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. 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. Can these be put together? God had decided to judge Nineveh because they were evil (Jonah 1:2). Thus, the Lord said to Abraham in Genesis 15:16, "the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." {8} In addition, the Israelites would be tempted to imitate Canaanite religious rituals because of their close connection to agricultural rhythms. Bereishit 19:4:. . He gave them the law so that they may know Him and His ways. ", Jesus Resurrection: Fact or Fiction? Rahab was later held up as an example of faithful obedience in the New Testament (Heb. God is a God of . Could there have been any righteous Canaanites, especially in view of the pervasive, seductive, and corrosive nature of Canaanite sin? 22:1011; Amos 2:7), and even Solomon set up an altar to Molech (1 Kings 11:5, 78). Israel was not commanded to deal with all other nations the same way they dealt with the Canaanites. Staff. If a man has intercourse with a horse or a mule, there is no punishment.18 As with incest, the penalty for having sex with animals decreased about the fourteenth century BC.19, There should be no surprise that bestiality would occur among the Canaanites, since their gods practiced it. All rights reserved. Rick's interests focus on apologetics, Christianity and culture, and the changing currents in Western thought. Here are a few factors to take into consideration: First, the sins of parents, just like their successes, have an impact on their children. Far be it from you! In Genesis 15:16, God told Abraham that his descendants would have to remain slaves in Egypt for 400 years before taking possession of Canaan, "for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." 4. 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). God destroys Sodom. 2:25) and even included in the genealogy of Jesus (Matt. The first fact See also Leupold (1942, 463). Did the Canaanites Have a Chance? The non-believer has no objective authority. Eternal Insecurity Once I Was Saved, But Now Am Lost? Although Abraham was Gods friend and the Lord wanted to give to him the land of Canaan for an inheritance. Spoiler alert: God did give Canaan a chance to repent. For further information or to subscribe to the CHRISTIAN RESEARCH JOURNAL go to: http://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/. We all recognize this when we accuse some authority who presumes to take life as playing GodGod is under no obligation whatsoever to extend my life for another second. God allowed Israel to become slaves in Egypt (more on this in a moment). 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. God's character, Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases on Amazon.com. Much of what follows is horrific, but if we refuse to look, will we really understand the reasons for Gods judgment? 18:28). This explains why, in certain cities, Yahweh sentenced to death everything that breathes. In his discussion in Moral Monster, Copan refers specifically to Deut. God promised Canaan to Abraham and his children. But what about Deuteronomy 24:16 which says that children shall not be put to death because of their fathers sins? He holds a B.A. Generation after generation of Canaanites continued in the same evil practices. In phase two, God fought against Israel when it broke its side of its covenant with God (cf. In short, Israel was Canaanized. . What Do the Four Soils in the Parable of the Sower Represent? Incest. But the section ends with Samson. 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.. THE CANAANITES- God's Justness in Perspective It's clear from history, God gave them ample time to repent, but they refused (Gen. 15:16; Deut. About UsContact UsPrayer RequestsPrivacy Policy, Latest AnswersBible LessonsBibleAsk LIVEOnline Bible. Our aim is to share the Word and be true to it. Before joining Probe Ministries, Rick worked in the ship repair industry in Norfolk, VA. No worldly government can exist unless it uses every necessary means to punish law breaking. Please make sure all fields are filled out. Predictably so, their values conflict with what God hates. No matter what explanation of the death of children is given, no one except the most cold hearted will find joy in it. The story of Canaanite incest, adultery, child sacrifice, homosexuality, and bestiality flow out of the plot line of idolatry. In Luke 20 Jesus told the Jews the parable of the tenants and the vineyard. 1:5). 7:1-2). 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. If you feel an answer is not 100% Bible based, then leave a comment, and we'll be sure to review it. 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. Israel was not allowed to treat other nations as they treated the Canaanite cities. In all of these respects, Israels laws were signposts to the spiritual realities behind Christs redemptive work for us. 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. The atheism of today wasnt an option. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The ESV and NIV give a fuller understanding of the term by translating it devote to destruction (the NASB renders it set apart). For example, God commanded the Israelites, in Deuteronomy 20:10-15, to offer conditions of peace rather than extermination to all others. 6:23), and ultimately every unrepentant sinner will have to face Gods judgment. Why would Jesus die for basically good folk? God had warned them against that (Deut. 