Does God Require Child Sacrifices?

Exodus 22:29b "The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me."

Exodus 13:12a "you shall devote to the Lord the first offspring of every womb"

The horrific practice of child sacrifice has been committed throughout the world for thousands of years. Generally, the sacrifice of a child was intertwined with the worship of a pagan deity, often a fertility god. Worshipers sought to obtain a blessing from their god(s) or to confirm or complete a vow taken in the name of the god.

Sadly, child sacrifices are practiced today in places such as, Uganda. Witch doctors continue to mutilate children in order to bring good fortune for those who are willing to pay. Does child sacrifice happen in America. Many would say, "yes" to this question. Unprecedented numbers of children have been "sacrificed" at the hands of abortionists for the sake of convenience. Many babies have been killed so the parents can maintain a certain lifestyle.

Pictured: Molech (Moloch or Molek), god of Ammonites and Canaanites.

This image depicts a statue made of bronze with outstretched arms. These arms would be heated and so that when the living child was placed on them, they would burn. They were then rolled into the fire pit below. This was the surrounding culture for the Israelites at this particular time.

1 Kings 11:4-11 King Solomon built altars to Molech and made sacrifices to please his wives. 2 Kings 21:6 Manasseh

2 Chronicles 28:1-4 King Ahaz

Did our God accept this form of worship too? The two Bible references above seem to contradict a loving God. After all, Proverbs 6:17 tells us that God hates, "hands that shed innocent blood". When I think of innocence, I could picture no one else except that of a precious baby or a young child.

The Lord specifically requires death from anyone who sacrifices their offspring to Molech (Lev. 20).

Child sacrifice was one reason for the Babylonian captivity.

Jeremiah 32:35b "...and there they sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing. What an incredible evil, causing Judah to sin so greatly!"

Why does God require our firstborn? If we read further into Exodus 13, we will find our answer. If we read the passage in it's entirety, we find some amazing discoveries.

All the male firstborn of the animals were to be either sacrificed or redeemed (bought back) with a lamb, and all of the firstborn sons were to be redeemed. So if a married couple's first child is a boy, he belonged to God and was set apart to be sacrificed, but the parents were to buy him back with one lamb. They could decide whether or not to buy the animals back, but they had no choice concerning their sons; they had to buy them back. V13 “You shall (must) redeem.” (see also, Ex. 34:20) So God is actually speaking against child sacrifice once again.

Why did they have to go through this whole act? Why not just require them to sacrifice a lamb at the occasion of a child's birth as a thank offering?

Answer: v14

God wanted these children to know what it meant to be bought back (redeemed) with the blood of a lamb. It was the same blood had saved their fathers in Egypt. It served as a reminder that God not spare them because they were his special nation- he spared them because their lives had been paid for. (See also: Numbers 3:40-51; 18:15)

It never ceases to amaze me the foreshadowing of the cross found in Scripture. You can find Christ in the Old Testament Scriptures, festivals, laws, and prophecies. The sacrifices planned for God's people was to prepared them for Christ. 1 Peter 1:20 tells us that, "He (Christ) was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake." The substitution for sin has been in place since the beginning.

Genesis: Garden of Eden - God provided first sacrifice of an animal for individuals

Exodus: Passover - Blood of a lamb for a family

Leviticus: High Priest in the Holy of Holies - Blood of a lamb for a nation

Gospels: Jesus (Lamb of God) – blood of the lamb for the world