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Also See
Joshua's Conquest: Did It Happen?
Good reasons for us to accept as historical fact the Biblical account of the
Israelites' conquest of the land of Canaan under Joshua.
Natural Disasters
Thou Shalt Not Kill: Does God Violate His Own Commandment?
Why is it moral for God to kill innocent human beings when it is immoral for us?
Why Did God Allow The Killing Of All the First Born of Egypt?
Also See The Sons Of Aaron
As a result of a series of affronts to the holiness of their God the two oldest sons, Nadab and Abihu were struck dead. The two younger brothers, Eleazar and Ithamar (and very likely Aaron as well) deliberately set aside God's will ... and yet they were not struck down. Indeed, they were not even declared guilty. Further, God blessed their lives and their descendants. Why?
ON THIS PAGE
Emphasis Mine In Bible Verses
The Holiness and Righteousness of God
The Counter Arguments
(Egypt, Sodom and Gomorrah, And Canaan
Canaan - What Did The Patriarchs Know?
The Lord's Forbearance
The Problem With The Canaanites
1.) Their Rampant Immorality and Brutality
2.) Christ's Lineage Had To Be Protected
3.) Who or What the Canaanites Were
Summary And Conclusion
The Biblical Imprecations
(or appeal to a supernatural power to inflict evil on a single person or group)
The Holiness and Righteousness of God
The Scriptures declare that God is morally perfect, holy, just, righteous, and good. For example, the Seraphim that Isaiah saw standing above the Lord who was sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple called out to one another saying
"Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of armies. The whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6:3 NASB)
(The word "holy" was repeated thrice probably to emphasize His holiness to the highest possible degree).
Several of the Psalms emphasize His righteousness and holiness.
Yet You are holy, You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You rescued them. To You they cried out and they fled to safety; In You they trusted and were not disappointed. (Psalms 22:3-5 NASB)
Your way, God, is holy; What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples. (Psalms 77:13-14 NASB)
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before You. (Psalms 89:14 NASB)
(Note that Psalm 89 also says "If they violate My statutes And do not keep My commandments, Then I will punish their wrongdoing with the rod, And their guilt with afflictions. (Vs. 31-32 NASB)
Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His mercy is everlasting. (Psalms 106:1 NASB)
This is expressed all the way through the last book of the Bible,
And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, "Holy, Holy, Holy Is The Lord God, The Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” (Revelation 4:8 NASB)
Who will not fear You, Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For All the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed.” (Revelation 15:4 NASB)
However, critics of the Bible, pointing to events in the Bible such as the killing of the Egyptian firstborn and Joshua's conquest of Canaan, claim that God is far from kind and merciful as the Bible tells us He is, but is unjust vengeful, and unmerciful.
The Counter Arguments
Egypt
When on God's command Moses journeyed to Egypt to free the Israelites from slavery the Bible clearly says God hardened Pharaoh's heart (Note that it also tells us that Pharaoh hardened his own heart) which eventually led to the death of every first born of Egypt. More about this in a separate article HERE
Sodom and Gomorrah
In the book of Genesis Sodom and Gomorrah were portrayed as two cities so corrupt that God destroyed them with fire and brimstone (sulfur).
As made obvious from the following verses their sin was not only homosexuality but their willingness to indulge in homosexual gang rape. Two angels in the guise of men visited Lot and were persuaded to stay the night...
Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; and they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them." (Genesis 19:4-5 NASB)
In fact, they were so depraved that even after the angels struck the men at the doorway with blindness they wearied themselves trying to find their way into the house (V. 11).
What should stand out is that not even 10 righteous men were found in the entire city. We know this because when Abraham bargained with God for their lives God agreed to spare the cities if 50 righteous people could be found in it. He eventually said He would not destroy the city if even 10 righteous people lived there.
Similarly,
The Canaanites
It is also argued that God authorizing the Israelites under Joshua to conquer the people of the land and kill not only the men, but women and children as well, was a deeply immoral act therefore He cannot by any stretch of imagination called "good".
