Monday, November 9, 2020

America’s Worship of Molech and Asherah

 



Did you know that the practices of child sacrifice and nature worship are alive and thriving in America today?

 

Ancient Israel was a people group called into covenant relationship with God Almighty—the Holy One; the Creator; the Great I Am; YHWH; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. After the nation was established in the Promised Land, they eventually split into two kingdoms—the northern kingdom commonly referred to as Israel, and the southern as Judah. Contrary to common perception, both kingdoms had descendants from all twelve of the tribes who came from Jacob’s twelve sons. Initially after the split, those who rebelled against God’s prescribed method for communion migrated north, while those who desired to remain faithful migrated south. Scripture clearly states this. Also eventually, both kingdoms fell away from God, rejected His calling, turned from His ways, and declined into eventual conquest and captivity by their enemies—the north to the Assyrian Empire, and the south to the Babylonian Empire. The speed of decline was more rapid in the north, with the southern kingdom lasting about a century longer.

 

Many things led to the downfall of ancient Israel. But chief among them was the worship of false gods. God had commanded them to abstain from idol worship. But, as they became secure in the land of promise and prospered, they turned away and embraced the false gods of the nations around them and those who had been in Canaan previously. Their prosperity didn’t vanish immediately, and in fact some of them continued to experience even greater prosperity (in worldly terms) for a time. This will be an important point we will return to shortly. Two of the primary false gods embraced by both kingdoms were Molech, also known as Chemosh, and Asherah.

 

False gods are not real gods. There is only one real God. He is the Creator of all things—time, space, the universe, and everything else, including all living things. He is the Great I Am who spoke with Moses from the burning bush that wasn’t consumed in the wilderness. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD [YHWH] our God, the LORD is one!” (Deuteronomy 6:4; NKJV) False gods, and their representations or idols, are exactly that—false. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t bases for their existence. Besides God and humanity, there are also angels; both holy and fallen. Those holy are set apart in service to God; they are loyal and obedient to him. Those fallen are in rebellion against God, and loyal to their chief—Lucifer; also known as Satan. Angels are all created beings. There also exist creatures referred to in the Bible as demons, which are also beings of a fallen nature in service to Satan. Many false gods have some fallen being (angelic or demonic) as their inspiration or namesake. Many of these, what we might think of as spiritual beings or spirits—though they may be able to take bodily form—have very likely interfered in the cultures of humanity and influenced their affairs and received their worship. This is also an important point we will return to shortly.

 

Molech, or Chemosh, was a false god worshipped by the Ammonites, Moabites, and other Canaanite peoples. He was often depicted in idol form with the face of a calf, with outstretched arms and open hands ready to receive something, and made of bronze. His worshippers participated in human sacrifice, oftentimes of babies, who would be placed in his hands and burned in fire. Molech is mentioned numerous times in the Old Testament. Jeremiah 32:35 tells us that the people of Judah would, “cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech.” (NKJV) God called this an “abomination” in that same context. They were sacrificing their children to a false god, a fallen or demonic spirit, in the hopes of obtaining in return some sort of favor—good harvest, abundance, wealth, prosperity, ease and comfort; things that are thought to bring pleasure and the good life.

 

Asherah was a false goddess worshipped by the Canaanites. She was worshipped as a mother or fertility goddess. Originally she was supposed to be the consort of Baal, and later perverted by the Israelites to a consort of, well, I won’t say. Her worshippers would set up Asherah Poles in groves, on hills, and on other high places. The poles were often made of wood. Worship of her was considered pagan, or associated with nature or things of nature. Asherah Poles and worship of Asherah are mentioned throughout the Old Testament. 2 Kings 21:7 tells us that King Manasseh of Judah, “set a carved image of Asherah” in the Lord’s House (the Temple of Solomon) in Jerusalem. (NKJV) Manasseh, by the way, also, “made his son pass through the fire.” (2 Kings 21:6; NKJV) In other words, he too practiced child sacrifice to Molech.

