Infanticide

And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life … (Exodus 21:23)

The verse above reflects the value that God assigns to the unborn. In context, a scenario is set where two men are fighting. Somehow, whether due to an attempt to intervene or by mere happenstance, a pregnant woman is injured severely enough that she miscarries (v. 22). If the child survives, the man responsible for her injury is assessed a fine according to the demands of the woman’s husband and as agreed upon by the court. However, if the baby, or the mother, or both die, then the guilty party must pay with his life. This same idea is reflected in many of our current laws; I know that it is true in Texas. If someone kills a pregnant woman and her unborn baby, whether intentionally or unintentionally, that person is tried either for murder or manslaughter of not one, but two individuals.

Yet, it is ironic that the same consideration is not given for an unborn child that is purposefully murdered at the hands of an abortionist. God considers it murder to take the life of an unborn child, and He assigns the death penalty to the one guilty of taking that life. God is the One who gives life. The life that He gives belongs to Him alone, and no one has the right to take that life – with the exception of capital punishment for murder.

The first murder recorded in the Bible was when Cain murdered his brother Abel (Genesis 4). At that time, there was no codified law against murder (or anything else for that matter), and God chose to spare Cain’s life. But even then, Cain feared that he would be killed by others for his offense (Genesis 4:14). More than a millennium later, after the flood waters had abated from the face of the earth, God gave responsibility to man for executing capital punishment in the case of murder (Genesis 9:5-6). Note that this law applied equally to animals that killed a man. Then, almost another millennium later, God gave His law: “Thou shalt not [murder]” (Exodus 20:13).  This was quickly amplified to include the killing of an unborn child (Exodus 21:22-23). The taking of a human life – any human life – is a capital offense punishable by death. Human life is precious to God – far above the rest of His creation.

The question (which should not even be raised) is: “When is human life human?” I have written on this topic before. If interested, you can read my articles “Chosen From the Womb” and “Known of God;” but the short answer to that question is: “from conception.” In fact, if you really want to know God’s perspective, the individual is known of God even before conception (Jeremiah 1:5). The reason for the distorted view of the preborn that pervades our modern culture is due to decades of evolutionary indoctrination that has reduced the value of human life to that of any other animal. If we are nothing more than highly evolved pond scum, then human life is worthless, and more worthless is the life the preborn.

On July 8, 2013, delegations of prolife supporters will gather at the steps of the State Capitol of Texas in Austin. Imported from all over the nation will be groups bought and paid for by Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion organizations. These groups really have no say in Texas governmental affairs, yet there they will be to promote their anti-life agenda. They will try to sway public opinion by recounting sad stories of poor women forced to carry unwanted children to term without the means to support them. The will tell of the poor unfortunate women that are impregnated by a rapist or through incest, or perhaps as a result of indiscriminate sex that they now regret but must suffer the unwanted consequences. They will self-righteously champion the right of a woman to do with her body as she will, while completely ignoring the rights of the unborn woman in the womb. Who speaks for her rights?

I will be there supporting the prolife side. The battle is a spiritual one. The prolife side will uplift the dignity of all human life as given by God and champion the right to life of the unborn. Our weapon is prayer invoking the name of God. The other side will spew vitriol amid shouts of “Hail Satan!” but the battle is the Lord’s. However, the Lord is waiting to hear from His people. If God’s people remain silent, then we shall receive that for which we did not ask. In the words quoted in this morning’s sermon, “You have what you tolerate.” It is time to stop tolerating infanticide!