“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” ~ Genesis 3:1

“So that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.” ~2 Corinthians 2:11

From the beginning it has been the tactic of satan to cause human beings to question what God said. It is a fact of scripture that the fall of Adam and Eve and the introduction of sin into the world of human beings, was caused by the deception satan brought to Eve.

“Did God really say…You will not surely die…God knows that you will become like Him…”

“When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” ~Romans 5:12

The first principle of God is that He never changes. What was right and true from the beginning, does not change as human culture changes. In opposition to this truth modern exegetes of the Bible assert today that because past societies accepted and prohibited certain practices, according to culture, we today, should also accept certain practices in our modern culture.

“I am the LORD, and I do not change.” ~Malachi 3:6

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” ~Hebrews 13:8

I perused a book today that alleges this principle that describes the changing biblical views of Women, Slaves, and Homoselxuals. The premise is that women were once regarded as property, unreliable in their testimony, nothing more that the possessions of men; slaves were permitted by God as a condition of poverty, war, or debts; homosexuals were viewed as perverse, immoral, worthy of death in former times of Israel’s history. In spite of these former views and practices, today we see all three of these categories differently:

Women are equal to men; slaves are no longer an acceptable societal practice; homosexuals are no longer a cultural abhorrence.

The problem is that God and what He said from the beginning, does not change His views of human morality, simply because society or modern exegetes of scripture have changed their views.

The Bible describes certain practices that were taking place during the history of man on earth, while neither condemning or approving of these practices as they are being described. Women were mistreated by men; slaves were taken by men; homosexuals were condemned. These things are not all equal, and they are not treated uniformly by God or the Bible.

1. God never gave a law that approves of the mistreatment of women.
2. God never gave a law that approved of slavery
3. God did give a law that condemned the perversion of sexual relationships between two men or two women.

From the beginning God created male and female and these two were the singular and acceptable union that God approved of during a lifetime of marriage.

1. God condemned fornication between unmarried persons.
2. God condemned adulterous relationships between married persons
3. God condemned same-sex relationship and transgender behavior as a perversion of his intended purpose for the creation of male and female.
4. The Old Testament laws regarding proper sexual behavior was carried over to the new Testament, to be observed by the believers of Jesus (Acts 15).

When God brought the Israelites into the land of Canaan, He commanded them to destroy all the people of these lands, because of their evil and perverse practices. Before He gave this command, God had warned the Canaanites for nearly 900 years to cease their abhorrent practices, but they refused.

The Destruction of the Canaanites in the Old Testament, Was a Judgement by God, Not Genocide

The Canaanites are the descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham, one of Noah’s three sons. Among the Canaanites are the most infamous—the Amorites, who lived in the hill country of Israel. The rest of the Canaanites include: the Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites, Amalekites, Hittites, Moabites, Edomites, Philistines, and Girgashites. The people of the Canaanite nations were some of the most brutal and vicious human beings who have ever lived on the planet.

Canaanite kings forcibly married their sisters. Young boys were kept as sex slaves and temple prostitutes at the temples of Canaanite gods. The Canaanite god, Anath was a combination of sister and spouse as a goddess who was a mirror image of the deviant practices of Canaanite kings.[1]

The Canaanite goddess, Qudshu, “the Holiness,” is seen as a perverted moral goddess riding nude on the back of a lion, with a lily in one hand and a serpent in the other, seeking sex with her worshippers. Male prostitutes were dedicated to the sex cult of the Qudshu, offering themselves to this goddess in her honor.[2]

The vast number of Canaanite gods in Ugaritic epic literature displays the depth of depravity that characterized the Canaanite people and their demonic religion. Rooted in a debasement of normal human morality, Canaanites considered nothing off limits in the expression of their evil and licentiousness. Canaanites practiced barbaric rituals of murder while in mass orgies, as a part of their religious ceremonies.

Psalms 106:37-38 describes the gods of the Canaanites as “demons” whom they sacrifice their sons and daughters on the altar of Molech. “They even sacrificed their sons and daughters to the demons. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters. By sacrificing them to the idols of Canaan, they polluted the land with murder.”

