Protect your family from abusive government intrusion
by Paul Howe, my dad-in-law
Debby and I never had a son but have been blessed with four wonderful daughters, all of whom have reached adulthood (if age alone is a reliable barometer). And, yes, all four have the same father and mother. I taught our girls to experience some of the things that may generally be considered the exclusive domain of the more masculine creatures (yes, girls think that boys, including Dads, are creatures possibly from a different planet).
Climbing trees, playing with Tonka trucks, popping “wheelies” on bikes, riding in the back of an open pick-up truck (that’s right, no seatbelts), accompanying Dad on late-night service calls, shoveling snow, and carrying firewood are only some of the activities that earned our daughters the reputation of “tom-boys.” It was even said by some, “If you go to New Hampshire, watch out for those Howe girls!” We have had our share of challenges raising these kids. If you were to talk to them they would probably say that they have had their share raising their parents, too. Despite the challenges, we have never been at a point so low that we wanted to sacrifice any of them. (I’m not entirely certain that they would say the same of us).
Children are given to us by God
It is our responsibility to bring them to a realization of what their purpose is in life. It has been said that one of the responsibilities of parents is to bring their children to a controlled discovery of their short-comings as well as their positive attributes. Children are frequently forced into an uncomfortable and ill-fitting mold in a futile attempt to conform to a parent’s expectations. They must attend the same college. They must follow the same career track. They must reach for the same goals and attain similar, or higher, achievements. No child should ever be offered on the sacrificial altar of his/her parents’ ego.
Throughout human history there have always been pagan gods whose worship rituals required the sacrifice of children. The Canaanite god, Moloch, was one such false deity. Statues of this god were hollow with a large mouth, and outstretched arms to accept the body of a child. The base was sufficiently large enough to accommodate a fire that would cause this statue to become very hot. Parents would be encouraged – perhaps even forced – to toss their children into the mouth or place them into the hot arms of this god in order to gain his favor or appease his wrath. Barbaric? Without a doubt. When Israel adopted this practice God brought His judgment upon them. (2 Kings 16; 2 Kings 21).
Our society sacrifices children
Children today become sacrifices that feed the never-satisfied gods of our society! A night filled with immoral pleasure results in a pregnancy that is terminated by abortion. A child is diagnosed in the womb to have some disease or disability that will require expensive treatment and care so his life is snuffed out by abortion. A mother considers herself too young–or perhaps too old–to have a child, so her pregnancy is also terminated by abortion. Disposable children.
But the real thrust of this article is found in Micah 6:7. “Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” It is understood that the context of this verse is telling Israel that it is not in the sacrificing of animals that they were to gain God’s favor. However, as is the case with so many Bible verses, there is an underlying, perhaps nearly hidden, meaning. God is trying to tell those of us who would never consider offering our children as a literal sacrifice, that there is yet another way in which we may ultimately sacrifice them.
I am referencing, of course, the kind of life we live in front of our kids. Parents, especially Dads since they are the God-ordained leader in the home, will have a profound influence on their children. While some children who grow up in homes where sin, evil and crime are commonplace will ultimately reject that life and embrace something more godly and moral, most will not. It is not uncommon for the child of a drug dealer to become one himself at a very young age. An alcoholic dad will often have an alcoholic son. The daughter of a promiscuous father will often adopt the same lifestyle. Yes, we risk “offering the fruit of our bodies for the sin of our soul.”
Poor character is child sacrifice
Within the context of the Christian community why do so many of the children of “Christian” homes walk away from the church and God? Here are a few of the ways in which we endanger our children.
- We gossip about other members in the congregation
- We talk negatively about the pastor or other church leaders
- We teach our sons to respect women but then mistreat their mother
- We stingily hold back from giving to God what is rightfully His – our tithes and offerings
- We preach one thing and do the opposite
- We teach our children to not lie but then have them inform someone on the telephone that we are not home when actually we are. Our actions teach them to lie.
- Dad teaches his children to be moral but himself visits pornographic web sites
We would never consider offering our children up as human sacrifices. The very thought is repugnant and offends the nature of any decent person. But let us be careful with our actions and lifestyle lest we, in a figurative sense, “offer the fruit of our bodies for the sin of our soul.”
Perhaps you have a child who has rejected Jesus and the church because of some inappropriate actions on your part. To redeem that child back you must ask his forgiveness and then proceed to live a life consistent with the precepts of Christianity. It is harder to win an offended child than to conquer a walled city, but if your child is important to you, then you will dedicate your life to winning him back. If you quit serving Jesus when you still had children at home, and those children, following your example, rejected Jesus as well, you will carry a sense of guilt with you throughout your life. Prayer and kindness may win them back but will never bring back the lost years. Before you leave the church and stop serving God, you need to consider that such action will likely cause you to “offer the fruit of your body for the sin of your soul.”
Overcoming the sin of offense
In forty years of ministry I have seen many parents who have sacrificed their own children in the arms of modern day “Molochs”. Some took offense at their pastor or some other member in the church. Others became too involved with their vocations and were ensnared by the lure of money and material goods. Some of these simply did not insist that their children go to church, giving in to the silliness of the concept of “letting the children choose for themselves.” Some fathers paid more attention to their ministry than their own children. Then they lament over the spiritual loss of a child when just a little attention would have made all of the difference in the world.
Joshua declared that whoever would attempt to rebuild the fallen, heathen city of Jericho would do so at the expense of both his oldest and youngest sons (Joshua 6:26). We run similar risks whenever we build something into our lives that is ungodly, especially if it is something that we have previously torn down. Did Joshua’s prophecy come true? Read 1 Kings 16:34 and you will find that a man named Hiel decided to go against the counsel of the prophet Joshua, and we are told that “He laid its foundations at the cost of the life of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub” (AMP). Hiel found out the reality of the consequences of defying godly advice when he “offered the fruit of his body for the sin of his soul.” Dad, learn a lesson by his example.
Our children are not disposable, rather they are indispensible. We as parents are charged with the responsibility of rearing children in both a spiritually and physically nourishing environment. When we fall short of that we risk sacrificing them. But that need not be. For every story I could tell of parents who let down their responsibility, I could tell ten about parents who did not. Children are very forgiving and you can make a lot of mistakes raising them and still retain their trust and confidence. Remain true to Jesus Christ, love the Word of God, honor the pastor and other church leaders in every way, develop positive relationships with those of like precious faith, and your children will likely follow in your footsteps. There will be no need for you to fear “offering the fruit of your body for the sin of your soul.”
