THERE ARE
GIANTS
IN THE LAND
(For a more complete look at the entire genocide question see SHOW THEM NO MERCY edited by Stanley N. Gundry editor of the COUNTERPOINTS series. The book contains four different slants on the discussion of what contributor Eugene H. Merrill dubbed "Yaweh war." Much deeper discussion which was prompted by the 9/11 attacks.)
Some years ago, I had a discussion with a Buddhist and he was trying to logically explain why God was the wrong person to worship, He first asked if God had not taken life and if others had done it on His orders. When I said they had, he explained that life was sacred and taking life was a sin so my god must be a fraud. I pointed out life was only sacred because God gave it. I mentioned too that even Buddha recognized life is a transient state, a journey we take in arriving at a spiritual completion and that the Hindu Gita even has Krishna pointing out it is okay to take the life of your brother in war because he is misled, suggesting the brother will be reincarnated in a better place to learn his lesson and spiritually migrate. Death is only really a tragic event if Christianity is correct and we only have one life to live. And then it is only tragic if one has not accepted Christ.
Still, it behooves us to look at the "whys" as God has directly and indirectly presented them. God ordered genocide, the destruction of various tribes.
My thesis remains that God wanted the enemy tribes wiped out because of the genetic giant-ism threat. But He makes a much more serious allegation from His point of view and, just as importantly, an explanation that would be viable for the many generations before ours. When he had Moses and the People begin their wars OUTSIDE the Promised land, in the Jordanian area, he required the decimation of those tribes as well. But they also carried something of the giant gene:
Giants (1.) Heb. nephilim , meaning "violent" or "causing to fall" (Gen 6:4). These were the violent tyrants of those days, those who fell upon others. The word may also be derived from a root signifying "wonder," and hence "monsters" or "prodigies." In Num 13:33 this name is given to a Canaanitish tribe, a race of large stature, "the sons of Anak." The Revised Version, in these passages, simply transliterates the original, and reads "Nephilim." (2.) Heb. rephaim , a race of giants (Deu 3:11) who lived on the east of Jordan, from whom was descended. They were probably the original inhabitants of the land before the immigration of the Canaanites. They were conquered by Chedorlaomer (Gen 14:5), and their territories were promised as a possession to Abraham (Gen 15:20). The Anakim, Zuzim, and Emim were branches of this stock. In Job 26:5 (R.V., "they that are deceased;" marg., "the shades," the "Rephaim") and Isa 14:9 this Hebrew word is rendered (A.V.) "dead." It means here "the shades," the departed spirits in Sheol. In Sam2 21:16, Sam2 21:18, Sam2 21:20, 33, "the giant" is (A.V.) the rendering of the singular form ha raphah, which may possibly be the name of the father of the four giants referred to here, or of the founder of the Rephaim. The Vulgate here reads "Arapha," whence Milton (in Samson Agonistes) has borrowed the name "Harapha." (See also Ch1 20:5, Ch1 20:6, Ch1 20:8; Deu 2:11, Deu 2:20; Deu 3:13; Jos 15:8, etc., where the word is similarly rendered "giant.") It is rendered "dead" in (A.V.) Psa 88:10; Pro 2:18; Pro 9:18; Pro 21:16 : in all these places the Revised Version marg. has "the shades." (See also Isa 26:14.) (3.) Heb. 'Anakim (Deu 2:10, Deu 2:11, Deu 2:21; Jos 11:21, Jos 11:22; Jos 14:12, Jos 14:15; called "sons of Anak," Num 13:33; "children of Anak," Num 13:22; Jos 15:14), a nomad race of giants descended from Arba (Jos 14:15), the father of Anak, that dwelt in the south of Palestine near Hebron (Gen 23:2; Jos 15:13). They were a Cushite tribe of the same race as the Philistines and the Egyptian shepherd kings. David on several occasions encountered them (Sam2 21:15). From this race sprung Goliath (Sa1 17:4). (4.) Heb. 'emin , a warlike tribe of the ancient Canaanites. They were "great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims" (Gen 14:5; Deu 2:10, Deu 2:11). (5.) Heb. Zamzummim (q.v.), Deu 2:20 so called by the Amorites. (6.) Heb. gibbor (Job 16:14), a mighty one, i.e., a champion or hero. In its plural form (gibborim) it is rendered "mighty men" (2 Sam. 23:8-39; Kg1 1:8; 1 Chr. 11:9-47; Ch1 29:24.) The band of six hundred whom David gathered around him when he was a fugitive were so designated. They were divided into three divisions of two hundred each, and thirty divisions of twenty each. The captains of the thirty divisions were called "the thirty," the captains of the two hundred "the three," and the captain over the whole was called "chief among the captains" (Sam2 23:8). The sons born of the marriages mentioned in Gen 6:4 are also called by this Hebrew name.
