“And if the people of the land should in any way hide their eyes from the man, when he gives some of his descendants to Molech, and they do not kill him, then I will set My face against that man and his family; and I will cut him off from his people, and all who prostitute themselves with him to commit harlotry with Molech.”
Leviticus 20:4-5
In this section of Leviticus God describes several sins/crimes that deserve the death penalty. This is in the larger context of the whole second half of Leviticus where God is giving Israel the laws that should govern the land so they can foster a godly society. Worship of Molech required child sacrifice by fire in a particularly gruesome way. A metal idol of Molech with his hands held out, was made burning hot by fire. Children then were placed in the hands of the idol in the midst of the fire and burned. The law of God required that anyone who did this abominable thing was to be put to death.
Many Christians in our day have made the association between Molech worship and abortion. But worship of Molech was just one of many sins/crimes that required the death penalty in the Old Covenant. Discussions of how these laws are to be appropriately applied in the New Covenant era are important and need to happen if we are to foster a godly society in our day. Whether something is worthy of the death penalty or not, and how the punishment should fit the crime in our modern world is a complicated issue. However, the focus of our weekly meditation is not those who do something worthy of the death penalty but those who “hide their eyes.”
This verse indicates that if a person sees or knows that someone has done something worthy of the death penalty, such as offering their children to Molech, they too will come under the judgment of God. God will “set His face against them” and “cut them off.” In order to have a godly society, law abiding citizens cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to the sins of the culture or God will bring His righteous judgment on them as well.
This is not just for issues surrounding the death penalty, but it is an admonition for us as faithful Christians to confront all the sins of our culture head on. We cannot hide ourselves or ignore what is going on around us. It is our job to call the world to repentance. In John 16:8-11 Jesus says that when He ascends into heaven He will send the Holy Spirit to His disciples, “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”
This is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is the ministry, the calling of those who are filled with the Holy Spirit. We must speak the truth and not turn a blind eye to the sins of our culture. People cannot repent of their sins if they do not believe that what they are doing is sin. We must not be ashamed of the Gospel but make it known clearly and boldly if people are going to repent, if people are going to believe in Jesus, if Satan is to be judged in our culture, if righteousness is to abound, and if we are to have a godly society that brings glory to God.
Glory to the Lord of hosts!
His mercy endures forever!
Pastor Flynn
