Ángel
Manuel Rodríguez
I've
always had difficulty understanding the extermination of the Canaanites
by the Israelites under God's orders. Can this type of war be justified?
This
is a difficult question, and there is no quick answer. I can only outline
a few elements that should be taken into consideration. We cannot concentrate
on a few verses that provide a biblical response; we have to take into
account the Scriptures' teachings concerning God, evil, human society,
and war and also reject simplistic solutions (e.g., the Old Testament
view of God being different from the one in the New Testament; the biblical
writer's use of pagan notions, etc.). I will limit my comments to three
important arguments.
1.
Time Frame: The biblical text indicates that the extermination of
the Canaanites was basically limited to a period of conquest. Often God
reminded the Israelites of this responsibility, introducing His intentions
by saying, "When you cross the Jordan into Canaan . . ." (Num. 33:51,
NIV); "When the Lord . . . brings you into the land you are entering to
possess . . ." (Deut. 7:1, NIV; cf. Deut. 12:1; 18:9). The Lord didn't
expect this to be a permanent characteristic of Israelite warfare. Once
the conquest was over, the Israelites were only to be involved in self-defense.
There is no biblical support for the practice of "holy war."
2.
Morally Justifiable Warfare: Those who go to war intend to win at
any cost, and this by itself makes the extermination of the enemy an intrinsic
part of warfare. This was clearly the case in the ancient Near East.
Interestingly,
the Old Testament makes a special effort to demonstrate that God's command
to destroy the Canaanites was not arbitrary or controlled by expansionistic
interests. God Himself provided the reason: they were sacrificing their
children to their gods, involved in sorcery and witchcraft, and consulting
the spirits of the dead (Deut. 18:10-12). Their moral and religious corruption
had reached an intolerable level.
Hundreds
of years before, the Lord had said to Abram: "In the fourth generation
your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has
not yet reached its full measure" (Gen.
15:16, NIV). By the time of the conquest the sins of the Amorites had
reached "its full measure," indicating that God does pass judgment on
the nations and their commitment to moral values and proper religious
practices (cf. Gen. 18:20-33). God was executing judgment against sin
and impenitent sinners.
A
second reason for the extermination of Israel's enemies is that if they
remained in the land, they would have become instruments of corruption
for His people (Deut. 7:4). A holy people required a holy place to live.
War was God's attempt to organize a new order based on His principles
of justice and love, a land in which peace and security would prevail.
Anything that could threaten the divine intention was to be removed.
3.
The Israelites as God's Assistants: That God enlisted the Israelites
as His instruments in this type of war raises moral and ethical concerns.
Had God used the forces of nature, very few would feel that uncomfortable.
But He used war.
War
is an unavoidable characteristic of a fallen, sinful world. By transforming
Israel into a nation with political identity and by declaring Himself
to be its king, God and His people were going to be involved in warfare.
Their enemies would be other nations that were unwilling to recognize
God's moral claim on them and would attempt to exterminate His people.
Through the conquest of the land, God trained His people for war in order
for them to cooperate with His theocracy in the fulfillment of His divine
intentions for them and for the world (Judges 3:1, 2).
We
may not completely understand this topic, but there is one thing we know,
namely, that God is loving, kind, and just. This biblical picture of God
is essential in the discussion of a subject like this one. He is the one
who allowed His Son to die in our place, the one who, in an act of love
and justice, will exterminate sin and impenitent sinners from our planet
in order to create a peaceful and eternal kingdom.
11/12/98
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