) I am reminded of a faithless nation that ritually killed their children and the Lord’s judgment upon them. The passage is Jeremiah 7: 30-34.
Body
I. “The children of Judah”
a. Judah means “praise”
i. Judah’s purpose for existence was to give glory and praise to God
ii. The nation should never have allowed the influence of paganism to distract them from glorifying the Lord
II. “Have done evil in my sight”
a. Judah committed heinous sins in God’s sight without fear of reprisal
b. We must remember that everything we do is within the Lord’s sights, nothing escapes His notice
i. No evil will escape his judgment
**The evil done to Caylee Anthony will be avenged, if not in man’s court, then in a much higher one where the verdict is just and final
III. “They have built high places of Tophet”
a. Judah erected altars to pagan gods just outside the city limits of Jerusalem
b. It was here that they would sacrifice their children in pagan worship
c. It is said that the place is called Tophet because the people would sing and dance and play tambourines to prevent the parents from hearing the cries of their children as they burned alive
i. Smokescreens and mirrors of distractions to detract from what was really going on
ii. In the singing and dancing, the voices of the innocent victims were drowned
**The voice of little Caylee was drowned out by the confusing testimonies and sideshows of the trial
IV. “Which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom”
a. The children of Judah left the Jerusalem, the holy city exalted on the mountain, to go down into the valley to engage in depraved worship
i. They turned their back on God to commit detestable sins
b. Hinnom in its Latin form is translated Gehenna, more commonly known as Hell
i. Other translations render this place as “the mouth of Hell”
ii. They worshipped their pagan gods in the mouth of Hell – they essentially became Devil worshippers
V. “To burn their sons and their daughters in the fire”
a. This practice started with the pagan people of Canaan
i. They offered their firstborn children to Molech by heating the image (part man, part bull) to furnace temperatures and then thrusting their children into the outstretched arms of the ghastly image
b. When Judah abandoned God they developed the wicked customs of the nations around them, including that of burning their children alive
i. Motives were selfish (Casey - not wanting to be tied down by motherhood, wanting to live single lifestyle of partying)
• They sought favor or approval from gods that were of no benefit to them
• They reveled in the lifestyle that paganism afforded them
ii. Devoid of natural affection (Casey – no loving and affectionate mother would ever allow her child to be missing for 30 days before reporting it, repeatedly lie about events leading up to disappearance, fabricate erroneous tales explaining the child’s death)
• What kind of parent could willingly kill their own child and allow them to die such a torturous death
iii. Devoid of all spirituality
• What kind of people could reckon that God would allow such atrocities without seeking retribution for the lives of the innocent
iv. Do not forget the witnesses
• There may have been some who did not actively engage in these practices, but were bystanders (Casey - Family members, Friends)
a. The children had little choice in this matter
b. Their only hope was their parents or other adults who would listen to the cries of the children and plead their case
• Those who were aware of the situation but silently allowed it continue became co-conspirators, accessories to murder
• Some of the witnesses played an active role
a. Remember the singers, dancers, and tambourine players (Casey - Defense Lawyers)
i. Their job was to distract from what was really going on – the painful deaths of innocent babies
VI. “I did not command, nor did it come into My heart”
a. The Father, being a God of Love, never would have commanded the mass murdering of innocent children
b. It did not come into His heart; in fact it was detestable and disgusting to Him
c. Such a command would have been contrary to God’s intentions
i. Psalms 127: 3 – Children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward
• A heritage is something that is valued and cherished
• A heritage is a trust
• A heritage is something that you would keep safe from robbers or those who would misuse or destroy it
• A reward is something to be proud of, to be put on display
• A reward is not considered as burden, but a blessing
VII. “Therefore behold, the days are coming, says the Lord”
a. Man’s justice is limited
i. Man’s justice is not omniscient (all-knowing)
ii. Man’s justice is not omnipotent (all-powerful)
b. God’s justice is unlimited
i. The Lord knows all, sees all, and has the power to handle all things
ii. God’s justice is sure – His court is the Supreme One
iii. His justice will not be deferred
• His promise that “the days are coming” assures us that in His due time He will demand compensation for the all the evils and injustices committed
VIII. “the Valley of Slaughter”
a. With ironic but true justice God declared that on the very grounds that the children of Judah sacrificed their firstborns by fire they would meet their judgment
b. The voices of the slain children continued to cry out to the Lord until He avenged their death
c. When the Babylonians struck the nation in 607 B.C. the Valley of Hinnom became filled with slaughtered Judeans
i. By thrusting their children into the “mouth of Hell”, the people of Judah sealed their fate and were literally condemned to a disgraceful death into the depths of Hell
Conclusion
Like the children of Judah, Casey Anthony mistakenly thought that she could selfishly pursue a course without any consequence. Some may think that Ms. Anthony has gotten off “scot-free”, but we know differently. The judges and false religious leaders in ancient Judah may have condoned the homicides of innocent children, but the defendants did not escape God’s verdict – “Guilty”. So a jury of 12 may have acquitted Casey, but the One who sits as judge and jury will have the final ruling. No amount of tears, accusations, and lies will be able to distract God from the truth. Little Caylee’s cries are still being heard by the Lord and He will demand justice from everyone involved either directly or indirectly.
But what about us? “What do you mean, Pastor? I would never deliberately harm or kill my child!” No I don’t imagine that any of us would. But I want to remind you of this beautiful heritage, this gift, this reward that we have been given. Not only your own children, but the children in our neighborhood, in our community, in our city, in our state, in our country are all a trust that the Lord has given us. The children of this world need a voice. They need someone to speak out when they witness child abuse. They need someone to speak up when they see a child being neglected. They need someone to listen to their cries for help. Will you be fooled by the smokescreens and mirrors that the perpetrators of these tragedies put up? Will you cower in silence and think that the problem will go away? God has entrusted us with this precious cargo. We must guard them, fight for them, protect them, and be their advocates. Don’t allow society to lose sight of the true victims. When you witness a child in trouble, let the world know what is really going on!
