#76. Abominations in Moab, Abominations in America
Then he took his eldest son who would have reigned in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering upon the wall; and there was great indignation against Israel. So they departed from him and returned to their own land.
II Kings 3:27 NKJV
Recent months are manifesting a particular perspective on history. The past is filled with evil characters, twisted thinking, abuse, and sin, while the present is filled with good people, proper thinking, and justice seekers. Those promoting this perspective encourage us to appraise their movements. They advocate “social justice,” tear down statues of anyone with questionable associations, and promote the lives of those they deem marginalized and abused. They view today’s generation as superior to past generations, for we have evolved into more enlightened human beings.
There is just one problem with this perspective. Our generation is committing violence every day on a scale that I suspect most characters in history would find startling. The king of Moab offered his son as a burnt sacrifice on a wall in front of many; in our day, millions of people offer their unborn and partially born sons and daughters to the same demons in the rooms of Planned Parenthood and abortion “clinics” around the country. One would think that nearly one million murders per year of the most vulnerable would be sufficient to gain the top spot in the world rankings of child murder, but it isn’t. The blood of innocent children has washed over many lands for so long and so completely that many have stopped noticing. Very few are angry at the child offerings being made to the abominations of our land, such as bodily autonomy and the deadly philosophy of “a woman’s right to choose” to murder the life within her womb.
If the horror of the king’s sacrifice was sufficient for Israel to end their military campaign into Moab, what response should the horror of today’s parents shedding the blood of their children all over our land elicit from us? This one verse from II Kings 3 can remind us to do several things:
1) Pray for the Lord to end the shedding of innocent blood. Unless the Lord of Sabaoth intervenes, we can have little hope of seeing an end to the wickedness swiftly approaching its 50th year of legalization. “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15). Pray for the Lord to remember the cry of innocent blood and to intervene and save from the slaughter.
2) Be a faithful witness of the Word of the Lord to a lost and dying world. The topic of murder is coming up regularly in conversation these days as the world focuses on the taking of innocent life. Christians can testify to the biblical reasons to hate murder, such as all people being made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27); the Lord specifically forbidding murder (Ex. 20:13); and the Lord hating murder (Prov. 6:16-19). Then the Christian can direct the conversation to the most widespread murder in all the world (and the only murder that is widely celebrated) and give witness to the life in the womb. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” (Jeremiah 1:5). “From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God” (Psalm 22:10).
3) In your various places, relations, and callings, be a defender of innocent life. God has put us all in different places, with different gifts and abilities. Within those various places, we will have opportunities to take a stand for life. For some people that may be witnessing outside of Planned Parenthood. For others that may counseling pregnant women who are worried about financial and social costs and considering abortion. For others it may be counseling boyfriends and parents who are ashamed of a girlfriend or daughter who is pregnant and unable to care for the child on her own. These situations are very common and the Lord may put you in these people’s lives to be a witness to them of the blessing of life in the womb, hope in all circumstances through Jesus Christ our Lord, and forgiveness of all sins through His death on the cross and resurrection the third day.
What if through the prayers of the saints, the witness of Christians, and the assistance we give in the places the Lord has put us God would cause the world to see the abomination that abortion is and bring it swiftly to an end even as He has ended great evils in the past.
If this were published only for Bible-believing Christians we might stop here, but I hope those who are not Christians might also read this, perhaps those considering an abortion, perhaps those who have had abortions in the past. It can be difficult to read about one’s own sin. While I have not been involved in an abortion, my sins are many and I read of them nearly every day in the Scripture along with the promised curse for my sin, even death and eternal hell-fire. Why then should you or I care about our sin, abortion, or anything else? What hope is there? Why even read this?
The Lord who is rich in grace and abundant in mercy sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die to bear the wrath and curse of God in our place so that we might not die but have everlasting life. For whom did He die? Whoever believes in Him (John 3:16). Whoever confesses their sins, He promises to forgive (I John 1:9). The sin of abortion is in God’s power to forgive. God can turn your mourning into gladness. If you will today confess your sins to the Lord and believe in Him alone for salvation, you will be forgiven and have eternal life.
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin… Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” Psalm 51:1-2,9-10.
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