Likewise, the Gibeonites (a Canaanite culture) deceived Joshua into making a treaty with them, which spared them from being exterminated (Josh. 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. The reality is that this topic is perhaps one of the most difficult issues in the Bible to understand, justify, and digest. Some statements in the Babylonian magical text (pre-seventh-century BC) say: There was also a form of homosexuality that was far more violent and subjugating than what we know today. When God did give the land over to Israel, he told Israel not to think it was because of their own righteousness. But in order to understand why they lived the way they did, one must understand the gods that the people of the ancient Near East worshiped. 0000001192 00000 n The soldiers infiltrate the base of the men, killing each of them, and rescuing the women and children. 20:16-18). Used by permission. London: Routledge, 1987. The Lord wanted his chosen people to trust him, and the promised land was a land that fostered faith. This idea continues in the book of Judges with the many different foreign nations, including the Canaanites, that Yahweh allowed to oppress Israel for their sins of idolatry and social injustice. In The God I Dont Understand,Christopher J.H. Go back and read the article again. [11], The Egyptian dream book also describes which animals bring good omens when you have a dream about having sex with them. How did the Canaanites have any time or energy for farming or building? Just as fantasies of incest were seen as good omens, so was homosexuality. ", "For all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you" Leviticus 18:27, ". 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. What specifically was considered Canaanite territory? The Canaanites were, in a sense, squatters in a land that did not belong to them. People would go to the temples and have sex with these prostitutes as an act of worship. Some even consider them to be a specific social class (merchants). 3. [4] See W. F. Albright, Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan: A Historical Analysis of Two Contrasting Faiths, p. 145. (Not like modern cultures have done much better dealing out justice through prisons today.). But why did this happen? The blood was so deep that she waded in it up to her knees -- nay, up to her neck. God ordered similar things when the Israelites were invading the promised land (Deuteronomy 2:34; 3:6; 20:16-18). To the south, Canaanite territory stretched to the Negeb desert area, with no clear boundaries. Why did God command the Israelites to completely destroy the Midianites in Numbers 31:17? . " Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. 87; Isa. The name Canaanite was also used in a general way to refer to these ten nations. 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. exemption for fair use of copyrighted works. 32. and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad." Now these were the cursed line of Ham's son Canaan and Canaan's offspring. 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. How to Have Joy in Your Golden Years Despite These 10 Life Garrett Kell explains in an article for TGC, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Even here in the story of the Canaanites, we can see Gods intention to bless the nations through the seed of Abraham. Adultery was forbidden by law but only for a married woman. They were a people who worshipped many gods and had many detestable practices. 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. This is seen in the fact that only the main cities are listed as being defeated in the book of Joshua. the detestable customs that were practiced before you came" Leviticus 18:30. This is unlike any other records of battles from the nations of the ancient world. 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. An oppressor is one who rules others severely. 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. When Israel first entered the land, Yahweh did not immediately send warriors to kill people; rather, he sent two witnesses to give the people in Jericho a chance to repent and escape the judgment (Josh. This implies that Yahweh waits until nations or people have become wicked enough before He judges them. The late archaeologist William Albright describes the Canaanite deity Anath's massacre in the following gory scene. When we are addressing the Canaanites, what group do they belong to? Later Israel did commit the same sins as the Canaanites, and Yahweh took them into exile as judgment, as He said He would. 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. He is replacing all sin and unbelief with passionate worship of Jesus. The Basic Bible Atlas. Shortly after the flood, Noah cursed his grandson, Canaan (it's a long story), the ancestor of the Canaanites. 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. The main focus of Deut. [] Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took from the devoted things; [] and Yahweh's anger was kindled [] against the Israelites[2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven, east of Bethel, and he said to them, "Go up and spy out Ai." Just as Israel was not to judge the sins of the surrounding nations, we are not called to judge the sin of the unbelievers around us. 0000006193 00000 n 7 But the Israelites [] broke faith concerning the devoted things. They describe their conquests in great detail and brag about how they subjugated and destroyed other people groups. Baal, the Canaanite storm god, became the high god by defeating Yamm, the sea god. . The destruction of the children is much harder to understand. These are the people of the land and the ones that it will require Gods strength to conquer. [5] Martti Nissinen, Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspective, trans. What is presumably Canaanite DNA lives on in ME Arab and Jewish populations. They have been abusing them for days and there is no end in sight. Yahwehs mercy, poured out despite deserving judgment, was seen in Ex. [8] Text in brackes is provided because it was missing in the original document. A. Kirk Grayson and Donald Redford, Papyrus and Tablet, p. 152:149. The Canaanites were a group of people who lived in ancient Canaan along the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea known today as Israel. 21:21-35; Josh. When Achan stole from Yahweh after the defeat of Jericho (Josh. The Egyptian Dream book has a section for men that begins with: Remember, the gods themselves were involved in incestuous relationships. Yahweh did not punish Israel (the northern kingdom) until 722 BC with the Assyrians (2 Kgs. 0000050996 00000 n God chose a place hostile to the Lord to give to Abraham and His chosen people as an inheritance. This was 400 years before the extermination of the Canaanites, meaning He gave them a long time to repent from their idolatry and sins. The only problem with this out is that it is not the way the Bible reads. The Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Jebusites, Hivites, Perizzites, and Girgashites. They were not to go out to the other nations but were to live so righteously within their own borders that they would become a better and more blessed nation; in doing so, the people from the other nations would be so attracted to this difference that they would want to leave their old lives behind and join Israel. 0000000696 00000 n During the Exodus and wilderness period, they also serve as a threat to the religious purity of the Israelites. The main point is that Yahweh loves humanity so deeply that despite His need to execute justice, He is looking for every excuse to forgive us. These initiates from the midst of a heathen cult. 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. Their polytheism and godless living held out a temptation to the devotion to the God of Israel. He is ending all sin and unbelief (even in our own hearts) and he is ultimately doing it through the self-sacrifice of His Son. 50 0 obj <> endobj Prichard, James B. God uses people as they are. . 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? 7 all state the Canaanites will be in the kingdom of Yahweh), so that they might escape this judgment shows the love and mercy of Yahweh. From time to time it subverted the essential monotheism of the Israelites after they occupied Canaan, the Promised Land of the Old Testament. El told him to go ahead and have sex with her in order to humiliate her, which Baal did. 12:24-29; Mark 3:22-27; Luke 11:15-22), so we through the Holy Spirit fight the demonic forces through prayer (which is our spiritual weapon), resisting the evil ideas of the demonic forces (James 4:7), and taking every thought captive (Rom. Asherah or Ishtar, also known as the Queen of Heaven, was a female fertility goddess who was worshiped through sexual acts, including orgies. When we wrestle with stories like this, we must come to the conclusion that the judge of the earth will do what is right. 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. Gods original blessing on the whole human race would be especially fulfilled in the lives of Abram and his offspring, the NIV Study Bible explains.
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