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

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 16, 2012): Leviticus 18

I like to hear good imitators at their craft. The ones who really know what they are doing can be fun to watch. And I also agree that imitation is often the best form of flattery. Every once in a while I catch someone in my circle of influence imitating something that I have done – and I am flattered. Even roasts can be an indication of the love and respect that people have for each other. But it is not always that way.

Sometimes imitations can be mean. It is the Junior High element emerging from our lives. We pick on one trait and use it to bring someone down. The truth is that none of us are perfect, and there are traits about us that we would rather no one ever mention. I have more than my fair share of things about me that I do not want people to imitate – or even mention. And these are the times that imitation becomes painful parodies of life.

Molech was a parody of God. He focused on the sacrificial system of Jehovah. One of the problems with Molech is that he often offered nothing, but charged a immense price for the privilege of serving him. Rabbinical writings describe the actions associated with the Molechian sacrifice. The idol itself was hollow and provided seven compartments. The first was the place that the people would place flour in imitation of the grain sacrifice demanded by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In the second to sixth compartments were placed turtle-doves, a lamb, a ram, a calf and an ox – again all parodies of a sacrifice that could be offered in tabernacle. And the seventh compartment was for a young child. Often when the child was brought for sacrifice the priests of Molech would heat the brass idol until it was burning hot. The hands of Molech were extended, and the child was placed into the waiting, burning hands of the idol. And the priest would beat the drums so that the father could not hear the cries of the child and relent of the sacrifice.

In later times, Molech became synonymous with the worship of Satan. It is thought that often when people sacrificed to Molech, they believed that they were sacrificing to the God of Israel. But God plainly speaks to Moses that such a belief was a profane insult to God. It threw dirt on the name of God and it could not be tolerated.

And yet Molech tortured Israel for centuries with even kings sacrificed their sons and heirs into his waiting arms. Today we often seem to be more likely to sacrifice our children to the god of convenience, but it is still a sacrifice of something that should precious to us – and it is a sacrifice that profanes the very name of God. 

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Leviticus 19


Note: The VantagePoint Sermon "More Than an Altar Call" from "The Essential James Part II" series is now available on the VantagePoint Website - you can find the link here. http://www.vantagepointcc.org/The_Essential_James_Part_II___More_Than_an_Altar_Call.htm