The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty, ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent What were two additional sins recorded that directly resulted from Israel's disobedience regarding the Canaanites? Late Carthaginian Child Sacrifice, p. 75. Answer The Canaanites were a group of ancient people who lived in the land of Canaan on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. 1, p. 406). They were a people who worshipped many gods and had many detestable practices. Not only did they worship these gods, but they worshiped these gods with acts of sex in the temples and called it holy and righteous. Ezra 9:1-4 ESV / 5 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. God remained patient with the Canaanite people for centuries. Word of their plight comes to an elite team of special op soldiers. 6 is devoted to the sacred ceremonial rituals. This act of dominance was seen as a sign of power, and other men looked at this with high regard. All rights reserved. End quote. But the exact opposite happens with this story. They describe their conquests in great detail and brag about how they subjugated and destroyed other people groups. Save 15% on BibleGateway+ for a limited time! 18:23, 24, 20:3), the land . Where most cultures dehumanize the people they are destroying and make them out to be monsters to justify their slaughter, the narrator does not. Manniche, Lise. Not only did they declare these acts as righteous morality, but they also participated in these acts in the worship of their gods as a means of gaining the gods approval. Leviticus 18:9, (4) They were having sex with their grandchildren. When we are addressing the Canaanites, what group do they belong to? 0000002826 00000 n Destroying a people is not the main point; rather, remaining loyal to Yahweh and the covenant is the focus. Sex and Eroticism in Mesopotamian Literature. We are also reminded of the way God uses impossible situations to bring forth His ultimate plan and purposes. Within moments the entire village is razed. What Every Christian Should Know about the Protestant Reformation. [4] These are just a few examples, and none of these behaviors of the gods are portrayed with contempt in the texts of their religions. Josh 7:11 shows the seriousness of the situation. 1 Answer. The reason for the offer of peace was that these nations living at a distance from the Canaanites were morally salvageable and they were accordingly shown mercy if they would agree to make peace with the Israelites. To the north, Canaan extended to Latakia, just south of Ugarit, and inland to Hamath. Joshua in 3D: A Commentary on Biblical Conquest and Manifest Destiny. Though other cultures also participated in some of these practices, it was the widespread involvement and acceptance of these sins that brought the Canaanites under Yahwehs judgment. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. 3:1-11; Rev. The Amorites and other Canaanites were exceedingly wicked (for a list of some of their sins, see Leviticus 18 ). It was divine judgment. (Wright, 93). We laud the soldiers in the first story has heroic but recognize the planes in the second story as evil. . It includes the sexual promiscuity and perversion particularly associated with fertility cults as well as the callousness of child sacrifice. Albrecht Goetze, ed. . Some believe the Nephilim were directly responsible for the earth being so corrupt that God ultimately sent the Flood, destroying all life, except for Noah with his wife, his three sons and their wives, and the animals on the ark. Whether your view is closer to Walton or Wright the point is clearthe conquest was about establishing Gods kingdom and driving out sin and unbelief. Day, John. Join her on the journey as she launches her new siteJoy Overflowing, or join her longstanding community atSunny&80. 7:1). The LORD appeared to Abram and said, To your offspring I will give this land. So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.Genesis 12:6-7. Genesis 6:9. And yet, God gave them a 400 year reprieve while Israel was in Egypt. Jones, Clay. All rights reserved. Joshua decided that showing mercy and honoring oaths takes priority over the Mosaic Law to exterminate everything. This is reinforced in the historical texts, with additional notes about social oppression and violence (1 Kings 14:24; 21:26; 2 Kings 16:3; 17:8; 21:2). [11], The Egyptian dream book also describes which animals bring good omens when you have a dream about having sex with them. The Canaanites were people who lived in the land of Canaan, an area which according to ancient texts may have included parts of modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. [3] One of Baals wives was his daughter Pidray. Genesis 6:4. Not once does the narrator or Yahweh condemn these acts of mercy. The strategic location where the Canaanites were settled carries great significance as we zoom out on the providential plan of God. The handing over reinforces the command that the Israelites were to make no treaties, show no mercy, and not intermarry with the Canaanites. 