Throwing Your Children into the Fire

            The Hebrew word for profane is chalal (kha LAL) and it means basically what you would think it means – vulgar, defiled, polluted, dishonored.  But there is another meaning – “common.” 

To profane the name of the Lord is to make His name like all the other gods – of no noble character, wooed by superstition, manipulated with magic.  And, actually, it seems to be what usually happens in the Old Testament.

Leviticus flat lays down some tough law concerning a god named Molech:

The Lord said to Moses,  “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any alien living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death. The people of the community are to stone him.  I will set my face against that man and I will cut him off from his people; for by giving his children to Molech, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name.  If the people of the community close their eyes when that man gives one of his children to Molech and they fail to put him to death, I will set my face against that man and his family and will cut off from their people both him and all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molech.  (Leviticus 20:1-5)

Wouldn’t happen to you, me or us?  Well, it apparently happened to what might arguably be the smartest guy of his day, or any day.  1 Kings 11 is one of the most pitiful chapters in the Bible for it tells of what the wealthiest, most blessed, most discerning man by the touch of God became.  In the fourth chapter of 1 Kings it is reported that Solomon received from God wisdom and insight and understanding – comparatively well beyond any peer.  He spoke 3,000 proverbs and wrote over a thousand songs.  People from far and wide came to hear the king’s wisdom.  My bet is that he had Leviticus and surrounding books memorized. 

But seven chapters later in the story this is what is penned concerning him:

He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.  On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites.  (1 Kings 11:5-7)

Profane!  And yet do we make God’s name common when those of us who go by the designation “Christian” spend more time and attention on our college football team than we do His causes or His Body?  Or when we spend our money almost precisely the way our unchurched friends spend theirs?  Or when our favorite Christian chants go something like this:  “The only difference between sinner and saint is one is forgiven and the other ain’t.” 

The ONLY difference?  Ouch. 

Did we mention anything yet about this Molech?  Most scholars say that the cult of this god sacrificed children by throwing them into a fire to guarantee his favor.  Some other researchers have suggested that no, it was something else - that children were given up by their parents to grow up and be trained as temple prostitutes. 

Wisest man in the world?  He died common but spared being put to death, stoned, cut off from his people.  But if God ever showed him on the other side of his passing the legacy left via a prostituting people that would have been pain enough.  Talk about throwing your kids into the fire…

“Holy Spirit, there is a fire I want my family to know.  YOUR fire.  The fire of the Spirit.  They will not be the wisest people of their generation, in all likelihood, but let them KNOW You and love You with ALL their hearts, souls, minds and strength.  Amen.”