The Valley of Slaughter

I got away from my blog for a little while because of my schedule changing. I have still been writing but I have not been recording hit here. I will try to fix that.

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Thus saith the LORD, Go and get a potter’s earthen bottle, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests; 2 And go forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the east gate, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee, 3 And say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle. 4 Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; 5 They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, lwhich I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind: 6 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.

Jeremiah 19:1-6

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This is not an encouraging passage. It tells of judgment and destruction. What is the crime that requires this destruction? The murder of innocent children. The people justified this murder as being part of their religious practices. Had they been Americans, they might have hid behind their First Amendment rights. "Rights" do not make right. God had spoken very specifically about this in his law. Exodus 20:13 says, "Thou shalt not kill." That word kill would be better translated "murder". There is a distinction between killing in war, execution for a crime, or self-defense. The Bible presents all of these cases clearly if we understand that Exodus 20:13 means murder. On the other hand, God's Word has harsh condemnation and consequences for those who kill the innocent.

I have no doubts that if God still spoke through prophets he would condemn the U.S. for our murder of innocent children. We make evil regimes look like amateurs with our slaughter of the innocent. I wonder how many "Valley(s) of slaughter" we have across our country today? Some may make the argument that these are "medical procedures" and not religious practices. To that I would answer, any sinful practice is done by the leadership of Satan and is thus done in service to him. We may not bow to his image, but we certainly bow to his leadership. Is it any wonder then that our nation is in turmoil?

Some may wonder, is there any hope? I do not know that there is any hope for America as a whole. I am not predicting her destruction, but I am also not going to give a false sense of hope based in a patriotic desire for prosperity. There is however hope for individuals. I preached yesterday of how personal our individual call to salvation and service is. We must take that message to individuals. Just as Rahab was spared out of wicked Jericho, so the Gospel message can find its way into the hearts of Rahabs all across our country. By that, I do not only mean females, but males also. Rahab and her house were spared from the judgement and death for the sins of their city. So, there is hope in the Gospel. That is what we must proclaim!

Father, there are many who profess your name who condone evil behaviors. Help me to not be one of those. Help me to not only condemn it with my words, but also with how I live.