God executed a judgment on a people who were vile to Him. He is the only one who has such a right.
Struggling With Faith (no Catholics)
- Thread starter Mike Flanaganmenstein
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God executed a judgment on a people who were vile to Him. He is the only one who has such a right.
Question: "Why did God command the extermination / genocide of the Canaanites, women and children included?"
Answer: In 1 Samuel 15:2-3, God commanded Saul and the Israelites, “This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'" God ordered similar things when the Israelites were invading the promised land (Deuteronomy 2:34; 3:6; 20:16-18). Why would God have the Israelites exterminate an entire group of people, women and children included?
This is honestly a very difficult issue. We do not fully understand why God would command such a thing, but at the same time we trust God that He is just – and recognize that we are incapable of fully understanding a sovereign, infinite, and eternal God. As we look at difficult issues such as this one, we have to remember that God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9; Romans 11:33-36). We have to be willing to trust God and have faith in Him even when we do not understand His ways.
Unlike us, God knows the future. God knew what the results would be if Israel did not completely eradicate the Amalekites. If Israel did not carry out God’s orders, the Amalekites would come back to “haunt” the Israelites again and again. Saul claimed to have killed everyone but the Amalekite king Agag (1 Samuel 15:20). Obviously Saul was lying…just a couple of decades later there were enough Amalekites to take David and his men’s families captive (1 Samuel 30:1-2). After David and his men attacked the Amalekites and rescued their families, 400 Amalekites escaped. If Saul had fulfilled what God had commanded him, this never would have occurred. Several hundred years later, a descendant of Agag, Haman, tried to have the entire Jewish people exterminated (see the book of Esther). So, Saul’s incomplete obedience almost resulted in Israel’s destruction. God knew this would occur, so He ordered the extermination of the Amalekites ahead of time.
In regard to the Canaanites, God commanded, “However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them — the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites — as the LORD your God has commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). The Israelites failed in this mission as well, and exactly what God said would happen occurred (Judges 2:1-3; 1 Kings 11:5; 14:24; 2 Kings 16:3-4). God did not order the extermination of these people to be cruel, but rather to prevent even greater evil from occurring in the future.
Probably the most difficult part of these commands from God is that God ordered the death of children and infants as well. Why would God order the death of innocent children? (1) Children are not innocent (Psalm 51:5; 58:3). (2) These children would have likely grown up as adherents to the evil religions and practices of their parents. (3) By ending their lives as children, God enabled them to have entrance into Heaven. We strongly believe that all children who die are accepted into Heaven by the grace and mercy of God (2 Samuel 12:22-23; Mark 10:14-15; Matthew 18:2-4).
Again, this answer does not completely deal with all the issues. Our focus should be on trusting God even when we do not understand His ways. We also have to remember that God looks at things from an eternal perspective, and that His ways are higher than our ways. God is just, righteous, holy, loving, merciful, and gracious. How His attributes work together can be a mystery to us – but that does not mean that He is not who the Bible proclaims Him to be.
Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/Canaanites-extermination.html#ixzz36GqQhdU3
Answer: In 1 Samuel 15:2-3, God commanded Saul and the Israelites, “This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'" God ordered similar things when the Israelites were invading the promised land (Deuteronomy 2:34; 3:6; 20:16-18). Why would God have the Israelites exterminate an entire group of people, women and children included?
This is honestly a very difficult issue. We do not fully understand why God would command such a thing, but at the same time we trust God that He is just – and recognize that we are incapable of fully understanding a sovereign, infinite, and eternal God. As we look at difficult issues such as this one, we have to remember that God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9; Romans 11:33-36). We have to be willing to trust God and have faith in Him even when we do not understand His ways.
Unlike us, God knows the future. God knew what the results would be if Israel did not completely eradicate the Amalekites. If Israel did not carry out God’s orders, the Amalekites would come back to “haunt” the Israelites again and again. Saul claimed to have killed everyone but the Amalekite king Agag (1 Samuel 15:20). Obviously Saul was lying…just a couple of decades later there were enough Amalekites to take David and his men’s families captive (1 Samuel 30:1-2). After David and his men attacked the Amalekites and rescued their families, 400 Amalekites escaped. If Saul had fulfilled what God had commanded him, this never would have occurred. Several hundred years later, a descendant of Agag, Haman, tried to have the entire Jewish people exterminated (see the book of Esther). So, Saul’s incomplete obedience almost resulted in Israel’s destruction. God knew this would occur, so He ordered the extermination of the Amalekites ahead of time.
In regard to the Canaanites, God commanded, “However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them — the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites — as the LORD your God has commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). The Israelites failed in this mission as well, and exactly what God said would happen occurred (Judges 2:1-3; 1 Kings 11:5; 14:24; 2 Kings 16:3-4). God did not order the extermination of these people to be cruel, but rather to prevent even greater evil from occurring in the future.