God's Word emphasizes spiritual reasons for the war outside.
One of the more important things to note as we move on from this section is the fact God calls Israel His son . (Ex. 4; 22-23; Isa. 63:16; 64;8; Ho. 11:1) , Recall they were to be a people set apart as an inherent portion of the remedy for the Fall and the sin of man. It began with Abraham being called out of his land and continued through the ancestors and the captivity.
GIANTS
IN THE LAND
(For a more complete look at the entire genocide question see SHOW THEM NO MERCY edited by Stanley N. Gundry editor of the COUNTERPOINTS series. The book contains four different slants on the discussion of what contributor Eugene H. Merrill dubbed "Yaweh war." Much deeper discussion which was prompted by the 9/11 attacks.)
Some years ago, I had a discussion with a Buddhist and he was trying to logically explain why God was the wrong person to worship, He first asked if God had not taken life and if others had done it on His orders. When I said they had, he explained that life was sacred and taking life was a sin so my god must be a fraud. I pointed out life was only sacred because God gave it. I mentioned too that even Buddha recognized life is a transient state, a journey we take in arriving at a spiritual completion and that the Hindu Gita even has Krishna pointing out it is okay to take the life of your brother in war because he is misled, suggesting the brother will be reincarnated in a better place to learn his lesson and spiritually migrate. Death is only really a tragic event if Christianity is correct and we only have one life to live. And then it is only tragic if one has not accepted Christ.
Still, it behooves us to look at the "whys" as God has directly and indirectly presented them. God ordered genocide, the destruction of various tribes.
My thesis remains that God wanted the enemy tribes wiped out because of the genetic giant-ism threat. But He makes a much more serious allegation from His point of view and, just as importantly, an explanation that would be viable for the many generations before ours. When he had Moses and the People begin their wars OUTSIDE the Promised land, in the Jordanian area, he required the decimation of those tribes as well. But they also carried something of the giant gene:
Giants (1.) Heb. nephilim , meaning "violent" or "causing to fall" (Gen 6:4). These were the violent tyrants of those days, those who fell upon others. The word may also be derived from a root signifying "wonder," and hence "monsters" or "prodigies." In Num 13:33 this name is given to a Canaanitish tribe, a race of large stature, "the sons of Anak." The Revised Version, in these passages, simply transliterates the original, and reads "Nephilim." (2.) Heb. rephaim , a race of giants (Deu 3:11) who lived on the east of Jordan, from whom was descended. They were probably the original inhabitants of the land before the immigration of the Canaanites. They were conquered by Chedorlaomer (Gen 14:5), and their territories were promised as a possession to Abraham (Gen 15:20). The Anakim, Zuzim, and Emim were branches of this stock. In Job 26:5 (R.V., "they that are deceased;" marg., "the shades," the "Rephaim") and Isa 14:9 this Hebrew word is rendered (A.V.) "dead." It means here "the shades," the departed spirits in Sheol. In Sam2 21:16, Sam2 21:18, Sam2 21:20, 33, "the giant" is (A.V.) the rendering of the singular form ha raphah, which may possibly be the name of the father of the four giants referred to here, or of the founder of the Rephaim. The Vulgate here reads "Arapha," whence Milton (in Samson Agonistes) has borrowed the name "Harapha." (See also Ch1 20:5, Ch1 20:6, Ch1 20:8; Deu 2:11, Deu 2:20; Deu 3:13; Jos 15:8, etc., where the word is similarly rendered "giant.") It is rendered "dead" in (A.V.) Psa 88:10; Pro 2:18; Pro 9:18; Pro 21:16 : in all these places the Revised Version marg. has "the shades." (See also Isa 26:14.) (3.) Heb. 