God knows what is best for humankind, but He allowed free creatures to rebel and find out on their own that He is right. God's patience on the Canaanites The skeptics illogical arguments Skeptics have claimed that God was unjust when He ordained Israel to destroy the Canaanites. Then they would simply abandon worship of the true God. In short, Israel was Canaanized. If we see humans as being basically good or innocent, then of course we will react with indignation to the Bibleseremlaws. One should note that Joshuas commands in Deuteronomy 23 are given before the Israelites have completed their sweep through the land, so of course there are Canaanites there to marry. 1:4). Please make sure all fields are filled out. Kyle, Canaan, in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, James Orr, ed. We're not around right now. Dan. 2). Paul wrote to the Ephesians, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against . Dr. Michael Gleghorn draws on the book 'Body, Soul and Life Everlasting' to provide an overview of what the NT teaches about the body-soul connection. Read them in the archive below. 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 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? Slaughter of the Canaanites | Reasonable Faith Before joining Probe Ministries, Rick worked in the ship repair industry in Norfolk, VA. Probe fulfills this mission through our Mind Games conferences for youth and adults, our 3-minute daily radio program, and our extensive Web site at www.probe.org. 22 Christian Quotes and Sayings About God. He teaches theology at Westminster Academy in Memphis, Tennessee. God had given the Midianites, Amalekites and other Canaanites 400 years to repent of their unbelievably evil practices (sacrificing children on red-hot idols being one of them), and they hadn't (Genesis 15:13-16). But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. (Deut. Christians believe that all authority belongs to God (Matthew 28:18, Romans 13:1, Colossians 2:10). This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 44, number 2 (2021). If you feel an answer is not 100% Bible based, then leave a comment, and we'll be sure to review it. So the Lord said that Israel became like Sodom to me (Jer. How could the Israelites intermarry with the Canaanites if they killed them all? At first, the Israelites tried to compromise and worship God the way the Canaanites worshiped their gods. 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? Therefore, Israels own mission foreshadowed Jesuss mission in a number of ways. The Canaanites had not completely sinned away their day of grace. 25). It was merciful for God to bring an end to the. It makes no sense to say that the erem laws are unjust unless there is an objective standard of justice to which they must conform. And as a consequence, God used Israel to bring judgement upon them. 4:26; 7:4). The full text of this article in PDF format can be obtained by clicking here. 1 (2008): 7-37; www.epsociety.org/library/articles.asp?pid=45. Rahab was later held up as an example of faithful obedience in the New Testament (Heb. Conclusion: What does this tell us about God? This article first appeared in the CHRISTIAN RESEARCH JOURNAL, volume 33, number 04 (2010). He gets no pleasure in the death of anyone. But this sort of response does not fit with Jesuss own view of the Old Testament. He can give and take life as He chooses. Yahweh wars are battles recorded in Scripture that are prompted by God for His purposes and won by His power.{4}. 22:1011; Amos 2:7), and even Solomon set up an altar to Molech (1 Kings 11:5, 78). Only when one views life through the lens of the Bible can one arrive at a worldview based on truth. The victims were not only infants; children as old as four were sacrificed.15 Kleitarchos reported that as the flame burning the child surrounded the body, the limbs would shrivel up and the mouth would appear to grin as if laughing, until it was shrunk enough to slip into the cauldron.16, Homosexuality. However, once the biblical doctrines of God and of sin are taken into consideration, the background scenery changes and the picture looks very different. Many people take issue with the idea that God commanded the Jewish nation to initiate war against the Canaanites, ordering them to wipe them out and take their land for their own. At first, the Israelites tried to compromise and worship God the way the Canaanites worshiped their gods. First, the movement of the Israelites into Canaan was the fruition of Gods promise to Abram that He would give that land to his children (Gen. 12:7). God sent Jonah to Nineveh, and spared the nation because of their repentance towards God. Although Abraham was Gods friend and the Lord wanted to give to him the land of Canaan for an inheritance. Why would Jesus die for basically good folk? Thus, they were all without excuse for not worshiping God. Going by this definition alone, the destruction of the Canaanites would seem to have been genocide. Bereishit 19:4:. The quote is from Gail Patches, The Great Debate: Craig, Hitchens ask Does God Exist? Whittier Daily News, April 5, 2009, A1, A4. Christians today are engaged in warfare on this level. But what about Deuteronomy 24:16 which says that children shall not be put to death because of their fathers sins? Not even 10 righteous people could be found. Or better yet why didnt God give Canaan a chance to repent? God promised Canaan to Abraham and his children. 