Why Did God Tell Joshua To Kill The Canaanites?

Its a shame the more deeper side ends up drowning people and arguments break out and others get freaked out and run away. I was not looking for a debate or anything on it, it just makes sense to me and seems a logical reason, but the N word (no not that N word, but the other N word,)is now forbidden to mention, so I guess that's that then.
 
Its a shame the more deeper side ends up drowning people and arguments break out and others get freaked out and run away. I was not looking for a debate or anything on it, it just makes sense to me and seems a logical reason, but the N word (no not that N word, but the other N word,)is now forbidden to mention, so I guess that's that then.

Hey my friend......I personally have no problem with discussiong the N word, all I am saying is that you just need top be prepared for the arguments that will come.
 
Nephilim is as good of an explanation as any. XD

P.S. why does it underline the N word? I'm pretty sure I spelled it right, even this site doesn't like people bringing it up o.o
 
Well before it goes too far out there....we have to remember 'pre' and 'post' flood era's. If we take the Bible at it's Word, then any "corrupt" DNA would have to have come from either:

A: Noah's Wife
B: Noah's Daughters in law
C: Noah's wife, sons & daughters

When we talk about DNA unless of course you include Noah; which then you have to debate what 'perfect in his generations' means AND whether or not 'Noah' in the Old Testament refers to husband AND wife in context with 'perfect in his generations' which means the DNA of only Noah's daughter's in law are corrupt only.

BUT since we all come from the same root-AND we know that God created Adam (Adam & Eve) with ALL the DNA, the codes must have been there since the beginning if you look at it 'scientifically' through speculation.

So now you have to explain 'sons of God' and if they are 'angels', giants (Nephilim) or whatever. We know from scripture their are obviously "big people" since we have Goliath of Gath- so where did the DNA come from?

Anyway-what does all that have to do with the state of the Canaanites? Nothing really: we can only infer since they were disobedient wicked sinners they refused to repent so God weeded the garden. It's His garden-YOU tell Him he can't do what He wills with His creation.....I am not going to.....

Gardening reveals so much about the LORD; like having to weed out rouge plants, volunteers (which are perfectly good plants); unwanted good plants from last season, killing of slugs, beetles and grubs, fertilizing, watering, harvesting (caring and loving), etc.....
 
While I personally don't have a problem with discussions regarding Nephilim, due to the historical controversy such discussions seem to cause, I feel compelled as a moderator to insert an additional warning that the discussion cannot continue along those lines. We all have to follow the rules, even me.
 
Well before it goes too far out there....we have to remember 'pre' and 'post' flood era's. If we take the Bible at it's Word, then any "corrupt" DNA would have to have come from either:

A: Noah's Wife
B: Noah's Daughters in law
C: Noah's wife, sons & daughters

When we talk about DNA unless of course you include Noah; which then you have to debate what 'perfect in his generations' means AND whether or not 'Noah' in the Old Testament refers to husband AND wife in context with 'perfect in his generations' which means the DNA of only Noah's daughter's in law are corrupt only.

BUT since we all come from the same root-AND we know that God created Adam (Adam & Eve) with ALL the DNA, the codes must have been there since the beginning if you look at it 'scientifically' through speculation.

So now you have to explain 'sons of God' and if they are 'angels', giants (Nephilim) or whatever. We know from scripture their are obviously "big people" since we have Goliath of Gath- so where did the DNA come from?

Anyway-what does all that have to do with the state of the Canaanites? Nothing really: we can only infer since they were disobedient wicked sinners they refused to repent so God weeded the garden. It's His garden-YOU tell Him he can't do what He wills with His creation.....I am not going to.....

Gardening reveals so much about the LORD; like having to weed out rouge plants, volunteers (which are perfectly good plants); unwanted good plants from last season, killing of slugs, beetles and grubs, fertilizing, wat.
 
Agricola, Please, please....please do not go into an explination of the "Nephilim". We have been there many times and it always closes a thread.
Thank you sir. I was just arguing with myself about explaining that problem once more and my lingering was for that very reason... closing threads is oft required to keep the peace but it was never a thing I enjoyed when I took care of a forum.
 
While I personally don't have a problem with discussions regarding Nephilim, due to the historical controversy such discussions seem to cause, I feel compelled as a moderator to insert an additional warning that the discussion cannot continue along those lines. We all have to follow the rules, even me.

