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The Slaughter of the Canaanites
How is this justified in the Bible?
If the answer to this question is for an unbeliever, then
none of the following will be adequate. It is only the believer, who understands
and accepts God's character and plan, who has the capacity to understand
the various ways and occasions that God has administered His justice.
1. Principle of Divine Sovereignty. God is the absolute
authority in the universe. His viewpoint and policy has final jurisdiction
over the entire universe. Psalm 103:19; 115:3; 135:6; 1 Chronicles 29:11-13;
1 Samuel 2:6-8; Daniel 4:35; Isaiah 14:24, 27
A. Included in this principle is God's authority over
life and death. 1 Samuel 2:6, "The LORD kills and makes alive; He
brings down to Sheol and raises up."
B. God is the creator, so "all souls are mine,"
Ezekiel 18:4.
C. Thus God has the right to determine the basis for life
and death, "The soul that sins shall die," (Ezekiel 18:4).
D. God's thoughts are not like man's and man's thoughts
are not like God's (Isaiah 55:8-9). Thus, there is
a difference between divine viewpoint and human viewpoint.
Human viewpoint is flawed, whereas, God's viewpoint
is perfect, because it always reflects His perfect
character.
E. The creature (created being) has no authority to question
God's viewpoint or actions. Isaiah 45:8-9, "Woe to {the one} who quarrels with his Maker - An earthenware vessel among the
vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, 'What
are you doing?' Or the thing you are making {say,}
'He has no hands'? Woe to him who says to a father,
'What are you begetting?' Or to a woman, 'To what
are you giving birth?'"
2. Principle of general wrath: Romans 1:18, "For
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness
of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness."
God is continually judging unbelievers as individuals
and as societies because of consistent sinfulness.
A. Sometimes God uses His own direct power as at Sodom.
B. Sometimes God uses His people to judge as with the Canaanites.
C. Look at the reasons why God would judge these various peoples throughout history.
Rom. 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
Rom. 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image
in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and
crawling creatures.
Rom. 1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to
impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them.
Rom. 1:25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped
and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.
Amen.
Rom. 1:26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for
their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,
Rom. 1:27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function
of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men
committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty
of their error.
Rom. 1:28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer,
God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not
proper,
Rom. 1:29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil;
full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; {they are} gossips,
Rom. 1:30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors
of evil, disobedient to parents,
Rom. 1:31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;
Rom. 1:32 and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who
practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but
also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
3. Principle of God's patience and kindness:
A. 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slow about His promise,
as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,
not wishing for any to perish but for all to come
to repentance."
B. Romans 2:4, "Or do you think lightly of the riches
of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not
knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?"
C. Grace always precedes judgment. The people of Canaan
had plenty of opportunity to turn to God.
1. Abraham lived in the land for a long time.
2. Melchizedek lived in the land as a family priest (Genesis
15:17-20).
3. They had the same opportunity of "God consciousness"
as anyone else.
See Topic: God
Consciousness.
4. Those who were in fact positive to God's message of
salvation THROUGH Israel, were spared. Joshua 2:8-21
5. Application of Point 2 above: Romans 1:20, "so
that they are without excuse."
4. God's foreknowledge:
A. God knew that the iniquity of the Hitites and Amorites
would become full. Accordingly He gave their land
to Abraham's seed.
B. At the time of the promise (Genesis 15:6) God did not
give the land because - (1) Abe was not ready as a
"nation," and (2) because the iniquity of
the Amorites was not yet full.
C. The principle of losing the land is found at Lev. 18:24-29.
Lev. 18:24 'Do not defile yourselves by any of these things;
for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become
defiled.
Lev. 18:25 'For the land has become defiled, therefore I have visited its
punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants.
Lev. 18:26 'But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments,
and shall not do any of these abominations, {neither} the native, nor the
alien who sojourns among you
Lev. 18:27 (for the men of the land who have been before you have done
all these abominations, and the land has become defiled);
Lev. 18:28 so that the land may not spew you out, should you defile it,
as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you.
Lev. 18:29 'For whoever does any of these abominations, those persons who
do {so} shall be cut off from among their people.
5. The iniquity of the Amorites becomes full during
the
Joshua generation (called that because he was the leader).
A. Leviticus 18:1-30, this describes the severity of their
idolatry and immorality. Everything from homosexuality to child sacrifice.
B. Thus the instructions at Deut. 20:16-18, "Only
in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your
God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not
leave alive anything that breathes.
But you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittite and the
Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and
the Jebusite, as the LORD your God has commanded you,
in order that they may not teach you to do according
to all their detestable things which they have done
for their gods, so that you would sin against the
LORD your God."
C. Joshua 1:4, all the land of the Hittites.
6. Principle of mercy IN judgment. The death of the children
is mercy from God.
A. Mercy to deliver them from a life of almost certain
moral depravity (Leviticus 18:1-30).
B. Mercy because children who die before the age of
accountability, are automatically saved and shall not come
into judgment (principle found at 2 Samuel 12:18-23).
C. See Topic: Age
of Accountability
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