There were however, different instructions Deuteronomy 20 regarding different people and cities ie. those that were "outside the region inhabited by the Canaanites and other condemned peoples, but within the land designated as belonging to Israel". [01]
When you approach a city to fight against it, you shall offer it terms of peace. "And if it agrees to make peace with you and opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall become your forced labor and serve you. "However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. "When the LORD your God gives it into your hand, you shall strike all the men in it with the edge of the sword. "However, the women, the children, the animals, and everything that is in the city, all of its spoils, you shall take as plunder for yourself; and you shall use the spoils of your enemies which the LORD your God has given you. (Deuteronomy 20:10-14 NASB)
However, these instructions did not apply to the upcoming conquest of Canaan. The nation of Israel was not only prohibited from offering peace to the seven nations (D euteronomy 7:1)who inhabited the land of Canaan but were to destroy everything. In other words, this was judgment not just conquest.
Only in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave anything that breathes alive. (Deuteronomy 20:16 NASB)
When the LORD your God brings you into the land where you are entering to take possession of it, and He drives away many nations from before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, and when the LORD your God turns them over to you and you defeat them, you shall utterly destroy them.
You shall not make a covenant with them nor be gracious to them. "Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them: you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. "For they will turn your sons away from following Me, and they will serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you. (Deuteronomy 7:1-4 NASB)
Why The Distinction?
The distinction drawn between the cities of the Canaanites and the outlying cities of the land tells us that the indigenous peoples were too far gone to be shown any mercy. The others were not deemed similarly degenerate.
Note that although the Edomires did not allow the Israelites to pass through their territory and they had to take another route (Numbers 20:14-21), they were neither invaded nor exterminated. The reason being that the Edomites were descendants of Jacob's brother Esau) brothers (Numbers 20:14) and were considered 'brothers'. On the other hand when Sihon, the king of the Amorites, refused to grant the Israelites safe passage, they met a terrible fate,
Then Sihon came out with all his people to meet us in battle at Jahaz. "And the LORD our God turned him over to us, and we defeated him with his sons and all his people. "So we captured all his cities at that time and utterly destroyed the men, women, and children of every city. We left no survivor. (Deuteronomy 2:32-34 NASB)
Validation
The only way the Israelites knew they were doing exactly what God intended them to do was because, as seen in the fall of Jericho in Joshua 6:1-16 ( Israel's first military engagement in the conquest of Canaan), His word was dramatically and miraculously authenticated by signs and wonders - never seen since.
And Joshua did as instructed.
They utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword. (Joshua 6:21 NASB)
There are two points to be noted here
1.) These instructions "did not give the Israelites carte blanche to do whatever they wished. The rules restrained the greed and lust typically exhibited by victors in ancient warfare (and in far too much modern warfare as well) in ways that were far ahead of their time".
2.) Even in Canaan there were exceptions. When Joshua sent to spies to Canaan to see what they would be up against they were received by Rahab who lived in Jericho and in whose house they rested. However when the king of Jericho found out he commanded Rahab to turn them over. Rahab however hid the spies telling the messengers that the men had already left in the night. In return Joshua's two spies promised Rahab that she and her whole family would be spared when the Israelites destroyed Jericho - a promise Joshua honored
Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent. (Joshua 6:17 BSB)
Meanwhile, Joshua told the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who are with her, just as you promised her.” So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel. (Joshua 6:22-23 BSB)
Although at least superficially these events appears to portray God is an exceedingly bad light there are several factors to be taken in consideration in order to judge whether or not this criticism is well founded.
The Patriarchs Knew Something
Scripture makes it very clear that at least two of the patriarchs knew there was something very wrong with the Canaanites. When it came time for to find wives for their sons both Abraham and Isaac very specifically specified that no wife would be chosen from the Canaanite women. Abraham made his servant swear that he would not pick a wife for Isaac from among the Canaanites and in turn, Isaac instructed his son Jacob not to choose a wife from the daughters of Canaan.
Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, "Please place your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac." (Genesis 24:2-4 NASB)
So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged him, and said to him, "You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. "Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father; and from there take to yourself a wife from the daughters of Laban your mother's brother. (Genesis 28:1-2 NASB)
The Lord's Forbearance
Besides which, the Lord was very patient with these grossly immoral pagan tribes for a very long time.
When Abraham first came into the land of Canaan God told him that because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet complete he (Abraham) would not, the fourth generation of his descendants would return to Canaan. In other words, God would eventually reach a point where He had had it up to here.
