Biblestudy on Holiness
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1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3 And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name. 4 And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not: 5 Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.
The LORD speaks to Moses to tell all of Israel what is expected from them and that if they transgress God’s word the following would happen:
They were not to worship the god Molech, not only is the worship of Molech forbidden with the children of Israel, we see that it was forbidden to even the strangers who were not of Israeli descent that were traveling with them or living amongst them. Here, God does not want the stranger to influence their worship and dedication to the one true living God. God does not want anything present amongst His people that will cause them to waiver in their relationship with Him.
If any gives his seed (children) unto Molech he shall surely be put to death. So now we need to know what the deal is with this Molech fella.
Molech was the god of the Ammonites.
34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. 35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. 37 And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. 38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.
The Ammonites were descendents of Lot, as we have previously read, Lot’s daughters got Lot drunk and laid with their father. The firstborn daughter had a son by her father and named him Moab. The younger sister had a son by her father and named him Benammi, who is the father of the children of Ammon. This right here should tell you how messed up these people are from the get go. Remember in the scriptures in the previous chapter about sexual prohibitions in which God told the children of Israel not to have sexual relations with those who are close of kin. Now you kind of see why God is saying this because to the Ammonites and Moabites these kind of things went on.
The Ammonites worshipped Molech. The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible states that: “According to the Bible, human beings originally had a true concept of deity, which they gradually distorted.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
The Hebrew Scriptures, however rejected those distorted notions and progressively revealed the truth about the one God. Yet some of that truth was mingled in all religions, including idolatrous Canaanite polytheism. Some of that truth is no doubt mingled in all of today’s religions.
The Hebrew Scriptures, however rejected those distorted notions and progressively revealed the truth about the one God. Yet some of that truth was mingled in all religions, including idolatrous Canaanite polytheism. Some of that truth is no doubt mingled in all of today’s religions.
When the children of Ammon settled into the region of Canaan they adopted the religions of their neighbors. The Canaanites, the Amorites, Jebusites, Amalekites, Philistines, Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, all in some way or another worshipped a parthenon of false deities. El, Baal, Asherah, Astaroth, Astarte, Milcon, Molech are just a few of the false deities that these nations worshipped.
God did not want the Israelites to be influenced by these pagan-worshippers.
In worshipping Molech, one of the key observations to notice is child-sacrifice.
21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
20 Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour’s wife, to defile thyself with her.
Molech was the god of fire and the god of the underworld according to Ammonite tradition. The ammonites would cause their children to pass through the purifying fire as an offering/sacrifice to Molech.
Leviticus 18
10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.
35 And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
37 That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them. 38 Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths. 39 For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house.