Babes

The fact that children are being murdered, both before and after birth, is nothing new in history. In the headlines, there is a new discovery of one hundred plus mummified remains found in Peru of children who were sacrificed in a ritual to a false god. They all suffered a similar wound, a cutting to the chest. It is supposed that this wound was made to extract the hearts of the children, while they were still alive. The terror of their last living moments at the hands of adults who should have treasured and protected them, are still engraved upon their faces (see article) . We have heard of this ancient practice in other nations, usually in worship to a sun god.
Even in Israel, centuries ago, people threw their children into fires to worship and sacrifice to the false god, Ba'al. This appalled the LORD. The whole land became so polluted from the practice, that God had to remove the people into exile for seventy years in order to cleanse the land from the foulness of the abomination (see 2 Kings 21:10-16).
We shake our heads at the vileness and ignorance represented by these slaughters of history, but we have our own version of it today. We are still offering these horrific sacrifices to these same foul demonic gods, but we call it by another name, and we think we are accomplishing a "good" with it. We have even made it the law of the land. We have called it a liberty and a right. However, at the founding of our nation, liberties and rights were defined as those "endowed by their Creator", in the Declaration of Independence. These rights guaranteed to us and to all men are sacred and unalienable because of their divine origin*. Liberties, these foundational documents contend, cannot be given by a king or a Parliament, but are a result of an impartation from the Divine Creator, to His created being, which carries His own image: man. This nation, that is supposed to be a beacon of this divinely sourced liberty to the world, has embraced and legitimatized one of the darkest and most evil practices that the world has ever known, by associating it with the same rights of divine origin that all men have received from God. We, like those ancient peoples, not only do not acknowledge the divine source and force of a life, and the resulting divine liberty belonging to that life, but we also do not know the God Who created both, Who gave up a portion of Himself, breath, body and blood, so that we could live.
Perhaps, in part, in order to address this continual evil in the hearts and practices of man, God made very clear in His Word, the truth of the divine nature of life, including its beginnings, and the truth of His continuing presence in the life of all men. As we make the conscious choice to be ignorant of this vital truth, we do a great harm to ourselves, as we will see.
Jesus repeatedly taught and warned regarding the treasuring of children:
"Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And He laid His hands on them and departed from there."   Mt. 19:13-15, Mk. 10:13-16, Lk. 18:14-17
Jesus directly defines the kingdom of heaven with children. Why would He do this? He gives us another glimpse:
"Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me...Woe to the world because of offenses (enticements to sin)! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!...Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven, their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven."   Mt. 18:7, 10
The child in our midst is the most humble being on earth. The defenseless child humbly places himself, with great trust, in the hands of his father. The child humbly believes what his father tells and teaches him. This same spirit is to be desired by each of us concerning our heavenly Father. For this reason, the mightiest angels in heaven, the ones who are closest to God, and look upon His face, are given charge over these humble, submitted spirits. These children are to be our teachers in the spiritual art of complete love, trust, and humility before our Father. Because of this humility of the child, as we saw above, the greatest power is assigned to them:
"But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He (Jesus) did, and the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna (Save us) to the Son of David!" they were indignant, and said to Him, "Do You hear what they are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, "Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise?"   Mt. 21:15-16
First of all, these children had correctly identified with loud cries, Jesus as the Messiah. Secondly, if we look at the Psalm that Jesus cites to the most scripturally educated men of Israel, we will see an amazing truth:
"O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, who have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants You have ordained (yacad- be founded, establish, begin, appoint, sit in conclave and consult) strength (oz- power, might, boldness, of a loud voice, the power joined to majesty, spendor, and glory), because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger."  Ps. 8:1-2
In the sounds from children's mouths, God has placed the power by which He silences the most hateful and vengeful spiritual enemies of God and man. No wonder those demons have always demanded the destruction of children, and we are rebellious enough to agree to it. Children are in possession of a most powerful spiritual weapon. We see it again here:
"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior (gibuwr- might and strength of God), so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver (arrow case) full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate."   Ps. 127:3-5
This verse tells us that children are the possession of the LORD, yet man may borrow them, or have temporary custody of them. They are the arrows in the hand of the powerful God, that man is allowed to keep in his own arrow case. These powerful arrows, children, bring the "dabar" to the enemies, both natural, and spiritual, both personal and national. As we destroy our children, we destroy one of the greatest benefits that God has given for our protection and defense.
We destroy these possessions of God, these arrows of His strength, lent to us for our benefit before they are born, rationalizing to ourselves that they are not alive, or human until after birth. Again, God would correct our ignorance through His Word. David, one of the great warriors, was shown his relationship with God while still in the womb, and before:
"For You formed my inward parts; You covered (wove, like an embroidery of assorted colors) me in my mother's womb. I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame (otsem- bones, power, might, great, to bind up) was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret (protected shelter, disguise), and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts (rt- lowly, humble) of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!"   Ps. 139:13-17
Not only is the divine beginning of a life a wonder that begins well before birth, but this wonder also reveals the nature of God to us. What we consider "disposable" according to our laws, has been revealed to David as being the result of the very thoughts and power of God.
To His prophet, Jeremiah, whom God would use to raise up and destroy kingdoms:
Then the word of the LORD came to me saying: "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, is amazed at this calling as he says to the LORD, "Ah, LORD God! Behold, I cannot speak for I am a youth. The LORD reveals the power with which He has endowed Jeremiah, even though a youth, the power of the arrow, the "dabar" to be spoken to the enemies in the gates:
...Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant."   Jer. 1:5, 9-10
Let's not kill our children, whether born or unborn, and let us not even be consenting to the idea. We all have reason to repent, to turn, and to humbly receive God's truth and merciful benefit regarding the children He has lovingly and wondrously entrusted to us.

