“So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.”-Exodus 3:8
Is God a racist?
This is a thought that has sometimes crossed my mind when reading the Scriptures.
I mean God makes no bones about calling out specifically the exact nations he intends to have Israel wipe out.
It doesn’t seem to bother God that the land He intends to give to Israel is already occupied.
In addition to the majority Canaanites, the following five other groups are singled out in Exodus 3.
The Hittites:
This is actually a race of people that not too long ago many scholars considered to be mythological. However, recent archeological digs have proven them wrong. Museums now have many Hittite artifacts showing that they were actually quite an advanced society. Not only did this civilization exist but they were quite a dominant power. They inhabited a region that in our day would include Syria, Lebanon and Turkey.
The Amorites:
This group resided in what is in our times modern day Iraq. Two noteworthy facts are that one it is widely believed that Abraham himself was an Amorite and second, the great conqueror Hammurabi was also an Amorite.
The Perrizites:
Do you know how we sometimes say “I’m a New Yorker” or “I’m a Nebraskan”. When we use this figure of speech, we’re not referring to our race or ethnic background but more the area where we grew up in. Well, the same thing goes for the term “Perrizites”. They weren’t a distinct tribe per say but a group of folks who lived in the hilly areas of Canaan. In fact, some scholars believe that Perrizites simply means “hill dwellers”.
The Hivites:
Scant information exists about these folks. Some surmise that the Huns descended from this group. During Jacob’s time, we’re told that the people who held power in the ancient city of Shechem were Hivites.
The Jebusites:
These were the folks who built and inhabited Jerusalem prior to its conquest by King David. The Books of Kings mention that Jerusalem was called “Jebus” prior to King David taking over the area.
So getting back to the provocative question of “Is God a racist?”.
The answer is an unequivocal NO.
The reason is because our Messianic religion is a very inclusive faith, NOT exclusive.
Ever since Israel left Egypt, those who were NOT native-born always had the option to renounce their former gods and join God’s chosen people.
And when they did, they became first-class citizens with full rights.
However, and this seems to be a God principle that some people take serious issue with, our God is a God of Separation.
Ever since He separated the light from the darkness when He first created the universe, God is about achieving His will through the principle of election, division, and separation.
God’s ways are indeed mysterious and sometimes difficult to comprehend.
For His own good reasons and this is one reality that the whole world is eventually going to have to bow down to, God has chosen one nation out of all the nations of the world to serve as a witness to Him.
And out of that one nation, He has chosen one man to serve as His representative, to be King over His Chosen Nation.
That nation is Israel and that man is Yeshua.
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