Rachel's Pain

Background to passage: this passage deals with Rachel’s city of Ramah, possibly her burial site. It shares the anguish of childbirth and the death of children. Her sons and grandsons covered the span of the northern and southern kingdoms. Her weeping was for the children and the children of Israel that were killed as they were taken captive by the Assyrians in 721 BC, and the Babylonians in 586 BC. As some OT prophecies do, it has a double meaning. Matt quotes it to refer to the slaughter of babies in Bethlehem as Herod sought to snuff out the life of the newborn King.

Jeremiah 31:15 ESV

15 Thus says the Lord: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”

Opening illustration: Of 193 U.N. countries, the United States is one of eight countries that allows, at the federal level, abortion on demand without any gestational limits along with Australia, Canada, China, Guinea-Bissau, Mexico, South Korea, and Vietnam.

The United States is one of only 15 countries in the United Nations that permit abortion on demand past 15 weeks of gestation, meaning its abortion law is far more permissive than the vast majority of the world.

46 out of 50 European U.N. member countries restrict abortion on demand after 15 weeks of gestation.

Main thought: We never want to forget the slaughter of the innocents that goes on daily in our country and in our town. This is a battle, and I want us to think about three fronts that it is fought upon.

1) On the Spiritual Front

Explanation: above all things, abortion is a spiritual battle. Satan is a deceiver, convincing men and women that life in the womb is not human life with human rights. He is a murderer whose desire is to kill, steal, and destroy. He hates God, and therefore humanity which bears his image.

Argumentation:

Illustration: On the average now, the US has a little over 900,000 abortions reported, which is down from the highest in the late 80’s of around 1.6 million per year, however now we are seeing a rise in abortion since Dobbs. Consider the generational affect of 66 million abortions since 1973

Application: There is a spiritual battle going on that we are often oblivious to. Satan wants the souls of unbelievers, minds of believers, and just general evil and destruction. Our biggest problem is always sin, and yet a greater solution is present, Jesus and the power of the resurrection.

We must remember that for spiritual battles, we have spiritual resources. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places, against lies and arguments and deception. But we fight from victory. The spiritual evil we fight is inferior to Jesus Christ who died and rose to have victory over those forces. He nailed to the cross all the accusations and sins. Our battle is on our knees. One strategy for attack in prayer.

The best part is that there is forgiveness found in Christ. The destruction left in the path of abortion in the lives of men and women is great. Guilt, depression, dysfunctional relationships, substance abuse, suicide, infertility, fear, and pain can be healed by Christ. If you have been affected, men and women, freedom is found in Christ.

2) On the Political Front

Explanation: We live in the visible world too. Law and order are a part of any society. They are a means to fight against the pen and paper part of abortion. The voting booth, lobbyists, legislators, financial campaigns, petitions, and rallies are methods and means to achieve changes in law for the lives of the unborn. Law and regulations can be related to specific medical procedures, gestational milestones or timelines, public systems like US Mail and interstate transportation, FDA regulations regarding medicines, responsible parties, and in some cases criminal prosecution (normally of physicians).

Argumentation:

Illustration: When the Dobbs decision came down overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, the legal permissions or restrictions went back to the states, which most pro-life organizations were not prepared for. With the exception of one, every ballot initiative, state constitutional change, or additional restrictive measure has failed. It is a backlash to Dobbs. At the PCC we have seen an urgency on the part of women seeking an abortion to get one quickly because of legal protection offered the unborn once a heartbeat can be detected.

Application: We must understand law that surrounds abortions now in various states, particularly GA. We must pray for our US Supreme Court and other courts on the federal and state levels. We must know the positions of politicians, not only what they say, but how they voted in the past, although that doesn’t always indicate how they will vote in the future. We must be willing to write them if necessary. Elections have consequences, from the national level all the way down to local ones. This may seem to make us all “one-issue voters,” but that is only an attack by those who want to through off all restrictions on abortion.

Right now there are states that want to become sanctuary states for abortion and some that want to ban it altogether. GA has a heartbeat law, but it is being challenged constantly. It is being challenged related to medical privacy, patients’ rights, personal autonomy, ideologically from the standpoint of women’s rights and patriarchy. These are satanic challenges because people are deceived by human arguments. The ultimate issue is personhood. When does a person become a person? The only consistent, biblical answer is at conception.

3) In the Trenches

Explanation: The final front I want to mention today is in the trenches. By this I mean right down where we live. We have hundreds of women in Troup county that experience unplanned pregnancy and consider abortion as a primary option. In fact, this experience invades our own homes. Unfortunately even the most pro-life advocates sometimes waiver when it becomes their 17-year old daughter with an unplanned pregnancy.

Argumentation:

Illustration: the top five reasons are the same regardless of race, age, socio-economic strata, or faith: 1) I can’t afford a baby, 2) it’s not the right time (school, job, other children), 3) the relationship with the father is/will be destroyed/problematic/complicated, 4) health (previous pregnancies, emotional and mental effects, fear, insurance), 5) don’t want children, as I mentioned earlier, abortions are on the rise, and most of them because of the medicinal abortions from the pill. Many abortions now are done in the home with no one ever knowing about it.

Application: You know and I know that most every unplanned pregnancy is complex in the dynamics that surround them. Mothers and fathers are brokenhearted about the choices they are making, even going against their own consciences in fear. Few situations are black and white, clearcut or easy. Trust me, I pray over these situations monthly for real women in our community whose names I do not know, but whose situations are unimaginable. Our heart breaks for them.

Know about the pregnancy center. Support the PCC. Volunteer at the PCC. Minister to your neighbors and family with unplanned pregnancies, because one thing is cut and dry: a life in the womb bears the image of God and is worthy of life, dignity, and protection. It doesn’t matter the circumstances by which it was conceived, nor the situation a mother and father find themselves in, with the exception of the death of the mother.

Have compassion, some of you will be able to empathize with these women and the fathers to their children. Share your stories with them. Give them the gospel of Jesus, a sovereign God, and a supportive church family. Don’t judge them, even as we proclaim the evils of abortion itself. People can get themselves into these impossible situations. Statistically, upwards of 50% of women of child-bearing age in most evangelical churches have had or encouraged abortion in their lives. Give them the Hope of Jesus Christ, his forgiveness, love, and grace.

Closing illustration: Tell about Rebekah Hagan, our speaker from the FCWC banquet

Recap: We war on the spiritual front with spiritual weapons and the gospel of peace. We war on the political front with knowledge, voting (in and out), other means of political leverage and legal means. We war in the trenches clinging to the ankles with a warm embrace and a smile carrying the hope of Jesus to broken and frightened mothers and fathers.