God says its going to be a while before you all enter the promised land, because the Canaanites arent beyond saving.. Later when Israel disobeys God and allows the Canaanites to continue to live among them, the corruptive and seductive power of Canaanite sin results in the Canaanization of Israel. Israel was not commanded to deal with all other nations the same way they dealt with the Canaanites. 1:27-2:5, we read that tribe after tribe of Israelites did not drive out all the inhabitants of the cities they conquered. Only when one views life through the lens of the Bible can one arrive at a worldview based on truth. The Canaanites were an evil, depraved people who had to be judged to fulfill the demands of justice. A common attack today on Christianity has to do with the character of the God of the Old Testament{1}. God's character, 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. A God of love and justice, they say, could never command genocide, and therefore he must not exist. He gave them the law so that they may know Him and His ways. God sent Jonah to Nineveh, and spared the nation because of their repentance towards God. And He will ultimately save righteous and also punish the unrighteous He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36). The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (around 2100 BC) came 600 years before Israel destroyed the Canaanite nation. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. Dt. This explains why, in certain cities, Yahweh sentenced to death everything that breathes. No ANE text condemns homosexuality. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. (Deut. 10:6; 1 Kings 14:22; 2 Kings 17:10). Then they would simply abandon worship of the true God. . What God commanded Israel to do to the Canaanites wasnt genocideit was capital punishment. And their laws concerningeremwarfare pointed to Gods just judgment against sin. Nevertheless, those that choose to reject Gods love will be lost (2 Peter 3:7). 1:5). God loves each of us as if there were only one of us"- Augustine. Then they would simply abandon worship of the true God. Tagged as: Further information about Probe's materials and ministry may be obtained by contacting us at: Probe Ministries
1: The Pentateuch (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, n.d.), 484-485. This article is a slightly adapted version of the program that aired on the Probe radio program. On an individual basis, when a father sinned, his son wasnt to be punished for it. Did the Canaanites Have a Chance? Could there have been any righteous Canaanites, especially in view of the pervasive, seductive, and corrosive nature of Canaanite sin? How could the Israelites intermarry with the Canaanites if they killed them all? 6. But there is a major difference. Killing of the Canaanites, Robert Driskell received a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Pastoral Ministries and Biblical Studies from Mid-America Christian University in 1995. Concerning sexual desire, Dawkins questions why evangelical Christians are so obsessed with private sexual inclinations.30 The apparently not obsessed Christopher Hitchens considers dangerous sexual repression so serious that he calls it one of the four irreducible objections to religious faith.31 Dawkins and Hitchens are not just encouraging a sort of sexual libertarianism per se. Based on the Biblical evidence, however, this objection dissolves away for two reasons: 1. 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/. Rusty Wright presents a compelling case for the historicity of Jesus resurrection. Third, God gave the Canaanites ample time to repent. We must keep in mind, also, that Israel did not decide to exterminate the Canaanites, God did. it was an act of the judicial holiness of God manifesting itself in righteousness and judgment.{6}. Ones background theological beliefs make a big difference in how one sees this. Looking a four outcomes of the resurrection, Dr. Zukeran shows us that the greatest defense of the deity of Jesus was made by Jesus Himself. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. All reproductions of this document must contain the copyright notice (i.e., Copyright 2023 Probe Ministries) and this Copyright/Limitations notice. Speaking with Abraham, God predicted that the Canaanites would eventually become so evil that He He begins with the Christian worldview and Rick Wade explores the meaning of the word defense in 1 Peter 3:15, suggesting that all Christians can do Rick Wade provides an expanded discussion of the issues around the Israelites battles against the Canaanites. Christians believe that all authority belongs to God (Matthew 28:18, Romans 13:1, Colossians 2:10). 2:34; 3:3, 6). God promised Abraham (Genesis 15), that his seed would inherit the land of Canaan. Kerby Anderson provides an overview of wokeness, critical race theory, and their effect on the Christian church. Leviticus 27:29 says very plainly that every person devoted to destruction was to be killed. There is no justice in the world today, and therefore there must be a day when the wrongs of the present life are made right. It was merciful for God to bring an end to the. 