Copyright 2023 The Gospel Coalition, INC. All Rights Reserved. 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. They are all part of an inherently wicked culture that, if allowed to live, would morally and theologically pollute the people of Israel.[1]. I think God meant it quite literally. And its not simply forced eviction we are talking about here; its the slaughter of entire nations, down to the last man, woman, and child. Likewise, Gods government cannot successfully continue unless there is a plan that will ultimately, if not immediately, punish evil (Isaiah 61:8; Deut. Like all Ancient Near East (ANE) pantheons, the Canaanite pantheon was incestuous. The Deut. Other ungodly acts routinely engaged in by the Canaanites included adultery, bestiality, and homosexuality (Leviticus 18:20-30). 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. Sue Bohlin processes how she is handling the crisis of tongue cancer by trusting Gods goodness. 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. 8. I have two questions: 1. God Was God just in destroying the Canaanites? Predictably so, their values conflict with what God hates. And as a consequence, God used Israel to bring judgement upon them. Robert is happily married and lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Hebrew word means to devote something to total destruction.. Tagged as: The debate between Craig and Hitchens occurred on April 4, 2009 at Biola University. These ideas may provide little consolation. But this sort of response does not fit with Jesuss own view of the Old Testament. Gods first inclination is to save Canaan rather than destroy it. The peoples of the land did not repent, just as the survivors of God's plagues will not repent. . 1 (2009): 73-92; www.epsociety.org/library/articles.asp?pid=63. 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). Seems a bit harsh right? Was God just in destroying the Canaanites? 5:1). Skeptics often complain that children were killed in Sodom and Gomorrahs destruction. God was patient with the Canaanites Dan. As a result, they eventually received the same judgment the Canaanites experienced (Deut. Concerning the destruction of the Canaanites, atheists especially like to exploit the Christian condemnation of genocide. He is also a God who takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. According to the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament), when God called forth his people out of slavery in Egypt and back to the land of their forefathers, he directed them to kill all the Canaanite clans who were living in the land (Deut. Bernhard Anderson, Understanding the Old Testament (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1957), 93-94; 96-103. This is an online articlefrom theChristian Research Journal. Although Abraham was Gods friend and the Lord wanted to give to him the land of Canaan for an inheritance. Yahweh is a God of justice as well as mercy. 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. 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. They were corrupt and depraved to the core. In the old testament God tells Joshua to kill all the Canaanites, including women and children. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (around 2100 BC) came 600 years before Israel destroyed the Canaanite nation. 2:11). Skeptics say if God is a God of love why did He bring destruction on certain nations of the world? On an individual basis, when a father sinned, his son wasnt to be punished for it. 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. Can the actions of the Israelites legitimately be called genocide? The law given in Deuteronomy provided regulations for the people of Israel. 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! Was John the Baptist the only person that understood Christs mission. God had warned them against that ( Deut. The quote is from Gail Patches, The Great Debate: Craig, Hitchens ask Does God Exist? Whittier Daily News, April 5, 2009, A1, A4. Cf. {13} How persuasive this thought is will depend on how seriously we take biblical teaching about our future after the grave. A more obvious reason for the possibility of intermarriage is the fact that the Israelites didnt fully obey Gods commands. 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. 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: For further information or to subscribe to the CHRISTIAN RESEARCH JOURNAL go to: http://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/. The Amorites' sin had not escaped God's notice. But He said to Abraham that the promise would take a long time to be fulfilled for the iniquity of the Amorites, or the people of Canaan, is not yet full (v. 16). Parents can corrupt their children.29. Maybe this was just an example of Ancient Near Eastern military language.{11}. 44:18). The evidence says no. Notes The second goal of the conquest was the judgment of the Canaanites. For the most part, they chose to rebel against God. 11. 7.1-2; 20.16-18). Paul Rutherford explains the lies he believed and tow which he was in bondage about pornography, until Jesus helped him achieve sexual sobriety. {14} The only test we can put to God is consistency with His own nature and word. 