The Return of Moloch

Shelomith and Abigail were brimming with delight as they compared their pregnancies and child birth stories. They laughed over the adventures of their baby girls, who were only a few months old, and dreamed of who these darling children would grow to look like (her mother’s eyes, her father’s nose), and what roles they would play in the community of Israel. But one evening Abigail’s husband, Shema, hot and tired from another seemingly hopeless day in the sun-parched field, brought sad and chilling news. It had been decided. There was no other way. Their young daughter, Timna, must be taken and given as an offering to the god Moloch. The priest had announced that children must be sacrificed if there was to be rain which the nation so desperately needed. The parched land cried out for ground-soaking rains. Only the gods could give it. Abigail wept upon hearing what was to be done with her bright-eyed baby girl. She looked into her little girl’s face. Her mind was racing with ways to avoid this awful thing. But the decision had been made. Shema and Abigail both knew that their child like others in Israel would have to pass through the fire, if Moloch’s blessings were to be received. They wrapped Timna in the blanket especially woven for her birth. They walked silently together down the hill to the valley of Ben-hinnom. They could hear drums, bells, and chanting. With his priest attendants standing by there stood the image of Moloch before them. With one final look into the innocent and angelic face of Timna they presented her to the priests, who with prayers to the god for renewed fertility and prosperity, laid their firstborn in the fire-reddened arms of Moloch, protector and provider. The gift of this young life would help to insure blessings. Abundant harvests would replace the barren fields. They watched without visible emotion while the flames reduced their baby to ashes. Moloch had been given their most treasured possession. Now what would he give in return, hopefully peace and plenty.

This true-to-life story was probably repeated thousands of times (Jer. 32:35; Lev. 18:21; 20:2, 3, 4, 5; 2 Kgs. 23:10). Could such a horrible ritual take place in our day? I tell you it does. It takes place in the killing of millions of unborn children every year in America in the name of the god of pro-choice. How many aborted babies are offered on the altar of personal rights deemed more important than the rights of the unborn? Life is given by God. He created life (Gen. 1:26, 27; 2:7). Our every breath is a manifestation of life given by God. What makes human life sacred? It is because every man, woman, and child is made in God’s image. God is the author of human life. The high value of human life is reflected in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16). The wonder of what God has done for sinful human beings, who deserve only death and eternal judgment, is seen in the everlasting gift of forgiveness and joy through faith in Jesus Christ. Bound up in this sublime gift is also the resurrection of our bodies. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead we have the promise of our own resurrection body.

When does human life begin? The Bible is not ambiguous about this. The fetus is described as a person. It has developed all its human physical characteristics by about eight weeks (Jer. 1:4, 5; Lk. 1:41-44). The biblical ethicist, J. J. Davis, is certainly right when he says that the “biblical writers saw a continuity between the prenatal and postnatal states.” God’s hand is seen in the development of the fetus in the womb (Psa. 139:13-16). David saw his dignity, his value, his meaning in life as arising from God’s involvement in the development of life in the womb. This truth is the occasion for praise, gratitude, and worship.

Where do the Scriptures lead us in this matter of the fetus and the question of whether it is fully human? The benefit of any doubt regarding the fetus should go to the fetus. We should treat the unborn as human, since in the words of one theologian, “it is highly likely that God regards a fetus as a person capable of (at least potentially) that fellowship with God for which man was created.” Such a critical issue as human life being at stake demands that fetal life is treated as infant life. Would we not act on the presumption that an unconscious person is alive and not treat him as dead till proof is certain? If one is driving and sees what may be either a pile of rags or a child lying in the street, one will assume it is a human. What logic is it that treats the unborn as disposable when God counts it as life given by Him? The gods of our age have made the innocent and defenseless in the womb as potential offerings. These child sacrifices are most often for something other than saving the life of the mother. We have become all too comfortable with Moloch’s flames.

