Sacrificing the Innocent

That no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech." 2 Kings 23:10

A missionary couple in Japan prepared to celebrate their first Christmas on the field. They put up a Christmas tree in their living room and placed a small angel figurine at the top. Soon after they were finished there was a knock at the door. Two women from the village, eager to learn about the strange customs of these foreigners, asked if they could come in and see the tree. They gazed for several minutes in silence. Finally one of them pointed to the angel at the top and murmured, “Look, it is their god!”

Misunderstandings

It is easy for others to misunderstand the intentions of others. All of us have been in that boat a few times where we did or said something that somehow conveyed a different message. Being misunderstood happens to the best of us.

But there are some things in life that God does not want to be misunderstood about. The practice of infanticide in the ancient world was hideous.  Think about it: Are you revolted by the thought of putting children in the fire to burn them to death as sacrifices to the god Molech? Well, you’re not alone, because God agrees too. He quite specifically forbids this ritual. You may think that He does so because He hates murder. You would be partially correct. But there is another reason behind this prohibition; a reason that we need to seriously consider even in our modern world.

Clarifying An Ancient Practice

The Hebrew word “burn” is better understood as, “to cause to pass through the fire of". The verb is avar (to pass through or over). These children were passing through the fire, a euphemism for the passage from life to death. It was this practice that God hated and detested.

Allow me to explain. Why would the worshippers of Molech sacrifice their children in such a horrible way? The answer reveals another side of sin. These people sacrificed their children because they believed that the death of innocent ones (children) would insure their own prosperity and livelihood. In other words, they sacrificed the life of their children in order to preserve themselves. They killed the innocent in order to appease Molech so that he would send rains and sunshine to fertilize the earth and make their own lives fulfilling and prosperous. And that is the other side of the story. This second sin is the sin of denying that God is the real provider. It is the sin of placing my personal needs and material well-being before the life of another.

It doesn't take much reflection to realize that our world practices the same sin today. Abortion is just a variation of saying, "My well-being comes before the well-being of another". Abortion has become a legal right to take care of myself at the expense of the innocent. It denies that God is the provider. It denies that God is the author of life.  Abortion worships the god of self-concern.  When you think about it, this is no different than what occurred back in 2 Kings.

Indeed history does repeat itself. There really is nothing new under the son, just the same old sinful practices repackaged.  

Learning From The Past

But the good news is that we can learn a great deal from the error of the ancient world and get a true sense of the heart of God about it. When we look below the surface, we see some very familiar attitudes and actions that parallel our own world.  Sins of the past are still the same sins of the present.

But it is also true that God never changes (Mal. 3:6). He forgave sins back then and He still forgives sins today, no matter what the nature of the sin may be.

I heard a story the other day that grieved my heart. It was about a father / husband who sexually abused his little daughter and soon the wife had found out. The revelation of such an evil practice tore the family apart and left scars in the life of the little girl as well as the other family members.

I went to bed last night thinking about that and how at times for the sake of our convenience and pleasure, some  have no problem sacrificing the innocent.  Whether it is infanticide, abortion or abuse, it really is the same – idolatry. We choose the worship the god of self-concern and along the way we willingly choose to offer an innocent child who gets in our way.

We Can Do Something

What can we do about this? For one thing, pray that God will intervene and spare the life of the innocent. Pray that those who have scars from having been abused will move on in forgiveness and restoration. Pray that the perpetrators will be brought to justice, either by throwing themselves at the feet of Jesus for forgiveness and salvation, or that God would deal with them according to His righteous justice. Pray that our leaders in government will do the right thing and not that which is popular to gain or secure votes. Finally, since we all have offended God by our own sins, let’s not be judgmental toward others who may have sinned in a different way that we have. We all deserved death and hell, but Jesus paid the price and rescued us from what we had coming.

In the end, it is not who sinned by doing what, rather it is about who reached out to God in brokenness and received His forgiveness. 

