Four Views on God and Canaanite Genocide (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), 185. Thanks to his obedience unto death, our own sins are forgiven, and we can now stand in Gods favor by faith alone. Then they would simply abandon worship of the true God. These ideas may provide little consolation. There is only one true God, and that God deserves all honor and worship. A more obvious reason for the possibility of intermarriage is the fact that the Israelites didnt fully obey Gods commands. But we must keep in mind that God is not subject to our contemporary sensibilities. However, the city repented, turned to God, and God did not judge them. Keil and F. Delitzsch, trans., James Martin, Commentary on the Old Testament, vol. Further, in Deuteronomy 20, Moses said they were only to kill the adult males in far away cities (vv. (LogOut/ In phase two, God fought against Israel when it broke its side of its covenant with God (cf. www.probe.org. A special thanks to Joseph Gorra for his many helpful suggestions and to my wife, Jean E. Jones, for her extensive reading of ANE primary and secondary sources and for years ago explaining to me much of the Old Testament. Now after all of this God gives marching orders. Not even the children are considered innocent. in Christian Thought (theology/philosophy of religion) from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a Master of Humanities (emphasis in philosophy) from the University of Dallas. And how are Christians supposed to apply the erem laws today? Little of the Canaanites' textual records remain, perhaps because they used papyrus instead of the more durable clay for writing. He holds a B.A. Thus, the Israelites could possibly have married people who werent in the cities when they were attacked. In his discussion in Moral Monster, Copan refers specifically to Deut. God mercifully provides time and opportunity for repentance from idolatry and spiritual fornication with this world ( II Peter 3:9 ). In the Hebrew Bible, the Canaanites are described as inhabitants of Canaan before the arrival of the Israelites (e.g., Genesis 15:18-21, Exodus 13:11). Some Christians have responded by driving a wedge between the Old Testament and the New, claiming that Jesuss ethics improved upon the brutal practices of ancient Israel. But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap. What place should they have in our preaching and practice? 1:4). Israel was not commanded to deal with all other nations the same way they dealt with the Canaanites. And then these same skeptics turn around and say if there is a God of justice, why does He permit the wicked to rule the world and bring sorrow and suffering on the innocent? In Ezekiel 18:23 we read, Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? (see also Ezek. Thus, if God wanted to rid the world of their wickedness, then He couldnt have them grow up wanting to imitate their birth parents with whom they bonded. And if all children are saved, then a Canaanite child would benefit by being alive in a better place. The story of Canaanite incest, adultery, child sacrifice, homosexuality, and bestiality flow out of the plot line of idolatry. 20:16-17). In Leviticus 18 and elsewhere, for example, the Bible reveals that God punished the Canaanites for specific grievous evils. The Canaanites were descendants of Noah. In other words, we now wage war in prayer and in the realm of ideas. Here are a few factors to take into consideration: First, the sins of parents, just like their successes, have an impact on their children. 18:28; Deut 4:2329, 8:1920). However, what is good and right or what is bad and wrong changes with societys opinions. 7 passage provides better support for his position. However, according to Kline, sometimes we get snapshots of Gods final judgment intruding into the flow of history, foreshadowing the reality to come. Bereishit 19:4:. Recently I asked some of the mamas of littles in our church, What God questions are your kids asking? Dr. Michael Gleghorn provides good reasons to believe that the stories about Jesus were reliably preserved by his followers Dr. Zukeran presents five major reasons to believe Christianity is the truth. From the Canaanite epic poem The Baal Cycle we learn: Mightiest Baal hears / He makes love with a heifer in the outback / A cow in the field of Deaths Realm. Wouldnt that be a more merciful thing to do? Shedding light on this question will actually show that God is merciful and good. . God sought to reveal His standards of righteousness to a thoroughly corrupted humankind, and He chose Israel out of the nations to exhibit the requirements for relationship with Him (Deut. Memory,. The quote is from Gail Patches, The Great Debate: Craig, Hitchens ask Does God Exist? Whittier Daily News, April 5, 2009, A1, A4. They made a religion of lust. God has delivered Israel and set them apart as His people. First, the Lord's command to enact erem was preceded by a long period of divine patience and longsuffering in the face of Canaanite wickedness (gross forms of idolatry, immorality, and injustice, including the sacrifice of children). We dont live in a theocracy anymore and, as Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:45, we dont fight with the weapons of the world, but we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God (NIV). Moses instructions to the Israelites as they were about to move into Canaan included this: In the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the LORD your God has commanded (Deut. In Deuteronomy 20:18, God gave Israel an explicit reason why it was necessary to wipe out the Canaanites: that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the LORD your God., It was merciful for God to limit the scope of the. 4:58). Additionally, some ANE manuscripts talk about party-boys and festival people who changed their masculinity into femininity to make the people of Ishtar revere her.17. But this sort of response does not fit with Jesuss own view of the Old Testament. In the conquest of Canaan, three goals were being accomplished. 11. Although Abraham was Gods friend and the Lord wanted to give to him the land of Canaan for an inheritance. He gave them the law so that they may know Him and His ways. Women were no less guilty than men, and in many cases they were the principal instigators. He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. Then, in AD 70, forty years after Jesus was crucified, the Roman emperor Titus destroyed Jerusalem. It was merciful for God to allow individual Canaanites to repent and join the people of God. Such a complaint usually masks an unspoken premise: God shouldnt have killed the children because that wouldnt give them the chance to reject Canaanite sin. That we commit similar sins today renders us incapable of appropriate moral outrage against these sins and thus we accuse God of genocide to justify our own sinfulness. M.G. Had there been repentance, there would have been no need to execute wrath on evildoers. There are several aspects of Yahweh war. Under the sanctuary in the ancient city of Gezer, urns containing the burnt bones of children have been found. Because of such things, biologist and prominent atheist Richard Dawkins describes God as a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser . When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you, and when the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. These twentieth-century examples were basically people killing people simply because they hated them and/or wanted their land. 32:4; Colossians 3:25; etc.). The people have rebelled against God and spend 40 years in the desert. 16:9; cf. This is an online articlefrom the Christian Research Journal. As a result, they eventually received the same judgment the Canaanites experienced (Deut. When we look at the Canaanites we must realize that God gave them 400 years to repent. It seems from God's promise to Abraham that they were wicked and idolatrous people. God's character, Christians believe that all authority belongs to God (Matthew 28:18, Romans 13:1, Colossians 2:10). For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against . Driving them out wasnt simply a way of making room for Israel. However recently an atheist friend told me God was cruel and unloving and used examples from the old testament to prove it. They say they refuse to believe in any being that could be so cruel and heartless. If they did not destroy them, the land would vomit them out just as it had vomited out the Canaanites (Num. How could the Canaanites have that much influence over the Israelites? This explains why, in certain cities, Yahweh sentenced to death everything that breathes. . Sue Bohlin reflects on how God has led her to trust Him through the trial of tongue cancer surgery.
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