THE
ABOMINATIONS OF THE CANAANITES
The Canaanites were descendants of Canaan, the
fourth son of Ham (Genesis 9:18) and the grandson of Noah (Genesis 6:9). While
Ham’s other descendants probably settled Egypt and parts of Africa, Canaan’s
family migrated to Phoenicia and Palestine. There they developed a highly
advanced culture.
Canaanite society was organized into
city-states, each ruled by its own king. Some of these cities were fairly
large, important commercial centers such as Hazor, Megiddo, Jericho, Jebus
(Jerusalem), and Debir. They were walled, some extremely well (“The Wall of
Jericho” at Joshua 6:20)
In the Canaanite religion, homosexuals and prostitutes
were employed to raise money for the support of the temples. It is not an
exaggeration to say that these pagans elevated sex to the status of a god [that
sounds rather modern, doesn’t it?]. Many scholars believe that there are hints
of this sordid background in such Old Testament passages as Deuteronomy
23:18-19 — where a prohibition is given against bringing the “hire of a harlot
or the wages of a dog (a male prostitute) into the house of Jehovah.”
The LORD referred
to the Canaanite practices as “abominations” for which “the land vomits out its
inhabitants” (Leviticus 18:25–26).God’s concern had to do with religious as
well as sexual purity. The chapter opens and closes with warnings to avoid the
ways of the Canaanites (Leviticus 18:3, 30). Among the practices mentioned was
sodomy, or homosexuality. Yahweh warned them not to commit any of these
abominations; either them or the strangers that lived among them.
©
2013 Kenute P. Curry. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are from the New King
James Version of the Bible, © 1979, 1980, 1982, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.,
Publishers.
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