The Case of Abuse

But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her. . . 9 The angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her” – Gen. 16:6, 9

The wreck of the USS Arizona lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The ship sank when Japan launched its surprise attack on the Pacific fleet on December 7, 1941. Now seventy years later, drops of oil from the ship continue to rise to the surface daily. The Arizona is a national memorial and is treated as “hallowed” ground because of the lives that were lost when it was destroyed.

Lives are considered sacred in the Bible and therefore God desires fair and equal treatment for everyone.  But the story of Hagar fleeing from Sarai seems troubling at least from the surface.

Abuse is not condoned in the Scriptures. The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God (James 1:20). Sarai is temporarily barren.  So she comes up with an idea to give her husband, Abraham a child from her maid-servant. Abraham consents and a few weeks later Hagar is pregnant.

But then Sarai becomes angry that her plan had succeeded. So she treats harshly her maid-servant, so harshly that Hagar flees.  God catches up to her and instructs her to return and submit to Sarai her mistress.

Do you see the problem?  We often are told that for those who are experiencing abuse ought to flee and go elsewhere. But here is a case where God says to the one being abused, “return and submit.” So what are we to make of this?

Although Sarai’s proposal was expedient, it was not obedient. Although it was accepted culturally, and had merit logically, it was wrong spiritually. Therefore, Sarai was wrong for her treatment of Hagar.

Undoubtedly, God had a plan in motion. After he had told Hagar to return and submit to her mistress, He promised her a blessing (v. 10). Moreover, Hagar was deeply moved by her meeting with the Lord in the wilderness and it becomes apparent when we note that she called the well "Beer Lahai Roi" which means, "Well of the One who lives and sees me." Having been used, mistreated, and rejected by her superiors she was overwhelmed by the thought that the Lord Himself cared for her and had plans for her and her unborn son which would have worldwide repercussions.  Even though she was well on the way back to her native Egypt, and had no idea what awaited her in Abram's household, she returned on the basis of the word from the Lord. In so doing she started to make something positive out of the mistakes she had made.

But it is worth adding that Abram and Sarai were also required to alter their attitudes to the young woman in order that they might receive her back into their household.

Perhaps it was the reminder that the Lord is called, among other things, "You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees" (Gen 16:13), which served to bring them to a recognition of the things that they had done so badly. Nothing is more likely to encourage men and women to rectify their errors than the reminder that the Lord is not unmindful of what they have done and requires an accounting from each one.

At the ripe old age of eighty-six Abram received the gift of a son who would perpetuate his name. Although he would later discover that he had jumped the gun on the Lord's plans, Abram nevertheless rejoiced in his boy whose very name, Ishmael—"God hears"—was a constant reminder to him that he was to live in the conscious enjoyment and under the caring gaze of the Lord his God. This would help him not to make other mistakes in the future.

We often conclude that when God said to Hagar, “return and submit” it meant immediately. But there could very well be some considerable time for both parties to get before God and to amend their ways.

When God said to Hagar that she would have a son and call his name, “Ishmael,” which means, “God who hears,” He was teaching her that He was well aware of her pain.

I gain from this story some practical lessons concerning abuse.

First, ill-treatment of another individual is never right.  Abraham and Sarai are not commended for their treatment of Hagar.

Second, running from an abuse situation with the mindset of permanently leaving can turn into rebellion.  God did not allow Hagar to get very far before He told her to stop and return.

Third, a biblical solution is for the abused person to return and submit to the person’s authority (v. 9). Notice that the passage does not say, Submit to the “abuse,” but to “her authority.”  God also had to work things out first with Abraham and Sarai in order for Him to command Hagar to return and submit.

Fourth, some of the greatest blessings from the Lord can only be experienced in the context of submission. Trying to escape from under a person’s authority may not be the most favorable position to receive God’s blessings. God blessed Hagar only when she returned to Sarai and submitted to her authority.

Fifth, there were no innocent parties involved. Sarai was guilty for originating her plan. Abraham was wrong for going along with it. And Hagar, although under the authority of her mistress, she still could have pleaded, prayed, or even make an appeal. The point is this: Abuse is wrong, but abuse, at least in this case, did not occur in a vacuum of total innocence.