I have no problem in discussing the Nephilim as well, but I know from the past, both here and on other sites, it almost always ends in conflict and arguments. I feel as though there is enough conflict here without looking for more.
But that is just me!
 
How I see it, if you sin you die. If you accept Jesus's way you live.

We are all called to 'die' physically once. It is the second death and eternal separation we follow God (hopefully in love and not fear). To enter 'rest' after our bodies are gone and live eternally in the Spirit.
 
Exo 23:27 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy* all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.
Exo 23:28 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
Exo 23:29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
Wow, that shuts up all discussion on the OP. War was then clearly a last resort.
 
Hi mantiger,

I recently listened to a podcast where Dr. John Dickson addresses this subject. It's part of Ravi Zacharias' "Let My People Think" podcasts, and is called "Violence in the Old Testament," in two parts:

http://www.rzim.org/let-my-people-think-broadcasts/violence-in-the-old-testament-part-1-of-2/
http://www.rzim.org/let-my-people-think-broadcasts/violence-in-the-old-testament-part-2-of-2/

John Dickson tries to understand violence in the OT in a historical context (he has a PhD in Ancient History), and makes the argument that we should be transparent with atheists/non-Christians that we don't have a 100% satisfactory explanation for everything in the OT, but we're still justified in believing in a God of love and justice.

It's a very dense lecture, just a warning. I had to write down his arguments as he went through them so I could keep track of what he's saying. But Dickson has a lot of great insights into this subject, and it's well worth hearing what he has to say. In much of the lecture, he responds directly to arguments from Richard Dawkins/the new atheists.

I hope that's helpful to you.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone, you have told me a lot I didn't know.

I now understand that the Canaanites were doing bad sins. What I don't understand is why God couldn't have persuaded the Canaanites to stop sinning without using violence, after all he is omnipotent. I also don't understand why God wanted the baby Canaanites killed, why didn't he tell Joshua to adopt them?



If God is omnipotent he could have 'purged' the promised land without violence. Why did he chose to use violence?

I accept that we can't understand God's will, but it would be wrong to just blindly obey him. Wouldn't it be more moral for a Christian to disobey God with good intentions than to obey God for selfish reasons such as getting into heaven?

Well, just to throw in my .04 cents.........it would be helpful to remember that the Bible tells us some really good information.

We need to consider someone else in these cases.

1.
The Devil is the prince of this world.

Ephesians 2:2
"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:"

1 Corth. 10:21
"But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sanrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils".

The devil is a real person who administers the cprrupt power of unholy spirits. Satan exerts himself most effectively in the area of unsaved people and the conduct of those men mark them as children of disobedience and in fact follow the leadings of Satan.


2.
War is a fruit of sin.

James 4:1
“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?"

It’s not so much that war is sin, but that war is a consequence of sin, a result of the lust and desires that wage war within us.

James 4:2
“You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.”


3.
War is a tool of God.

There are many unacceptable reasons for war. But there is one time when war is condoned and used by God: wickedness. When calling the Israelites into battle. Moses carefully instructed them:

Deut. 9:4
After the Lord your God has done this for you, don’t say to yourselves, ‘The Lord has given us this land because we are so righteous!’ No, it is because of the wickedness of the other nations that he is doing it.”

God has used warfare as a form of judgment against the enemies of God. In fact, He uses warfare as judgment against his own people when they become enemies of God.

Jeremiah 5:15-17
“O Israel, I will bring a distant nation against you,” says the Lord. “It is a mighty nation, an ancient nation, a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you cannot understand. Their weapons are deadly; their warriors are mighty. They will eat your harvests and your children’s bread, your flocks of sheep and your herds of cattle. Yes, they will eat your grapes and figs. And they will destroy your fortified cities, which you think are so safe.”
 
I was raised a Christian and have always tried to be a good person. I consider Jesus the be the perfect example of how to be good, Jesus would never hurt anyone. However recently an atheist friend told me God was cruel and unloving and used examples from the old testament to prove it. In the old testament God tells Joshua to kill all the Canaanites, including women and children. I have two questions:

1. Why did God tell Joshua to kill the Canaanites, including innocent children who hadn't done anything? Killing children for the actions of their parents is unjust.

2. Why didn't God use his omnipotence to teleport the Canaanites away, or send angels down to demonstrate his power so they would live the way he wanted? Didn't he have the power to do these things or did he chose the most violent solution to his problem?

I hope you can give me some counter arguments to tell my friend, I have been feeling down lately because my faith is very important to me.
Can someone respond to question 2?
 
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