Probably the most difficult part of these commands from God is that God ordered the death of children and infants as well. Why would God order the death of innocent children? (1) Children are not innocent (Psalm 51:5; 58:3). (2) These children would have likely grown up as adherents to the evil religions and practices of their parents. (3) By ending their lives as children, God enabled them to have entrance into Heaven. We strongly believe that all children who die are accepted into Heaven by the grace and mercy of God (2 Samuel 12:22-23; Mark 10:14-15; Matthew 18:2-4).
Again, this answer does not completely deal with all the issues. Our focus should be on trusting God even when we do not understand His ways. We also have to remember that God looks at things from an eternal perspective, and that His ways are higher than our ways. God is just, righteous, holy, loving, merciful, and gracious. How His attributes work together can be a mystery to us – but that does not mean that He is not who the Bible proclaims Him to be.
Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/Canaanites-extermination.html#ixzz36GqQhdU3
How long would you say a person should live, before God is allowed to take their life and send them to heaven?
I don't understand... Why does every religion including Christianity have to have some bad sides?
Christianity isn't really a religion. True Christianity is a personal relationship with almighty God through His Son, Jesus. There is nothing bad about it---only good.
Polly, think about the flood. God destroyed all life. God knew we were so corrupt that we would never turn back to Him. The enemies of Israel hated God and I'm sure God knew they would never change. I believe killing the infants did them a favor.I don't understand... Why does every religion including Christianity have to have some bad sides?
Very good...remembering the judgment of the flood as well as this judgment of the pagan nation of Amalek and others, should help us all understand that God is the just Judge after all, and so final Judgment and the dispatch of Satan, his minions, sin and death as well as all sinners is not inconceivable.
The angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, “I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break my covenant with you. For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their altars. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this? So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.” (Judges 2:1-3 NLT)
And as a result of not obeying ALL of God's commands, Israel had a thorn in their sides. Partial obedience is disobedience.
And as a result of not obeying ALL of God's commands, Israel had a thorn in their sides. Partial obedience is disobedience.
Sounds a lot like Paul's thorn.
Huntingteckel
Inactive
Polly, please research things before blabbing on about them.
Dear Mikey,
Your profile says you are 21 years old and it is just recently you heard about the 10 Plagues of Egypt?
With that, I have the following impression on your post:
a. You have poor (bible) education at the least if not attentive during bible stories of the Exodus, what is the final plague Chapter 11, and the significance of Chapter 12
b. Or you have poor judgment, and you do bible study on your own
c. Or you know the 10 Plagues of Egypt and the road bumps you are referring to are you were influence by atheist/ rationalist what is “justified” reasoning.
d. Am not sure why you say “ye O” you are the one asking for direction. Reminds me of "O ye" : )
e. I wonder if you asked your pastors in the present and in the past, your profile says your raised Lutheran and now standard Evangelical, and I happen to think they will explain it as well in the same context as others have explained.
Exodus 11 New King James Version (NKJV) Death of the Firstborn Announced
Exodus 12 New King James Version (NKJV) The Passover Instituted
Exodus 12 New King James Version (NKJV) The Passover Instituted
b. Or you have poor judgment, and you do bible study on your own
c. Or you know the 10 Plagues of Egypt and the road bumps you are referring to are you were influence by atheist/ rationalist what is “justified” reasoning.
d. Am not sure why you say “ye O” you are the one asking for direction. Reminds me of "O ye" : )
Lost driver: Can I ask you something?
Street bum: O ye, anything, just not math, am not good at math.
Lost driver: O ye!
Street bum: O ye, anything, just not math, am not good at math.
Lost driver: O ye!
Sincerely yours,
I'm still wondering why Catholics are banned from this thread.
Would you want biblical instruction from someone who prays to saints and the Virgin Mary, exalts their images, and calls their priests, "Father"?
good article link. Thank you for it. I agree
To those who would question the morality of God, question: If you were God, what miraculous event or plague would you have brought on Pharaoh and Egypt to make him let your people go? And remember, this thing you do has a multitude of consequences for the future, in teaching your people, showing your power to the other nations which would affect the future years of the nation of Israel. Not to mention being recorded in the annals of the Bible, which would be second guessed by every person who would ever read it.
Btw OP, this poll doesn't apply very well to this thread because you made it sound like an abortion issue or something.
I didn't answer the poll because everyone knows the right answer. It is a disingenuous poll trying to trap us into judging God.
Agreed. The options were leading, and had no real usefulness. One answer could have been, "Only when there is no other option.", or "Yes, when any other course of action would cause a genocide." The killing of all the Hebrews, or at least a majority of them, including their children, was a very real possibility for Pharaoh. Which would you have picked? God mercifully killing a few thousand, or Pharaoh violently killing a million? Let's see that as a poll.
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