Thursday, January 24, 2019

Sacrificing Children


But as for you, come here,
    you children of a sorceress,
    you offspring of an adulterer and a whore.
Whom are you mocking?
    Against whom do you open your mouth wide
    and stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of transgression,
    the offspring of deceit—
 you that burn with lust among the oaks,
    under every green tree;
you that slaughter your children in the valleys,
    under the clefts of the rocks?
Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion;
    they, they, are your lot;
to them you have poured out a drink offering,
    you have brought a grain offering.
    Shall I be appeased for these things?
Upon a high and lofty mountain
    you have set your bed,
    and there you went up to offer sacrifice.
Behind the door and the doorpost
    you have set up your symbol;
for, in deserting me, you have uncovered your bed,
    you have gone up to it,
    you have made it wide;
and you have made a bargain for yourself with them,
    you have loved their bed,
    you have gazed on their nakedness.
You journeyed to Molech with oil,
    and multiplied your perfumes;
you sent your envoys far away,
    and sent down even to Sheol.
You grew weary from your many wanderings,
    but you did not say, “It is useless.”
You found your desire rekindled,
    and so you did not weaken.
Whom did you dread and fear
    so that you lied,
and did not remember me
    or give me a thought?
Have I not kept silent and closed my eyes,
    and so you do not fear me?
 I will concede your righteousness and your works,
    but they will not help you.
 When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you!
    The wind will carry them off,
    a breath will take them away.
But whoever takes refuge in me shall possess the land
    and inherit my holy mountain
                    Isaiah 57:3-5, 7-13 (NRSV)

During Isaiah's time, children were sacrificed to false gods and idols for the benefit of the parent. Parents were willing to kill their children in order to live the lives they wanted to live. 

There are so many false gods; so many idols that parents worship today. How many lives of children have been taken to reap the imagined benefits of worshipping these idols today? It is a very sad thing that the leading cause of death today is abortion. It is not just sad. It is abhorrent!

Promiscuity is a common and acceptable thing today. But, with sleeping around in the hopes of some kind of pleasure or benefit there are many risks. However; whether in a committed relationship or not; pregnancy is only one of the consequences of sexual relationships. Unfortunately, today it appears that the natural consequence of having a sexual relationship is not all that acceptable to the parent(s). But, killing the child that is conceived so that one can go on living in a life style that is pleasing to the parent is.

Being a parent is not highly revered today. But, enjoying one's life to its fullest seems to be no matter who might die in the interim. So many women (especially young women) have been duped by the media and by health care professionals as well as others and have regretted their decisions after the fact. There are consequences that often come with abortions; physical, emotional, and mental consequences. The people of this country (and many churches that claim to profess Christ) really ought to quit lying to themselves by saying that killing children is acceptable. Our personal pleasures; our dreams; our personal goals are not more important than life itself! They are not more important than the life of a child.

So what or who is it that you worship? Do you worship the one true God who created you and redeemed you?  Do you worship yourself?

If you say that you are a Christian than please read the Holy Scriptures! There is only one God and we are not Him! May God have mercy upon our souls.
God's Peace – Pr. J

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