Canaanite Facts for 3-8 Year Olds

Categories: Elijah and Elisha, Noah

• The Canaanites lived in the land of Canaan.
• We know these lands as Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.
• The name, Canaan, might mean “to be low, humble.”
• Stories about Canaanites date back 3800 years.
• The “Amarna Letters” from Egypt (ca 1300s BCE) have letters between Pharaoh and various rulers in Canaan.
• Pharaoh exercises a lot of power over these areas.
• The groups of people living in these areas do not unite into one kingdom.
• Nonetheless, there are references to “kings of Canaan.”
• A 1929 discovery at Ras Shamra in Ugarit has religious information about the Canaanites.
• There are many similarities with biblical passages.
• Some of the names for God are the same, i.e. El.
• They also have female gods, called goddesses, such as Asherah.
• A grandson of El and Asherah is Baal.
• Baal is the god of rain and storms.
• Baal is defeated by Elijah at Mount Carmel (see 1 Kings 18:16-42).
• The prophets tell the Israelites not to worship these gods.
• It’s hard for them not to do so.
• The Israelites think God is connected to the land.
• When people move to a new land, they think it makes sense to adopt the gods of that land, like Baal.
• It takes them a long time to change this belief.
• After the Exodus, God promises this land to the Israelites.
• They have to fight the Canaanites to get it.
• Israel wins most of the battles.
• Two of Noah’s sons are blessed.
• Noah says words that predict the destinies of the tribes and nations that descend from his sons.
• The Israelites also took in many of the Canaanite practices.