'Anakim (Deu 2:10, Deu 2:11, Deu 2:21; Jos 11:21, Jos 11:22; Jos 14:12, Jos 14:15; called "sons of Anak," Num 13:33; "children of Anak," Num 13:22; Jos 15:14), a nomad race of giants descended from Arba (Jos 14:15), the father of Anak, that dwelt in the south of Palestine near Hebron (Gen 23:2; Jos 15:13). They were a Cushite tribe of the same race as the Philistines and the Egyptian shepherd kings. David on several occasions encountered them (Sam2 21:15). From this race sprung Goliath (Sa1 17:4). (4.) Heb. 'emin , a warlike tribe of the ancient Canaanites. They were "great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims" (Gen 14:5; Deu 2:10, Deu 2:11). (5.) Heb. Zamzummim (q.v.), Deu 2:20 so called by the Amorites. (6.) Heb. gibbor (Job 16:14), a mighty one, i.e., a champion or hero. In its plural form (gibborim) it is rendered "mighty men" (2 Sam. 23:8-39; Kg1 1:8; 1 Chr. 11:9-47; Ch1 29:24.) The band of six hundred whom David gathered around him when he was a fugitive were so designated. They were divided into three divisions of two hundred each, and thirty divisions of twenty each. The captains of the thirty divisions were called "the thirty," the captains of the two hundred "the three," and the captain over the whole was called "chief among the captains" (Sam2 23:8). The sons born of the marriages mentioned in Gen 6:4 are also called by this Hebrew name.
Notice that last reference:
De 2:18 You are about to go by Ar, the limit of the country of Moab;
19 And when you come near the land of the children of Ammon, give them no cause of trouble and do not make war on them, for I will not give you any of the land of the children of Ammon for your heritage: because I have given it to the children of Lot.
20 (That land is said to have been a land of the Rephaim, for Rephaim had been living there in earlier times, but they were named Zamzummim by the Ammonites;
21 They were a great people, tall as the Anakim, and equal to them in number; but the Lord sent destruction on them and the children of Ammon took their place, living in their land;
(BBE)
Three things: 1) God gave land to the children of Lot, Abraham's nephew, an inheritance to children of incest. Personal failure will not keep God from blessing the descendents of his promises. 2) Giants were in the land around the Promised Land but God had already destroyed them without the Israelites. He didn't need them for the destruction: He needed them to obey, to learn to obey. 3) But the tribes outside kept up with two things: they worshipped idols and would be a lure to the Israelites to violate their spiritual commitment to God while they also still had the infection of giant gene.
God's Word emphasizes spiritual reasons for the war outside.
One of the more important things to note as we move on from this section is the fact God calls Israel His son . (Ex. 4; 22-23; Isa. 63:16; 64;8; Ho. 11:1) , Recall they were to be a people set apart as an inherent portion of the remedy for the Fall and the sin of man. It began with Abraham being called out of his land and continued through the ancestors and the captivity.
God wanted a genetically AND spiritual pure people for his Son. For the physical presence of Mary and the spiritual preparation of both Joseph and Mary. God did not argue the ideas of nurture versus nature, He had perfect knowledge of how they would be working together and moved to create that perfect setting for His Son.
