The atheism of today wasnt an option. Now after all of this God gives marching orders. 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). But the section ends with Samson. Heres why. The third goal of the conquest was the protection of Israel. The Canaanites are identified in Genesis as descendants of Ham, son of Noah. This is an online articlefrom theChristian Research Journal. The people have rebelled against God and spend 40 years in the desert. 7 passage provides better support for his position. Why Did God Tell Joshua To Kill The Canaanites? 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). There is no denying that God, in the Old Testament, commanded the nation of Israel, His chosen people, to exterminate many nations of people. This news had terrified the city of Jericho and Rahab had put her faith in God (Joshua 2:10-14). 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. 8. Help train Christians to boldly share the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that clearly communicates to this secular age. However, if we take the Bible on its own terms, we will recognize that all humans are born guilty and corrupt. Wouldnt that be a more merciful thing to do? Shedding light on this question will actually show that God is merciful and good. Eternal Insecurity Once I Was Saved, But Now Am Lost? For me to do so would be murder. 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). 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. Dan. But this sort of response does not fit with Jesuss own view of the Old Testament. 12:4, 30, 31). . (LogOut/ Thus, the Israelites could possibly have married people who werent in the cities when they were attacked. Going by this definition alone, the destruction of the Canaanites would seem to have been genocide. Also, God made it clear in His conversation with Abraham regarding the Canaanite cities of Sodom and Gomorrah that He knows who would or would not repent, and in the case of those cities, not one person would heed the warning and even Lots family had to be forcibly pulled away from the coming destruction. At first, the Israelites tried to compromise and worship God the way the Canaanites worshiped their gods. God promised Canaan to Abraham and his children. Robert has written 111 articles on What Christians Want To Know! Rahab was later held up as an example of faithful obedience in the New Testament (Heb. But the war is not over. {8} In addition, the Israelites would be tempted to imitate Canaanite religious rituals because of their close connection to agricultural rhythms. Lets first frame this question with context. 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. Cf. It also happens to be one of the most frequently heard objections to the Christian faith today. God allowed Israel to become slaves in Egypt (more on this in a moment). I think God meant it quite literally. 7). They say they refuse to believe in any being that could be so cruel and heartless. 23:14). Bernhard Anderson, Understanding the Old Testament (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1957), 93-94; 96-103. The Deut. Our enemies are the demonic forces that hold the world in captivity to sin, and our weapons are now prayer, preaching, and evangelism. Emphasis added. 7. 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. In a recent debate with William Lane Craig, Hitchens exhorted the Christians in the audience, Emancipate yourself from the idea of a celestial dictatorship and youve taken the first step toward becoming free.32, Although Dawkins nowhere endorses sex with animals, he does endorse Princeton atheist and ethicist Peter Singer as an eloquent advocate for our need to become postspeciesist.33 According to Singer, to claim that one species is better than another is to invoke grave implications because, after all, We are animals.This does not make sex across the species barrier normal, or natural, whatever those much-misused words may mean, but it does imply that it ceases to be an offence to our status and dignity as human beings.34. Permission is granted to use in digital or printed form so long as it is circulated without charge, and in its entirety. 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. This is why it is so important for us to get our doctrine of humanity right. Robert believes that the Bible contains the truth that God wants us to base our lives upon. Atheists use this fact to condemn the character of God. Then they would simply abandon worship of the true God. Their purity laws pointed to the holiness demanded by God. About UsContact UsPrayer RequestsPrivacy Policy, Latest AnswersBible LessonsBibleAsk LIVEOnline Bible. He points out how Yahweh Wars, i.e. Longman goes on to cite OT scholar Meredith Kline, who proposes a theory of intrusion ethics. Scripture tells us that the punishment for all sin is death (Gen. 2:17; Rom. C.F. Previous post: 10 Biblical Steps Towards Restoration After Sexual Sin, Next post: Baptism Quotes: 27 Inspirational Christian Sayings. If God didnt mean to kill everyone in nearby cities, then what distinction was being made? 