You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” (Genesis 15:15-16 BSB)
There are two very important factors to be borne in mind regarding God's supposedly harsh treatment of people like the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah and the Canaanites,
1) God did not wipe out anyone that happened to be in Israel's path to becoming a independent nation. His supposedly harsh treatment of other kingdoms was unfailingly linked to His judgment of their sins.
2) The Old Testament commands were issued to the leaders of a young nation in a very particular situation. For example, the command to destroy Canaan was to be a one time occurrence and did not give the Israelites license to remove just anyone that stood in their way.
In many instances (unless divine judgment was being exercised) the Old Testament encouraged service to one's enemies and forbade hatred, vengeance, etc
If you encounter your enemy's stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you fallen under its load, do not leave it there; you must help him with it. You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits. Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty. (Exodus 23:4-7 BSB)
You must not harbor hatred against your brother in your heart. Directly rebuke your neighbor, so that you will not incur guilt on account of him. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:17-18 BSB)
Do not say, "I will avenge this evil!” Wait on the LORD, and He will save you. (Proverbs 20:22 BSB)
Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles, (Proverbs 24:17 BSB)
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21-22 BSB)
The Problem With The Canaanites
So what was so wrong with the Canaanites that the forefathers shunned them and they were later to be completely exterminated?
The Three Factors
1.) Their Rampant Immorality and Brutality
2.) Christ's Lineage Had To Be Protected
3.) Who or What the Canaanites Were
Factor 1 - The Rampant Immorality and Brutality
The evidence shows that the Canaanites were extremely debased and degraded.
Rampant Immorality...
Some aspects of the Old Testament descriptions of Canaanite culture, including its religion, have been verified. The following is an excerpt from Old Testament Events and the Goodness of God By Wayne Jackson | Christian Courier. (Emphasis Added)
Archaeological discoveries, such as those at Ugarit, have revealed the corruptness of the Canaanite nations. For example, in the Canaanite religion El was the chief god and Baal was his son. These were "gods" who had absolutely no concept of morality.
In a poem known as "The Birth of the Gods," El is said to have seduced two women, and horrible sexual perversions are associated with his name. He married three of his own sisters — who also were married to Baal. He is represented as practicing vile sex acts and influencing others to do likewise. It is little wonder that the evidence indicates that the Canaanites followed their gods in such abominations.
In the Canaanite religion, homosexuals and prostitutes were employed to raise money for the support of the temples. It is not an exaggeration to say that these pagans elevated sex to the status of a god [that sounds rather modern, doesn't it?]. Many scholars believe that there are hints of this sordid background in such Old Testament passages as Deuteronomy 23:18-19 — where a prohibition is given against bringing the "hire of a harlot, or the wages of a dog (a male prostitute; see Harris, et al., 1980, 1:439) into the house of Jehovah." [02]
... And Brutality
The Canaanite religion was a horribly brutal system as well. For instance, the goddess Anath is pictured as killing humans by the thousands and wading knee-deep in blood. She cut off heads and hands and wore them as ornaments. And in all of this gruesomeness, the Baal-epic says that her liver was swollen with laughter and her joy was great. In this connection it also must be mentioned that the morally depraved Canaanites also sacrificed their own babies to their gods.
Funerary jars have been found with the bodies of young children distorted by suffocation as they struggled for life after having been buried alive as a sacrifice to Canaanite gods. Such young children have been found in the foundation pillars of Canaanite houses, and sometimes religious ceremonies were associated with their sacrifice (Wilson, 1973, p. 85). [03]
As Robert M. Bowman, Jr. wrote in his article Joshua’s Conquest: Was It Justified?
...evidence is trickling in that supports the Old Testament claim that the indigenous peoples of the region were engaged in the practice of child sacrifice. In 1978 an Egyptologist reported that relief pictures on an Egyptian temple showed Canaanite children being sacrificed while their cities were under attack. That the Phoenicians, who at one time controlled Canaan, sacrificed children to their gods is well documented.
