Thou shalt say also to the children of Israel, Every one of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, that giveth of his seed unto Molech, shall certainly be put to death the people of the land shall stone him with stones.
Leviticus 20 turns from bans to penalties. It opens with the sin God names first: a parent handing over a child to the idol Molech. The verse raises hard questions — why death, why stoning, and why the whole community must carry it out.
Much of what chapter 20 forbids has already been forbidden earlier in the book. What is new here is the punishment attached to each one.
In chapter 20 everyone in the land is required to keep clear of gross impurities, for it looks at the people once they possess Canaan. Much of what is forbidden here was already forbidden in chapter 18. Yet chapter 20 is not a pointless repetition. It tells us what the other did not — the penalties attached to the various acts of impurity they are warned about here.
What did it mean to give "any of his children to Molech"? The act was brutal, and the parent's motive was not devotion.
People called this a sacrifice. But the practice did not come from unselfish love for Molech. It came from the selfish evil of wanting to get rid of a child. How evil it is today that many want to get rid of a child before it is born! Molech was an image with its arms stretched out. People would place their children in its arms, with a fire burning beneath. Then drums and noisy music drowned out the cries of the child as the fire burned it to death. So this religious wickedness treated the torture and murder of an unwanted child as something holy!
God gives His own reason in the next verses. It is not the cruelty to the child, shocking as that is. It is the insult to Himself.
Even more striking is what verses 3 and 5 say twice over. Jehovah sets His face against that man and will cut him off. Such wickedness defiles His sanctuary and profanes His holy Name. The reason is not the cruel barbarity toward their own children, or the children of others. Satan loved to draw idol worshippers into that cruelty, and their gods were no gods at all. But God would have to give up His own glory and being to let such a sin pass without avenging the insult by the hands of Israel.
Idolatry does not always begin with a decision to leave God.
There may be no deliberate plan to abandon His worship. It may only be what they count a small thing: going along with idolatry now and then, while still professing His name. But God rejects any such unholy compromise outright. And that is quite apart from the danger it holds, for those who allow it, of complete revolt from Him. It strikes at His majesty, at holiness and truth, and is intolerable in His eyes.
The law covers Israelites and "the strangers who sojourn in Israel" alike. The manner of death also has a purpose.
The Israelite ought to have known where Abraham came from. God chose and called him out of this very abomination. He and his offspring were to stand apart as witnesses to the one true and living God. Every child of his was bound at all cost to be faithful on pain of forfeiting, not only all his privileges, but his life. Israel was not the only one bound. The strangers living among them were under the same obligation. Whoever gave his child to Molech had to die by the shameful death of stoning. This was so that the people of the land would take an active part in carrying out the sentence themselves. The idolater was to die in this way and no other, so that all around might share His horror and clear themselves of the evil.
The command falls on the whole community. The next verses say what happens if the people look away.
Offering of children to Molech was punishable by death. In fact, the people were responsible to stone the offender to death. If the people were slack about this, God Himself would judge. His judgment would fall on the man, on his family, and on everyone who joined him in the evil he had done.
Christians are not asked to stone anyone. But the writers do not treat the principle as expired.
In the present day idolatry is no less abhorrent to God, but in grace He is delaying His judgment until the future. Yet if someone who professes to be a Christian is guilty of this, we must refuse him any fellowship.
The delay is not cancellation. Kelly points ahead to when the Lord returns as King over all the earth, "He will execute judgment on every evil, and destroy the wicked from before Him."
- Penalty. Chapter 20 repeats chapter 18's bans to add what was missing: the punishment.
- Practice. Molech worship dressed the killing of an unwanted child in religious clothing.
- Insult. God's stated reason for the death penalty is that the act defiles His sanctuary and profanes His holy name.
- Everyone. Israelite and foreigner stand under the same rule. The community itself stones the offender, so all share God's horror of the evil.
- Now. Idolatry is no less hateful to God today. His judgment is delayed by grace, not withdrawn.
And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, so as to make my sanctuary unclean, and to profane my holy name.
Leviticus 20 turns from commands to consequences. Anyone who gives a child to Molech must die, and God's reason is startling: the crime strikes not only at the child, but at His own dwelling place and His name.
Molech worship was built around killing children. One writer describes how it was done.
Molech was an image with its arms stretched out. People would place their children in its arms, and a fire burned underneath. Drums and noisy music then drowned out the cries of the child as the fire burned it to death. So this religious wickedness made holy the torture and murder of an unwanted child!
Some read "passing through the fire" as something less than burning. One writer answers them, and sets what Molech demanded beside what God asked for.
Some have argued from "passing through the fire," here and elsewhere, that they did not burn their children. But this seems a kind attempt to soften the reality of the wickedness. It was the fullest, though not the only, profanation of the name of Israel's God. Jehovah accepted a sheep or an ox, or even a much smaller sacrifice; Satan under these names demanded their sons.
God says this sin made His sanctuary unclean. The reason lies in where God had chosen to live.