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church

A Few Thoughts on Reading Genesis

How is your reading coming along? I mean your daily Bible reading. Hopefully, you are with others in the congregation who are attempting to read the Bible through this year (Bible Reading Plan 2008). This is a good thing. It literally puts us all on the same page. There are several advantages to a systematic, consistent reading of the Bible. It engages our minds with the mind of God. We become immersed in the thought of God and thereby find out what He has done in redemptive history, what He is doing, and what He will do. There is no substitute for such a mental saturation with the unfolding of the greatest story ever told.

By thinking our way through the story of redemption we can see where God places the emphases and watch how His sovereign hand guides human events to the accomplishment of His purposes. This is very important to remember. You are not just reading disconnected stories of long ago. The Scriptures have a story-line. A plot develops. The Holy Spirit of God is the editor-in-chief of the Bible. Therefore, every paragraph has significance. That will require effort on our part in deciphering the connections, context, and meaning of the biblical narrative (especially important in the Old Testament narrative sections). So read with your mind fully engaged. You can take notes if you have time but be careful. You don’t want to over-extend your reading time (e.g., consulting notes in a study Bible or a commentary) and then get behind in your reading. We all live busy lives and we have to measure our time, yes, even our Bible reading time. Do what you have to do to stay consistent (every day!). If you fall behind don’t quit. What a delight it will be to all cross the finish line together next December 31.

Before we look at some of the lessons from our reading this past week, keep in mind that there are three levels of narratives in the Old Testament (See How to Read the Bible for all its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, pp. 74-75). There is the top level which is “the universal plan of God worked out through creation.” We can see God preparing for the coming of the Redeemer. The middle level centers on Israel; how God worked through the call of Abraham, the formation of the nation of Israel, the establishment of Israel’s theocracy, possession of the Promised Land, and God’s chastisement of Israel for disobedience. But at the same time the Spirit keeps our eyes upon the hope of Israel and the world, namely, the coming of the Messiah and the Savior of mankind. Thirdly, there is the bottom level. This is made up of all the mini-narratives and details (e.g., Jacob’s cunning and Esau’s grudge). Fee and Stuart summarize all this very well in saying that “every individual Old Testament narrative (bottom level) is at least a part of the greater narrative of Israel’s history in the world (the middle level), which in turn is a part of the ultimate narrative of God’s creation and His redemption of it (the top level).” The only thing I would add is that the plot-line of the Bible is about the establishment of God’s kingdom. This story is seen in Israel’s kingdom in the Old Testament and the anticipation of the coming earthly kingdom at the Second Coming of the Messiah anticipated in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. This coming earthly kingdom (the millennial reign of Christ) will come to pass because of the sufferings of Jesus Christ on the cross (the cross comes before the crown, 1 Pet. 1:11; Acts 1:11; Rev. 11:15).

There is much more to be said about the grand purpose of God unfolded through the Bible (You will want to enroll in the Berachah Bible Institute). But for now let’s focus on one of the stories we read this past week. Have you not noticed God invisible hand guiding the decisions, schemes, and even the sins of Abraham’s descendants? Jacob deceived Esau in order to get the birthright (Gen. 27). Esau gets angry and bears a grudge against his brother, Jacob. He is eager to find a way to kill Jacob. But can this happen? Is not the promised seed of Abraham, Israel’s Messiah, to come through Jacob’s descendant? As we read the story we are fascinated by God’s overruling, purposeful will. God kept Esau from taking Jacob’s life by prolonging Isaac’s life forty-three years and by allowing Rebekah to hear the words that were in Esau’s heart.

We take encouragement from this. The God of Jacob preserved his life and ensured the continuation of the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15). This same God is our God. He is working out His purposes in our lives. Yes, even through our sins, and errors, and self-will to fulfill what He has already decreed will happen (Psa. 33:10; Prov. 19:21; Isa. 46:10; Acts 2:23). This is no excuse for our bad behavior. But it does remind us that God is greater than all our sins and infirmities. He is greater than the schemes that others plot against us. Things can look confusing and maybe even hopeless. But even as God directs the leaf that falls from the tallest oak to exactly where He wants it to land, so does God cause “all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Take heart. Lift up your head. Don’t succumb to despair. Put your complete trust in the God who is perfect in wisdom and love. And keep on reading. You’ll learn the ways of God.

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church