But God never directly talked about the genetic troubles. He kept pointing them out, kept emphasizing the giants. But he never openly stated anything about genetics. I suspect, as with Creation, this is another example of God wanting to reach everyone so going into a lecture on genetics in the midst of His spiritual (and much more important message from HIS point of view) takes precedence. Centuries later he would instill in a monk named Gregor Mendel the curiosity and intellect to discover the basic rules of genetics by studying peas.
Lived 1822 – 1884.
Gregor Mendel is the father of genetics. He:
• Founded the science of genetics.
• Identified many of the rules of heredity. These rules determine how traits are passed through generations of living things.
• Saw that living things pass traits to the next generation by something which remains unchanged in successive generations of an organism – we now call this ‘something’ genes.
• Realized that traits could skip a generation – seemingly lost traits could appear again in another generation – he called these recessive traits.
• Identified recessive and dominant traits which pass from parents to offspring.
• Established, momentously, that traits pass from parents to their offspring in a mathematically predictable way.
Mendel’s work only made a big impact in 1900, 16 years after his death, and 34 years after he first published it.
Notice that the genes may be recessive, that is, can hide from one generation to the next. One thing asked by one of the commentators in Show Them No Mercy was why God wanted the women and children killed in one instance and not another in his orders to Israel.
"Why were the children targeted? What had they done?"
The simplest genetic reason is that they were born with the recessive gene and it would have come out had they been allowed to live and, yes, all had to die because no one at that time had a lab to test for that gene and, in fact, as we mentioned in one of our first posts, scientists are only now developing the mapping techniques to make the determination of such things. God could look at any person and know his life, from beginning to end, and make the determination, first, if they would live a life to His benefit and second if they carried the wrong genes. Whatever related to giant-ism to make it a threat to the Virgin Birth, it had to be purged. Simply put, yet again the cause was sin introduced by the fallen.
And, if my thesis is also correct, we need to realize God was containing a plague in the only way possible: isolation. We have forgotten that in this world. We forget that the best way to stop a plague is quarantine. Giant-ism was a plague of some sort, whether caused by a mix of angel and human or by a mix of the Cain and Seth clans makes no difference. Nimrod likely understood as much and drove the giants from the Babylon area, uniting that segment of humanity against them, but his failure to completely eliminate them was because he thought only of the power he got from unifying the tribes around him, power he used the constant threat of attack to consolidate. So his power became more important than saving humanity, the worship he received became more important tan the people who worshiped him. Some churches have done extensive research on Nimrod and concluded his life became the pattern for people eventually claiming Godhood for kings. But he did accomplish the task of putting the "tainted" peoples together in one area for God's people to deal with.
And, if my thesis is also correct, we need to realize God was containing a plague in the only way possible: isolation. We have forgotten that in this world. We forget that the best way to stop a plague is quarantine. Giant-ism was a plague of some sort, whether caused by a mix of angel and human or by a mix of the Cain and Seth clans makes no difference. Nimrod likely understood as much and drove the giants from the Babylon area, uniting that segment of humanity against them, but his failure to completely eliminate them was because he thought only of the power he got from unifying the tribes around him, power he used the constant threat of attack to consolidate. So his power became more important than saving humanity, the worship he received became more important tan the people who worshiped him. Some churches have done extensive research on Nimrod and concluded his life became the pattern for people eventually claiming Godhood for kings. But he did accomplish the task of putting the "tainted" peoples together in one area for God's people to deal with.
But the question being asked about the children says more about us and our priorities today then about the event itself. We are told in America and, because America has for years controlled the mass media, in the world, that we are the center of life. That is what humanism is all about: Man and seeing things from his perspective. We are, as Jefferson Airplane once sang, "the crown of creation." Everything exists for us and we are to take it and use it to our best utility and to glorify men. The architect once said he could build a bridge over the Grand Canyon that would be so magnificent people would forget the canyon. Ayn Rand, in "The Fountainhead", suggested our creative power alone mattered and that selfishness with our creativity was the only thing worth living for.
