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Its supposed to be unsettling. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. Yahweh made it clear that Israel was not allowed to attack any of the other nations unless the other nation attacked first (Deut. 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. 1 Answer. But what kind of people were the Canaanites? The Egyptians mourned for him for seventy days. 9; Eph. Leviticus 18:1-3, "Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways {listed in Leviticus 18:6-23} because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. <<395D2D047C712C4997B87D5B811ED3E2>]>> Just as Jesus fights for the people of God and does battle with the demonic forces (Matt. Also, this language of killing everyone may have been hyperbolic and reserved for the main political and military cities in which, by nature, all the women and children there would be more corrupt simply because of where they lived. 7:1). Here is the list of the sins of the Canaanites: (1) They were having sex with their close family members. Does God killing people make Him a murderer? Yes, this means that conquest of evil is necessary. Severe_Comment_7443 . Israel had sinned, violated Yahwehs covenant, taken some of the devoted things, stolen, lied, and put things among their own possessions. The name Canaanite was also used in a general way to refer to these ten nations. The Canaanites were a people group who inhabited the land promised to Abraham. His plan to redeem humanity included a promise to Abraham concerning the land he would inherit and the generations that would follow the One True God. The fact that Jesus Christ was willing to be exterminated (Matt. 18:20-30; Deut. Cursed be Canaan! Save 15% on BibleGateway+ for a limited time! It had everything to do with the judgment of a people for their sins. Does God Really Work All Things Together for Good? (Rom. God will get his people to the promise land. Genesis 6:9. God ordered similar things when the Israelites were invading the promised land (Deuteronomy 2:34; 3:6; 20:16-18). I dont think there are any Canaanites today. 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. A group of settlers are happily farming in their fields. But we would be remiss not to point to Jesus Christ. Canaanite religion | Britannica Repeat . of Ultimately, though, the Canaanite conquest isnt supposed to make sense. As a righteous God, Yahweh cannot tolerate such sin and evil in His creation. However, Israel failed to do this and so became like all the other nations and was judged by Yahweh for their sins. A God of love and justice, they say, could never command genocide, and therefore he must not exist. in light of: The Sins Of The Canaanites: Blood-Lust, Murder, Incest, Sex With Animals. She is described as killing so many that she was wading through their blood. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. 5). It will truly be a time of peace during the earthly millennium then eternity is before us who have heard His voice and follow Him. The gods were always betraying and fighting against each other. If you built a house, you were to lay one of your sacrificed children as the cornerstone to the building to ensure that the gods blessed the house and family all of its days. They also willingly offered their own children as a burnt sacrifice. 2. Blood-lust, murder, close family member incest, sex with animals. Canaan, Canaanites. Sometimes the Amorites were named in the same way. The Canaanites were said to be cursed. As much as it might help our comfort, we cannot remove God from the story of the destruction of the Canaanites. Molech: A God of Human Sacrifice in the Old Testament. Wright as follows: (a) God works in this world mediately through chosen agents, whether they know it or not: (b) the divine use of an agent confers no special righteousness or merit on the agent. Baker Books. 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. The reality is that this topic is perhaps one of the most difficult issues in the Bible to understand, justify, and digest. The Lord wanted his chosen people to trust him, and the promised land was a land that fostered faith. %PDF-1.4 % In the second, the law states that Israel was to attack other nations outside the land of Canaan only if they were attacked first. [11], The Egyptian dream book also describes which animals bring good omens when you have a dream about having sex with them. [3] One of Baals wives was his daughter Pidray. . The Extermination of the Canaanites exemption for fair use of copyrighted works. As with unbelievers, this principle requires that we are living such righteous and blessed lives that those outside the fellowship will recognize what they are missing (Jn. War isnt part of the Garden of Eden. This is seen in the fact that only the main cities are listed as being defeated in the book of Joshua. Here is the list of the sins of the Canaanites: (1) They were having sex with their close family members. Ugaritic Baal myth describes Anat as taking joy in slaughtering her enemies, cutting off their heads and hands and wearing them as a necklace and belt. Is this more like the story of the rescue from raiders or bombing a people group who were minding their own business? 0000006193 00000 n The command of God to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 20:16 "do not leave alive anything that breathes" was applicable only to these 6 tribes that were practicing (1) through (12) listed up-post. The handing over reinforces the command that the Israelites were to make no treaties, show no mercy, and not intermarry with the Canaanites. 18:3 specifically says the Egyptians and Canaanites had same sex marriage contracts. 