'Thou hast slain my children'

(Ezekiel 16:21)                                                                                                    Vol. VI, No. 5, June 1993

Despite God having always forbidden it (Lev. 20:2-5), his people had fallen into child sacrifice, offering their children to the Canaanite god Molech. The people were causing their children to "pass through the fire to Molech" (Lev. 18:21), meaning that they were offering up their children to be burned in child sacrifice.

God condemned them for sacrificing "my children" in idolatry. God said they had sacrificed my gold, my silver, mine oil, mine incense, and my meat ... flour ... oil ... honey to idols (Ezek. 16: 17-19). They had forgotten that God was the giver and sustainer of life (Gen. 1:26-28), and that they, as well as "their" children and all of "their" possessions, belonged to Him. They had turned away from God and worshipped themselves and their material well-being; preoccupied with themselves, their resources and their wishes and desires, Judah had forgotten God. They had "not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare. . . " (Ezek. 16:22.).

Has America not done the same thing? In our self-absorption with materialism, status, career, self-fulfillment and "things," have we not worshipped gods of our own making? In killing approximately 1.5 million babies a year through abortion, are we not sacrificing our children to the idols of convenience and material well-being? Are we not forgetting God when we fail to reach out to help women and families who face problem pregnancies and emotional and economic burdens of physically and mentally impaired children?

America is practicing child sacrifice. We are sacrificing our unborn babies through abortion and our young children through abuse and neglect because we have forgotten God "and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator... " (Rom. 1:25). We must remember that God is a God of holiness, righteousness, and judgment. He is also a God of mercy and forgiveness. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9). If we "humble" ourselves "and pray" and "seek" His "face" and "turn from" our "wicked ways," then God "will hear from heaven, and will forgive ... and will heal" our land (II Chron. 7:14).

 [Published by the SBC Christian Life Commission.]