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). Old Testament scholar Tremper Longman sees five phases of Yahweh war in the Bible. Did the Ancient Gentiles Have the Hope of Salvation? Kerby Anderson provides an overview of some ancient Christian heresies that are still being embraced today: legalism, gnosticism, mysticism, and marcionism. Can the actions of the Israelites legitimately be called genocide? God allowed Israel to become slaves in Egypt (more on this in a moment). Because of this, I think the term should be avoided. Presumably, the Canaanites could have done the same thing. Judges: a cycle of sin and deliverance - OverviewBible Similarly, the southern tribes (usually referred to as Judah) were deported when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem beginning in 586 BC. Gods enemies were dealt a crushing blow through Christs victory on the cross, but they will not finally be defeated until Christ returns to establish everlasting justice on earth. The Canaanites had hundreds of years to either repent and follow God or to reject Him and follow idols and false Gods. Not only have some people rejected Christianity over this, but it has even spurred some Christians to leave the faith. 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. Glenn M. Miller, How could a God of Love order the massacre/annihilation of the Canaanites? on the web site A Christian Thinktank, 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. Christians today are engaged in warfare on this level. 2001 W. Plano Parkway, Suite 2000 Why did some rules from the Old Testament cease to exist? 33:11). 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). God, as judge, used Israel to carry out His judgment on these people. These ideas may provide little consolation. For example, God commanded the Israelites, in Deuteronomy 20:10-15, to offer conditions of peace rather than extermination to all others. We're not around right now. The Canaanites had not completely sinned away their day of grace. 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. All Rights Reserved. It was merciful for God to allow the Canaanites to remain in the land as long as they did. Yahweh derided these handmade gods that cannot speak and must be carried because they cannot walk (Jer. The Bible is explicit concerning the sins of the Canaanites: idolatry, incest, adultery, child sacrifice, homosexuality, and bestiality. He sent Moses to Pharaoh, and gave him 9 chances to repent. There is only one true God, and that God deserves all honor and worship. 5:1). Humans do not have the right to do whatever we want. 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. 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. www.probe.org. Generation after generation of Canaanites continued in the same evil practices. 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. 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. 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). M.G. 12:4, 30, 31 ). There are many nations and peoples called wicked or evil and then destroyed in the Bible including Canaan, Hittites, Giggahites, Amorites, Pharaoh and his people, Sodom and Gommorah. Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion (Boston: Mariner Books, 2008), 51. all, and God plays fair with all peoples at all times, giving them equal chances for repentance and reformation. Stanley Gundry (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003), 173-74. This is an online Viewpoint articlefrom theChristian Research Journal. Bereishit 19:4:. 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. Read them in the archive below. 13-14), but in nearby cities they were to save nothing alive that breathes (v. 16). They engaged in temple prostitution which was thought to be a re-enactment of the sexual unions of the gods and goddesses. 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). Wouldnt even infants, as they grew, begin to ask, What practices did my parents do which resulted in your killing them? As sad as this is, it also points to the horror of sin. 1 (2009): 73-92; www.epsociety.org/library/articles.asp?pid=63. The most disturbing part of the conquest of Canaan for most people is the killing of children. 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). Will More People Go To Hell Than Go To Heaven? The judgment that they foreshadowed was demonstrated decisively on the cross of Christ, who received the full measure of Gods wrath for the sins of his people. it was an act of the judicial holiness of God manifesting itself in righteousness and judgment.{6}. 32:4; Colossians 3:25; etc.). [Ed. 7:22). God had warned them against that (Deut. Divine Judgment and the Canaanite Conquest: A Theological Exploration 10. Israel was not allowed to treat other nations as they treated the Canaanite cities. As a result, they eventually received the same judgment the Canaanites experienced (Deut. If God was not behind the conquest of Canaan, then the Israelites were no different than the Nazis and the Hutus. The classic example is Rahab, the prostitute who helped the Israelite spies in Jericho and swore allegiance to the Lord (Jos. Kerby Anderson provides an overview of wokeness, critical race theory, and their effect on the Christian church. But we must keep in mind that God is not subject to our contemporary sensibilities.
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