7; 2 Kgs. Since Canaanite sin was regular and systematicthe entire adult population participated in the idolatrous systemGod judged the entire nation. How Can I Recognize and Understand the Holy Spirit Better? Simon B. Parker, p. 148. Likewise, Yahweh did not choose Israel alone to execute justice in every case throughout history. This was so prevalent in the Canaanite culture that Lots daughters, after growing up in and being influenced by Sodom, both slept with their father and thought nothing of it (Gen. 19:308). His violent death will eventually put an end to all violent deaths. 0000002013 00000 n The destruction of the children is much harder to understand. Canaan, area variously defined in historical and biblical literature, but always centred on Palestine. 7-14), and other empires (2 Kgs. [3] See El, Ashertu and the Storm-god, trans. . This site is a proud member of the Salem Web Network, a subsidiary of, Copyright 2023, Crosswalk.com. "However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. No one wants a God or an authority figure who is not angered by evil and does not execute justice. To that point, Yahweh commanded the Israelites to not intermarry with the Canaanites, which seems odd if they were all supposed to be destroyed. War isnt part of the Garden of Eden. 0000006653 00000 n 21:21-35; Josh. But Moses interceded on Israels behalf, and Yahweh forgave them of their sin and stayed their judgment of death, contrary to the punishment decreed by the covenant. The Canaanites Were Not Salvageable --- They Had Sunk To The Very Bottom On The Immorality Scale: {C} Murdered Their Own Children {Molech}. CONCLUSION: The God of the Bible was totally justified in giving His command to the nation of Israel to totally destroy the Canaanite tribes. Always active in her community and the local church, Meg also leads Bible study and serves as a leader for teen girls. Yes, this means that conquest of evil is necessary. The Lord wanted his chosen people to trust him, and the promised land was a land that fostered faith. 1 Joseph put his face against his father's face, wept over him, and kissed him. Apparently, they had copied his moral decadence. 19:22). __Deuteronomy 20:16-18. . Canaan is described in the Bible as extending from Lebanon toward the Brook of Egypt in the south and the Jordan River Valley in the east. I do not know if sinnerswho do not fully understand the righteousness, justice, and greater all-encompassing will of Yahwehwill ever be able to comprehend fully or accept the answer the Bible gives for this issue. 0000003183 00000 n The point of this discussion is not to provide a complete and satisfactory answer, for there is so much we do not understand about this time period, and it is genuinely an emotionally difficult concept to reconcile. Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual Yet the text makes it clear that this second law did not apply to those living in Canaan. [13] See Day, John. And it seems that as history trudged along, the Canaanites became increasingly wicked. . The name Canaanite was also used in a general way to refer to these ten nations. Ultimately, though, the Canaanite conquest isnt supposed to make sense. 32. Enter code SPRINGSTUDY15 to save 15% for life!. The name Canaanite was also used in a general way to refer to these ten nations. And just as the Israelites were to deal with their own sin in a just way, so is the Church. In Numbers 13, when the spies report back of the strong people who have large fortified cities, it is the Canaanites whom they are referring to. The Official Catholic Scripture Study International Bible, Largeprint, Bonded Leather, Black - Imperfectly Imprinted Bibles, RSV Didache Bible with Commentaries Based on the RC Cathechism, Ignatius Catholic Bible (RSV): Compact Edition - Imitation leather, Burgundy with Zipper. 0000001112 00000 n The Canaanites were defeated and eliminated. Copyright 2020. Proud member The people of the ancient Near East viewed a sexual act with these priests as sexual union with the goddess herself.[5]. 