When we ask why God takes a life we are looking at it the wrong way.
"Some mistakenly think that God always sends calamities to punish sinners. This is not true. Jesus commented on acts of violence and natural calamities that happened in His day. The Bible says, "There were present at that season some who told Him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, "Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, nay; but unless ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all other men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, nay; but unless ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:1-5)."
I would point out that the above article says God never takes a life then minces a bit on Sodom being an example to others. We really can't have it both ways. God does take lives as he clearly did in the cases we mentioned, but he has reasons, some clear to us, some unclear. He gives the reasons from His point of view. And yes, sin is the cause and, while the article goes on to discuss natural disasters, we can apply the lesson to the genocides as well.
"When disasters happen, the real point is that they could happen to any of us at any time. It is only because God is love that one heartbeat follows another. He gives life and love to all. Every day, billions of people wake up to fresh air, warm sunshine, delicious food, and comfortable homes—because God is love, and He showers His blessings on the earth. We have no individual claim on life, however, as though we had created ourselves. We must acknowledge that we live in a world that is subject to death from a variety of sources."
Recall I mentioned "slave mentality" in a previous post. I would say we suffer from "freedom mentality" the idea we are "Captains" of our fate, "masters of our own ship." My cursor is a perfect example. I point my arrow to a place on the blog post, click and begin to type without looking at the text. I focus on the keys when I type. When I look up, I left my arrow pointing somewhere else on the text and the blasted cursor started the typing there instead of where I had originally clicked. You may have gone through this in your typing program or it may just be a defect in my own system (i.e., the cursor was just placed on here, right here, and I looked and saw that the click bar vanished after I moved the arrow. I had actually typed nothing in though I had been typing for a couple seconds.) My point is, I expect at least that my typing program will act as I wish and even that acts up and refuses to act as is perfect in my ideal world. In fact, it may actually be going off to point out I need to write better or that I simply need to learn the lesson of looking at what I am typing and I refuse to learn the lesson. Even as Israel refused to learn the lesson of not mixing with the other tribes around them and entered the cycle of sin.
Israel was to have a different perspective, one God took forty years gently pushing it into their minds. The focus was to be on Him and His wishes and not on their desire to know the whole thing and run the store, if you will. Our focus must be that as well. A story out of Vietnam comes to mind. A platoon of soldiers had been through several different leaders and had learned to operate as autonomously as possible to survive since their officers were sometimes green and not battle tested. They were, however, finally blessed with a good Second Louie but they tended to still go about things their own way. This developed a conflict between him and the men which flared up off and on until one day they were huddled down on a hill, under cover and momentarily safe when orders came for them to move. The soldiers had heard such orders before and they were slow to obey. The lieutenant insisted and they resisted. They knew the enemy had snipers around and they didn't want to move . Orders had come down, but they had seen orders go wrong before earlier in the war, an unfortunate symptom of the Vietnam War, and all wars, Finally, the lieutenant threatened to shoot some folks if they didn't move NOW and they grudgingly obeyed. They were barely out of the area when U.S. planes napalmed it. Had they stayed, they would have died in "friendly fire." Not obeying would have cost them their lives. God made things just a clear to Israel, over and over.
Even as Jesus made it clear to his followers when he sent them on their first mission.
Mt 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, {Provide: or, Get}
10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. {staves: Gr. a staff}
11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
12 And when ye come into an house, salute it.
13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. {harmless: or, simple}
17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. {have...: or, end, or, finish}
24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? {Beelzebub: Gr. Beelzebul}
26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
(KJV)
God acts in love, but he does act. And we are not like the soldiers depicted in "The Charge of the Light Brigade", an actual military mistake: "Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do or die." We can reason and we can ask, God has already told us why. We can accept or reject the reason, His Son, but the why, the ultimate salvation of the human race, is never in question, despite the giants in the land.
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