Do Not Give Any Of Your Children

Leviticus 18:21 – “‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.

Jeremiah 7:30-31 – “‘The people of Judah have done evil in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols in the house that bears my Name and have defiled it. They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.

Ezekiel 36:20 – And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, ‘These are the Lord’s people, and yet they had to leave his land.’

Amos 2:7 – They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name.

Application:

• ·         The detestable practice of sacrificing children to Molech was common in Phoenicia and other surrounding countries.
• ·         Topheth may be of Aramaic origin with the meaning fireplace, though in cultures outside Israel it was used as a common noun meaning place of child sacrifice. The Old Testament Topheth had a fire pit, into which the hapless children were apparently thrown. It was used as a trash dump and also as a place for sacrificing children to pagan gods.
• ·         Because Israel had been removed from her land, it seemed to the nations that her God was unable to protect and preserve His people.
• ·         To care for the poor and oppressed and to protect them from injustice were clearly commanded by Israel’s law; also, throughout the ancient Near East, kings were supposed to defend such people.

All Scripture verses taken from ESV