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). In Leviticus 18 God then warns Israel that if they commit similar sins that the land would similarly vomit them out. Molech was a Canaanite underworld deity14 represented as an upright, bullheaded idol with a human body in whose belly a fire was stoked and in whose outstretched arms a child was placed that would be burned to death. Rick Wade provides an expanded discussion of the issues around the Israelites battles against the Canaanites. 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. They had male shrine prostitutes (1 Kings 14:22), committed acts of lewdness, adultery, and incest (Jer. Another observation is that the instruction is frequently to dispossess the Canaanites or move them out rather than to destroy them. 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. So for those of us who confess the authority of both the Old and New Testaments, we are faced with a number of challenging questions: How do we reconcile the erem laws with the rest of Scriptures teachings on justice and compassion? Real Questions. Skeptics often complain that children were killed in Sodom and Gomorrahs destruction. Yahweh has made it clear that He is willing to relent in His judgment if a nation repents of its sins and changes its ways ( Jer. Dr. Ray Bohlin reviews a second science critique of Theistic Evolution, asking if universal common descent is real. This is why it is so important for us to get our doctrine of humanity right. Israel was warned not to let the Canaanites live in their land, but to completely destroy them (Exod. It was merciful for God to allow the Canaanites to remain in the land as long as they did. . If the Israelites started to get a little slack in their obligations to Yahweh, they would turn to other gods. Just as God had demonstrated his knowledge of who would repent in the Canaanite cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, before he destroyed Jerusalem He told Jeremiah that if He could find even one righteous person He would spare the entire city (Jer. But no one repented so all but Noah and His family were destroyed. The Canaanites were the only people God commanded the Israelites to destroy Israel was not allowed to treat other nations as they treated the Canaanite cities. According to the Bible, the Canaanites were so vile that the very land spued them out (Lev. God did not just decide to command the Israelites to destroy all the inhabitants of Canaan simply because he promised Abraham that his descendants would inherit it; he commanded them to do it because the Canaanites were wicked, evil, sinful people. See the Papyrus Chester Beatty III recto (BM10683) from about 1175 BC as referenced in Lise Manniche, For an example of how embarrassing and dangerous this could be, see Robert M. Yerkes, The Mind of the Gorilla: Part III. Can these be put together? Thus, Longman says, The war against the Canaanites was simply an earlier phase of the battle that comes to its climax on the cross and its completion at the final judgment.{5}. Claiming Have you ever felt like an alien in your own culture? See Paul Copan, Yahweh Wars and the Canaanites, Philosophia Christi 11, no. Old Testament scholar Tremper Longman sees five phases of Yahweh war in the Bible. Probably the ultimate sexual depravity is intercourse with animals. Before joining Probe Ministries, Rick worked in the ship repair industry in Norfolk, VA. Rahab was later held up as an example of faithful obedience in the New Testament (Heb. Much of what follows is horrific, but if we refuse to look, will we really understand the reasons for Gods judgment? (Judges 2:1-3; 1 Kings 11:5; 14:24; 2 Kings 16:3-4). Abraham decides to bargain again okay, okay but what about if Im 5 people short? Emphasis added. [Ed. (The Answer May Surprise You), It was merciful for God to protect the Israelites from idolatry. In the conquest of Canaan, three goals were being accomplished. This was especially true of the Canaanite societies steeped in abominable practices like child sacrifice and cult prostitution. Was John the Baptist the only person that understood Christs mission. Josephus records that the Jews in Jerusalem were first whipped, and then tormented with all sorts of tortures, before they died, and were then crucified before the wall of the city.So the soldiers, out of the wrath and hatred they bore the Jews, nailed those they caught, one after one way, and another after another, to the crosses, by way of jest, when their multitude was so great, that room was wanting for the crosses, and crosses wanting for the bodies.26 Titus then renamed the region Palestine and for almost 1,900 years one couldnt find Israel on the map. The people have rebelled against God and spend 40 years in the desert. Moreover, given the evidence of Canaanite sin, it is no stretch to realize that even many young children would have already learned Canaanite ways. See also Leupold (1942, 463). I think God meant it quite literally. I probably will not answer every question in this short article, and even some of the answers I give will not satisfy everyone, but I do hope to present a solid biblical argument for the goodness, holiness, love, and justice of our Creator God. 