So the Lord said that Israel became like Sodom to me (Jer. 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). You cannot have moral laws without a moral Lawgiver. God allowed Israel to become slaves in Egypt (more on this in a moment). Who Were the Canaanites, and Why Did God Order Their Destruction? Then they would simply abandon worship of the true God. But this sort of response does not fit with Jesuss own view of the Old Testament. 7. IGRG: Did God Give The Canaanites a Chance? - lofteideas However, if we take the Bible on its own terms, we will recognize that all humans are born guilty and corrupt. Christ and the Conflagration of Canaan - The Gospel Coalition Only when one views life through the lens of the Bible can one arrive at a worldview based on truth. Why didnt God just tell Israel; move in, settle down and coexist? 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. 4:1314; Ezek. Can the actions of the Israelites legitimately be called genocide? 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/. I think God meant it quite literally. Why doesn't God offer Sodom and Gemorrah the same chance to repent He 7). Theeremlaws of the OT were an example of this intrusion. But what about Deuteronomy 24:16 which says that children shall not be put to death because of their fathers sins? No ANE text condemns homosexuality. 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. 11. God was patient with the Canaanites God's character, But no one repented so all but Noah and His family were destroyed. It seems from God's promise to Abraham that they were wicked and idolatrous people. [1] Tremper Longman, The Case for Spiritual Continuity, inShow Them No Mercy: 4 Views on God and Canaanite Genocide, ed. 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. 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. Kyle, Canaan, in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, James Orr, ed. Bring biblical wisdom to the confusing issues across the world by making a gift to our international work. This wasnt merely punishment, however. The Deut. He blogs at Allkirk Network. 9. In phase four there was a major change. 11:31; Jas. The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics helps Christians show unbelievers the truth, goodness, and beauty of the gospel as the only hope that fulfills our deepest longings. God knew it would take the destruction of the nations. Rusty Wright presents a compelling case for the historicity of Jesus resurrection. So theeremlaws still apply, but in a spiritual sense rather than a physical sense. What does it mean that "the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its He sent Moses to Pharaoh, and gave him 9 chances to repent. (Deut. They were corrupt and depraved to the core. As a result, they eventually received the same judgment the Canaanites experienced (Deut. If you feel an answer is not 100% Bible based, then leave a comment, and we'll be sure to review it. Please make sure all fields are filled out. Even though the Ruler of the universe displays mercy and gives to men time to repent, there ultimately must be a day of judgement. 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. In other words, we now wage war in prayer and in the realm of ideas. It was merciful for God to bring an end to the. An even more detestable practice was that of child sacrifice. the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (6:12). However, once the biblical doctrines of God and of sin are taken into consideration, the background scenery changes and the picture looks very different. 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. Killing of the Canaanites, Robert Driskell received a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Pastoral Ministries and Biblical Studies from Mid-America Christian University in 1995. 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. Gods first inclination is to save Canaan rather than destroy it. Under the sanctuary in the ancient city of Gezer, urns containing the burnt bones of children have been found. Previous post: 10 Biblical Steps Towards Restoration After Sexual Sin, Next post: Baptism Quotes: 27 Inspirational Christian Sayings. What the Bible says about Why did God Command Israel to Go to War {8} In addition, the Israelites would be tempted to imitate Canaanite religious rituals because of their close connection to agricultural rhythms. The people believed that re-enacting these unions themselves played a part in the fertility of the land.{9}. Before joining Probe Ministries, Rick worked in the ship repair industry in Norfolk, VA. The Canaanites: Genocide Or Judgment? | Bible.org 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. 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. There is only one true God, and that God deserves all honor and worship. Spoiler alert: God did give Canaan a chance to repent. ", Jesus Resurrection: Fact or Fiction? 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. God did not just decide to command the Israelites to destroy all the inhabitants of Canaan simply because he promised Abraham that his descendants would inherit it; he commanded them to do it because the Canaanites were wicked, evil, sinful people. 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. Other ungodly acts routinely engaged in by the Canaanites included adultery, bestiality, and homosexuality (Leviticus 18:20-30). Bestiality. Albrecht Goetze, ed. I want to look at some Biblical stories about God destroying nations. The Killing of the Canaanites - Genocide or Capital Punishment? - Part Thus, the Lord said to Abraham in Genesis 15:16, "the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." At first, the Israelites tried to compromise and worship God the way the Canaanites worshiped their gods. Covenant Theological Seminary) serves as an assistant pastor at Riveroaks Reformed Presbyterian Church in Germantown, Tennessee. And so for 400 years more, the Amorites were allowed to live and do as they pleased. God sent Jonah to Nineveh, and spared the nation because of their repentance towards God. Why did some rules from the Old Testament cease to exist? Israel had been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. 2). 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. 32:4; Colossians 3:25; etc.). He points out 2023 Probe Ministries | Designed and Managed by Adquest Creative. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Craig writes, For example, I have no right to take an innocent life. 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. Inanna/Ishtar, also known as the Queen of Heaven, became the woman among the gods, patron of eroticism and sensuality, of conjugal love as well as adultery, of brides and prostitutes, transvestites and pederasts.10 As University of Helsinki professor Martti Nissinen writes, Sexual contact with a person whose whole life was devoted to the goddess was tantamount to union with the goddess herself.11, The Canaanites even remake the God of the Bible, El, after their own image and portray Him ceremonially as having sex with two women (or goddesses). 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. all, and God plays fair with all peoples at all times, giving them equal chances for repentance and reformation. These people were not clueless about their responsibility to God; rather, they openly mocked His lordship and committed horrible acts that even the most hardened of us would deem worthy of judgment. God gave us life, and He has the right to take it away. There had been a patient waiting from Abrahams time for the sin of the Amorites[to reach] its full measure (Toward Old Testament Ethics, Walter Kaiser, Jr., p, 267,Zondervan, 1983). God had given the Canaanites more than four hundred years of probation, during which He sent prophets and warnings. 1 (2008): 7-37; www.epsociety.org/library/articles.asp?pid=45. Moreover, most atheists do not customarily condemn the very practices that God condemns, for example, idolatry, adultery, and homosexuality. These ideas may provide little consolation. This clearly shows Gods mercy on sinners, and that He gives them a time of probation that they may repent. The non-believer has no objective authority. 1:5). 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. 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. Kerby Anderson provides an overview of wokeness, critical race theory, and their effect on the Christian church. . 22:1011; Amos 2:7), and even Solomon set up an altar to Molech (1 Kings 11:5, 78). Kyle Dillon (MDiv, Covenant Theological Seminary) serves as an assistant pastor at Riveroaks Reformed Presbyterian Church in Germantown, Tennessee.
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