A part of these horrendous practices are illustrated in Anath who appears in a fragment of the Baal Epic depicting a bloody orgy of destruction. In this display, Anath is seen butchering young and old, “in the most horrible and wholesale fashion, wading delightedly in human gore up to her knees—yea up to her throat, all the while exulting sadistically.” [3]

In Genesis 15, God informs Abraham that He will destroy the Amorites, but not until their iniquity is complete. He will give them adequate time to repent

But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.[4]

This verse was given to Abraham at about 1926 B.C.⁠[5]

God orders the total destruction of the Amalekites, in 1 Samuel Chapter 15, by King Saul.

This order came about 1028 B.C.⁠[6]

(The Lord speaking to Saul) Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.[7]

God told us in advance of His actions what He was planning, through the prophetic word. The intent and purpose of this prophecy is to demonstrate the transcendent and extraterrestrial origin of the Bible. We understand who God is by what He has written and how He fulfilled every promise of His word.

And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.[8]

Many people focus on God’s order of annihilation against the Amalekites while missing a far greater point: God spoke these words over 900 years before they were fulfilled. No matter how great the distance is from the prophecy that is given, God will fulfill entirely everything He has said.

…I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.[9]

Once we understand God’s justification in carrying out this judgment, we can move on to understand the significance of this event from a prophetic point of view.

God’s Judgment Is Always Preceded By A Long Interval Of Time

Before the Lord would order the destruction of the Amalekites, He would provide their nation with an extended period of time in which they might change their minds and come to Him for salvation. Before it is too late for each one of us, God allows an entire lifetime in order that we might decide to obey Him and receive His salvation. The Lord is always very patient, kind, and long-suffering towards us. Although each one of the Amalekites would face their own separate judgment at the conclusion of their life, the Lord would allow nearly 900 years before His judgment would fall on the entire nation.

What we find in the example of the Amalekites is that God is not angry and spiteful, instead He is extraordinarily kind and patient. Although the Lord warned these nations to cease their evil, He relented from destroying them for a very long time. The Lord always gives us as much time as possible, with the hope that we will see how much He loves us and that His ways are far better than those we have chosen for ourselves.

The Primary Attribute Of God Is His Holiness—His Separation From Sin

It is impossible for God to commit sin. He is above and outside all sin. Existing as perfect, everything He says and does is good, even when we don’t understand what He has done. In the New Testament Paul affirms the perfection of God regarding the promises He made to those who trust Him.

“So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.” ~Hebrews 6:18-19

Because God is perfect and cannot change, we can have great confidence that what He promised us, He will not change His mind. These unchangeable attributes of God’s nature and the promises He has made, originate from God’s perfection and His Holy and unchangeable nature. God can do no wrong, but we may think God has done wrong, if we don’t understand His nature.

If we think that God has made an error, it is because we have not understood what He has done. We should realize that God is always right, and it is we who sometimes misunderstood His actions. Our first thought when we don’t understand, should be that God is perfect and therefore, always right. We must seek to understand what He has done to correct our confusion.

When many atheists and critics of God and the Bible read a passage that they believe is evidence that God is immoral, they do not seek to understand, but to confirm their conclusion. They do this by consulting the opinions of other atheists, who also believe the God of the Bible is immoral. This kind of thinking always leads to incorrect conclusions, because the premise was wrong; that God is wrong.

If we begin with the idea that God exists and He has the power and technology to conceive, engineer, and produce the universe we inhabit, then it is no stretch of the imagination to accept that He also has the power to communicate a message to us through men He might choose, and preserve their testimony intact so that every person on earth might have a reliable and truthful communication from God.

If we begin with the idea that the Bible is true, and therefore we must seek to understand what is written—in its entirety—a correct understanding is possible. If we begin with the idea that the Bible is wrong, and God is immoral, then it will be impossible to arrive at a correct conclusion.

People who read only the Bible, apart from the comments of any person, always come away with a completely different view of the texts, than someone who first reads the comments of critics.

