Just in Case You Didn’t Know
When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. Exodus 21:22 ESV
Children – Just in case there was ever any doubt about the Hebraic view of the beginning of being a person, this verse clears it up. The context of the verse is certainly about a fetus. If the unborn child in the womb is disturbed by outward physical violence, and the child is born prematurely as a result, but there is no permanent damage to the child, then only a fine needs to be paid. The regulation is understandable, but now pay attention to the actual words used. The word translated “children” is yeled. Here it can only mean fetus, but it is the same word used for any young child or even young adults. In other words, Hebrew makes no distinction between the “child” in the womb and the child after it is born. A person is a person no matter where he or she happens to be.
Contemporary theology that attempts to distinguish between the unborn fetus and the birthed child ignores the Hebraic worldview, and consequently must reinterpret the text to fit current cultural mores. From a biblical perspective, deliberate abortion for reasons other than saving the life of the mother is the termination of another person’s life. This is typically murder. There are exceptions, of course, because Torah recognizes a hierarchy of values. That’s why accidental abortion, miscarriage or abortion in order to save the life of the mother is not treated as murder. But abortion on demand for the purpose of maintaining lifestyle is the equivalent of child sacrifice to pagan fertility gods. And it is absolutely forbidden.
There is a price to pay for ignoring God’s Word – and God’s words. Yeled is one of those words. It has serious implications for human behavior – implications that do not go away just because we live in Babylon. Frankly, given the text and the Hebraic value placed on life, I can’t imagine how any follower of the Way can consider abortion on demand anything but an abomination to God. The justification for such a policy is entirely cultural, a product of Babylon, not Scriptural. And just because we live in Babylon does not mean that we are free to adopt its view of life and the world around us. We live in Babylon to call Babylon back to the Creator. Nineveh escaped destruction because one man hesitantly brought the warning of its doom and the leaders of that great city heard the warning. Woe to those who do not hear. They will not escape.
It brings me enormous grief to know that my culture treats life with such disrespect that it dimisses the “bloods” of those who could have been. It is even more traumatic to think that I have contributed to any part of this, even if only not to speak up against it. When I reflect on the tragedy that my Babylonian culture has inflicted on God’s creation, when I think about all those whom God could have incorporated into His purposes, I am amazed that He shows us any mercy at all.
Topical Index: yeled, child, fetus, abortion, Exodus 21:22
The Evangelical Mantra: Yesterday Rodney Baker offered corrections to the transliterated Hebrew text of John 3:3. I have added them to the TW, so if you are keeping a record, please use the updated version. It doesn’t make a difference to the argument, but it will add linguistic accuracy.
Two are better than one, Because they have a good return for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. ~Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Yeshua. By his death, Yeshua opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, ESPECIALLY NOW THAT THE DAY OF HIS RETURN IN DRAWING NEAR.” ~Hebrews 10:19-25. Emphasis mine.
Why is it called a square dance when you ROUND your partner do-si-do?
Keeping it sweet and simple,
jeanette
IS DRAWING NEAR. Forgive me. sometimes my fingers move faster than the grey matter, LOL
On the same page!!!
It is even more traumatic to think that I have contributed to any part of this, even if only not to speak up against it.
My tax dollars collected by our pagan government go to support this vile practice. I speake up softly against abortion and other vile actions by our government, because I don’t want to sacrifice my comfortable house or my comfortable lifestyle to help stop this sinful practice. Do you think God will notice our verbal or mental trauma and give us a pass on this issue? Are there consequenses for sin?When I read Kings and the prophets, I come to the conclusion that America is no better than the Israelites were before Assyria carried away the ones they didn’t kill.
~ Contemporary theology that attempts to distinguish between the unborn fetus and the birthed child ignores the Hebraic worldview, and consequently must reinterpret the text to fit current cultural mores ~
I’m not to familiar with what’s “out there” concerning “contemporary theology,” especially on this particular topic of “whats inside the womb”- (is it a human?), but to fail to recognize the manifestation and miracle of growth (including a human heartbeat) inside the womb, just goes outside of reasoning and enters into the world of madness and insanity. What’s “in there?”- a puppy? Have we become a “culture of convenience?”- “Legalize Murder Now”- Abortion (government sanctioned murder) is an abomination.
We are (legally) destroying our own race and in doing so, the future of our nation. We do (once again) ~ err, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God~ for what do the scriptures say?
For You created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from You
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in Your book
before one of them came to be.
God had a plan (has a plan) for my life and for your life- even before we drew our first breath of air. God knows the number of my days- I do not. He knows whether or not today will be my last day here on this green planet- I do not. He gave me my first breath and He will take away my last. Have you thanked Him lately for the gift of breath?