"Archaeologists have recovered the gruesome evidence not only at the great Phoenician city of Carthage (in modern Tunisia), but also in Sicily, Sardonia, and Cyprus" (King and Stager, 361).5 The evidence is not yet a "smoking gun" but is consistent and indirectly supportive of the biblical picture. [04]
To be particularly noted is that Moses was very clear that God drove out the pagans not because the Israelites were so righteous that they deserved the land, but because the Canaanites who lived there were so corrupt. In fact, Moses referred to the Israelites as a "stiff necked people" who had nothing to brag about regarding their own virtue (this was brought up many times in the Old Testament).
Do not say in your heart when the Lord your God has driven them out before you, 'Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,' but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you. (Deuteronomy 9:4 NASB)
Virtually everyone in history right up to the present time rightly regard What the Canaanites and some other tribes did as unspeakably, grossly immoral. However, the question still arises as whether we may justifiably conquer its land and annihilate the inhabitants of even a nation as terribly evil as this one was.
Ie. is genocide ever defensible?
It is not.
The Old Testament does not teach that even if a nation is wicked enough there is any the moral justification to go wipe out the entire population. It does however teach that
"it was necessary to completely wipe out certain indigenous peoples in order to stop the cycle of perversity from repeating generation after generation, in order to protect Israel from succumbing itself to the madness (an apparently accurate description of Canaanite culture). This drastic measure was necessary to create a nation that retained at least some knowledge and worship of the true God alone and some recognition (however limited) of his moral standards." [05] (Return To The Three Factors)
Factor 2 - Israel’s Morality (ie. Christ’s Lineage) Had To Be Protected
When they invaded Canaan, the Hebrews were not to allow their enemies to live ...
For you must devote them to complete destruction — the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites - as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 20:17-18 BSB)
This was tremendously important simply because as the chosen people the Jews played an enormous role in God's plan of redemption. They were not only the medium through which God communicated His laws and His messages but the salvation and future of mankind rested on the shoulders of this tiny nation that God had chosen to birth the Messiah. They were the conduit for His blessing and grace to spread over the earth - a bright light in the middle of a dark world filled with pagan beliefs and idolatrous practices.
If the nation was to fulfill its ordained role it was necessary that they stay faithful to Yahweh. Had the Israelites embraced the strange gods of the nations around them they would have seriously jeopardized God's plan for the Messiah to be born one of them. Because the stakes were astronomical it was imperative that Israel remain faithful to the one true God in every respect - something that only separation from the surrounding nations would ensure.
The Salvation Of Mankind Was At Stake.
Tragically Israel did not entirely escape the influence that some of these pagan nations and engaged in some of the Canaanites’ most heinous activities. As also said by Robert M. Bowman,
Although the Israelites under Joshua gained a measure of dominant control over much of the land of Canaan, they did not eliminate the peoples of Canaan completely and did not cleanse the land thoroughly of the corrupt religious and social practices of the Canaanites. Throughout the periods of the judges, the united monarchy, and the divided monarchy, Baal worship in particular continued to be a problem. One can only imagine how much more difficult it would have been to maintain with integrity any religion of the worship of Yahweh had the Israelites not been as aggressive as they were under Joshua. Elijah’s infamously overstated lament that all Israel had abandoned the worship of Yahweh for Baal illustrates just how close Israel came at times to doing just that. [06]
At least two of the kings of Israel sacrificed their own children
Instead, he (Ahaz) walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. (2 Kings 16:3 BSB)
He (Manasseh) sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger. (2 Kings 21:6 BSB)
And the commoner did as well. Isaiah wrote that the Lord condemned Israel for sacrificing children to their idols
But come here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes! Whom are you mocking? At whom do you snarl and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, offspring of deceit, who burn with lust among the oaks, under every luxuriant tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks? (Isaiah 57:3-5 BSB)
Jeremiah accused the Jews in Jerusalem of setting up idols in the temple and sacrificing their children in a nearby valley
For the people of Judah have done evil in My sight, declares the LORD. They have set up their abominations in the house that bears My Name, and so have defiled it. They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom so they could burn their sons and daughters in the fire - something I never commanded, nor did it even enter My mind. So behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when this place will no longer be called Topheth and the Valley of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. For they will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. (Jeremiah 7:30-32 BSB. Also See Jeremiah 19:5-6 )
They have built the high places of Baal in the Valley of Hinnom to make their sons and daughters pass through the fire to Molech - something I never commanded them, nor had it ever entered My mind, that they should commit such an abomination and cause Judah to sin. (Jeremiah 32:35 BSB)
Ezekiel also recorded the fact that the Israelites sacrificed their children and committed adultery
... They have committed adultery with their idols. They have even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to Me, in the fire as food for their idols. They have also done this to Me: On that very same day, they defiled My sanctuary and profaned My Sabbaths. On the very day they slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My sanctuary to profane it. Yes, they did this inside My house. (Ezekiel 23:37-39 BSB)
Although they were the keepers of God's laws they were not exempt from His justice. Although the prophets warned them over and over again of the consequences of adopting the ways of the heathen they went ahead anyway and paid a very high price. Individuals suffered quick and ruthless retribution for disobedience.