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. Driving them out wasnt simply a way of making room for Israel. Probe VP Steve Cable examines some of the findings of the Probe Survey 2020: The Changing Face of Christianity in America. Canaanite tribes (especially the Hittites) greatly exceeded the boundaries that Israel was told to conquer. The classic example is Rahab, the prostitute who helped the Israelite spies in Jericho and swore allegiance to the Lord (Jos. Non-Christians often point to the Old Testaments erem laws to reject Christianity altogether. Since Canaanite sin was regular and systematicthe entire adult population participated in the idolatrous systemGod judged the entire nation. 12:4, 30, 31). If Ananias and Sapphira were new Christians/immature Christians then we might have asked why they did Not have a chance to repent( i.e., some kind of gracious period of time to repent). 14. Genesis 15:13-16 God tells Abraham that his descendants will be enslaved for 400 years. Imagine the teenage rebellion in those households! A miracle child heralded by divine announcement, he grows up to become a one-man army against Israel's enemies. They reason something along these lines: (1) Christians condemn genocide. And how else would God have said it if He did mean that? 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. 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. The phrase the Lords battles or battles of the Lord are found in 1 Sam. Idolatry perverts our ability to love what Yahweh loves. The Amorites had a chance to repent and be saved, just as the Assyrians in Nineveh did during in the time of Jonah. Richard Dawkins and other new atheists herald Gods ordering of the destruction of Canaanite cities to be divine ethnic cleansing and genocides.1 With righteous indignation, Dawkins opines that the God of the Old Testament is the most unpleasant character in all of fiction.2 But was the killing of the Canaanites an example of divine genocide? Christian Answers, The "new atheists" call God's commands to kill the Canaanites "genocide," but a closer look at the horror of the Canaanites' sinfulness, exhibited in rampant idolatry, incest, adultery, child sacrifice, homosexuality, and bestiality, reveals that God's reason for commanding their death was not genocide but capital punishment. Not even 10 righteous people could be found. God gives nations a chance to choose that which is right and to mend their ways but if they refuse godliness and adopt immorality, idolatry, covetousness, sexual impurity, etc., then God has no alternative but to let them reap the consequences of their own wickedness. And as a consequence, God used Israel to bring judgement upon them. What about these people prompted such a harsh judgment? Baal has sex with his mother Asherah,6 his sister Anat, and his daughter Pidray,7 and none of this is presented pejoratively. Real Answers. Accessed 5 November 2008. Predictably so, their values conflict with what God hates. The apostle Paul described this spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:12: Forwe do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but againstthe rulers, against the authorities, againstthe cosmic powers overthis present darkness, againstthe spiritual forces of evilin the heavenly places. The battle may be fierce, but we remain confident that Gods justice will ultimately prevail. Not only have some people rejected Christianity over this, but it has even spurred some Christians to leave the faith. The problem with new atheist divine genocide claims is rather simple: God hates sin, but the new atheists do not.35 Consequently, they complain of divine genocide in the face of Canaanite sin! Theeremlaws of the OT were an example of this intrusion. No matter what explanation of the death of children is given, no one except the most cold hearted will find joy in it. What is right and moral is known to all (Romans 1:18-23), but was rejected by the Canaanites to such an extent that they cut pregnant women open and burned their children as sacrifices to their pagan gods (Leviticus 18:21, 24, 25, 27-30). Abraham asked the Lord this exact question in Genesis 18 regarding the coming destruction of two Canaanite citiesSodom and Gomorrah: Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? He teaches theology at Westminster Academy in Memphis, Tennessee. Copan, Yahweh Wars and the Canaanites. Jesus power was shown in His healings and exorcisms and preeminently in His victory in the heavenlies by His death and resurrection (see Col. 2:13-15). So theeremlaws still apply, but in a spiritual sense rather than a physical sense. 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. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 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. If He does not receive a proper response, He promises great tribulation and martyrdomnot necessarily as punishment, but as an inducement to repent. This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 44, number 2 (2021). Memory,. 