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 LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. God allowed Israel to become slaves in Egypt (more on this in a moment). . They are insisting that God and Christianity are in fact poisonous and must diligently be resisted and defeated. And I say contemporary because children werent regarded as highly in the Ancient Near East as they are today. [emailprotected] 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. In Deuteronomy 20:16, Moses said the Israelites were to save alive nothing that breathes in the cities in their new land. 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. Yahweh derided these handmade gods that cannot speak and must be carried because they cannot walk (Jer. He points out how Yahweh Wars, i.e. In phase two, God fought against Israel when it broke its side of its covenant with God (cf. When a nation starts burning children as a gift to the gods (Leviticus 18:21) and practices sodomy, bestiality and all sorts of loathsome vices (Leviticus 18:25, 27-30), they, are storing up wrath for [themselves] on the day of wrath when Gods righteous judgment will be revealed (Romans 2:5 ESV). Thanks to his obedience unto death, our own sins are forgiven, and we can now stand in Gods favor by faith alone. Idolatry perverts our ability to love what Yahweh loves. 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). It was merciful for God to allow the Canaanites to remain in the land as long as they did. 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. Then they would simply abandon worship of the true God. After all, the Old Testament unequivocally commands that those who do any one of these things deserves to die. 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. H, e teaches theology at Westminster Academy in Memphis, Tennessee. Isnt there an inconsistency here? 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. As soon as we heard it, Rahab of Jericho said, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath (Josh. And their laws concerningeremwarfare pointed to Gods just judgment against sin. 22 Christian Quotes and Sayings About God. This was Gods judgment carried out on the people of Canaan using the chosen people of Israel. What are the major signs of the last days? But the section ends with Samson. For the story of Baal having sex with Asherah, see: El, Ashertu and the Storm-god, trans. Although no Scripture is definitive that all children will be saved, many Christians point out that it is possible (based on verses like Matthew 19:14). the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (6:12). Herem literally means ban or banned. It means to ban from human use and to give over completely to God. Kerby Anderson provides an overview of wokeness, critical race theory, and their effect on the Christian church. This is an online-exclusive Viewpoint from the Christian Research Journal. 2. 4:26; 7:4). He gets no pleasure in the death of anyone. 1:27-2:5, we read that tribe after tribe of Israelites did not drive out all the inhabitants of the cities they conquered. 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). 4:26; 7:4). . Previous post: 10 Biblical Steps Towards Restoration After Sexual Sin, Next post: Baptism Quotes: 27 Inspirational Christian Sayings. Our aim is to share the Word and be true to it. God says its going to be a while before you all enter the promised land, because the Canaanites arent beyond saving.. The situation with Canaan was different. What Do the Four Soils in the Parable of the Sower Represent? He holds a B.A. Wouldnt that be a more merciful thing to do? Shedding light on this question will actually show that God is merciful and good. Bestiality. A common attack today on Christianity has to do with the character of the God of the Old Testament{1}. Claiming Have you ever felt like an alien in your own culture? 2:25) and even included in the genealogy of Jesus (Matt. 32:4; Colossians 3:25; etc.). Eternal Insecurity Once I Was Saved, But Now Am Lost? genocidal . God has done everything in His power to save the sinner through the plan of redemption (John 3:16). The atheism of today wasnt an option. 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? The third goal of the conquest was the protection of Israel. Permission is granted to use in digital or printed form so long as it is circulated without charge, and in its entirety. What the Israelites are told to do to the Amalekites is exactly what the Amalekites had been doing to Israel. At first, the Israelites tried to compromise and worship God the way the Canaanites worshiped their gods. God was concerned that, if the Canaanites remained in the land, they would draw the Israelites into their evil practices. For God does not show favoritism. After all, he spoke approvingly of the destruction of Sodom, a pagan city that also included men, women, and children (Luke 17:28-29). But God has no such prohibition. There were absolutely no prohibitions against bestiality in the rest of the ANE.21 In fact, in an Egyptian dream book it was a bad omen for a woman to dream about embracing her husband, but good things would happen if she dreamed of intercourse with a baboon, wolf, or he-goat.22 In short, their sexual fantasies involved everything that breathes. Lets first frame this question with context. He looks at all things from a infinite perspective than man can. Read them in the archive below. These twentieth-century examples were basically people killing people simply because they hated them and/or wanted their land. God promised Canaan to Abraham and his children. He believes the latter is the correct interpretation. He gave them the law so that they may know Him and His ways. However, if we take the Bible on its own terms, we will recognize that all humans are born guilty and corrupt. Probe VP Steve Cable examines some of the findings of the Probe Survey 2020: The Changing Face of Christianity in America. 