Sunday, March 15, 2020

Islam critiqued condemns a divine practice; replacing a rebellious people with obedient ones?

In answer to the video "The Quran's "Replacement Theology"

In a universal system based on Truth, falsehood is bound to perish
34:49,21:16-8,14:19"Do you not see that Allah created the heavens and the earth with truth? If He please He will take you off and bring a new creation".
One of the most explicit examples of God replacing a wicked generation for another occured with the Israelites. Moses and his brother Aaron fell face down before them when they refused entering the holyland and placing their trust in God despite all the miracles, providence, wrath of God they had witnessed until this point Numb13-14,Ps75:11. The land, supposedly inhabited by a race of giants, did not deterr Joshua and Caleb who were among the spies sent to inquire about it ahead of the rest. They were convinced they could overpower them and despite the might of that enemy, they pointed, in a desperate bid after tearing their clothes, to the excellence of the land, and to God's promise. In their eyes, as should be the case for any true believer, divine guarantee is better than  military power and strategy. But again the people wept and bitterly complained against Moses and Aaron. They preferred returning to the slavery of Egypt and the paltry comfort it provided them, than die here as righteous, obedient believers and freemen Numb13:28-33. They even went as far as appointing a leader to guide them back to Egypt Numb14:4,Neh9:17.

In their rebellion they almost stoned Joshua and Caleb to death, had God not saved them from their hands. God's wrath reached its peak and was going to send an annihilating plague upon the entire nation except for the very few righteous, and raise another comunity in their stead to be the torch bearers of the truth. But again, Moses' prayers averted the catastrophe except for those that were sent to spy on the land and came back to the comunity with their disheartened tone. Instead of exterminating the whole nation right away, God decreed for them a 40 years desert wandering that would cause the entire generation of rebels to pass away, and make place for a new breed that would be given the priviledge of entering the blessed land Numb14:1-39.

When the Muslims were made successors in the land, they were warned that if they transgress they will be swiftly requited. They will be replaced by the One encompassing them as He encompasses the whole earth, capable of erasing them completely then re-establish a similarily great human creation, even better yet in make should He want to 6:165,70:40-1,76:28. Similar warnings were issued to the Israelites should they neglect the spiritual duties for which they were established in a land 7:137,26:57-9,Deut8:19-20,Deut28-31. The same forceful way they were made to dislodge a powerful people in their own lands, due to their wickedness Deut9, could be repeated with them. Previous nations that were similarily established, then rejected their prophets were destroyed and another nation raised in their stead as trustees of God's favors
10:71-3,44:26,7:69,74,137,100"Is it not clear to those who inherit the earth after its (former) residents that if We please We would afflict them on account of their faults". 
The HB uses a very appropriate metaphore to describe that pattern, picturing a sacred land becoming sick of its inhabitants' practices to the point it cannot contain them anymore
Lev18:24-8"Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants..." Lev20:22-3"And you shall observe all My statutes and all My ordinances, and fulfill them, then the Land, to which I am bringing you to dwell therein, will not vomit you out. You shall not follow the practices of the nation that I am sending away from before you, for they committed all these [sins], and I was disgusted with them".

The prophet Solomon Prov2:21-22 and before him David spoke of that reality
Ps37:9-11"evildoers shall be cut off, and those who hope for the Lord-they will inherit the land. A short while longer and the wicked man is not here, and you shall look at his place and he is not there. But the humble shall inherit the land, and they shall delight in much peace".

No comments:

Post a Comment