We Must Begin With The Certainty That God is Holy And Perfect In Every Way

In these promises made to us by God we see how important the unchangeable nature of God’s perfection are. We also understand why critics try so hard to impugn and malign the character of God. If God can be shown as unjust, unfair, unloving, or commit any act of evil—every claim of His goodness and love are destroyed.

The facts are; God is always revealed as Holy, righteous and fair, throughout the Bible. When people attribute evil to God it is because they don’t understand His judgments that result from His moral perfection, and hatred of sin.

“Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness.” ~Romans 2:4-8

When God sent Jesus into our world to die for us, this was forever an eternal proof of God’s righteousness, justice and love:

1. God is righteous in that He cannot tolerate sin and evil;
2. He is just in that He punished Jesus for our sins instead of us—fully satisfying His righteous requirements;
3. He displayed His love to us by giving what was most precious to Him, His only Son.

“For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.” ~Romans 3:25-26

“Those Who Come Near Me, I Must Be Regarded As Holy”

In Leviticus 10, Aaron had two sons, Nadab and Abihu, who were destroyed because they did not regard the Lord as Holy. These men failed to follow the procedures the Lord had given to Moses for how, when, and where they could approach God with the offering required.

If we think that God doesn’t care about how we regard Him, Leviticus 10 eliminates this misunderstanding

The primary fault of Nadab and Abihu was their failure to understand and acknowledge that God is Holy. When a person forgets who God is, they begin to live their life in a manner that places them in great jeopardy.

Nadab and Abihu were the oldest of Aaron’s four sons. They are seen is Leviticus 10 as priests bringing incense before the Lord within the censers that held the coals of fire (16:2).

The problem begins because Nadab and Abihu were coming with the offering at a time the Lord did not authorize them to come, with a fire not authorized, entering the Lord’s presence at a time not authorized. In other words, they were doing what God had commanded, but in a way that the Lord did not approve.

In the Old Testament, the sacrifices that God commanded for sin, had to follow a prescribed procedure. To disregard this procedure was an act of disrespect to the Lord, “not counting Him as Holy.” This is the error that people make today in their criticism of God; a failure to understand who He is, and that He is Holy. Critics make claims that God is evil and unrighteous for destroying the innocent with the evil.

When a person does not regard the Lord as perfect in righteousness and judgment, because they think He should have acted in a way they approve, they elevate themselves above God, and commit a grievous error.

Nadab and Abihu were killed by the Lord in front of the place where they made their offering, simply because they brought the offering incorrectly, and barged into the presence of the Lord at a time that was not prescribed.

The reason these two sons of Aaron did this, is the same reason that critics of God today say that God was unrighteous in destroying the innocent with the wicked, concerning the Amalekites. Both Nadab and Abihu, and people today, fail to understand the principle that God is Holy and everything He says and does is perfect in righteousness.

If We Think That God Is wrong, We Will Discover By Study, It Is We Who Are wrong

Moses tells Aaron that his sons made serious errors when they approached the Lord (10:1). The Lord warned that they could not come before Him, into the Holy Place, whenever they wanted, or they will die (10:2). Nadab and Abihu made two critical errors:

1. They came before the Lord at a time He had not authorized.
2. They tried to enter the Most Holy Place, when they were not authorized.

We see an example of a breach of royal protocol in Esther 4:11:

“All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter.”

To come into the presence of the king without authorization was considered a sign of tremendous disrespect. The authority of the king, and his power being disregarded, a person placed their life in great jeopardy by barging into the king’s presence without approval. Persons who attempted this in antiquity, were immediately executed. The example given to us in the book of Esther, was in the presence of the king of Persia.

When disrespect takes place before a person of great authority, it is due to a defect in the character of the person showing disrespect. Lacking humility many people today do not regard authority and often scoff, mock, and rebel against people in authority.

Concerning the God of the universe, people who treat Him with disrespect today, do so  because they are filled with pride and arrogance and will not submit to any authority. At no time in human history has any society regarding people who rebel against all authority as valid members of a civil society. In heaven only those who posses a deep sense of humility and sorrow over their sins, will be allowed to live in the perfect world God created for the righteous. An acknowledgment of God as the only authority for what is good, right, and moral, is a prerequisite to admission into heaven.

