Furious

In the Christmas story, it’s often easy to overlook Herod’s reaction to hearing about the birth of the Messiah.  But there it is, in Matthew 2:16 – “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were to years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.”

This event, historically, has been called “The Slaughter of the Innocents.” History tells us that this is no fairy tale.  At the time of the birth of Jesus, there was a systematic and deliberate slaughter of baby boys in Judea.  According to God’s Word, the impetus for this slaughter was the fury of Herod at being outwitted by the Magi.  If we connect the dots in Matthew 2, it seems as if Herod would have been satisfied to just kill Jesus, if the Magi had led him there.  But they were warned in a dream by God not to return to Herod. 

In our culture today, it is almost unfathomable that something like this could happen, and yet it is happening.  Things really aren’t much different.  Every year in America, our government supports, funds and encourages the killing of 1.2 million innocent children under the guise of choice and convenience.  If ever there was a time for the righteous fury and anger of God’s people, this is it.  Too many Christians remain silent on this issue for fear of offending somebody.

The school massacre in Connecticut in December is a tragedy of monumental proportions.  Our nation was outraged and furious at the slaughter of these innocent children, and rightly so.  We grieved at a distance with that community.  We prayed for them.  We hugged and kissed our own kids a little extra.  We’re talking about ways to ensure that something like this never happens again.  20 precious children.  Unimaginable.

The President, like many other Americans, suddenly found some use for religious rhetoric and righteous anger.  His words at a prayer vigil in Newtown: “This is our first task: caring for our own children.  It’s our first job.  If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right.  That’s how, as a society, we will be judged . . . Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose?”

I don’t agree with President Obama on much at all, but I absolutely agree with his assessment of our responsibility to our children.  But he, like so many in our culture today, rightly condemns the killing of 20 children in a school in Connecticut, yet condones the killing of 1.2 million children a year in America.  Our culture is profoundly confused when it comes to the value of life, and the value of our children. 

Caring for our own children begins in the womb.  Abortion causes great pain and distress to a baby.  A baby suffers as much physically during an abortion as every one of the children that was shot in Newtown, maybe even more.  If this is really our first job, how can we allow this to happen 1.2 million times a year in this country?

We’re not getting it right, and God WILL and IS judging our society based on our ignorance and callousness towards the sanctity of human life.  We are absolutely not doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose.  Not when our government condones and encourages killing 1.2 million of them a year because they’re “inconvenient.” 

This is not about choice.  This is not about convenience.  This is not about a woman’s right to do with her body what she wants.  Our bodies don’t belong to us anyway – what a joke!  Our bodies belong to God.  This is about what is right and this is about what God’s Word says about the value of every human life (read Psalm 139:13-16 if you’re confused about when life begins). 

I am furious that this is happening in our country.  It’s why at ALIVE Community Church, we partner with awesome ministries like Life Choices.  We put our money where our mouth is when it comes to saving innocent lives.  What if more of God’s people allowed this to righteously infuriate them and move them to action?  Could we see the end of legalized abortion in our country?  Please God, let it be so!