12:4, 30, 31). Did the Canaanites Have a Chance? 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. 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. But why should we take seriously the skeptics advocacy for Canaanite children? The people of the land had heard about all that had happened with the Israelites from the time they escaped Egypt. What Does It Mean for the Saints to Judge Angels? If you think the Canaanites deserved to die because of their own wickedness, Dawkins will zealously compare you to acting like the Taliban.3 A closer look at several key facts will help explain Gods reason for the destruction of the Canaanites and reveal how our own sinfulness demonstrates our incapacity to judge rightly. Like all Ancient Near East (ANE) pantheons, the Canaanite pantheon was incestuous. The third goal of the conquest was the protection of Israel. Scholar Glen Miller points out that dispossession words are used by a three-to-one margin over destruction words.{12}. He holds a B.A. It also happens to be one of the most frequently heard objections to the Christian faith today. Craig writes, For example, I have no right to take an innocent life. (LogOut/ Wouldnt that be a more merciful thing to do? Shedding light on this question will actually show that God is merciful and good. 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. All reproductions of this document must contain the copyright notice (i.e., Copyright 2023 Probe Ministries) and this Copyright/Limitations notice. In phase two, God fought against Israel when it broke its side of its covenant with God (cf. In other words, we now wage war in prayer and in the realm of ideas. However, it is crucial to note that in the same passage, God declares the Israelites no less wicked than the Canaanites, deserving the same fate: And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it (Jeremiah 18:7-10 ESV). This wasnt merely punishment, however. Divine Judgment and the Canaanite Conquest: A Theological Exploration Old Testament Mass Killings - bethinking.org 11:31; Jas. The atheism of today wasnt an option. The people believed that re-enacting these unions themselves played a part in the fertility of the land.{9}. They engaged in temple prostitution which was thought to be a re-enactment of the sexual unions of the gods and goddesses. Tagged as: Paul Copan, Is Yahweh a Moral Monster?, Philosophia Christi 10, no. Israel had a unique calling as Gods chosen covenant people. The first fact Baal has sex with his mother Asherah,6 his sister Anat, and his daughter Pidray,7 and none of this is presented pejoratively. 10. If you like what you're reading, you can get free daily updates through the RSS feed here. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. What the Israelites are told to do to the Amalekites is exactly what the Amalekites had been doing to Israel. Servants were sent to the tenants of the vineyard, but had been mistreated, and so the owner of the vineyard sent his son, but the tenants killed the son. Why Did God Tell Joshua To Kill The Canaanites? (Deut. What does it mean that "the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its This was Gods judgment carried out on the people of Canaan using the chosen people of Israel. That atheists are incapable of judging spiritual matters leads some Christians to wonder why we even need to answer them at all, especially if they lack any objective, moral, or epistemological foundation for their claims. This article is a slightly adapted version of the program that aired on the Probe radio program. The Gospel Coalition supports the church by providing resources that are trusted and timely, winsome and wise, and centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ. 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. 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). This is why it is so important for us to get our doctrine of humanity right. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (around 2100 BC) came 600 years before Israel destroyed the Canaanite nation. Also, this wasnt the entire destruction of a race as God didnt order that every Canaanite be killed but only those who lived within specific geographical boundaries (Josh. They had male shrine prostitutes (1 Kings 14:22), committed acts of lewdness, adultery, and incest (Jer. Revelation 2:21-23. When a community sins, there are consequences for every member of the population, even children. God was patient. 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. 13-14), but in nearby cities they were to save nothing alive that breathes (v. 16). They say they refuse to believe in any being that could be so cruel and heartless. In our pluralistic age, its easy to forget what an offense that is to the true God. In the conquest of Canaan, three goals were being accomplished. God was concerned that, if the Canaanites remained in the land, they would draw the Israelites into their evil practices. Although prophets warned the northern kingdom (usually referred to as Israel or Samaria) of impending doom, they didnt repent, and in 722 BC the king of Assyria killed or deported most of them, and filled the land with conquered peoples from other nations. Yahweh derided these handmade gods that cannot speak and must be carried because they cannot walk (Jer. This was especially true of the Canaanite societies steeped in abominable practices like child sacrifice and cult prostitution.
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