America's Canaan

 

America’s Canaan

Genesis chapter 10 and 11

     Very closely in my mind do the Native Americans or the Indigenous Peoples of North America resemble the Canaanite tribes in which Abraham faced in his sojourning about his promised land.  With that said, I can draw much criticism or at least an egging of my house.  But hear me out.

    Let’s say it was as God said in Genesis 10.  Noah’s son Japheth gave gentile descendants who spread to the coastal areas. This dispersion superseded the great tower of Babel at which the Lord confused the one pure language.  After this act, Japheth’s sons (descendants) would have journeyed further eastward from Shinar.  This would have placed them the region of China, Mongolia and even the Pacific region.  In Peleg’s time later, the earth divided to separate Man even more.  However unclear and theories exist but this one is plausible.

     As the peoples from Japheth migrated eastward across land, the Pacific plate could have gone under and inundated a previous land access to what we see now as North America (Rather than the small land bridge as proposed).  Japheth’s groupings of people would have been forced to travel even farther eastward to the regions of Canada and the western shore of America.  This could be.  Some observations lead this way.

     Google images pull up similar likenesses of the Far East and the Indians of North America.  Hair, cheek bones, and skin tone.  This is no new understanding.  But I propose as Japheth’s ones travelled farther from the original Noah boat landing near Shinar, they drifted away from their God in retaining His true character which had been revealed to them.  In other words, by word of mouth, the new frontiersmen of Japheth did not pass on an accurate picture of God.  So what we see is spirit and elemental nature worship which so plague North America even to this day when the pow wow is sounded, the feathers donned, and folks dance in colorful dress about a circle wanting to conjure strength to face any enemy.  I scarcely know many of their beliefs, but on the outside looking in, they have little to do with Jesus.  In fact, I understand His name can be a threat to Native American religions.  Animosity more than just the white man’s religion.  The Spirit of Jesus poses a real problem and He is unwelcomed.

     This raises a question of domination.  Not that God be for or against, but as He balances the nations, He moves His hand over peoples that His eventual will be done.  Surely the white man is not perfect.  We, talking from my European decent, tricked and lied and forced the Native Americans off their land.  We did them a huge injustice of which they are still fighting and falling into the victim state as they try to bolster strength from past traditions frantically grabbing for the heritage the White man seeks to squander away through acts of assimilation.  No one is right here.  Blood is on both sides.

     But what if we saw this rolling of conquest from east to west from God’s eyes?  He is responsible for the health of the nations.  Satan seeks to weaken, but the Spirit of God opposes him.  Where the White man forged into the wilderness, he brought with him the Bible as a tutor for his children and a model for his new government.  Although not perfect, the White people gained in power over those indigenous.  Certainly they and their babies were slaughtered and treated as dogs.  An inferior group labelled as Injuns or Red Men.  But, as Jesus would say, He died for them also.  All men are made in the similitude of God.  We are to respect each other.