Does God kill children- Rationalizing Abortion

“They come from a far country, From the end of heaven— The Lord and His weapons of indignation, To destroy the whole land. Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. “I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. Everyone who is found will be thrust through, And everyone who is captured will fall by the sword. Their children also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; Their houses will be plundered And their wives ravished.”

The Rationalization

This passage is sometimes used by people to justify abortion. The argument is that if God can “dash children to pieces” before the eyes of His enemies, why should they not be allowed to kill one baby in an abortion?

It is useful for us to know how to respond since this twisted logic is often voiced by moms and dads intent on abortion. The better we address and correct such misperceptions about Biblical truth, the more likely we will be able to break down false arguments. This will help expose the bottom-line issue: the person killing their child in an abortion is setting herself as Lord of her life rather than Jesus. Our understanding of common rationalizations and how to address them will help us to counsel more effectively.

Prophetic Passages of Divine Retribution

This passage, like many others in the Bible, is a prophetic message which discusses the divine judgment of God on the nation of Babylon for its wickedness. Included in this description is the brutality against other nations like Israel. The nation of Israel was savagely oppressed by the Babylon empire and cried out to God against the cruelty the Israelites endured. Isaiah is assuring Israel that one day God would deal with the wicked evil. There would be justice one day.

Historically, ancient warfare was brutal and barbaric. Both combatants and civilians were terrorized indiscriminately. The goal was to discourage and destroy the conquered people. Such tactics did indeed include the killing in unfathomable cruelty of mothers and children. The people cried out for divine retribution and the prophet Isaiah comforted them with the assurance that God would address the wicked evil they were experiencing at the hands of the Babylonians. As in many other Biblical prophetic passages, the language is exaggerated, cataclysmic, and violent. This is to convey the seriousness with which God regards evil, sin, and pride. It also accurately reflects pagan warfare in that time period.

In this passage, God executes His judgment through ruthless human agents. God Himself is not the executioner. Throughout the Bible, God uses human agents to bring about justice, sometimes even evil human agents. As in many of these passages which portray the wrath of God poured out in retribution for wicked societies, these are not meant to be perceived as a model for behavior but to demonstrate theological truths.

What These Brutal Prophetic Passages Demonstrate About Sin:

• Sin has serious consequences and will not go unpunished. 
• God’s justice is certain no matter how strong or powerful the adversary.
• There is Hope for the humble, God will ultimately right all wrongs.
• The killing of children is a reflection of the brutality of ancient warfare, not a command for those atrocities.

What about God Killing a Child in a Miscarriage?

A similar twisted argument is sometimes made by the moms we encounter regarding miscarriage. The moms claim that God kills babies in miscarriages. Therefore, they insist that it is okay for the mother to kill her unborn child in an abortion.

First, it is not accurate to say God kills a child in a miscarriage. We live in a fallen world with disease, and physical ailments that were not present before sin entered the world. Children do die in this sorrowful, fallen world. It is accurate to say God allows what He could have prevented. We may never understand why. However, God does not intentionally kill the child in a miscarriage.

Secondly, and very critically, we are NOT GOD. What God does as the Creator and author of all life is different from what we can or should do. We do not have the same authority as God. God is the potter; the Bible reminds us. We are the clay. He has the right to do whatever He wants with His creation. Nonetheless, we can trust that He is merciful, good, and just.

Thirdly, there is a world of difference between miscarriage and abortion. In miscarriage, the human body naturally passes a baby who often has something wrong that prevents life. Contrast that with the intentional killing of an innocent child in the violence of abortion. One is a sad event which the mother cannot control. The second is a willful act of murder of an innocent human life by the mother.

God is Clear About Sanctity of Human Life

We must be very careful about trying to twist what we are clearly told in God’s word to justify what we want to do in defiance of His commands. He tells us we are not to murder (Exodus 20:13). He talks of His love and care for the unborn in Psalm 139 and other passages. He came to earth (Jesus) as an unborn baby, demonstrating His valuation of the unborn child. He hates the hands that shed innocent blood (Proverbs 6:17). He mentions that the one unimaginable sin is a parent sacrificing his or her own child (Jeremiah 7:31).

God Repeatedly Condemns Child Sacrifice

Throughout the Bible, God's laws and prophets condemn child sacrifice in the strongest possible terms. We cannot claim God supports the killing of innocent children.

Leviticus 18:21 and 20:2–5: These passages strictly forbid the Israelites from offering their children to the pagan god Molech. Those who engage in this practice or even turn a blind eye to it are to be put to death and cut off from the community.

Deuteronomy 12:31: The Israelites are warned not to imitate the "abominable" practices of the nations around them, which include burning their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods. This practice is explicitly stated as something that God hates.

Prophetic rebukes: Prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel delivered sharp condemnations against the Israelites for adopting this pagan ritual. Jeremiah 7:31 calls the practice of burning children in the Valley of Hinnom "something I did not command, nor did it come into my mind". Ezekiel 16:20–21 declares that by sacrificing their children, they were slaughtering God's own children. 

Summary

Human life is precious for two intrinsic reasons. First, humans are human…from the moment of conception. Not fully developed…but fully human. Secondly, humans alone are made in God’s Holy image. Women intent on killing their children in an abortion are in direct violation of God’s commandments and desire. We must expose this evil darkness with the light of God’s Word.