God is Unloving?: "Judgment to the Canaanites" || John Pesebre || Kaliwanagan Kay Kristo (October 5, 2017)

Ang argument na tutugunan natin ngayon ay “God is unloving because He did not give a chance to the Canaanites to repent before Joshua’s invasion.”

This arose out of an interview I had with a university professor na itatago na lang natin sa pangalang Zane. He is a Christian and he had this recurring struggle sa isip niya of how to reconcile a loving God with the unloving character of God in Old Testament violence. The topic of the “unloving God” is our month-long series of episodes for the October and I pray na samahan niyo po ako palagi as we struggle with these difficult questions.

We begin with explaining the relationship of giving to love.

Why do we give? Is it merely we want something in return? Na para siyang transactional na action? What about parents who get nothing in return yet labor for the future of their children? What about the blood donation? What about saving the life of a drowning person and therefore putting your life in danger? Even yung mga mass murderers tulad nila Hitler at Stalin are very tender sa kanilang pamilya lalo na sa mga bata. Why do we give?

Sa tingin ko dahil bahagi yan ng image of God sa atin. Last episode I discussed po sa inyo yung motion of the will ng love, yung idea na ang love ay giving na characteristic. We give because it is in the image of God. We give objects. We even give forgiveness na interestingly andudun yung word na give. When God gives long-suffering, patience toa people that is obedient, He does so out of His giving nature. Ang this nature of God is our anchor malimit ng confidence natin sa Kanya. Malimit pa nga siguro sa pagiging maksalanan din natin ginagamit natin yang love na yan ng Panginoon as a means ng ating self-entitlement. We convince ourselves arrogantly that we deserver certain things from God and that God is a rich, lonely grandfather who is there to give us what we want out of his pension money. We know God gives. God as giving means men are receiving. And we oftentimes abuse that as selfish human beings. Buti na lang si Lord hindi siya nagpapadala sa manipulation at meron siyang sariling time when to grant certain things and when to withdraw acts of mercy. Yes He is a God of love, but bahagi din na kanyang nature ang wrath sa sin, sa evil and this is the reason why nasa nature nya din ang mag withdraw or mag hold back o magbigay ng judgment. Yang dalawang idea na yan ng love and wrath ang lalagyan natin ng kaunting illustration sa kaso ng invasion ng Canaanites as we respond to the argument: “God is unloving because He did not give a chance to the Canaanites to repent before Joshua’s invasion.”

Before we get into the response directly let me just a few words concerning what we need to realize dito sa issue na ito. Ang accusation na hindi loving ang Diyos sa mga Canaanites fails to realize something. Andaming binigay sa kanila ng Diyos: buhay, lupain, pagkain, hangin, atbp. Historically they were even given the chance to rule Egypt. Ang Hyksos Dynasty ng Egypt nung 16th-15th century BC were Canaanites. Ang sabi ni Dr. David Neiman, isang Jewish scholar and archaeologist na napakganda ng series sa youtube on ancient near eastern civilizations,  sila pa yung mga Amorites. In fact when Joseph and Moses were in Egypt they were serving this Hyksos dynasty. They were pharaohs ruling over God’s people. For more than 150 years they lived as royalty sa Egypt until native Egyptians drove them out. Sa Joshua 24:13 we know that God allowed the Canaanites to rebuild fortress and plant vineyards. In short the rain fell down on both the Israelites and the Canaanites. So I guess it is not that God has not manifested his giving nature to the Canaanites, the Canaanites actually turned this favor into means to commit some of the worst unimaginable sins one could imagine like burning their own infants as sacrifice to Moloch. So given this favor given to the Canaanites, was God unloving by not giving them a chance to repent?

 The Canaanites were given by God 400+ years to reform themselves, just enough time for them to straighten their ways. Kaso imbes na magbago lalo pa silang lumala. Yung 400+ years na tinutukoy ko ay yun yung amount of time Israel spent in Egypt plus yung pag travel nila sa wilderness. Sa Genesis 6:1, ang aantay ang Dyos habang nasa Egypt ang Israel saying, “the sin of the Amorites [which is a leading Canaanite city] has not yet reached its limits.” Sabi ni Prof. Paul Copan,

In othe words in Abraham’s day, the time wasn’t ripe for judgment on the Canaanites; the moment wasn’t right for them to be driven out and for the land to “vomit them out” (Lev. 18:25) . . . But it was only after Israel’s lengthy enslavement in Egypt that the time was finally ripe for the Israelites to enter Canaan -- “because of the wickedness of these nations” (Deut. 9:4-5).*

Sa aking palagay hindi totoo na hindi nagbigay ng chance to repent ang Diyos sa mga Canaanites. Moroeover, dagdag pa,

 It was merciful for God to allow individual Canaanites to repent and join the people of God. The classic example is Rahab, the prostitute who helped the Israelite spies in Jericho and swore allegiance to the Lord (Jos. 2). Rahab was later held up as an example of faithful obedience in the New Testament (Heb. 11:31; Jas. 2:25) and even included in the genealogy of Jesus (Matt. 1:5).†

We are also told by Rahab that the news of the Israelites brought fear sa mga Canaanites. So alam natin na may warning na sa kanila. Sabi ni Rahab,

I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.[c] 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you

So did God give them a chance for almost 500 years and for letting them hear of the judgment of God upon them? Yes. Because it is in the nature of God to give but that this giving also is within the jurisprudence ng Diyos, at kanyang self-determination, He then gave a good enough of time, a startling news to the Canaanites and enough time for them to flee, God is not unmerciful to the Canaanites and unloving to His people Israel who at that time had suffered slavery and without residence. Because nakapaloob ang notion ng giving sa love ng Diyos, we cannot accuse Him of not being unloving sa invasion sa Canaan. They were granted life, liberty, property at ang ginawa nila dinakila pa nilang lubusan ang pagsalansang sa kabanalan ng Panginoon.

So ngayon the only thing remains to be asked is, “Was God fair in giving judgment to the Canaanites?” Yan naman po ang tatalakayin natin next episode touching on the doctrine of the wrath of God and its relation to his loving nature.

(c) Photo

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*  Is God a Moral Monster?, 159.

†  Kyle Dillon, "God’s Justice in the Land of Canaan," in The Gospel Coalition (websitea), 2014; accessed at https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/gods-justice-in-the-land-of-canaan