The Consequences Of Dishonoring The Holiness Of God

Judgement from the Lord comes immediately as Nadab and Abihu are killed where they stand. This event is recorded in the Old Testament as an example to all of us today, to not disrespect the God who is the subject of the Bible, by failing to understand that He is Holy, righteous, and just.

The reason that atheists and critics of God disregard these qualities of God, is their abandonment of humility, respect, and all wisdom. As Nadab and Abihu were destroyed for their failure to honor God and disregard for who He is, so also do many today.

The book of Hebrews describes the consequences of our error if we fail to regard the Lord as Holy, and treat His words and actions as evil:

“There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us. For we know the one who said, “I will take revenge. I will pay them back.” He also said, “The LORD will judge his own people.”  It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.“ ~Hebrews 10:27-31

Today, because Jesus has come and completed the one perfect sacrifice for all sins, the way, time, and place we may enter into the presence of God, is open. Anyone who has felt sincere remorse for their sins and has come to Jesus for the forgiveness He offers, has the right to approach God at anytime. Unlike those in the Old Testament under the old covenant, who could only come before the Lord at specific times and by specified procedures, today we can come any time into the presence of our God.

“For Jesus Himself is our peace, who has broken down the middle wall of separation.” ~Ephesians 2:14

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” ~Hebrews 4:16

God said in Leviticus 10:3, that he will show himself holy and display his glory. People who speak of Him, and seek to understand Him, must regard Him as Holy, Righteous, and Just. When God punished sin and evil, it is from His perfection and love of what is good, right, and brings peace. To destroy the wicked when they will not repent, is to preserve righteousness.

If The People Destroyed In The Old Testament Had Lived Righteous Lives, They Would Not Have Been Destroyed

No one wants to live in a world where evil is not dealt with swiftly, so that people who want to live in peace, may do so and enjoy the good life God has given us all.

The Amalekites attacked the Israelites on their journey through the desert, from behind where all of the women, children, babies, elderly, infirmed, disabled, and animals traveled in the caravan. They did this intentionally so that they could inflict as much murder upon God’s people as possible. The Amorites received the judgement of God for their heinous crimes, but God gave them almost 900 years to repent before He destroyed the Amalekites.

The Moabites used their women to lure the Israelites into sexual sin, so that the men of Israel would worship their god Baal, and turn away from the Lord. God destroyed this nation by a swift act of judgment, as well as Balaam who taught the Moabites how to deceive God’s people and bring judgment upon them.

Critics of God in the Old Testament often cite these two instances of God’s judgment as evil, unjustified, and immoral. The facts are that all of the Canaanite people were extremely evil and their actions were so horrendous by the time the Israelites came through their land, that God had decided to institute final judgment against these people.

There is no higher moral authority that God, for He is the only Being who is absolutely perfect in every way. Only God has the exclusive right to destroy entire nations, and He only does this after warning nations and people for hundreds of years.

To ignore evil and allow it to continue on earth, would result in the total collapse of all life on earth. Sin does not cease itself. Only when people understand their actions are an offense to a Holy God, and that He demands our moral perfection in all of our lives, can there be a civil society where people can live together in peace.

It is when people fail to understand the Holiness of God—His complete separation from sin and evil—that His judgment against sin and evil can be correctly understood.

Nadab and Abihu greatly disrespect the Lord in the context of worship, and experience his judgment as a result (vv. 1–7).

“Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over them. In this way, they disobeyed the LORD by burning before him the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. So fire blazed forth from the LORD’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the LORD.” ~Leviticus 10:1-2

“And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.’ ” ~Leviticus 10:3

“Your Own Words Condemn You”

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is seen teaching the Parable of the Ten Servants in chapter 19. In this Parable Jesus intends that we understand He is the ruler who is the object of this story. The servants are those whom Jesus has called to use the resources He has given them—to tell others about Him, and help people in the world find salvation in Jesus.