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). He can give and take life as He chooses. The first fact These ideas may provide little consolation. Instead, the Israelites worshiped the Canaanites gods and did evil (Judg. . 5:1). Probe Ministries is a non-profit ministry whose mission is to assist the church in renewing the minds of believers with a Christian worldview and to equip the church to engage the world for Christ. Thus, they were all without excuse for not worshiping God. Their purity laws pointed to the holiness demanded by God. However, if we properly understand the whole picture we will be able to view Gods actions as full of mercy and fairness in His dealings with His children. And I say contemporary because children werent regarded as highly in the Ancient Near East as they are today. 10 Biblical Steps Towards Restoration After Sexual Sin, Baptism Quotes: 27 Inspirational Christian Sayings, 25 Encouraging Bible Verses About Strength, Words of Encouragement: 30 Uplifting Quotes. At first, the Israelites tried to compromise and worship God the way the Canaanites worshiped their gods. Such arguments are clearly illogical. 5:7; 29:23; Hos. Inanna/Ishtar, also known as the Queen of Heaven, became the woman among the gods, patron of eroticism and sensuality, of conjugal love as well as adultery, of brides and prostitutes, transvestites and pederasts.10 As University of Helsinki professor Martti Nissinen writes, Sexual contact with a person whose whole life was devoted to the goddess was tantamount to union with the goddess herself.11, The Canaanites even remake the God of the Bible, El, after their own image and portray Him ceremonially as having sex with two women (or goddesses). Yahweh is a God of justice as well as mercy. In phase three, when Israel and Judah were in exile, God promised to come in the future as a warrior to rescue them from their oppressors (cf. Dr. Michael Gleghorn draws on a work by Dr. Gail R. O'Day, "Jesus as Friend in the Gospel of John," to explore the perspective of Jesus Christ as a Friend. They engaged in temple prostitution which was thought to be a re-enactment of the sexual unions of the gods and goddesses. God waited to redeem humankind until they had the chance to be, as 2 Live Crew once put it, as nasty as they wanna be.. 13-14), but in nearby cities they were to save nothing alive that breathes (v. 16). Later Lots own daughters get him drunk to have sex with him and so even Dawkins, in a surprising moment of moral clarity, writes, If this dysfunctional family was the best Sodom had to offer by way of morals, some might begin to feel a certain sympathy with God and his judicial brimstone.28. Bring biblical wisdom to the confusing issues across the world by making a gift to our international work. The peoples of the world at His return will be doing the same things that the Canaanites were doing when God gave it to Israel (Revelation 9:20). 7:22). The new atheists call Gods commands to kill the Canaanites genocide, but a closer look at the horror of the Canaanites sinfulness, exhibited in rampant idolatry, incest, adultery, child sacrifice, homosexuality, and bestiality, reveals that Gods reason for commanding their death was not genocide but capital punishment. For the Canaanites, it was time for Gods judgment. Third, if one holds that there is an age of accountability for children, and that those younger than that are received into heaven with God at their death, although the means of death were frightful and harsh, the Canaanite childrens experience after death would be better than if theyd continued to live among such a sinful people. Further, in Deuteronomy 20, Moses said they were only to kill the adult males in far away cities (vv. A biblical example of this would be Gods treatment of the city of Nineveh. 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. 33:11). the people of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, the entire populace from every end[of the city]. In his discussion in Moral Monster, Copan refers specifically to Deut. (3) Therefore, Christians should condemn Yahweh for commanding genocide. 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 (2 Corinthians 5:10). In Deuteronomy 9:4-6, God Himself explains the reason for His command to slaughter the Canaanites. An obvious objection to the idea that God was judging the Canaanites is that it would be unfair for Him to do so if they had no opportunity to repent and be saved. How could the Canaanites have that much influence over the Israelites? In our pluralistic age, its easy to forget what an offense that is to the true God. Israel had a unique calling as Gods chosen covenant people. A more detailed version is also available on our Web site with the title Yahweh War and the Conquest of Canaan. Wouldnt that be a more merciful thing to do? Shedding light on this question will actually show that God is merciful and good. 