Here we find, in a few words, the great foundation principle on which the discipline of the assembly rests. It is a principle of the very greatest importance, yet how few understand it or pay attention to it! It was the presence of God in the midst of His people Israel that demanded holiness on their part. "That they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell." The place where the Holy One dwells must be holy. This is a plain and a necessary truth.
God repeats this sentence in verse 5. One writer explains why He could not overlook the offence.
Even more striking is the statement repeated in verses 3 and 5. Jehovah sets His face against that man and will cut him off, because such wickedness defiles His sanctuary and profanes His holy Name. God's stated reason is not the cruelty toward their own children, or the children of others, into which Satan loved to draw those who worshipped false gods that were no God. But God would have to give up His own glory and being if He let such a sin pass without avenging the insult by the hands of Israel. Even those who shut their eyes to spare the guilty exposed themselves to the same doom.
God's own action here does not cancel Israel's duty. One writer shows what followed when the people failed to act.
Offering of children to Molech was punishable by death. In fact, the people were responsible to stone the offender to death. If the people were slack in this, God would carry out His own judgment. It would fall on the man, on his family, and on all who joined him in the evil he had done.
The severity of this verse makes sense once we see how God weighs any contact with false gods. He does not measure it by the worshipper's intention.
In every age, nothing marks the difference between God's word and men's thoughts more deeply than this. Men take idols and strange gods lightly, and God hates that, above all in His own people. There may be no deliberate plan to abandon His worship. It may only be what they count a small thing: going along with idolatry now and then, while still professing His name. But God rejects such an unholy compromise outright. Those who allow it also run the danger of complete revolt from Him. It strikes at His majesty, at holiness and truth, and is intolerable in His eyes.
The chapter's own conclusion is a call to be holy, and that call is not weakened for those who live under grace.
How awful for professing Christians to tamper with such profanity! Israel was an earthly people under law, and even they had to sanctify themselves and be holy. How much more must Christians obey and please their God and Father! They stand under grace. They have Christ and the whole written word as their standard, and the Holy Spirit lives in them.
- Presence. God dwelt among His people. The place where the Holy One dwells must be holy, so sin in the camp reached His sanctuary.
- Profanation. Giving a child to Molech was the fullest profanation of His name. God asked for a sheep; Satan demanded their sons.
- Personal. The sin insulted God's glory, so He said He would set His face against that man. To pass it over would be to give up His own being.
- Public. The community had to stone the offender. If they looked away, God's judgment reached the man, his family, and all who joined him.
- Present. Going along with idolatry while professing His name is no small thing. Believers who have the Spirit within have more reason to be holy, not less.
And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from that man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, that they kill him not,
Leviticus 20 sets the penalty for the sins it names. It opens with the man who gives one of his children to Molech — an idol whose worship burned children alive. Verse 4 turns from that man to everyone else: what if the community sees the crime and looks away?
One writer explains what drove this practice, what it looked like, and where the same evil shows up today:
Though people called this a sacrifice, it did not come from unselfish love for Molech. It came from the selfish evil of wanting to get rid of a child. How evil it is today that many want to get rid of a child before it is born! Molech was an image with its arms outstretched, and people would place their children in its arms, while a fire was lit beneath. Then drums and noisy music drowned out the cries of the child as the fire burned it to death. So this religious wickedness treated the torture and murder of an unwanted child as something holy!
God says why He sets His face against this man, and the reason is not the cruelty. The same verdict then falls on those who shut their eyes:
Even more striking is what verses 3 and 5 say twice over: Jehovah sets His face against that man and will cut him off. The reason is that such wickedness defiles His sanctuary and profanes His holy Name. The charge is not the cruel savagery toward their own children, or the children of others. Satan loved to draw the worshippers of false gods — gods that were no God — into that cruelty. But God would have to give up His own glory and His very being if such a sin could pass without His avenging the insult by the hands of Israel. Even those who shut their eyes to spare the guilty exposed themselves to the same doom.
God named the method: stoning by the people of the land. The method itself was part of the point:
Israel was not the only one bound by this. The foreigners living among them were under the same duty. Anyone who gave his child to Molech had to die the shameful death of stoning. This was so that the people of the land would take an active part in carrying out the sentence themselves. The idolater was to die this way and no other, so that everyone around might share God's horror and clear themselves of the evil.
Hiding the eyes is not just a failure to punish. It is a refusal to share God's horror, and it leaves the people tied to the evil instead of clear of it.
Verse 4 states a condition. Verse 5 gives the outcome. If the people will not act, the judgment does not vanish — it widens:
If the people were lax in this, then God would carry out His judgment on the person and his family and on all who identified themselves with the person in the evil he had done (v. 5).
Looking away rarely feels like leaving God. It feels like kindness, or good sense. God weighs it very differently:
Nothing shows the gap between God's word and men's thoughts in every age more deeply than this. People treat idols and strange gods lightly, and God hates that, above all in His own people. There may be no plan to abandon His worship. It may only be what they count a small thing: going along with idolatry now and then, while still claiming His name. But God flatly rejects any such unholy compromise — and that is quite apart from the danger it brings, for those who allow it, of full revolt from Him. It strikes at His majesty, at holiness and truth, and is intolerable in His eyes.