The Valley of Benhinnom. In What And Where is Hell? Part III - Gehenna
(Particularly scroll down to Gehenna In The New Testament
Gehenna (Ge-Hinnom), a valley outside Jerusalem was called "the valley of Benhinnom" in the Old Testament.
Once again, a proper name was translated into... you guessed it - Hell! And, by the way, no one ever mentioned, much less warned the Gentiles about Gehenna. Never! Not Once! Thus if Gehenna really was a place of eternal torment the Gentiles were hopelessly short changed. So why was Gehenna only spoken of only to the Jews? (Incidentally, the perpetually burning fires of Gehenna are also a myth).
Why The Children Were Also Exterminated
- A question that any right thinking person is sure to ask.
Although the Scriptures do not specify that children were also put to death, it is implied in several sections of the Old Testament. For example, Joshua 10:29-40 mentions there were no survivors in various cities in Southern Canaan that he and the Israeli army conquered. It was no different in Northern Canaan (Joshua 11:10-15)
Regarding the fall of Jericho the book of Joshua says,
They utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword. (Joshua 6:21 NASB)
which as Robert Bowman writes
"may imply the killing of the babies, depending on how "young and old" is interpreted. So, it does seem that Israel killed young Canaanite children in these battles, though little or no attention is given to that aspect, assuming that is the correct understanding of the above passages." [07]
I have read several reasons put forth by Christian apologists as to why the children were not allowed to live as well. For example,
First, in a world where there is to be freedom of choice, one must be allowed to suffer the consequences of wrong-choice making, even when he is not a party to such choices. Making bad decisions not only affects us, but affects those around us as well. We fall heir to the consequences of evil in others as a part of the price that we pay for our own freedom! So, children often are victims who suffer because of the evil in their parents.
Second, however, the question raised above represents a real problem only if it is viewed in terms of the present. If one sees the matter in terms of eternity, the situation becomes altogether different. Would it not have been infinitely worse, in view of eternity, had these children grown to maturity and adopted the same pagan practices as their parents? Even this consideration, though, must be seen in the light of the principles mentioned above, i.e., with respect to the coming of Christ and God's temporal judgment upon sin. [08]
However, this is not the reason the children were also not allowed to live. (Return To The Three Factors)
Factor 3 - Who or What Were The Canaanites?
Hint: Not Exactly Who or What We Think
The Bible tells us that
The Nephilim (nephil) were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them: the same were the mighty (gibbôr) men that were of old (ôlâm), the men of renown (shęm). (Genesis 6:4. All Emphasis Added)
Note: Nephilim was transliterated from the Hebrew nephil but, because of some uncertainty in the exact meaning of the Hebrew word, many Bible versions now leave the original word untranslated.
Although the Bible never specifically says they were the progeny of the unnatural union of angels and the daughters of men that produced hybrid superhuman offspring, a new race of beings that were neither human nor angelic - The Nephilim. In fact, there is much support (both Biblical and non Biblical) that points to this being the case. (See Article The Days of Noah linked just below)
Numerous myths and legends of many major cultures speak of the gods impregnating human women. The resulting half-god, half-man offspring were called demigods and often themselves became legendary figures. These hybrids were said to be stronger, braver, and quicker than other mortals, accomplishing superhuman feats only possible because of their divine parent.
