Should This Matter?

We act as if we are such a civilized society. “We have really come a long way”, we say to ourselves. We have smartphones, massive communities, every desire at our fingertips, and scientific knowledge that keeps growing every day! We look back at the cultures that have come and gone before us and stick up our noses thankful that we no longer have to live in that ‘primitive’ mindset. But have we really come as far as we think?

No. We haven’t.

I remember learning about cultures such as the Aztecs who participated in child sacrifice and thinking about how sad it was that those people really thought that they were appeasing their god by killing their children. I was glad that I didn’t live in such a crude society. I am sure that many people thought the same way as me in school.

But today, I argue that we are really just the same as those people from long ago and ancient civilizations. We struggle with the same sin and the same idolatry. We have modernized the process, sure. We have called our action a different name, a more scientific or appealing one. But, when we break it down, we are still the same.

Abortion is a prime example of my point. And that is because, at the heart of it, abortion really is child sacrifice! You may be tempted to roll your eyes and say “oh boy, another dramatic Christian!” But please, consider my points.

Old Testament Child Sacrifice in Israel

Child sacrifice is spoken of numerous times in the Bible often described as “passing children through the fire”. This is because children were burned alive in this deplorable activity. The Bible describes how much God HATES this practice and how the Israelites continued to fall into child sacrifice over and over again. Even kings of Israel participated in this including Solomon who allowed his Canaanite wives to worship this way.

Israel came across child sacrifice when following in the idolatry of the surrounding people of Canaan who worshiped a god called Molech. Worship of Molech is thought to have begun with the Phoenicians who lived in Canaan. The Bible also calls Molech, “Milcom” in 1 Kings 11:7 identifying him as an Ammonite god. The Moabite god Chemosh was similar to Molech and was also worshipped by Israel. In fact, it was Chemosh that Solomon’s wives worshipped which involved child sacrifice as well (Numbers 21:27-30, Jeremiah 48:45-46, 1 Kings 11:1-43, 2 Kings 23:13).

Traditionally, Molech is described as a bronze statue with 7 compartments for different sacrifices with the 7th compartment as the one for the child sacrifice. All items in the 7 chambers would be burned by heating the statue inside. The child sacrifice would be the first born child and would ensure the participants some sort of financial gain or more children. Also, child sacrifices would also be used for special requests as is the case when the king of Moab actually burned his eldest son as an offering to Chemosh in hopes that Chemosh would help them win their battle against Israel (2 Kings 3:4-27). Sadly, even the king of Judah, Ahaz, sacrificed his own son to Molech (2 Kings 16, 2 Chronicles 28, Isaiah 7-8). Many people don’t even realize the extent to which Israel was entrenched in child sacrifice.

Way back in Leviticus, God tells the children of Israel to not participate in child sacrifice like the people of Canaan once they enter into the promised land as it was a common tradition in that land.

Leviticus 18:21 (KJV)

And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.

Of course we know that Israel did not heed God’s many warnings and did participate! Israel practiced their worship of Molech and child sacrifice in the Valley of Bin-Hinnom. This a just outside of Jerusalem. It was also called Tophet possibly after the word for drums beaten which is “tophiym” as drums were used to drown out the cries of the sacrificed children. Tophet actually becomes a word for hell in Hebrew. Later, after Israel’s return from their Babylonian exile to Jerusalem (which occurred in the first place because of idolatry such as this), this valley becomes a garbage dump for Jerusalem and Israel finally abandons this evil worship. In the Greek, the valley is known as “Gehenna” which Jesus used as an illustration of hell. We now associate the word “Gehenna” with hell. Appropriate actually!

God doesn’t tone down His admonishment of child sacrifice. He sees it as the lowest of low form of idolatry and speaks out about it in several passages, but I have included 2 here as examples.

Ezekiel 23:37-39 (KJV)

That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them.

Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths.

For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house.

Jeremiah 7:30-32 (KJV)

For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the Lord: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.

And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.

As you can see in Ezekiel, God points out Israel’s hypocrisy. He hated child sacrifice. It was an abomination to Him, but Israel would actually sacrifice their children and then enter into His temple to sacrifice to Him! In Jeremiah, God promises that Tophet shall be buried one day and sure enough as described above, it is! But my point with just these two examples is that God hates child sacrifice!

Modern Day Abortion

Let’s really look at abortion. Let’s break it down. How is abortion any different than child sacrifice?

We do not commit the killing of the unborn in the name of Molech or Chemosh, but we still do kill in the name of another god – reproductive rights. Sometimes we think idolatry must mean that we are worshipping some sort of primitive ‘god’ but that is not the case. An idol is anything that we place above God and that can be literally anything, even ourselves! In this case, the idol that we offer our children to is ourselves, our convenience, our lusts.

As for the reward we expect in return: financial gain, removal of consequences, a better future for ourselves. Remember, the people who offered their children to be burned to Molech and Chemosh did so for financial prosperity and other gains. So, how are we different. We say “well, it is worth it to not have the burden of a child on a woman or society” or “how is she supposed to take care of the baby” or even “the baby will be born into a horrible situation”. But really look at these arguments. They are filled to the brim with FAKE love. We pretend that we care about the woman or even the child in some cases, but really, we care care only about ourselves. It is for ourselves that we don’t want the ‘burden’ of a child. It is for ourselves that we don’t want a child to have a hard life because we may actually need to do something about it. We act as if we are committing the innocent to death for their good but it is actually for our own good!

The abortion clinics are our Tophet and Valley of Bin-Hinnom. We keep them within our cities as our “high places” and “valleys” to worship ourselves. We call them clinics, but they are our alters. Some people truly view them as sacred grounds where women are given freedom from their bodies. These ‘pro-choice’ (‘anti-life’ as I prefer to call them what they really are) people fight for these alters like they fight for anything else important.

Sadly, even the Christian church is falling prey to this evil consequence of idolatry. We remain silent despite the alters of sacrifice being just down the street. We allow child sacrifice to take place around us without even a fight against it! Some churches even support abortion! Yes, they offer the children on the alter of the abortion clinic and then walk into church to pray to God. My previous article delves into this a little bit more. God sees the spilt blood of the innocent children. You cannot say you are a kill the unborn and then turn around and say you are Christian.

Jeremiah 2:34-35 King James Version (KJV)

Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these.

Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.

Let’s stand up for the lives of these children murdered for nothing more than the idol of selfishness. Let’s fight against the evil of child sacrifice with everything that we have. Let’s not be afraid to say that we stand for the children that are being killed and for the Word of God. Remember what happened to Israel when they stooped so low as to incorporate child sacrifice into their worship: they were destroyed. Our fate will be the same.

Do you have a question?  Do you have something to add?  Leave a comment below or on my contact page!  I am more than happy to engage in friendly discussions. Thank you!