~Behold, (yes, please.. take a good, long look) children are a gift of the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward ~ (Psalm 127.3)
Every life (every life) is beautiful. Friends, – God don’t make no junk.
…and Papa don’t take no mess. Papa don’t, Papa don’t.
p.s., I’m number 7 of 8 children (thus, my email address: sevenofate at yahoo) born to my parents (of which my Mom is 8 of 9), 2 boys and 6 girls. Your wife is 1 of 7, huh? I’ve 1 biological daughter, 2 “bonus daughters”, as i call ’em, and 2 granddaughters. you should see a family photo, lol……Ain’t life grand?
something is wrong with the population statistics. checked it out for myself and drew my own circular conclusion.
now i’m getting ready to loop out of the door.
May I never boast except in the cross of our Christ. ~Galatians 6:14
Forgive me Abba, for I know that I could be guilty of this. Thank you for your thorns AND your Sweet and Holy Spirit. Amen.
At home today because have funeral of extended family member to attend. Pray for me that i will be able to comfort others with a hug.
“…a fetus. If the unborn child …” I worked with a Jewish pediatrician who was all about abortion. He thought it was great that the mother had that freedom to kill the child within her… However, if he was in on a delivery of a premature baby, he’d work his hardest to save that life. So fickle. SO DIABOLICAL.
BTW, “pregnancy” starts at the moment of conception… not when the child grows into a fetus.
I think this speaks volumes on what is happening in our secular culture today….and I believe, just as this article states..the numbers don’t add up. I cannot accept the fact that there are more of “them” than “us”. We must keep standing up and not bowing our knees to Baal
NUMBERS THAT DON’T ADD UP
I once heard the following explanation from Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg of blessed memory: the basic concept is derived from a historic incident recorded in the Scriptures.
The reign of Ahab and Jezebel was one of the most depraved periods of the First Temple era. This infamous royal couple introduced the worship of the idol Baal into the Kingdom of Israel, and established it as the official state religion. Jezebel has been held up as a model of the treacherous woman ever since. See a detailed description of the period in 1 Kings, Chapters 18 and 19. So apparently widespread did this Baal religion become that God informed the Prophet Elijah:
“But I will leave over in Israel seven thousand people, all the knees that did not kneel to the Baal and every mouth that did not kiss it.” (1 Kings 19:18)
In 2 Kings Chapter 10, we learn of the ascension of Jehu to the throne of Israel following the death of Ahab’s son, and the story is told how this same Jehu destroyed all the worshippers of the Baal. His stratagem: he publicly announced that he would dedicate his reign to the worship of the Baal to an even greater degree than Ahab. As part of the ceremonies of his inauguration he proclaimed a holiday in honor of the Baal and summoned all the worshippers of the Baal from all the corners of Israel to attend a major feast. We are told that the entire gathering fit into a single building. He then surrounded the building with eighty guards and instructed them to kill everyone who attended the gathering on their way out. Apparently all the worshippers of the Baal were able to assemble within the confines of a single building and eighty guards constituted a sufficient force to kill them all.
The numbers simply don’t add up. God informs Elijah that there are only seven thousand people uninfected by Baal worship, whose mouths did not kiss the Baal, and yet from a population of at least several million, Jehu only manages to scrape together a single building-full of Baal worshippers. How can we explain this glaring discrepancy?
Rabbi Weinberg explained that the answer is to be found in the concept of social tolerance.
* * *
THE IMPLICATIONS OF SOCIAL SANCTION
Let us present a simple metaphor to explain his thesis. In our day secular society sanctions abortions as legal. While studies show that the vast majority of people consider it morally wrong to abort unborn children – many consider it murder – secular society has enshrined the right of those who choose to abort to execute this choice without suffering any adverse social consequences. It is therefore fair to say that secular society finds the practice of abortion morally acceptable as a society – we certainly do not condone murder – and could not in good conscience object if everyone chose to abort their babies.
It is irrelevant that the majority of individuals consider the practice of abortion immoral. The protection of the defenseless is an acknowledged public responsibility. If the legal system withdraws such protection from unborn babies, then society as a group sanctions the destruction. According to the prevailing social norm it is obviously okay to kill unborn babies.
In the same way, a Jewish society that tolerates the establishment of Baal worship as the official state religion is justly regarded by God as a society of idol worshippers. Anyone who reads the Torah must surely realize that the elimination of idol worship is a serious Jewish social responsibility. If people have the legal right to serve the Baal without suffering any detrimental social consequences then it must be acceptable for everyone to do so. The fact that the number of idol worshippers is relatively few is a matter of circumstance, and not due to the social ethic.