The Nephilim were giants and giants occupied Canaan
And there we saw the Nephilim (nephil), the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim (nephil): and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. (Numbers 13:33)
There is much more to this topic. See The Days Of Noah - Part II
It may make sense to begin in Part I
Summary And Conclusion
In brief,
The Egyptians were given several opportunities to do the right thing in spite of the fact that they murdered who knows how many Israeli children.
The Canaanites had several decades years to change their ways.
The Ninevites infamous for their cruelty were warned that God would destroy them in 40 days unless they repented and cleaned up their act.
Note: They did temporarily repent and were spared but soon returned to their previous atrocities, which is when they were destroyed. The empire's utter ruin was foretold by the prophet Nahum. See 1:14; 3:19, etc.
And, as said earlier - the Jews themselves, keepers of God's laws, were not exempt from His justice. Although the prophets warned them over and over again of the consequences of adopting the ways of the heathen they went ahead anyway and paid a very high price. Individuals suffered quick and ruthless retribution for disobedience.
In other words, the impatient, vengeful, and quick to fly off the handle God of the old Testament is a figment of people's imagination. Nevertheless this is an IMMENSELY IMPORTANT warning to us. The depravity of modern society has not yet reached its peak.
When our iniquity is full to the brim (and it certainly seems to be getting there very, very quickly), God will strike this world just as surely as He did the Canaanites.
The End of The Age
The litany of man's greed, stupidity and inhumanity to his fellow man is a never ending one. In fact, it gets worse every day - the iniquity of the Gentiles is almost full. And, the moment it is, he will make a very swift and very terrifying end of this world. As Peter wrote,
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. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. (2 Peter 3:9-10 NASB)
Yet when told that God is actually going to do something about this miserable planet of ours, we rear up on our hind legs and adopt our best sanctimonious, holier-than-thou, self-righteous attitude... How could He do that? How could this "loving" God actually sit in judgment against humanity and rain mayhem down on this planet? What kind of God would actually be so monstrous?
Perhaps the millions and millions of people who have been tortured, slain, enslaved, robbed, cheated and lied to would not share your point of view.
Whether or not your church preaches it, whether or not you know very much about it, whether or not you choose to bury your head in the sand and pretend that God cannot possibly render judgment on this planet, the wrath of God is real, and when He unleashes it on this planet, it will be, by far, the most terrible time in human history.
And it is very near at hand.
See The Wrath of God
Although both Testaments equally emphasize both the love of God and the reality and terror of His wrath it is sad to find so many professing Christians who seem to either completely ignore everything the Scriptures says about the wrath of God, wish there were no such thing, or treat it as something for which they need to make an apology. Perhaps, deep down they believe that God's wrath is not consistent with His goodness - a blot on the Divine character if you will.
He is often seen as a God whose one ambition is to keep us happy - and heaven forbid that He should ever cause us any grief. This large-scale rejection of the doctrine of the wrath of God and the emphasis placed almost exclusively upon His love is prime evidence that much of the modern church has deviated from what the Bible teaches.
And The End of The Age
The coming Kingdom of God which Jesus said He was sent to proclaim is exactly the world most men and women would choose to live in... a place of peace and safety where there is no crime, hunger and disease, no war and, above all, no death. However, no unrighteous, evil, unmerciful, murderous, arrogant, malicious, greedy or deceitful person can ever be a part of His eternal Kingdom. Which means, He has to first 'clean house'.
The catalogue of man's greed, ruthlessness, and inhumanity to his fellow man is one that has no end. Increasingly, modern society flaunts its sins without the slightest effort to conceal them. But, as the prophet Isaiah said, "Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves" (3:9). There is a day looming on the horizon when mankind's iniquity exhausts the patience of God Himself at which point in time He will pour out His wrath (retributive justice) on the earth, punishing transgressors and ending all suffering in this world. God's kingdom will be preceded by a devastating period of time such as man has never before seen. This will be the darkest time in human history when even the heavens and earth will tremble at His power and fury, the moon will turn to blood, and the sun will no longer gives out its light.
In order to understand exactly what is in store for this planet and its inhabitants we need to turn to Revelation the last book of the Bible in which the horrendous conditions in the last days are described by the metaphorical images of Seals, Trumpets and Bowls. Some say these run concurrently - others are of the opinion that they are different and succeeding series of judgments. Although neither point of view is correct, there is little doubt that conditions get progressively worse, and more devastating as the end times progress. Not only does the imagery and symbolism of Revelation describe the fearsome conditions of the last days, but tells us in what order they will occur.