Our Father has ordained a life even before the womb.

*Rights of Divine origin of the Declaration of Independence:
http://www.lexrex.com/enlightened/AmericanIdeal/yardstick/pr3.html

Out of the mouths of babes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH6msTsClUs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfDkQvnEJ0o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJAqoDRX33I

Choice

(Kidnapping is a terrible crime, and often victims and families are devastated as a result. Please understand that the following is a fictional account of an unusual kidnapping, used only for the purpose of creating something for thought, and not for the purpose of treating victims of crime lightly, nor judging them.)
A woman is walking down the street when, suddenly, she is struck and grabbed by a man, and forcefully pushed into the front passenger seat of a car. He jumps into the driver's seat, and speeds off. The doors of the car have been left unlocked, but she is not aware of that. The kidnapper stops at several red lights, all while the doors of the car remain unlocked.
The kidnapper decides to make a quick stop at a convenience store, and he leaves the vehicle, again leaving the doors unlocked. The woman remains in the front seat. After a short time, the kidnapper returns to the car, and drives them away.
He next stops at a diner for a meal, leaving the woman in the unlocked car. By this time, she has become aware that the car is unlocked, but even if it were still locked, she could unlock the door, and leave the car during the kidnapper's absence. She remains in the passenger seat, and the kidnapper returns.They drive all night, making various stops along the way, again with the car doors left unlocked.
By the second night, the kidnapper stops at an old house in a dark, quiet neighborhood. He pulls the woman from the car, and into the house with him. Once inside the house, he turns and locks the door by pushing the button on the door knob, and sliding the door chain into place. The woman watches him set these locks. These locks, of course, can be opened anytime from inside the house. He then leaves the room, and she hears the sound of his movements in the next room. She remains standing in place.
A short time later, the kidnapper returns to where the woman is waiting. The woman reaches into her purse, pulls out a gun, and shoots him dead.
At the sound of the gunshot, the police are called to the scene, where they find the dead kidnapper, and the woman who shot him. The woman tells the police that she was kidnapped, and she has the legal right to self defense, which she exercised.
The police investigate, checking security cameras that captured the scene of her forceful kidnapping. They agree that she was the victim of a crime, and had the right to defend herself, even with deadly force, according to the facts they have discovered. The kidnapper turns out to have had a long record of violent crime, and no one is surprised at his fate.
You may say, "That's not justice in this case. She had many opportunities to escape, and knew it. She didn't have to kill to get free, nor in order to defend her life."
Although the legal process was satisfied, we, the readers, know that though many kidnap victims do not have any opportunities to escape, this particular woman had many opportunities to do so before the use of deadly force was applied. We can agree that even though she was dealing with a wicked man, there were other options available along the way that might have made her choice to take his life unnecessary and avoidable.
You may say that this kidnapping scenario is unrealistic, and a real victim would never ignore opportunities to escape, while choosing to kill instead. However, this happens everyday in our society, where we ignore the options of escape, and choose to kill instead. It happens when we choose the legal option of abortion. If it is unjust to take the life of a wicked man when there are other options of escape available, how much more unjust is it to take the life of an innocent, when there are other options of escape?
Even when the law of the land is applied and satisfied regarding the choices it allows us, it doesn't always reflect moral rightness and truth. Although ending a life may sometimes, in certain circumstances, be necessary, truth compels us to admit that very often we have many opportunities of easy escape before using the option to take a life, an innocent life, a child's life. Even by secular reasoning, it is impossible to justify taking a child's life based simply on one's "choice".
As adults, we clearly understand, without having to list them here, that there are many and varied options that we could choose, easy escapes even from the very beginning, before we find ourselves in circumstances where we decide to choose the option legally available to us of taking an innocent child's life. Legality does not justify us. It only exempts us from the punishment of society. The law of the land will not justify us, nor excuse us, from the righteousness, justice and truth of God's heart.

"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore, choose life, that both you and your descendants may live."                                            Deut. 30:19
"Let us choose justice for ourselves; Let us know among ourselves what is good."   Job 34:4
"Curds and honey he shall eat; that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good."
                                                    Isa. 7:15
"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."                          Jer. 1:5
"I was cast upon You from birth; From my mother's womb You have been my God." 
                                                    Ps. 22:10
"For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb."  Ps. 139:13
"Thus says the LORD who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you."
                                                    Isa. 44:2
"...The LORD has called me from the womb; From the inward parts of my mother He has made mention of my name."       Isa. 49:1

The scriptures make very clear to us that God forms us and knows us before we are born. He expects us to know good from evil, and to choose the good. He wants us to discern the difference between the things of life and the things of death, and to choose the things pertaining to life.
On each Sabbath, many Jewish households lay hands on their children's heads, and speak a blessing over them from Num.6 (watch here). Many churches also speak this blessing over children when baptizing and dedicating them. God instructed His people to bless their children in this manner. The blessing is:
"The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace."  
                                                 Num. 6:24-26
Scripture tells us that Jesus loved children, and was always happy to see them and receive them (Mt. 19:14).
If we are going to put our hands on our children, then it should be for the purpose of blessing them, and not harming them.
However, even if we have made choices in the past that we now regret, and cause us deep sorrow, our Father promises us that He will forgive us if we ask, heal us in those deep, hurting places, and He will even trust us anew with choice.

Our Father instructs us to bless our children, and choose life, for ourselves, and for them.


"Prayer-Bless the Children"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1i0hsA-Uog

Hebrew Blessing upon the Children (Num. 6:24-27)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXbaWeT3co8