There is one point we all can agree on which is found in Numbers 23:19: “God is not a human being who speaks falsely, nor a mortal who feels regret. Is God one to speak and not act, to decree and not bring it to pass?” We also read in 1 Kings 18:21, “Elijah approached all the people and said, ‘How long will you straddle the issue? If the Lord is God, follow Him; if Baal, follow him.’ But the people did not answer him.”
Why didn’t the people answer Elijah? They were ensnared by the social, economic and religious culture of where they lived. Their silence revealed that they were no longer God’s people. Instead, they were prisoners of a false god, sojourning in a land that worshiped false gods.
Over the past several years, London, Dubai, New York and Washington, D.C., had a traveling roadshow when a replica of the Arch of Baal was unveiled, portraying a time of ancient history. Thousands upon thousands of spectators, both religious and non-religious, were in awe over this historical reproduction. If you go online, there is a picture of the Arch of Baal, and through the arch, you can see the U.S. Capitol. You will also find other fascinating snippets of information.
What was the Arch of Baal and who was Baal? The Arch of Baal was the entrance to the temple of Baal, where thousands would worship this false god and when finished, they would exit through the arch. The prophet Jeremiah gives an accurate description of Baal:
“Thus said the Lord: Go, buy a potter’s earthenware flask. Take along some of the elders of the people and some of the priests, and go out toward the Valley of Ben-hinnom, at the entrance of the Potsherd Gate; there proclaim the words which I will speak to you: You shall say, Listen to the word of the Lord, kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I am going to bring such evil upon this place that the ears of all who hear of it will ring. All because they have forsaken me and profaned this place by burning incense to other gods which neither they nor their ancestors knew; and because the kings of Judah have filled this place with innocent blood, building high places for Baal to burn their children in fire as offerings to Baal – something I never considered or said or commanded. Therefore, days are coming – oracle of the Lord – when this place will no longer be called Topheth, or the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather, the Valley of Slaughter.”
In 2 Chronicles 28:1-3, a similar warning was given: “Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king, and he reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord as David his father had done. He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even made molten idols for the Baals. Moreover, he offered sacrifice in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, and immolated his children by fire in accordance with the abominable practices of the nations whom the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.”
The practice of infanticide had been around since the time of Moses, the Bible tells us. “The Lord said to Moses: Tell the Israelites: Anyone, whether an Israelite or an alien residing in Israel, who gives offspring to Molech shall be put to death. The people of the land shall stone that person. I myself will turn against and cut off that individual from among the people; for in the giving of offspring to Molech, my sanctuary was defiled and my holy name was profaned. If the people of the land condone the giving of offspring to Molech, by failing to put the wrongdoer to death, I myself will turn against that individual and his or her family, and I will cut off from their people both the wrongdoer and all who follow this person by prostituting themselves with Molech.” (Leviticus 20:1-5)
What we are hearing, seeing and reading today is no different from what people in the Old Testament were doing by placing their infants into the burning hands of Molech or Baal. They offered these innocent victims hoping to receive special favors or thanksgiving for favors received, rather than remaining faithful to God. Today, many politicians and even so-called Christians embrace abortion, even up to delivery, ignoring the truth that every life is made in the image of God.
Is America becoming the new “Valley of Slaughter”? Will God bring evil upon America for “straddling the issue”?
Bobby Speers is an author who lives in Hickory.