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 had warned them against that (Deut. 12. 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. As a result, they eventually received the same judgment the Canaanites experienced (Deut. Genocide doesn't wait for people to have a change of heart; and certainly not 400 years. Other ungodly acts routinely engaged in by the Canaanites included adultery, bestiality, and homosexuality (Leviticus 18:20-30). Nevertheless, those that choose to reject Gods love will be lost (2 Peter 3:7). Dt. We're not around right now. Jesus then warned, What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? Sue Bohlin processes how she is handling the crisis of tongue cancer by trusting Gods goodness. Ones background theological beliefs make a big difference in how one sees this. And how are Christians supposed to apply the erem laws today? Rick's interests focus on apologetics, Christianity and culture, and the changing currents in Western thought. This news had terrified the city of Jericho and Rahab had put her faith in God (Joshua 2:10-14). 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. Dawkins objects that it adds injury to insult that the unfortunate beast is to be killed too.23 But Dawkins doesnt seem to grasp that no one would want to have animals around who were used to having sex with humans.24 Moreover, this might also explain why God used a flood to destroy what Dawkins called the presumably blameless animals in the days of Noah.25 If pre-flood humankind frequently had sex with every imaginable animal, then even though it wasnt the animals fault, it would be harmful to allow these animals to be a part of Gods start-over society. 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. For God does not show favoritism. 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. 34:1516). I have two questions: 1. 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. Christian Answers, Then they would simply abandon worship of the true God. 12:4, 30, 31). I want to look at some Biblical stories about God destroying nations. Then they would simply abandon worship of the true God. 7. Please make sure all fields are filled out. The Canaanites had not completely sinned away their day of grace. God sent Jonah to Nineveh, and spared the nation because of their repentance towards God. Idolatry perverts our ability to love what Yahweh loves. 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. Concerning the destruction of the Canaanites, atheists especially like to exploit the Christian condemnation of genocide. 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. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 550. Israel received direct word from God that they should do this. it was an act of the judicial holiness of God manifesting itself in righteousness and judgment.{6}. . 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 is an online articlefrom theChristian Research Journal. It was merciful for God to allow the Canaanites to remain in the land as long as they did. Stanley Gundry (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003), 173-74. God says its going to be a while before you all enter the promised land, because the Canaanites arent beyond saving.. After all, the Old Testament unequivocally commands that those who do any one of these things deserves to die. Canaanite tribes (especially the Hittites) greatly exceeded the boundaries that Israel was told to conquer. 2:25) and even included in the genealogy of Jesus (Matt. Or better yet why didnt God give Canaan a chance to repent? Of course not. 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. Plano TX 75075 For me to do so would be murder. It also happens to be one of the most frequently heard objections to the Christian faith today. 1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! Sue Bohlin reflects on how God has led her to trust Him through the trial of tongue cancer surgery. 4:26; 7:4 ). Real Answers. Dawkins, 338. Atheists use this fact to condemn the character of God. In fact, He waited almost 400 years, and until their society had become completely depraved, before He instituted His command of capital punishment. 11:31; Jas. In all of these respects, Israels laws were signposts to the spiritual realities behind Christs redemptive work for us. The situation with Canaan was different. No ANE text condemns homosexuality. It was merciful for God to allow the Canaanites to remain in the land as long as they did. 8. 1:27-2:5, we read that tribe after tribe of Israelites did not drive out all the inhabitants of the cities they conquered. Such a complaint usually masks an unspoken premise: God shouldnt have killed the children because that wouldnt give them the chance to reject Canaanite sin. It is reasonable to believe that other people had heard what Rahab (and Jericho) had heard, thus giving them the opportunity to repent and be spared. God is a God of . 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). The Israelites intermarried with them which eventually drew Gods judgment on them as well. Another observation is that the instruction is frequently to dispossess the Canaanites or move them out rather than to destroy them. Gods character is such that He gives nations an appropriate amount of time to repent. He holds a B.A. Like all Ancient Near East (ANE) pantheons, the Canaanite pantheon was incestuous. Covenant Theological Seminary) serves as an assistant pastor at Riveroaks Reformed Presbyterian Church in Germantown, Tennessee. Conclusion: What does this tell us about God? Baal has sex with his mother Asherah,6 his sister Anat, and his daughter Pidray,7 and none of this is presented pejoratively. 32:4; Colossians 3:25; etc.). 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. 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." No matter what explanation of the death of children is given, no one except the most cold hearted will find joy in it. God loves each of us as if there were only one of us"- Augustine. . Not even the children are considered innocent. All Rights Reserved. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Little of the Canaanites' textual records remain, perhaps because they used papyrus instead of the more durable clay for writing. Generation after generation of Canaanites continued in the same evil practices. all, and God plays fair with all peoples at all times, giving them equal chances for repentance and reformation. 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. Consequently, we love what He hates, and we hate what He loves. The new atheists immaculately exemplify what the Bible has proclaimed all along: sin corrupts our authority to judge rightly; what we think is justified prosecution against God Almighty turns out to be, on further illumination, a raucous rant full of the noxious fumes of the sinful heart. A God of love and justice, they say, could never command genocide, and therefore he must not exist. Part of the goal of this essay is to offer evidence to show that God had good reason to command Israel to kill the Canaanites. Further, he said that Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35). 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! Why didnt God just tell Israel; move in, settle down and coexist? Instead, the Israelites worshiped the Canaanites gods and did evil (Judg. Those on whom God pronounced judgment were wicked, God had given the Canaanites opportunity to repent, are storing up wrath for [themselves] on the day of wrath when Gods righteous judgment will be revealed, The Canaanites were the only people God commanded the Israelites to destroy, God always offered the possibility of redemption. Their authority is based on the current societal perception of morality. Only when one views life through the lens of the Bible can one arrive at a worldview based on truth. They reason something along these lines: (1) Christians condemn genocide. Kerby Anderson provides an overview of wokeness, critical race theory, and their effect on the Christian church. This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 44, number 2 (2021). According to the Bible, the Canaanites were so vile that the very land spued them out (Lev. Phase five of Yahweh war will be the final battle of history when Jesus returns and will once again be military in nature. The evidence says no. Help train Christians to boldly share the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that clearly communicates to this secular age. 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. 13. God did not order the extermination of these people to be cruel, but to prevent even greater evil from occurring in the . It was merciful for God to allow individual Canaanites to repent and join the people of God. Driving them out wasnt simply a way of making room for Israel. Will More People Go To Hell Than Go To Heaven? He is also a God who takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He can give and take life as He chooses. 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. Their sacrificial laws pointed to our need for atonement. . Rusty Wright presents a compelling case for the historicity of Jesus resurrection. This document is the sole property of Probe Ministries. These nations were cut off to prevent the corruption of Israel and the rest of the world (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). Maybe this was just an example of Ancient Near Eastern military language.{11}. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); IGRG: Did God Give The Canaanites aChance. God promised Canaan to Abraham and his children. God's character, 1. 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. [emailprotected] Permission is granted to use in digital or printed form so long as it is circulated without charge, and in its entirety.
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