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. If we see humans as being basically good or innocent, then of course we will react with indignation to the Bibleseremlaws. For me to do so would be murder. Dawkins, 338. In the conquest of Canaan, three goals were being accomplished. Are We Held Accountable for the Sins of Our Forefathers? 3. 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. Albrecht Goetze, ed. In short, Israel was Canaanized. This was Gods judgment carried out on the people of Canaan using the chosen people of Israel. 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. We're not around right now. If He wanted to strike me dead right now, thats His prerogative (Reasonable Faith . Could there have been any righteous Canaanites, especially in view of the pervasive, seductive, and corrosive nature of Canaanite sin? Dr. Ray Bohlin reviews a second science critique of Theistic Evolution, asking if universal common descent is real. 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. A miracle child heralded by divine announcement, he grows up to become a one-man army against Israel's enemies. Furthermore, justice must respond to the moral failure of sin. 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. 11:31; Jas. Christians believe that all authority belongs to God (Matthew 28:18, Romans 13:1, Colossians 2:10). The Canaanites had hundreds of years to either repent and follow God or to reject Him and follow idols and false Gods. But what about Deuteronomy 24:16 which says that children shall not be put to death because of their fathers sins? Only when one views life through the lens of the Bible can one arrive at a worldview based on truth. God promised Abraham (Genesis 15), that his seed would inherit the land of Canaan. When a community sins, there are consequences for every member of the population, even children. Women were no less guilty than men, and in many cases they were the principal instigators. But why should we take seriously the skeptics advocacy for Canaanite children? William Lane Craig reminds us God is not subject to our judgment of His actions; He has no moral obligations except to Himself. As a result, they eventually received the same judgment the Canaanites experienced (Deut. The modernistic notion that Melchizedek was merely the "high god" priest of the Canaanites (e.g., Baal), worshipped in pre-Israelite Jerusalem, is absurd (Hicks 1962, 343). all, and God plays fair with all peoples at all times, giving them equal chances for repentance and reformation. wars instituted by and fought with the, My eldest daughter and I have been discussing portions of the Bible with which she is struggling. Glenn M. Miller, How could a God of Love order the massacre/annihilation of the Canaanites? on the web site A Christian Thinktank, 7). Isnt that a better alternative? However, the city repented, turned to God, and God did not judge them. 18:7-8 ). This explains why, in certain cities, Yahweh sentenced to death everything that breathes. Non-Christians often point to the Old Testaments erem laws to reject Christianity altogether. 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. Emphasis added. Craig writes, For example, I have no right to take an innocent life. The second premise is false, however. There are several aspects of Yahweh war. [a] capriciously malevolent bully.{2}. Doesnt the new atheists complaint ring hollow, since they are often at the forefront of defending a womans right to suction, dismember, or scald to death her unborn baby at any time and for any reason? However recently an atheist friend told me God was cruel and unloving and used examples from the old testament to prove it. Under the sanctuary in the ancient city of Gezer, urns containing the burnt bones of children have been found. Consequently, we love what He hates, and we hate what He loves. Moreover, most atheists do not customarily condemn the very practices that God condemns, for example, idolatry, adultery, and homosexuality. But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap. The Canaanites are identified in Genesis as descendants of Ham, son of Noah. Baal has sex with his mother Asherah,6 his sister Anat, and his daughter Pidray,7 and none of this is presented pejoratively. Far be it from you! Let us also remember that the problem with the Canaanite city of Sodom wasnt just sex among consenting adults: the men of Sodom, both young and old, tried to rape the visitors (Gen. 19:5). God sent Jonah to Nineveh, and spared the nation because of their repentance towards God. 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. 7 passage provides better support for his position. Resources The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version(ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The object of warfare moves from the Canaanites, who are the object of Gods wrath for their sin, to the spiritual powers and principalities, and then finally to the utter destruction of all evil, human and spiritual.[2]. When Joshua led the people across the Jordan River into Canaan, he was fulfilling this promise. Ones background theological beliefs make a big difference in how one sees this.
Salem, Sc Arrests, Matthew Jessica Boynton Now, Articles D