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? 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. He sent Moses to Pharaoh, and gave him 9 chances to repent. The Amorites had a chance to repent and be saved, just as the Assyrians in Nineveh did during in the time of Jonah. . 1: The Pentateuch (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, n.d.), 484-485. God has delivered Israel and set them apart as His people. 7 passage provides better support for his position. There is only one true God, and that God deserves all honor and worship. 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. Other ungodly acts routinely engaged in by the Canaanites included adultery, bestiality, and homosexuality (Leviticus 18:20-30). At first, the Israelites tried to compromise and worship God the way the Canaanites worshiped their gods. 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. For further information Este artculo es una exclusiva en lnea de Christian Research Journal. 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. 23:14). Bernhard Anderson, Understanding the Old Testament (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1957), 93-94; 96-103. There is no denying that God, in the Old Testament, commanded the nation of Israel, His chosen people, to exterminate many nations of people. Similarly, the southern tribes (usually referred to as Judah) were deported when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem beginning in 586 BC. 12. 1:27-2:5, we read that tribe after tribe of Israelites did not drive out all the inhabitants of the cities they conquered. Craig writes, For example, I have no right to take an innocent life. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (around 2100 BC) came 600 years before Israel destroyed the Canaanite nation. The full text of this article in PDF format can be obtained by clicking here. Further, in Deuteronomy 20, Moses said they were only to kill the adult males in far away cities (vv. He gets no pleasure in the death of anyone. Thanks for stopping by! 12:4, 30, 31). 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 are several aspects of Yahweh war. Christians believe that all authority belongs to God (Matthew 28:18, Romans 13:1, Colossians 2:10). all, and God plays fair with all peoples at all times, giving them equal chances for repentance and reformation. 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. Maybe this was just an example of Ancient Near Eastern military language.{11}. The Canaanites, by contrast, were destroyed at the direction of God and primarily because of their sin. 28:7. Women were no less guilty than men, and in many cases they were the principal instigators. But God has no such prohibition. Gods character is such that He gives nations an appropriate amount of time to repent. Israel had been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. 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). They were corrupt and depraved to the core. Jesus then warned, What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? Not only have some people rejected Christianity over this, but it has even spurred some Christians to leave the faith. Lev. 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: Skeptics have claimed that God was unjust when He ordained Israel to destroy the Canaanites. The Canaanites had hundreds of years to either repent and follow God or to reject Him and follow idols and false Gods. Another observation is that the instruction is frequently to dispossess the Canaanites or move them out rather than to destroy them. 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 phase four there was a major change. (Deut. 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. Idolatry. Tagged as: God had warned them against that ( Deut. 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. 8. 1 (2008): 7-37; www.epsociety.org/library/articles.asp?pid=45. Heres why. 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). Every forecast of prophecy of doom came with an implied unless attached to it: If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. Hittite Laws: 199 states, If anyone has intercourse with a pig or a dog, he shall die. It was merciful for God to bring an end to the. The tragedy of this story is that not only is idolatry an offense to Yahweh, but it fails to supply a happy ending for human communities as well. 18 records briefly the moral degradation of the Canaanites. 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. If I can find 50 good people will you spare Sodom God says sure. genocidal . In the conquest of Canaan, three goals were being accomplished. 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). Driving them out wasnt simply a way of making room for Israel. But this sort of response does not fit with Jesuss own view of the Old Testament. God says its going to be a while before you all enter the promised land, because the Canaanites arent beyond saving.. www.probe.org. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. 11. Little of the Canaanites' textual records remain, perhaps because they used papyrus instead of the more durable clay for writing. To understand what God was doing in Canaan, one must see it within the larger context of redemptive history. The Hebrew word means to devote something to total destruction..

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