In this Parable three servants are given different amounts of silver, representing resources. When the master returns from His journey to heaven to be crowned as KIng, He asks an accounting of these servants to see what they did with what He gave them.

The first servant increased what was given to him by one hundred percent; the second, by five times. These servants were congratulated by their master for using well what was given to them. Their authority in the kingdom was determined by what they did with what their King gave them.

The third servant did nothing with what he was given. When an accounting was made by his master, he said he did nothing because he was afraid of his master: “I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant” (Luke 19:21).

Jesus said that by his own words, this servant condemned himself. Jesus said: “Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I am a hard man who takes what isn’t mine and harvests crops I didn’t plant, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank?” (Luke 19 22).

The critics of God and the Bible who point out that God destroys the wicked in judgment, condemn themselves. Since they know that God is Holy, Righteous and Just, and cannot tolerate sin or evil, they should have repented at this knowledge. Instead they act as His critics, condemning Him for destroying the evil people of the Canaanite nations.

By their words, the atheist, progressive, and critics of God’s judgments in the Old Testament—demonstrate they know God will judge people like them, but they still refuse to repent and believe in Jesus.

The Righteous Basis For All God’s Law, Predicated On His Moral Perfection

Five times in the book of Leviticus, the Lord repeats the statement: “I am Holy. (11:44,45; 19:2; 20:26; 21:8, קָדוֹשׁ qâḏôš; or קָדֹשׁ qadosh, set apart, perfection).

“For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” ~Leviticus 11:44-45

There is only One who is not created, who is above all creation, who is perfect in every way. In order for God to be God, He must be perfect, He must be Holy. If God could be found committing sin, evil, or any wrong, He would not be Holy; He would not be God. This is the reason that critics of God seek to attach blame to Him for actions He instituted in the Old Testament. By claiming that God’s judgment of sin is immoral, critics think they can lower God to a human standard.

“Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him,’You will be proved right in what you say…’” ~Romans 3:4

• Critics Are Wrong That Christianity Treats Women As Second Class Citizens
• Slavery In The Bible: Exodus 21:1-11
• Examining The Claim That Jesus Approved of Same-Sex Relationships
• The Collapse Of Morality In America Under The Guise Of Tolerance And Inclusion
• The False Narrative Of Morality Apart From God
• It Was Jesus Who Destroyed Sodom And Gomorrah
• Are The Levitical Laws of Death For Adultery, Sodomy, And Fornication, Applicable Today?
• What Was The Sin Of Sodom?

NOTES:

[1] 1. Ugaritic Literature, Gordon, p. 9-56. 2. Albright, Archeology and the religion of Israel, P. 73. 3. William Albright, “From The Stone Age to Christianity, (Baltimore) P 178.
[2] 1. Albright, Archeology and the Religion of Israel, P 76, 2. Gordon, Ugaritic Literature 11:2-240, P 171.
[3] Gordon, Ugaritic Literature, 11:2-40; P 171., “Archeology And The Old Testament,” Merrill F. Unger, P. 174.
[4] Genesis 15:16
[5] According to the timelines given in the Bible for births and deaths:Genesis 16:16,  http://www.matthewmcgee.org/ottimlin.html[6] 1 Samuel 15:1-2
[6] 1 Samuel 15:3
[7] 2 Peter 1:19-21
[8] Isaiah 46:11 (ESV)
[9] http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/abraham.html and Judaism101.com

Categories: Christians Approving Transgender Behavior, Christians Endorsing Gay Marriage, Gay marriage, Gender Identity, God Is Holy, New Testament Apologetics, New Testament Apologetics, Old Testament Apologetics, Participating in pagan traditions, Religion vs. Relationship, Repentance Necessary, Robert Clifton Robinson, Salvation is a free gift, Same-Sex and Saved, Sexual Immorality, Slavery, Sodom and Gomorrah, Speaking out against sin

Tags: Apologetics, Equality of men and women, Jesus Destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, Slavery in the Bible, Sodom and Gomorrah, The declining of human society