12:3). Incest and adultery were also part of the gods lives. We, as the Church, are not called to kill lawbreakers since we are not a government; rather, we are called to dis-fellowship believers who refuse to repent in the hopes that they will want to repent and come back (1 Cor. She is described as killing so many that she was wading through their blood. Eventually, their idealistic lifestyle and unimaginable practices like child sacrifice caused them to meet their doom, though God remained patient with them for centuries. That is why the Israelites were not sentenced to eternal punishment but for only 40 years. But as a merciful and loving God, He also desired to forgive them. The closest thing to this that exists today is when a group of prisoners corner a newcomer in the showers and the alpha male rapes him in order to put him in his place (Gen. 19:4-9; Judg. Infants and children as old as four were offered up to him. We would expect these people to be imprisoned or punished for the security of our families. and wielded influence throughout the Mediterranean. 30:33; 57:9). Posted on 06/27/2020 9:30:48 AM PDT by JAG 5000. Rather, Yahweh made it clear that the Canaanite people were being destroyed for their sin. Yahwehs mercy, poured out despite deserving judgment, was seen in Ex. 12:2; 2 Cor. But what do we do with this story? God's purpose was to get rid of all that up there and replace it with the religion of the nation of Israel which prohibited all such vile sins. Some 400 years earlier, God had promised the faithful man Abraham that his descendants would possess the land of Canaan. The judgment on the Canaanites did not take place before their iniquity was complete (Genesis 15:16). A God of love and justice, they say, could never command genocide, and therefore he must not exist. Canaan is here singled out from Hams descendants as the object of Noahs curse, NIV Study Bible explains, Israel would experience firsthand the depth of Canaanite sin and the harshness of Gods judgment on it.. 7:3-4; 9:4-5). Sometimes the Amorites were named in the same way. (Not like modern cultures have done much better dealing out justice through prisons today.). He is rescuing and redeeming all that is broken and putting in its place peace. Though there is much to commend in Waltons work, I lean more towards the explanation of Christopher J.H. Albright, William Foxwell. To be the rape victim was so humiliating that no one would ever show respect to that person. Its original pre-Israelite inhabitants were called Canaanites. People would go to the temples and have sex with these prostitutes as an act of worship. [5] Martti Nissinen, Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspective, trans. There, Israel had sinned against the covenant they made with Yahweh, when they worshipped the golden calves. The Ancient Near East in Pictures: Relating to the Old Testament. 20:16-18). This is seen in the fact that only the main cities are listed as being defeated in the book of Joshua. Revised Standard Version (RSV). 17; Amos 1-2). Sin is serious and carries with it consequence. posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its This was 400 years before the extermination of the Canaanites, meaning He gave them a long time to repent from their idolatry and sins. During which time they only grew worse. How did the Nephilim survive the Flood? This is a sure and certain promise. THE SINS OF CANAAN HAVE BECOME THE SINS OF AMERICA Pastor Del Wray One of the question Ive been asked, "How could a good loving God command the Israelites to slaughter every man, woman, child, and even animal in the cities of the Canaanite nations? We Dont Hate Sin So We Dont Understand What Happened to the Canaanites: An Addendum to Divine Genocide Arguments, in Philosophia Christi 11:1 (Spring 2009). Rather, for the same reason that only ten nations were marked for destruction and the others (even though they were unbelievers) were left alone in the First Testament, so today, in a post-Second Testament world, not every nation or people group is marked for destruction, though they are unbelievers as well. {D} Blood-Lust Gory Murder Religious Ceremonies. In fact, the Canaanite people were Semitic just like the Israelites. Repeat . In fact, temple prostitution was a large part of worship in the Canaanite culture. 32 makes it clear that the character and actions of Yahweh are complicated, and the fact that Yahweh reveals this part of Himself through Scriptures shows that He refuses to allow humans to put Him in a box. [9] Mark S. Smith, trans., in Ugaritic Narrative Poetry, ed. [1] Yahweh was not interested just in punishing sin but in maintaining the righteous purity of His people. do not leave alive anything that breathes. They were to first offer peace, and if the nation refused, they could kill only the adult males, while women, children, animals, and spoils may be taken as plunder.
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