What does offering "your sons and daughters" reveal about Israel's spiritual state? The Shocking Act: Sacrificing Their Children • Ezekiel 16:20-21: “You took your sons and daughters whom you bore to Me and sacrificed them as food to the idols… You slaughtered My children and delivered them up in offering to idols.” • Psalm 106:37-38: “They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. They poured out innocent blood… the land was polluted with blood.” • Jeremiah 7:31: “They have built the high places of Topheth… to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I never commanded, nor did it come into My mind.” What the Child-Sacrifice Reveals about Israel’s Spiritual Condition • Total abandonment of God’s revealed law (Deuteronomy 12:31). • Deep immersion in Canaanite idol worship, equated with serving demons (Psalm 106:37; 1 Corinthians 10:20). • Hardened consciences—shedding innocent blood no longer shocked them (Isaiah 5:20-23). • Covenant infidelity: they offered to false gods what belonged to the LORD alone (Ezekiel 20:39). • Spiritual blindness: they believed Molech or Baal could grant prosperity, showing misplaced trust (Jeremiah 17:5). • Moral inversion: calling evil good and good evil, evidence of a reprobate mind (Isaiah 5:20; Romans 1:24-25). • Contempt for God’s fatherhood—“My children,” He says, underscoring personal betrayal (Ezekiel 16:21). Roots of Such Depravity: How Israel Fell So Far 1. Progressive compromise—tolerating pagan altars led to full participation (Judges 2:11-13). 2. Kings who modeled idolatry (2 Kings 16:3; 21:6). 3. Failure to teach the next generation God’s statutes (Deuteronomy 6:6-9; Hosea 4:6). 4. Desire to conform to surrounding nations rather than remain a distinct, holy people (1 Samuel 8:5; Ezekiel 20:32). Consequences Declared by the Prophets • Pollution of the land demanded divine judgment (Leviticus 18:21-28; 2 Kings 17:17-18). • Exile as God’s disciplinary response (2 Kings 17:23; Jeremiah 15:4). • Loss of God’s protective presence and blessing (Hosea 9:12-17). • National shame and reproach before the nations (Ezekiel 36:19-20). Call to Covenant Faithfulness • God seeks wholehearted devotion and exclusive worship (Exodus 20:3-5; Deuteronomy 6:13-15). • True religion protects the vulnerable, not destroys them (Psalm 82:3-4; James 1:27). • Repentance restores relationship: “Return to Me, and I will return to you” (Malachi 3:7; 2 Chronicles 7:14). • Only through wholehearted love for God and His Word can future generations be safeguarded (Deuteronomy 30:19-20; Psalm 119:9-11). |
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