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Romans 15:4-For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
When I first started doing these daily devotionals, I had a few goals in mind. One was to make them as concise as I could (I’m a work in progress, please bear with me on this).
Another was to follow the example of the Apostle Paul in his writings. When you study his Epistles, you learn that Paul would often spend the first part of his Letters making doctrinal points, and then would use the rest of those Books to make application of that doctrine for the Christian life in some tangible practical way. I have tried to do that in these devotionals, and will continue to make that attempt.
With that in mind, let me share with you some ways that our studies on this series of God and genocide can be put to good use in our faith and lives as Christians.
The first is this: it is okay for people raise their doubts and objections to God and the Bible. The subject of the Canaanites is a hard one, and it was one that I used to struggle with a lot more when I was younger. In fact, it was mainly due to the subject of the Canaanites and the command of God for the Jews to “utterly destroy” them that I almost lost my faith in the goodness of God. Fortunately, God has always given the invitation to reason with Him.
Isaiah 1:18-Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
God is big enough for our doubts and questions. It’s okay for you to have questions, and for non-Christians to have them also. Make sure that when you study with your friends, you allow them to express those questions and doubts. Truth is like a diamond: the harder you rub it, the brighter it will shine.
Second: it is okay not to have an answer right away. It is okay to struggle and say, “God, I don’t understand.” I was (and am) persuaded of the goodness of God for one main reason: His incredible gift of His Son to pay for our sins. If God were evil and malevolent, then He could never go through the mockery, shame, and torture of Calvary by those who hated Him.
Romans 5:8-But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Galatians 2:20-I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Viewing everything through Jesus allows me to keep trusting in the goodness of God, even when I don’t fully understand everything. As an example, when I struggled with the goodness of God and the Canaanite situation, I clearly remember a day when I prayed this prayer to Him.
Lord, I know that You are good and that You do good. Jesus shows me that. But there is a lot about these “utterly destroy” verses that doesn’t sound morally good at all. I know I am missing something. Please help me to find the answers someday if it is Your will. Amen.
It was nearly twenty years before that prayer was answered and I began to learn some of the answers that I have shared with you recently in the last few devotionals. Sometimes the hard part about faith is trusting in God and His goodness, even if we can’t fully understand the “why” of some troubling question at the present moment. It is about continuing to trust in Him until the answers come.
Also, it helps to remember that God and the Bible have always eventually been vindicated against attacks. Sometimes an argument against God and the Bible can be made that sounds so airtight, and then when studied out, it falls completely apart. It reminds me of what Proverbs tells us:
Proverbs 18:17 (NLT)-The first to speak in court sounds right—until the cross-examination begins.
Third: it is with this final point especially that I hope to make an impression upon your consideration. The Canaanite situation teaches us much about the goodness of God.
You see, I didn’t go into detail about the horrendous actions of the Canaanites (including ritualistic child rape and murder to fallen angels and demons pretending to be gods). Despite these horrible acts, God gave the Canaanites lots of time to repent. He was willing to forgiven even the most heinous sins and sinners if there was repentance. The example of Rahab is a powerful reminder of this, and it is no coincidence that she shows up at the beginning of the Conquest!
“Notice the tension. This passage speaks of total destruction and showing no mercy, but then proceeds to instruct the Israelites regarding garding treaties and intermarriage. But if no Canaanites are going to be around anymore, then why even bother including this? Or think of Rahab the Canaanite. If strict obedience meant showing no mercy to anyone or anything, then why is the first Canaanite person we encounter allowed to convert to Yahweh,25 spared from destruction, and shown mercy? It is no accident that her story shows up at the beginning of the conquest narrative in Joshua.” (Sean McDowell, Jonathan Morrow, Is God Just a Human Invention? And Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists, 180 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications)
In fact, the Bible is filled with references of Canaanites who turned to the Lord and were welcomed as God’s people!
“Even the hostile Amalekites were descendants of Abraham (Gen. 36: 12). Early on, the patriarchs had friendly relations with them, and along the way they were readily included within the life of Israel: Caleb the Kenizzite (Num. 32: 11–12) Rahab the Canaanite (Josh. 2: 1–11) Canaanite “strangers”—not ethnic Israelites—in the region of Shechem who had “joined themselves to Yahweh” 15 in a covenant-renewal ceremony for Israelites (Josh. 8: 33–35) Moses’s father-in-law the Kenite (Judg. 1: 16) the Amorites with whom Israel was at peace under Samuel’s ministry (1 Sam. 7: 14) Ahimelech the Hittite (1 Sam. 26: 6) and Uriah the Hittite (2 Sam. 11: 3; 23: 39) an Amalekite—“ the son of an alien [ger]” in the “camp of Israel” (2 Sam. 1: 3, 13) Araunah the Jebusite (2 Sam. 24: 16–18) Kenite scribes in Israel (1 Chron. 2: 55) Ishmaiah the Gibeonite (1 Chron. 12: 4; cf. Neh. 3: 7) the Maacathites, a lesser-known Canaanite tribe that Joshua attempted to drive out (Josh. 13: 13); they were later represented in the list of David’s mighty men (2 Sam. 23: 34), and one appeared as a commander in Judah, “Jezaniah son of the Maacathite” (Jer. 40: 8) “Obed-Edom the Gittite” (i.e., someone from Gath in Philistia), whom God blessed because the ark of the covenant remained at his home (2 Sam. 6: 10–11) 16 When it comes to the Canaanites, certain facts are quite telling: Rahab’s rescue and incorporation into Israel (Josh. 6) The presence of the Canaanites (“ strangers” from Shechem) at a covenant-renewal ceremony (Josh. 8) The treaty with the Gibeonites (Josh. 9) No Canaanite cities even attempted to make peace with Israel (Josh. 11) For the first two, we have no indication of divine disapproval. 17 For the third, we have every reason to think that if the Gibeonites had approached Israel with directness rather than trickery, they would have come to find the same acceptance as Rahab and the strangers from Shechem. This is implied by the fourth observation: no other Canaanites bothered to try making peace with Israel (Josh. 11: 19). God is willing to welcome the Canaanites as neighbors.” (Paul Copan, Is God a Vindictive Bully?: Reconciling Portrayals of God in the Old and New Testaments, 192 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic)
If the unrepentant Canaanites had had their way, then the Israelites would have been wiped out….and without them, the promised Messiah through whom all nations may be saved, would never have been born.
Jesus is the prism through which we must see and judge everything in Scripture.
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your goodness. Thank You for Your work in the world before Your arrival, and for Your work in the world even today. Lord, we believe in You: help us with our unbelief. Help us to reach out to our friends and neighbors with the Good News of Your Gospel. In Your Name we pray, Amen.