Famed atheist, Richard Dawkins, in his book, The God Delusion, writes the following: “The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”1
Dawkins, like many other atheists, are quick to point to God’s command to wipe out the Canaanite nation as an example of Him being a genocidal maniac. We read about this command in (Deuteronomy 20:16-18): “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. Instead, you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that they will not teach you to do all the same detestable practices of theirs which they have done for their gods, by which you would sin against the Lord your God.”
Critics of the Bible charge God with mass genocide since God says here to destroy “anything that breathes” which includes adults, children, infants, and even animals. They say how could a loving God do such a horrible thing? Is God a moral monster or does He have good reason to destroy an entire nation? I believe that God was justified to destroy the Canaanites who refused to leave the area God had given Israel; and it wasn’t genocide but capital punishment.
A little background will help us begin to realize why God took such drastic steps. The Bible tells us that the Canaanites during the time of Joshua were an exceedingly wicked people. Some of the abominable practices they indulged in included incest, adultery, witchcraft, polygamy, bestiality, and child sacrifice to an idol named Molech. Because of all of these abominable practices the Canaanites had become a dangerous threat to the Israelites.
It is important to remember that God’s justice is always fair and we must remember as Creator, God knows when it is equitable to take the life of a person or nation. I would like to share four reasons why God’s command to kill the Canaanites was an act of divine capital punishment and not genocide.
While I understand that there are many today, including some Christians, who disagree with the death penalty, the Scriptures are clear that in both the Old and New Testaments there were certain circumstances that warranted it. Both Testaments clearly still condone the death penalty for murder and severe prison sentences for many of the Canaanite atrocities.
Capital Punishment Reason 1
First, the Lord tells us that He ordered the Canaanite destruction because of their sinfulness. Many of the Canaanite sins such as incest, adultery, bestiality, and child sacrifice were death penalty sins in the Old Testament and since Israel was a theocracy God could enact the death penalty back then for these sins. I am not advocating for the death penalty today for these sins except for child sacrifice, but back in the theocracy, God was in sovereign control. And since these sins were rampant in Canaanite society God concluded that death was the punishment that He prescribed.
Capital Punishment Reason 2
Second, God didn’t show any favoritism toward the people of Israel. When they subsequently committed many of the same sins as the Canaanites they too suffered the death penalty for their sinfulness. The Old Testament clearly details that because Israel chose to intermarry with the Canaanites they also adopted many of their evil practices. They worshiped their gods, committed adultery and incest, and even sacrificed their sons and daughters to the Canaanite god Molech. And since they chose not to repent of their sinfulness God used the king of Assyria to kill many of the northern Israelite tribes and Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to kill many of the inhabitants of the southern tribes. Genocide targets a particular race, ethnicity or nation but here we see God punishing all who sin.
Capital Punishment Reason 3
Third, God gave the Canaanites ample time to repent. In fact, He waited almost 400 years, and until their society had become completely depraved, before He instituted His command of capital punishment. Genocide doesn’t wait for people to have a change of heart; and certainly not 400 years.
Capital Punishment Reason 4
Fourth, since God limited the Canaanite destruction to within certain boundaries it, therefore, wasn’t genocide. God only destroyed those Canaanites that lived within the boundaries of the territory that Israel was told they could conquer. Those Canaanite tribes that were beyond these boundaries were not affected.
Clearly the Canaanites were given more than enough time to change their wicked and sinful ways. In addition, their depravity was indeed great. I believe that the story of the Canaanites is one that shows us the long suffering nature of the Lord who is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But we must also remember that God is a God of justice and no one can deny that the Canaanites deserved to be judged for their total depravity. God’s choice of capital punishment after 400 years of depravity to me demonstrates justice not genocide.
Finally, it is important to remember that God’s judgment isn’t His first resort. In fact, it is His last resort. According to Bobby Conway: “Far from being a genocidal maniac, God even took our judgment upon Himself in order to spare us His judgment. Think Jesus. Think the cross. Think grace.”2
1 Quote by Richard Dawkins: “The God of the Old Testament is arguably the mo…” (goodreads.com)
Godless societies decline into unbelievably dark places. Not an easy topic for many, but you covered it well. Thank you, Curt.