20). Most of Josh. [3] See El, Ashertu and the Storm-god, trans. The Egyptian Dream book has a section for men that begins with: Remember, the gods themselves were involved in incestuous relationships. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Though on the surface Yahwehs command to exterminate the Canaanites may leave us emotionally uncomfortable, we must realize that we really do want a God who hates sin and punishes evil justly. It was centuries between Abrahams arrival and Joshuas entrance into the promised land that was to be for the people of God. 0000002013 00000 n because they were not salvageable. A contributing writer for Salem Media since 2016, Meg is now thrilled to be a part of the editorial team. Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspective. This shows that Israel themselves were now a thing for destruction. But they would no longer be thus when their sin had been dealt with. When God did give the land over to Israel, he told Israel not to think it was because of their own righteousness. "The Lord said to Moses, speak to the Israelites and say to them, You must not do as they do in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you. They describe their conquests in great detail and brag about how they subjugated and destroyed other people groups. 0000009533 00000 n Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. 9). Not once does the narrator or Yahweh condemn these acts of mercy. This is why many scholars today consider the Canaanites more of an ethnic unit than a nation, per se. We are to live such righteous lives through the power of the Holy Spirit that those around us, like those living around Israel, will want to leave behind their old ways and worldviews and join the fellowship of Christians. And just as He desires that sin be removed from Israel, so should we desire that sin be removed from the Church. Who were the Canaanites? Under her feet were human heads, above her human hands flew like locusts. There is a concept known as generational sin, wherein a child will become like his parents not only because he was raised under their instruction and example, but also because he came genetically from those parents. What bothers many many readers of the Old Testament is why God, after commanding Israel not to murder, uses their nation as an instrument of genocide to punish. Furthermore, Israel and the Church have purposes that are different from each other. Every member of that community is declared dead. . 18:21; 20:5; 2 Kgs. There isnt an easy answer to these questions but as we explore more about the Canaanites, perhaps we can come to a bit more clear of an answer. The Canaanites were descendants of Noah. It was not uncommon for a man who wanted to demonstrate his authority and power to rape another man. Additional Sources:NIV Study Bible, Copyright 1985, 1995, 2002, 2008, 2011 by Zondervan.Beck, John A. [7] Godfrey Rolles Driver and John C. Miles, The Assyrian Laws, p. 38. 6:17-21), and even the things the people were allowed to keep were to be cleansed first with fire or water in the tabernacle. Genesis 15:18-21: "On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.", Genesis 9:25-27: "He said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers. He also said, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. 69 0 obj<>stream {C} Murdered Their Own Children {Molech}.. 19:23-25; Zech. God will always be purposeful in all He does and allows. Late Carthaginian Child Sacrifice and Sacrificial Monuments in their Mediterranean Context. In fact, the problem of evil and the injustice of our governments anger all people more than anything else in our lives. 2:25). All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the 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. 0000006864 00000 n Get the answers your looking for and save with code SPRINGSTUDY15! Israel's sons and daughters intermarried with the Canaanites and joined the Canaanites in worshiping their false gods. People would go to the temples and have sex with these prostitutes as an act of worship. Since Canaanite sin was regular and systematicthe entire adult population participated in the idolatrous systemGod judged the entire nation. So although the Hivites are not named at Gen. 15:19-21, they are part of the equation. Israel was never commanded in the Bible to kill the Canaanites merely to take control of the land. (11) The Canaanites were having sex with animals. 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. Day, John. 10:5) so that we may be loyal to our covenant with Yahweh and free of corruption. What is presumably Canaanite DNA lives on in ME Arab and Jewish populations. The Canaanites were destined to be the servant of . By Jesus being a human, He could represent humanity in their sin. When Abraham arrived at the land promised to him, the Canaanite people inhabited the land. But the exact opposite happens with this story. No one solicited you to play the whore, and you gave payment, while no payment was given to you; therefore you were different. Women were no less guilty than men, and in many cases they were the principal instigators. 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. 0000001192 00000 n Israel was called to be a distinct and holy nation with their own government and to remain separate from the rest of the nations. What Every Christian Should Know about the Protestant Reformation. Wright explains it well: The degraded character of Canaanite society and religion is more explicitly described in moral and social terms in Leviticus 18:24-25; 20:22-24 and in Dt 9:5; 12:29-31. Yahwehs mercy, poured out despite deserving judgment, was seen in Ex. In Joshua 6:1 we read that they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.. 