Before entering the Promised Land Moses repeatedly warned the Israelites not to probe into the future, especially singling out the evil of Moloch worship.
This post looks at how the worship of Moloch is occurring today.
The name Moloch in Hebrew is מלך .מלך is also the Hebrew word for “king” or “kingship”. Moloch worship is therefore the worship of the king, it is the worship of the State. In the worship of Moloch the king, or state, is worshipped as god and is considered god.
How the State is Acting as God Today
The Almighty God has granted the State a very limited jurisdiction within which it is to operate. The State’s jurisdiction is limited to the performance of justice in order to restrict those that do evil (Romans 13:3-4).
The modern day State assumes roles that lie outside of this narrowly defined jurisdiction, assuming responsibility for welfare, healthcare, education, agriculture, and the provision of a myriad of goods and services. By doing so it rejects the boundaries that have been placed upon it by the Almighty God.
By expanding beyond its jurisdictional limits the State seeks to assume total jurisdiction over the life of man. It promises to provide man with his progress and security and thereby seeks to govern and control the man’s future.
By seeking to control and influence the future the Moloch State imposes itself upon the jurisdiction of the Almighty God, as the future belongs to Him (Isaiah 46:9-10). The State therefore assumes the position of the god of society, it becomes a modern day version of the god Moloch.
By claiming total jurisdiction over the life of man the Moloch State demands total sacrifice.
In ancient times the worship of the god Moloch required the sacrifice of children. As Moloch exercised control over life he was due the highest form sacrifice, that of life itself. Children represent the life, strength and continuity of the family. Therefore the sacrifice or dedication of one’s child, especially one’s first born, to Moloch represented the purchase of one’s progress and security.
Taxation is Modern Day Moloch Worship
Today total sacrifice is performed through the act of taxation.
The Moloch State provides welfare, economic stimulus, security, healthcare and a myriad of goods and services in order to advance the progress and security of man’s life. In order to do so the Moloch State imposes taxation upon man.
When making payment man validates the jurisdiction and claim of the Moloch State – that it is the source of man’s progress and security. The payment of taxation is not done out of benevolence but out of fear – that if one does not pay one risks the removal of his life’s progress and security.
Secondly, taxation strips man of his labour and liberty, his life. It is a form of sacrifice, an act of worship to the Moloch State. Even though this act of worship may be imposed upon man it none the less remains a contravention of the First Commandment.
The Cause of Modern Day Moloch Worship
When Israel demanded that Samuel appoint a king to rule over them the prophet warned the Israelites of the burdens that a king would place upon them (1 Samuel 8). Despite this warning the Israelites persisted in their demand for a human king to rule over them, in the process rejecting the Almighty God as their King (1 Samuel 8:7)
The vision of the nation of Israel had shifted. Instead of looking to the Almighty God as their King, their source of providence, they now looked to man.
When man looks into the future, in the absence of the Almighty God, he relies upon his own strength in order to secure his future. By doing so he perceives the very real power of the Moloch State, and is inclined to submit to its demands, thereby elevating the Moloch State to the position of god.
So how do we resolve this situation today?
A Change of Vision Required
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14
Our vision needs to be altered. We need to recognise that the future does not belong to man but to the Almighty God. Our vision needs to be directed back to Him. He is the source of our providence, not the Moloch State, when we walk in obedience to Him and His Law (Deuteronomy 28).
The healing of our land requires that our vision needs to turn and we are to seek the face of our Almighty God.
Let us be courageous and shift our vision of the future away from one based on the fear of the Moloch State to one based on the faithfulness of promises of our Almighty God. As we cast our eyes back to the true source of our progress and security the true nature of the Moloch god will be revealed.
Let us recognise that the future belongs to the Almighty God. It is He that sits on the throne and let us remove ourselves from it.