That is how the numbers can be reconciled. There were only seven thousand people who stood up against the idea of idol worship and refused to tolerate it and give it social sanction. They were forced to go into hiding because of their voluble protest against the social acceptability of the practice. Everyone else silently tolerated it.”
Rabbi Noson Weisz
Astute observation! Thank God for U, Robin.
I just want to add that if it was up to the doctors to decide when the mother’s life is in danger, I may not be alive today. My grandmother was told when she was pregnant with my mom that if she carried the baby to term one or both of them would die. My grandma died at 86, my mom at 79 having born 5 children of her own, and I am still here. Yah is the one, in my opinion, who gets to decide when the mother’s life is in danger as well.
This year marks 40 years since the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade in the United States.
The number 40 seems to point in Scripture to a time of testing and then judgment brought upon how well the person or persons did during the time of testing.
Do you think we have passed or failed during the last 40 years of legalized abortion?!
A sobering thought.
One of the best cultural inroads I’ve seen in attacking the lie is still “Horton Hears A Who!” by Theodore Geisel (aka Dr. Suess). I just bought it yesterday for my grandson. Great things come from small beginnings.
I tell this every chance I get. My son was supposed to be aborted. I wish I had a way to post his picture. He is beautiful, full of life, a gentle spirit, fun and loving. (And he attended a Skip Moen event in Melbourne last year!) I can’t imagine him not existing. When I was pregnant a test came back and my levels were off. The doctor called me to tell me that my baby was going to be brain damaged and that he recommended an abortion. I was a mess. We waited awhile and I can’t tell you the anguish I was in. I went into his office to discuss this test and his recommendation. I asked what he had in mind (not that I would have considered it) He said ‘We induce labor, the baby comes out but it can’t survive long on its own because it’s too early and he will go to sleep.’ I said I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t just force my baby out and then watch him die. He said that he would do that because he couldn’t raise a mentally challenged child. I still remember sitting in his office telling him. You see I have a child with Down’s Syndrome so to hear news like this, that you will have 2 children with challenges is like unbearable. I thought how could this happen to me twice? He went on to tell me that he would have even aborted my daughter if she was his because he couldn’t raise a Down’s child. He had to have a perfect child. Wow.
Well, I went for a very advanced amnio from a surgeon who performs them all the time. His equipment was incredible. He smiled and said this baby should not be aborted, it is normal from what I can see. He showed me all the markers. We didn’t know for certain but left feeling more hopeful. Either way I was going to just see. My baby who was pretty darn big in my belly was going to live.
I still have the picture of that doctor holding my baby after he was born. I wonder what he thought as he looked at him … the kid he wanted to abort! And my sons face looking at him looks like he was thinking ‘oh no it’s Doctor Death.’ I wonder how many other children in the womb he wrote off? Well, he was a fairly young man and two years later he died suddenly of cancer. It makes you wonder doesn’t it? Jordan..my son is the face of one who got to live. I wish we could see the millions of other faces. Everyone loves Jordan and he is very popular at school and a leader among his peers. How many other lives could have impacted us? Jordan is like a sweet light of shalom whenever he enters a room. I can’t imagine life without him!!
Thank you for sharing this.
Theresa,
I can so relate. “a sweet light of shalom whenever he enters a room.” My son, too. He’s almost 29 yoa now and the recipient of the direct HAND
Oooops… I clicked on something by mistake… so this is a continuation of the post immediately preceeding this.
My son has been the recipient of the DIRECT HAND OF GOD on his life, from my pregnancy to this very day. I had many recommendations from doctors, co-workers (I was an OB nurse), “friends” AND FAMILY to abort him. NEVER NEVER NEVER in a zillion years could I take the life of my unborn child, and so I fought… alone… with God. The baby was delivered full term after my being on strict bedrest for 7 months to save his life.
Today, my son is a sold-out man of God who is a determined follower of Christ and a fabulous husband, daddy, friend, brother and the child of mine I dreamed of having.
Praise YHVH forever!
I attended the UCSF midwifery program several years ago. When I signed up, I believed that Midwives were “not allowed” to perform abortions but were only allowed to give out contraception. As I studied contraception, it became very clear that I could not become a modern midwife since the majority of contraceptives ARE considered, “ABORTIFACIENTS.” You see, most contraceptives allow the egg to become fertilized and “simply” prohibit the, in my belief, now”human life” from attaching to the wall of the uterus, causing it to starve to death. There are a couple of options now that (hopefully) keep the egg and the sperm from uniting and if they do, the disruption in the mucosa is such that it won’t attach to the wall. I will let the reader think about the implications on their own and will close with an awesome quote I read the other day, by Dough Phillips, “The Bible calls debt a curse and children a blessing; but in our culture, we apply for a curse and reject blessings. Something is wrong with this picture!”