Expositional commentary on Scripture using an inductive exegetical methodology intent upon confronting the lives of Christians with the dogmatic Truths of God's inspired Words opposing Calvinism and Arminianism, Biblical commentary, doctrine of grace enablement, understanding holiness and wisdom and selfishness, in-depth Bible studies, adult Bible Study books and Sunday School materials Dr. Lance T. Ketchum Line Upon Line: February 2019

Monday, February 11, 2019

The Murder of the Innocents


The Murder of the Innocents


“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward” (Psalm 127:3).

Simply explained, your children do not belong to you.  Your children belong to God.  As a parent, you are just a steward of everything God gives you including your children. 

God’s Word does not have a lot to say about murdering babies in the womb of their mothers.  However, God’s Word does have a lot to say about murder – simply stated THOU SHALT NOT!  Satan’s deception questions at what moment a baby in the womb because a human being with human rights.  It is a foolish question, because the human species is monogenic.  In other words, the instant a woman’s egg is fertilized with a man’s sperm, a human life is procreated and begins to grow in the womb to adulthood.  The fact that God’s creation continues in procreation and regeneration (being “born again”) is clearly established in Psalm 139:

11 If I say {David; representing human logic}, Surely the darkness shall cover me {there circumstances where my soul is hidden from God’s intimate knowledge}; even the night shall be light about me {God’s intimate knowledge of our lives is never limited by physical circumstances}. 12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. 13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me {to erect; the point is that God’s laws of procreation are governing the formation of the baby} in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made {distinct in individually even in the womb}: marvellous are thy works {the forming of the baby in the womb through procreation is God’s design and transaction}; and that my soul knoweth right well {a fact that is without doubt}. 15 My substance {power; hence body and life} was not hid from thee {even during its formation and development in the womb}, when I was made in secret {out of sight in the womb}, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth {feminine noun; metaphorically referring to the woman’s womb being the fertile ground for human reproduction in procreation}. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance {something folded up and yet not fully developed}, yet being unperfect {not yet fully formed}; and in thy book all my members were written {monogenesis means from the inception of conception, what is being form is and will become a human body, soul, and spirit}, which in continuance {from beginning to end} were fashioned {the form took shape}, when as yet there was none of them {before my birthdays began God knew me and had a plan for my life}” (Psalm 139:11-16). 

          The mother’s womb is intended to be God’s place of protective custody during the formation and development of a baby until that baby is born into this world.  The mother of that baby in the womb is intended to be God’s primary protector.  God’s Law protected the child in the mother’s womb; “22 If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life” (Exodus 21:22-23).  The point of verse twenty-three is if any harm comes to the baby in the womb, recompense shall be reciprocal to the injury.  

          We must understand, when dealing with the subject of the murdering of infants, whether in the womb or after birth, that we must see the underlying problem in the corruption of human sexuality and God’s ordained plan for procreation through the marriage of one man with one woman.  A central consequence of illicit sex, or fornication, is unwanted pregnancies creating a bondage of care for the children produced for sixteen years or more.  To fail to deal with the underlying problem of fornication is like treating the headaches from a brain tumor with aspirin.  

          Although sixty-nine percent of children in America still live in a two-parent home, from 1960 to 2016 that percentage decreased from eighty-eight percent in 1960 to sixty-nine percentage in 2016.  Twenty-six percent of the 73.7 million children in the USA under the age of eighteen lived with a single parent in 2016.  However, this does not include the estimated 54 million babies murdered in their wombs by their doctors and mothers since Roe v. Wade.  With these statistics in mind, we can begin to evaluate just how free illicit love (free fornication; recreational/safe sex) has been upon our world.  

The incredible inculcation of sexual immorality (fornication) so permeated the cultures of the world through idolatry and paganism that it was almost impossible to escape its influences.  Moses was confronted with the sexual immorality inculcated into the Canaanite and Baalism culture in Numbers chapter twenty-five.  A major part of Baal worship was the worship of women/sex through fornication with them. 

1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people {of Israel} began to commit whoredom {idolatry or fornication} with the daughters of Moab. 2 And they called {invited or enticed} the people {of Israel} unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 3 And Israel joined himself {through fornication with Moabite women} unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. 4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel. 5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men {each of the judges had men for which they were responsible and with which they were identified} that were joined unto Baal-peor” (Numbers 25:1-5).

Although Baalism was a fertility cult of sexual immorality and fornication, what we learn from Numbers 25:1-5 is that the primary aspect of the worship practices was the fornication practices.  These fornication practices “joined” the worshippers/fornicators to “Baal-peor.”  God brought a plague upon the “children of Israel” and “those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand” (Numbers 25:8-9).  God views fornication (any type of illicit sexual activity) as practical idolatry.  God obviously takes such unfaithfulness very seriously.  

          World War I (1914 to 1918) and World War II (1939 to 1945) created enormous changes in the cultural dynamics of human sexuality as women began to enter the work force out of necessity for survival.  Women became more independent and aggressive where they then transitioned from being the targets of seduction by immoral men to where they became the seducers.  This became evident in the way women began to dress becoming the aggressors in relationships.  By the mid-1960’s the Playboy culture began to transition into the Playgirl culture.  

This created a serious cultural problem in a high percentage of unwed and unwanted pregnancies.  It also created an enormous problem for the Social Welfare system of the American society now supporting single, unwed mothers for eighteen to twenty years with numerous out-of-wedlock children, especially predominant in the African American culture.  Out of this cultural dilemma of unwanted and unsupported births of thousands of children developed the Social Welfare program in every major city known as the Housing Projects, which later came to be known as preplanned slums.  These cultures became self-propagating creating an endless cycle.  The Liberal solution to this cultural dilemma was the legalization of abortion, which was the central motivation for legalized abortions.  