 

Worship of these false gods, and others, significantly contributed to the downfall of the kingdoms of ancient Israel and Judah. America today is involved in this same worship. The Unites States, and many other industrialized nations both in the West and around the world, are elevating the false gods of Molech and Asherah. Although the physical representations of these gods as idols for people to abase themselves before may not be with us, the spirit of these gods, and the spiritual beings themselves whom these gods were named for, are with us in America.

 

Americans and others, though perhaps unwittingly, sacrifice their own babies upon the altars of economic prosperity and convenience through abortion. This assertion may shock one’s sensibilities, but it’s true. When a child is aborted because its birth would create economic hardship, then he or she is sacrificed in the spirit of hoping for a better financial condition. When a baby is aborted because the timing of the pregnancy interferes with a life stage, plans for education, or career, then he or she is sacrificed in the spirit of convenience or hoping for a better life. When abortion is used to eliminate the natural consequence of sexual activity, then the child is sacrificed in the spirit of pleasure. These sacrifices are made in the same spirit as those ancient societies who killed their children before the idols or put them through the fire. They are made to the spirit of Molech.

 

Americans and others, though perhaps unwittingly, worship the false gods and goddesses of nature when they elevate environmental issues to be of greater importance than human issues. I want to be clear. I am not asserting that we don’t have a responsibility to be good stewards of creation, the earth, the environment, or other living creatures with whom we share the planet. In fact, I believe we were given a mandate by the Creator to be good stewards of the things— not to be wasteful, cruel, destructive, or irresponsible. But when we (humanity) reject our Creator and instead worship His creation, then we are worshipping false gods. When we believe animal life or the environment has more value than humans who were made in God’s image, then we are worshipping false gods. This is worshipping the spirit of Asherah.

 

Our society and others not only commit these acts, but they are also legalized, sanctioned, approved, celebrated, demanded, and sometimes enforced by law—depending on location. The spirits of Molech and Asherah are active in America and the world today, as millions of people are sacrificing to them and worshipping them through their priorities and actions. This will ultimately lead to our downfall as well, though it isn’t possible to predict exactly how or when. Even though America is still prosperous, at least by many standards, it is a temporary state. Both kingdoms of ancient Israel were conquered by enemies who were just as wicked, or even more so. Of course, those empires eventually fell too. God uses or allows various instruments to implement His justice, even if those instruments are in turn judged for their wickedness in due time. These aren’t the only reasons that America and other nations will eventually be judged by the Creator. But they certainly are significant contributors. It is poignant to see the parallels. We can see the possible beginnings of the fall of America from a place of preeminence on the global stage already happening with its current internal strife and unrest. If so, and I’m not predicting this outcome for certain, what we are seeing now would only be the beginning. After all, the fall of the Roman Empire started with internal strife.

 

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb... Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” -Psalm 139:13,16; NIV

 

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” -Jeremiah 1:5; NKJV

 

“And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit... ‘For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.’” -Luke 1:41,44; NKJV

 

“Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” -Romans 1:24-25; NKJV

 

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image... Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them...” -Exodus 20:3-5; KJV

 

“That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” -Ecclesiastes 1:9; NKJV

 

I recognize this may anger many people. It may enlighten or even encourage some. Lord willing, it might convict some. If you are feeling a tugging on your heart or a desire to be made right in relationship with the One who made and loves you, no matter what you may have done in the past, there is hope! Jesus died and rose again from death in order to take away all the evil done by, and present within, any and all people who would accept Him and His offer to save. Just tell God in your heart and mind that you know you’ve been and done wrong, and that you know you cannot fix or save yourself. Tell Him you trust in Him to keep His promise to save you because of what Jesus did and because you ask for it. Surrender to Him, and believe! Read the book of John in the Bible if you want to know more. Or find a true Christian who trusts in Jesus as Savior and ask. God will not turn you away if you call upon Jesus.

 

Grace and peace.


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