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. Answer The Canaanites were a group of ancient people who lived in the land of Canaan on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The strategic location where the Canaanites were settled carries. . Sex and Eroticism in Mesopotamian Literature. To be the rape victim was so humiliating that no one would ever show respect to that person. This is a sure and certain promise. First it must be understood that the extermination of the Canaanites had nothing to do with race, religion, or land. There were no restrictions on the man.[7]. [12] Manniche, Sexual Life in Ancient Egypt, p. 10001. ). The Canaanites, as a whole culture, committed sins of idolatry, holy temple prostitution, adultery, homosexuality, incest, murder, bestiality, gang rape, and child sacrifice (see The Nature of the Canaanites Sin excursus on page 8). 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. Within moments the entire village is razed. Ezra 9:1-4 ESV / 5 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. 4. 33:6; Ezk. Canaanite Culture Canaanite Culture We know from the Bible and from experience that God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. We see in Christ that even stories like the Israelite conquest of the Canaanites is redeemed. 5. The Canaanites are identified in Genesis as descendants of Ham, son of Noah. 0 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. Posted on 06/27/2020 9:30:48 AM PDT by JAG 5000. In Joshua 6, the narrator presents a wicked city that was being destroyed. Leviticus 18:10 (5) They were having sex with their aunts. The Lord wanted his story to be distributed globally, John A Beck explains, The promised land was the transportation hub between three continents.. [10] Hoffner, Incest, Sodomy and Bestiality in the Ancient Near East, p. 82. God and the Canaanites: A Biblical Perspective were already out of Egypt. The 7 Nations of Canaan - Bible History The Ancient Near East in Pictures: Relating to the Old Testament. The names Canaan and Canaanite occur in cuneiform, Egyptian, and Phoenician writings from about the 15th century bce as well as in the Old Testament. Article Images Copyright , 5 Things to Know about the Canaanites in the Bible. Later Israel did commit the same sins as the Canaanites, and Yahweh took them into exile as judgment, as He said He would. All rights reserved. 0000003183 00000 n These initiates from the midst of a heathen cult. In her sensuous delight she decorated herself with suspended (human) heads while she attached (human) hands to her girdle. 16:21; 20:31; 23:37; Jer. The Canaanites Were Not Salvageable --- They Had Sunk To The Very Bottom On The Immorality Scale: {C} Murdered Their Own Children {Molech}. Where most cultures dehumanize the people they are destroying and make them out to be monsters to justify their slaughter, the narrator does not. No one wants a God or an authority figure who is not angered by evil and does not execute justice. What specifically was considered Canaanite territory? Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the LORD . This was 400 years before the extermination of the Canaanites, meaning He gave them a long time to repent from their idolatry and sins. Wright. Late Carthaginian Child Sacrifice, p. 75. Though there is much to commend in Waltons work, I lean more towards the explanation of Christopher J.H. Why did the Israelites take the Canaanites as slaves instead of destroying them as they were instructed? The basic principles of divine intervention in conflict situations were stated by G.E. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (around 2100 BC) came 600 years before Israel destroyed the Canaanite nation. [4] See W. F. Albright, Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan: A Historical Analysis of Two Contrasting Faiths, p. 145. They were to enter the land of Canaan, wipe out those ten nations, deal with sin in a just way within their own borders, establish a godly nation under Yahweh, and receive His blessings and protection. Wright says it well: On the contrary, the refusal of the exodus generation to go ahead and do it (in the great rebellion of Kadesh Barnea in Numbers 14), and the failureof the following generations to complete the task properly, are condemned as disobedience to Gods will (Ps. Leviticus 18:22, (10) They were giving their children to be murdered in sacrifice to Molech. 103:8). 7:13) and to destroy all the idols (Deut. Anyone who has ever studied the mythology or religions of ancient people knows that their gods were not moral beings, according to anyones standard in the modern world. 1989. 7:1-6 teaches us is how much Yahweh hates sin and thus so should we. Isn't this the same God that listed Thou shalt not kill? in the Ten Commandments?" It is in the death of Yahwehs Son that His mercy and justice are seen together clearly. 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). Enter code SPRINGSTUDY15 to save 15% for life!. 19:22). Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. 3:1-11; Rev. Yahweh did not take pleasure in the extermination of the Canaanites. "However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. 17:7-23; 24:20-25:30). What Does the Bible Say About Canaanites? - OpenBible.info He is replacing all sin and unbelief with passionate worship of Jesus. The Canaanites Were Not Salvageable --- They Had Sunk To The Very Bottom Of The Immorality Scale: Start quote. Temple prostitutes were male and female priests who had dedicated their bodies to the gods and were considered holy priests. Afterwards Anath was satisfied and washed her hands in human gore before proceeding to other occupations. . The LORD had said to Abram, Go from your country, your people and your fathers household to the land I will show you.Genesis 12:1. God told Abraham that the Amorite were a wicked people. Where Do We See the Canaanites in the Bible? 