The early 1900’s through the 1940’s also created the genocide generation developing out of three cultural influences; Marxism (Communism, the Bolshevik Revolution or Stalinism in Soviet Union), Fascism (Hitler’s Nazism and Jewish genocide, and Franco’s Catholic genocide in Spain, and etc.), and Darwinism (Eugenics from Darwin’s Theory of Evolution; also entitled “the Preservation of the Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life”).  

Out of Darwinism developed Eugenics; “the science of improving a human population by controlled breeding to increase the occurrence of desirable heritable characteristics.”[1]  Margaret Sanger, credited with being the founder of the organization known as Planned Parenthood, was a leading promoter of Eugenics and population control of unwanted species through segregation and abortion. 

“We should hire three or four colored ministers, preferably with social-service backgrounds, and with engaging personalities. The most successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We don’t want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population. And the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members.” [2]

          One of God’s main concerns after humanity’s fall into sin was maintaining the purity of procreation – producing a godly seed.  After the fall into sin, producing a godly seed required considerably more effort than mere reproduction.  Producing a godly seed required teaching God’s will to children and then children individually submitting their wills to obey God’s will.  A major aspect of this had to do with the purity of human sexuality.  Uniquely, human sexuality was the primary focal point of satanic corruption in the worship practices of idolatry and men taking multiple wives as well as concubines to produce many children.  It is easy to see throughout Old Testament Scripture that professing believers were not exempt from these corruptions. 
We must understand that just because God allows certain circumstances does not mean He condones those circumstances.  These were sanctificational issues, not salvation issues.  In almost every instance, God has had to work within the mess that men and women made through the bad choices of their lives.  In all the history of the patriarchs of faith, we have but a few examples where this was not necessary, including you and me.  We are a sexually compromised people!
          When it came to the transition from the Mosaic Covenant to the New Covenant, Jewish believers were trying to impose upon Gentile believers all the Mosaic Covenant requirements given to preserve the Jewish people in a state of sanctification.  The Apostles, in a conference at Jerusalem, simplified the matter with some basic instructions to Gentile believers.  The four keep away restrictions listed in Acts 15:29 were all worship practices connected with idol worship. 

27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 29 That ye abstain {to hold one’s self away} from meats offered to idols, and {to hold one’s self away} from blood, and {to hold one’s self away} from things strangled, and {to hold one’s self away} from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves {strictly, carefully observe}, ye shall do well. Fare ye well” (Acts 15:27-29).

Jeremiah’s prophecies span forty-one years from just before Israel’s extreme chastisement in the Babylonian captivity.  The historical context of Jeremiah’s prophecies is the ongoing influences of the Canaanite culture of pagan Baalism and licentious idolatry that continued dominating Israel from the time of the Judges.  Another major part of the worship of Baal was sacrificing infant children to the idol/statue, where those infants were thrown alive into a raging fire built before the idol. 

“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 {being convicted of the wickedness of the practices}, his ears shall tingle {burn in shame}. 4 Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place {forever alienated this place from God’s presence and blessing}, 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 {children sacrificed to Baal}; 5 They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which 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 {which came to be known as Gehenna by the time of Christ becoming another word for Hell}, but The valley of slaughter” (Jeremiah 19:3-6).

          The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown commentary states regarding the statement “no more to be called Tophet”: “from Hebrew, toph, ‘drum’; for in sacrificing children to Molech drums were beaten to drown their cries.  Thus the name indicated the joy of the people at the fancied propitiation of the god by this sacrifice; in antithesis to its joyless name subsequently.”[3]  Obviously, it is easy to see the comparisons of the modern day abortion industry that seeks to silence the screams of the slaughter of babies by murdering them within their mother’s wombs.  The “god” that is being propitiated by the modern abortion industry is the “god” of human selfishness and instant gratification of carnal human sexuality.  This pure selfishness seeks to eliminate the consequences of their irresponsible sexuality by simply murdering the innocent children conceived in their sin.  God hears the screams of every innocent child and records every individual murder. 
          “The valley of slaughter” would be prophetically fulfilled in the very last days of the seven-year Tribulation completing God’s judgment of the nations and the final captivity of the city of Jerusalem just prior to the second coming of Christ at Armageddon prophesied in Jeremiah 7:32-33 and fulfilled in Revelation 19:17-18.  Clearly, this is all connected to the failure of the people of the world to maintain God’s view of the sanctity of human life. 

32 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place. 33 And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away (no one to scare the birds away}” (Jeremiah 7:32-33). 

 God hears the screams of every innocent child and records every individual murder.

11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he {Jesus} that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness {justice} he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God {the Christ rejecting humanity will be judged by the Word of God that they rejected}. 14 And the armies {faithful angels and the redeemed glorified believers from all ages}, which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the remnant {of still living unbelievers} were slain with the sword of him {Jesus, the incarnate Word of Justice; vs. 13 and 15} that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh” (Revelation 19:11-21).

          God’s sovereignty means justice will prevail and all disobedience will be judged.  Humanity's sins are either judged on the Cross of Calvary, and the sinner receives the gifts of God’s propitiation and justification, or every person will pay for their own rebellions against God’s will in a physical death and the “second death.” 


[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics_in_the_United_States, accessed 2/9/2019.
[2] Margaret Sanger commenting on the “Negro Project,” Dec. 10, 1939, http://prolife365.com/margaret-sanger-quotes/, accessed 2/9/2019.
[3] Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible 1871, SwordSearcher\Modules\JFB.ss5cmty, Module file time: 7/31/2011 7:15:28 PM UTC.


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Numerous studies and series are available free of charge for local churches at: http://www.disciplemakerministries.org/ 
Dr. Lance Ketchum serves the Lord as a Church Planter, Evangelist/Revivalist. 
He has served the Lord for over 40 years.