Grace

The Lord said to Moses, “Give the people of Israel these instructions, which apply both to native Israelites and to the foreigners living in Israel. “If any of them offer their children as a sacrifice to Molech, they must be put to death. The people of the community must stone them to death. I myself will turn against them and cut them off from the community, because they have defiled my sanctuary and brought shame on my holy name by offering their children to Molech. And if the people of the community ignore those who offer their children to Molech and refuse to execute them, I myself will turn against them and their families and will cut them off from the community. This will happen to all who commit spiritual prostitution by worshiping Molech. [Leviticus 20.1-5]

What a terrible degradation of human existence - to sacrifice children!

The punishment laid out for such an offense was death by stoning.

No doubt, this terrible practice of sacrificing children was related to and, in most cases directly resultant to, uncontrolled sexual activity. This was the regular practice of the people occupying the land of Canaan where Israel was headed. When sex has no boundaries, complicated pregnancies are the natural result. It is no surprise then that the same degraded morals allowing unchecked sexual activity would allow the sacrificing (killing) of the resultant children. These children were, more likely than not, seen as disposable. They were merely the unfortunate by-product of a society without self-control and, as such, became disposable. And, what better way to dispose of something unwanted than to make it look religious! The digression of thinking seen here is unspeakable.

But, there is another problem: And if the people of the community ignore those who offer their children to Molech and refuse to execute them, I myself will turn against them and their families and will cut them off from the community.

God, Yahweh, was very clear that not only those directly guilty for killing innocent children as part of their twisted sexual-activity-gone-religion would be punished, but also those who see it happening and choose to ignore it are just as deserving of , and will receive, punishment.

How appropriate a subject for us today when abortion is such an accepted social practice among us? Is abortion not the result of unchecked sexual activity in most cases? Statistics will reveal that rape and incest are only the slightest contributors to the number of abortions performed today.

If those aware of the practice of killing children are just as guilty as those actually killing the children, are we not accountable to God for the innocent lives being aborted today?

Is this the place where we cry out, "But this is the Age of Grace!"

It grieves me that we become so "grace-minded" when confronted with our shortcomings... Where is grace for the unfulfilled life cut short by abortion?

I think I would rather be "legalistic'' and be found wrong standing before God, than to be found crying "Grace" over everything AND BE WRONG! Meditate on that for a moment...

Father, as best I can tell, I am trying to be devoted to You (only You really know my heart and motives). You also know my recent circumstances of being confronted with "grace" resultant to my teaching about accountability for sin. Is the practice of aborting all the innocent babies today covered by "grace"? I cannot think so.