The Biblical Imprecations
(An Imprecation is an appeal to a supernatural power to inflict evil on a single person or group)
"The "imprecatory" sections of the Scriptures are those portions that contain the writer's prayers or songs for vengeance upon enemies, or which end in triumphant praise at their destruction". [09]
For example,
David
Declare them guilty (âshęm), O God; let them fall by their own devices. Drive them out for their many transgressions, for they have rebelled against You. (Psalms 5:10 BSB)
Note the KJV renders this verse as "Destroy (âshęm) thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee. (Psalms 5:10 KJV)
Repay them according to their deeds and for their works of evil. Repay them for what their hands have done; bring back on them what they deserve. (Psalms 28:4 BSB)
In Psalm 28 David cried out for mercy when he called for help and lifted up his hands toward the Lord's holy sanctuary. Then in verse 4 he prayed for judgment on the wicked and that God would deal with them according to their deeds (their "works of evil") and what they deserved.
Jeremiah
You understand, O LORD; remember me and attend to me. Avenge me against my persecutors. In Your patience, do not take me away. Know that I endure reproach for Your honor. (Jeremiah 15:15 BSB)
Let my persecutors be put to shame, but do not let me be put to shame. Let them be terrified, but do not let me be terrified. Bring upon them the day of disaster and shatter them with double destruction. (Jeremiah 17:18 BSB)
In verse 15:15 (above) Jeremiah asked the Lord to avenge him against his persecutors and said that he himself endured reproach for God's honor. He did not presume to take vengeance himself but left justice in the hands of the Lord. Neither man was being vindictive but were part of a long tradition of prophets and men of God in Israel who cried out to God for defense when being persecuted for His cause.
God's Honour
"The biblical imprecations ultimately express a zeal for Jehovah's cause inasmuch as the enemies of Israel were the enemies of their God." - "The cause at stake was not merely the existence of a nation, but the cause of divine truth and righteousness". [10]
Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge You, on the kingdoms that refuse to call on Your name, for they have devoured Jacob and devastated his homeland. (Psalms 79:6-7 BSB)
In Psalm 79 (A Psalm of Asaph)
Why should the nations ask, "Where is their God?" Before our eyes, make known among the nations Your vengeance for the bloodshed of Your servants... Pay back into the laps of our neighbors sevenfold the reproach they hurled at You, O Lord. (Psalms 79:10, 12 BSB)
Note: Asaph was a prominent Levite - a "seer" or prophet (2 Chronicles 29:30) and one of the men who was put in charge of the music in the house of the LORD after the ark rested there. "They ministered with song before the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem" (1 Chronicles 6:31 - 32).
"It ought to be recognized that some of the language of the imprecations, though seemingly brutal, is highly figurative, with metaphors and images being borrowed from an age in history characterized by much savagery. No one would argue, for example, that Christ was suggesting that certain people — who caused stumbling in others — should literally be weighted with a stone and thrown into the sea (Matthew 18:6), or that Paul, in rebuking those who exalted circumcision, hoped that they literally would mutilate themselves (Galatians 5:12 — ASV footnote).
One must focus, therefore, upon the idea being conveyed, and not necessarily the poetic imagery in which the idea is clothed. This principle needs to be applied to the Old Testament imprecations". [11]
End Notes
[01] Robert M. Bowman, Jr. Joshua’s Conquest: Was It Justified?
https://www.namb.net/apologetics/resource/joshua-s-conquest-was-it-justified/
[02] Wayne Jackson. Old Testament Events and the Goodness of God.
https://christiancourier.com/articles/old-testament-events-and-the-goodness-of-god
[03] ibid.
[04] Robert M. Bowman, Jr. Joshua’s Conquest: Was It Justified?
https://www.namb.net/apologetics/resource/joshua-s-conquest-was-it-justified/
[05] ibid.
[06] ibid.
[07] ibid.
[08] Wayne Jackson. Christian Courier. Old Testament Events and the Goodness of God.
https://christiancourier.com/articles/old-testament-events-and-the-goodness-of-god
[09] ibid.
[10] ibid.
[11] ibid.
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