6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.
7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."
8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell;
9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;
10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
The people of Israel were delivered from bondage in Egypt and led into the wilderness, where they wandered for forty years, yet God was faithful to bring them into the Promised Land. He granted them success in conquering the land, but there were still areas where His commands were not carried out. Even though the book of Joshua tells of overwhelming military victories, yet, there were residents of the land who survived, as we see in the next book, Judges. We must be sure that we do not follow in the footsteps of these spiritual ancestors and complete partial obedience.
In Deuteronomy 20, we read God's instructions to Moses to destroy the people of the land of Canaan, the promised land, into which Moses' successor, Joshua, would lead them:
16 But of the cities of these peoples which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive,
17 but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the Lord your God has commanded you,
18 lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, and you sin against the Lord your God.
And, we see in Scripture that Joshua had military victories, but in the book of Judges, we see, according to a piece on the Discovery Institute's Evolution News website:
Well, there was a significant amount of false reporting in the media. Evolution News linked to some of the headlines about the recent discovery:
First of all, we can examine if we are being totally obedient to God's instructions for us. We see that Israel obeyed God in certain instances, but in other times, it seems they engaged in partial obedience. We have to be aware of not only times when we disobey God, so that we may confess our sins, repent, and get back on track; but also, we have to check to see if we are not obeying the Lord fully and wholeheartedly.
Another concept is really no surprise - Journalists can be biased against what they do not know or understand, i.e., the Bible. And, it's not limited to the media...we may encounter people who do not understand Biblical teaching, and we have to be so grounded in truth that we are prepared to share God's principles with those who don't know Him or care to know Him.
We can also be inspired to read the entirety of Scripture; not just certain parts. There are passages that refer to total annihilation, but there are still peoples who were not conquered by Israel, as we see in the closing chapters of Joshua, and certain Canaanites show up in Judges 1. This was lost on the media reporters, as the headlines tried to point to a discrediting of Scripture, rather than support of it. We have to make sure that we read Scripture accurately and allow it to shape our behavior accordingly.
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In Deuteronomy 20, we read God's instructions to Moses to destroy the people of the land of Canaan, the promised land, into which Moses' successor, Joshua, would lead them:
16 But of the cities of these peoples which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive,
17 but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the Lord your God has commanded you,
18 lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, and you sin against the Lord your God.
And, we see in Scripture that Joshua had military victories, but in the book of Judges, we see, according to a piece on the Discovery Institute's Evolution News website:
The first chapter in Judges lists all the places in Israel where the Canaanites persisted, “to this day,” “for they did not drive them out,” “he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land,” etc. God is not happy with this, for “they shall be as snares to you, and their gods shall be a trap to you” (2:3).Well, perhaps you've heard that there is DNA evidence that links modern-day residents of Lebanon to the Canaanites of yesteryear - those who were not driven out, spared by Israel's disobedience. Again, from Evolution News:
The science story itself is fascinating and to all appearances solid. Human remains dating to some 3,700 year ago from ancient Canaanites yielded DNA revealing a startling overlap with modern-day Lebanese. The latter thus appear to harbor descendants of the long-ago population.This is according to a study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics.
Well, there was a significant amount of false reporting in the media. Evolution News linked to some of the headlines about the recent discovery:
The article goes on to say:
- “Study disproves the Bible’s suggestion that the ancient Canaanites were wiped out” (The Telegraph)
- “Bible says Canaanites were wiped out by Israelites but scientists just found their descendants living in Lebanon” (The Independent)
- “Bronze Age DNA disproves the Bible’s claim that the Canaanites were wiped out: Study says their genes live on in modern-day Lebanese people” (Daily Mail)
...The Bible is detailed and unambiguous in relating that the Canaanites survived Joshua’s invasion. So it’s no wonder they have living descendants. I’m not here to pass judgment on ancient Canaanites or ancient Israelites, on the Bible, Joshua, or anyone else. But come on, reporters, where’s your elementary cultural literacy, of which knowing a thing or two about the Bible is a key element?It notes that the "the reputable journal Science, in a reporting article, had to backtrack with an editor’s correction, blandly styled as an 'update':"
This story and its headline have been updated to reflect that in the Bible, God ordered the destruction of the Canaanites, but that some cities and people may have survived.But the Discovery Institute piece states:
Not “may have survived.” In the Bible’s account, they definitely survived, in large numbers. The original headline? “Ancient DNA counters biblical account of the mysterious Canaanites.” It should be, “Ancient DNA confirms biblical account…”Well, this storyline can give rise to some principles we can consider:
First of all, we can examine if we are being totally obedient to God's instructions for us. We see that Israel obeyed God in certain instances, but in other times, it seems they engaged in partial obedience. We have to be aware of not only times when we disobey God, so that we may confess our sins, repent, and get back on track; but also, we have to check to see if we are not obeying the Lord fully and wholeheartedly.
Another concept is really no surprise - Journalists can be biased against what they do not know or understand, i.e., the Bible. And, it's not limited to the media...we may encounter people who do not understand Biblical teaching, and we have to be so grounded in truth that we are prepared to share God's principles with those who don't know Him or care to know Him.
We can also be inspired to read the entirety of Scripture; not just certain parts. There are passages that refer to total annihilation, but there are still peoples who were not conquered by Israel, as we see in the closing chapters of Joshua, and certain Canaanites show up in Judges 1. This was lost on the media reporters, as the headlines tried to point to a discrediting of Scripture, rather than support of it. We have to make sure that we read Scripture accurately and allow it to shape our behavior accordingly.
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