7:3-4; 9:4-5). What Happened to the Canaanites? - Biblical Archaeology Society Why did God condone such terrible violence in the Old Testament? 0000002540 00000 n Who Were the Canaanites, and Why Did God Order Their Destruction. The idolatry and the worship of pagan gods would not seem like a sin to most people other than Jews and Christians. 11:30-40; 2 Kgs. and wielded influence throughout the Mediterranean. Sometimes the Amorites were named in the same way. If He had not created us with His sense of justice, then we would not have a sense that what He was doing was unjust. Used by permission. See Deuteronomy 20:11 and Deuteronomy 20:15 on the offer of peace to be made to the nations living at a distance from the Canaanites. Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan. 16:3; 21:6; 23:10; 2 Chr. [1] See Daniel Hawk. The name Canaanite was also used in a general way to refer to these ten nations. All the other many tribes and cities that were living at a distance from the Canaanites were to be offered an opportunity to make peace. The sin in question is debated, ranging from literal voyeurism, castration or . It includes the sexual promiscuity and perversion particularly associated with fertility cults as well as the callousness of child sacrifice. They wanted land. pastor | 184 views, 5 likes, 4 loves, 12 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Balfour Baptist Church: Sunday Evening service with Pastor Mark. They have little to no political affiliation, they are just simple people hoping to live out their days in their fields, loving their families, and doing honest work. 71-72. But Yahweh is also a merciful God who loves us. Jericho should have served as an example of Yahwehs mercy to the rest of the cities, but, unfortunately, it did not. What is most interesting is that it goes on and states that if a woman has a dream where she embraces her own husband, she is doomed.[12]. 0000001321 00000 n Leviticus 18:6 (2) They were having sex with their mothers. The righteousness of Yahweh and His covenant with the family of Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3; 15) is what led to Tamar leaving her Canaanite culture and joining the family and covenant of Abraham (Gen. 38). the detestable customs that were practiced before you came" Leviticus 18:30. " Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. How did the Nephilim survive the Flood? 1 Joseph put his face against his father's face, wept over him, and kissed him. God uses people as they are. And yet, the Israelites encountered the descendants of the Nephilim, among the Canaanites, when they entered the promised land much later on. It was a difficult place to grow food and get water, a famine-prom land where residences were faced with a variety of ecological hardships, John A. Beck explains in The Basic Bible Atlas, It was also a land that persistently failed military invasion, virtually guaranteeing thatch generation would know the anxiety and disruption caused by war. We do well to let the Bible speak for itself and even allow our questions at times to remain unanswered. The Hebrew word means "to devote something to total destruction." Law and Lawgiver Non-Christians often point to the Old Testament's erem laws to reject Christianity altogether. 17; Amos 1-2). Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual . God is rescuing people from every tribe. That was the very first thought that came to me. El, the father of the gods, was married to Asherah, by whom he had seventy children. 0000005664 00000 n Likewise, the Gibeonites (a Canaanite culture) deceived Joshua into making a treaty with them, which spared them from being exterminated (Josh. Deuteronomy 20:16-18. Why did God command the genocide of the Canaanites? It is the land where the Canaanites dwell that God promises to give to Abraham. The soldiers infiltrate the base of the men, killing each of them, and rescuing the women and children. He is rescuing and redeeming all that is broken and putting in its place peace. 50 20 Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan, p. 21112. The Bible says Noah, was righteous and blameless, but Genesis 6:12 says "all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth." He will rule with truth and justice. SourcesElwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. Make no treaty, and show them no mercy.Deuteronomy 7:1-2. 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? 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. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! They describe their mutilation of people and stacking the peoples heads in a self-glorification of their superiority. He gave it into their hands. It is clear from the narrative that God ordered the Israelites to take the land. All of this must also be put in light of Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection for the sins of all people of all nations (John 3:16-17). Did God order this? The main focus of Deut. Eugene: Cascade Books, 2010. The takeaway point in all this below is that the God of the Bible was totally justified in giving His command to Israel to totally destroy the Canaanites. The Church, on the other hand, has not been called to be a nation with its own government but instead to be a people who are holy and distinct from the world within their nations and governments.