One writer carries the same responsibility into the church, where the tool is not stoning but putting the wicked person out:
The saints may not be able to deliver anyone to Satan, but they are bound to put out from among themselves the wicked person. They are not called on to put out anyone who is not "wicked." There are other steps in discipline that should never be forgotten: rebuke in some cases, and withdrawal in others... What destroys the character of the assembly is not the entrance of the worst possible evil. It is the deliberate toleration of evil, even the least. Only we must take care that our judging is done in the word and Spirit of God.
- Seeing. The eyes close on a real horror — children placed in the arms of an image over a fire, their cries drowned by drums.
- Naming. God's charge is that the act defiles His sanctuary and profanes His Name. He could not let it pass without giving up His own glory.
- Sharing. The people had to stone the offender themselves. That way all around shared God's horror and stood clear of the evil.
- Spreading. Where the people are lax, God acts — against the man, his family, and everyone who identifies with him in the evil.
- Tolerating. The danger is not open revolt but the small compromise that still carries God's name. Deliberate toleration of evil, even the least, destroys a company's character.
then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.
Verse 4 pictures a community that looks away when one of its own gives a child to Molech. Verse 5 is God's answer: He acts Himself, and His judgment reaches the man, his family, and everyone who follows him.
Molech was a fire-god. He belonged to Ammon, a nation beside Israel — and Israel took up his worship too.
This is the Fire-god, "the abomination of Ammon." In the latter days of Solomon, when the foreign women he had married had turned his heart away after other gods, he built a high place for Molech on the hill east of Jerusalem. The Israelites sacrificed their children to this idol. Passing their children through the fire might seem to mean only this: the children were dedicated to the idol, passed quickly through a fire but not burnt. That may have happened. But some passages will not allow that reading.
Scripture calls this sin whoring. One writer shows how loose living and idolatry work together.
So moral laxity and indulgence play into the hands of idolatry, as Satan takes advantage of the passions to hold men in his religious grip. So we see how well the expression for moral uncleanness suits the heart's going after false gods.
God says the same words in verse 3. One writer weighs them where God speaks them elsewhere in Scripture.
How forceful this assurance is! ... How much this means to those who know His name and His necessary hatred of evil! Jehovah proclaims His settled hostility.
Verse 3 already gave God's reason, and it is not the one most readers expect.
More striking still is the repeated statement in verses 3 and 5. Jehovah sets His face against that man and will cut him off, because such wickedness defiles His sanctuary and profanes His holy Name. The reason is not the cruelty toward their own children, or the children of others. That is the cruelty Satan loved to draw idol-worshippers into, though the gods they served were no gods. But God would have to give up His own glory and being if He let such a sin pass without avenging the insult through the hands of Israel.
The law put this sentence in the people's own hands.
Verses 1-8 speak of sin against God. Offering children to Molech was punishable by death. In fact, the people were responsible to stone the offender to death (v. 1). If the people were lax in this, then God would carry out His judgment on the person and his family and on all who identified themselves with the person in the evil he had done (v. 5).
Looking away is not neutral ground.
Even those who shut their eyes to spare the guilty exposed themselves to the same doom (4, 5).
Judgment here does not stop with the man. One writer traces the same principle elsewhere in Scripture.
When Achan sinned, Scripture says, "Israel has sinned" (Joshua 7:1, 11). When Gibeah committed its terrible sin (Judges 20, 21), God held the whole tribe of Benjamin responsible, because they refused to hand over the offenders. ... And can we not see the wisdom of God in holding those associated with evil as responsible as the ones who do it? What guarantee would there be that evil would ever be judged? Unjudged sin would defile the whole company of Christians, because of the false tenderness or indifference of some.
Behind this severity lies God's refusal to accept divided loyalty.
Men in every age treat idols and strange gods lightly. God hates that, above all in His own people. Nothing marks the difference between His word and men's thoughts more deeply. They may have no deliberate intention of abandoning His worship. They may count it a small thing to go along with idolatry now and then, while still professing His name. But God flatly rejects any such unholy compromise. He rejects it quite apart from the danger, for those who allow it, of complete revolt from Him. It strikes at His majesty, at holiness and truth, and is intolerable in His eyes.
- Sacrifice. Molech worship meant handing over children to a fire-god — the sin behind the words "whoring after Molech."
- Sanctuary. The stated reason for God's anger is not the cruelty alone but the defiling of His sanctuary and the profaning of His name.
- Silence. When the people hide their eyes, God acts Himself. He sets His face against the man — settled opposition, not passing displeasure.
- Spread. Judgment reaches his family and all who follow him. Otherwise nothing would guarantee that evil is ever judged.
- Sanctify. The point is not occasional loyalty. Casual compromise while still carrying God's name is what He calls intolerable.