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. We're not around right now. God promised Canaan to Abraham and his children. What if there are fifty righteous people in the city?Far be it from you to do such a thingto kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. 1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! 7.1-2; 20.16-18). The situation with Canaan was different. Read them in the archive below. 12:4, 30, 31). 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. Covenant Theological Seminary) serves as an assistant pastor at Riveroaks Reformed Presbyterian Church in Germantown, Tennessee. One of the problem passages she asked about is "Why does God order, I am a Christian and spend time talking with others often about God, but I have been speechless when they bring up the issue, for example, in I Samuel 15:1-3, Rick Wade served as a Probe research associate for 17 years. Consider one basic example of how new atheist rationalizations echo the propensities of Canaanite sin, and indeed, echo the rationalizations of the human heart. He is passionate about understanding the Bible and helping others do the same. God has delivered Israel and set them apart as His people. The people of the land had heard about all that had happened with the Israelites from the time they escaped Egypt. It was merciful for God to allow individual Canaanites to repent and join the people of God. In the meantime, we are still called to do battle, but not as Israel did. The part that concerns us herethe real culmination of Yahweh waris called herem. Far be it from you! He can be reached at [emailprotected]. When God told Abraham He was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham pleaded for them, and God agreed in his mercy that if but only ten righteous people were found, He wouldnt do it. A book review of In Quest of the Historical Adam: A Biblical and Scientific Exploration by William Lane Craig (Eerdmans, 2021), Let Faith Oust Fact: A Review of The Whale, No Mindful Matter: The Explanatory Failure of Scientific Materialism, Una pregunta que los mormones no pueden responder, Connect with the Christian Research Institute. all, and God plays fair with all peoples at all times, giving them equal chances for repentance and reformation. The passages that record Gods command to slaughter the Canaanite cities have even caused many Christians some confusion. 12. Phase five of Yahweh war will be the final battle of history when Jesus returns and will once again be military in nature. Incest. The story of Canaanite incest, adultery, child sacrifice, homosexuality, and bestiality flow out of the plot line of idolatry. Craig writes, For example, I have no right to take an innocent life. The strategic location where the Canaanites were settled carries great. 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. Heres why. But this is precisely the thing that the unbeliever loses in denying the existence of God. 4:58). A Clear Christian Perspective, The Apologetics of Jesus: A Defense of His Deity, Bridging to Common Ground: Communicating Christ Across the Cultural Divide, How I Know Christianity Is True A Defense of the Gospel, Yahweh War and the Conquest of Canaan A Biblical Worldview Perspective, Personal Development/Relationships Emails, Trusting God on the Other Side of Bizarre, Cohfessions of a Missionary Addicted to Porn. Tugis life was full of dignity and worth. Robert has written 111 articles on What Christians Want To Know! Kyle, Canaan, in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, James Orr, ed. God had warned them against that (Deut. 23:33; Deut. When Jesus came, He shifted the battle to the spiritual realm; He fought spiritual powers and authorities. 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. Are We Held Accountable for the Sins of Our Forefathers? Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, in his " ", posits that one of the reasons that Sodom was not given the chance to repent was that even their children were wicked. This news had terrified the city of Jericho and Rahab had put her faith in God (Joshua 2:10-14). Kerby Anderson explains how cohabitation (living together outside of marriage) not only violates biblical commands about premarital sex, but it also puts the couple and their future marriage at risk. Capital Punishment Reason 4 Then they would simply abandon worship of the true God. They say they refuse to believe in any being that could be so cruel and heartless. Israels response to Canaanite sin is a parable of how their own sinfulness empowered them to ape the sin of the Canaanites and thereby procure Gods judgment on them. M.G. Had there been repentance, there would have been no need to execute wrath on evildoers. God and the Canaanites: A Biblical Perspective, www.epsociety.org/library/articles.asp?pid=45, www.epsociety.org/library/articles.asp?pid=63, Yahweh War and the Conquest of Canaan - A Biblical Worldview Perspective, "How Could a Compassionate God Order the Genocide of the Canaanites? Because of that advance warning, it is possible that some people abandoned their cities. In phase one, God fought the flesh-and-blood enemies of Israel.
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