#DailyDevotion What Do We Sacrifice Our Children To For Success?
Psalm 106 32They made Him angry by the water of Meribah and got Moses into trouble, 33making him feel bitter and talk rashly.
The Psalm continues with how Israel acted poorly in their relationship with the LORD who saved them. Again, instead of praying to the LORD and making known their needs in faith, they in unbelief grumbled against Moses and the LORD. Moses got so mad he struck the rock instead of only speaking to the rock, as the LORD commanded. You might remember the first time Moses struck a rock to bring forth water for Israel. Because Moses didn’t do what He commanded, the LORD forbade him from entering the Promised Land with the Israelites. We do not get direct commands from the LORD as Moses did. Yet, we have the clear word of God. Do we often add to what God has commanded us or taken something away to make it easier? Doing so may lead us to greater sins. The LORD just wants to be trusted. He knows what He is talking about.
34They didn’t destroy the people as the LORD told them. 35but mingled with the nations. They learned to do what they did, 36and worshiped their idols, which were a trap for them. 37They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons, 38poured out innocent blood, the blood of their own sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. The land was polluted by bloodshed. 39They defiled themselves by what they did; they behaved like prostitutes. 40Then the LORD became angry at His people and was disgusted with His own. 41He put them into the hands of other nations, and those who hated them ruled over them. 42Their enemies oppressed them, and they became subject to their power.
Here we have the rest of the history of Israel. They never completely removed the wicked pagans from the land the LORD had given them as He told them. They instead mingled with them. As the LORD warned them, they quickly picked up the false religion and beliefs of these people. Some of the false beliefs and practices involve human sacrifice, even sacrificing their own sons and daughters. You have to be particularly selfish in your desire for success to sacrifice your own sons and daughters, to false gods at that, which are demons. Bloodshed polluted the land. Have we in our land sacrificed our children for the sake of success in worldly things?
The people, Israel, was the LORD’s Bride. Yet they committed spiritual adultery by worshiping other gods. They prostituted themselves spiritually and literally, as these gods had temple prostitutes, male and female. We don’t have temple prostitutes any more, but have we made sex the idol of our day. The LORD said, if you want to worship and serve other gods, you will serve the people whose gods they worship. So they became subject to the nations whose gods they served.
43Many times He rescued them, but they planned rebellion and sank lower in their sin. 44He saw they were in trouble when He heard them crying. 45He remembered His covenant with them and relented according to His great mercy. 46He made all their captors pity them. 47Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from the nations to give thanks to Your holy name and to glory in praising You. 48Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. And let all the people say Amen. Praise the LORD!
It is amazing the mercy and grace of the LORD, how often He rescued them and took them back. How often has the LORD forgiven us, pitied us, and saved us from our sins? We should thank and praise our LORD Jesus Christ every day for His tender mercies toward us who reject Him by our sins against Him daily.
Merciful God and Father, You forgave Your ancient people, so now forgive us and save us today, those who call upon the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen