Quiet Fire Devotionals | The Altars of Then and Now

The Altars of Then and Now

> “They have built the high places of Topheth… to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire—which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind.” — Jeremiah 7:31, ESV

The Ancient Altars of Fire

If you had stood in the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem in the days of the kings, you would have seen smoke rising. Not the smoke of a campfire or a simple offering, but the acrid stench of burning flesh. Archaeologists and historians alike describe how children were placed on the outstretched arms of a bronze idol, heated until it glowed, while drums pounded to drown out the cries. The god was Molech, the idol of Ammon. The logic was simple but horrifying: give your son or daughter to the fire, and the god will give you prosperity, rain for your crops, or safety from enemies.

Deuteronomy records God’s unflinching warning:

> “You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the LORD hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.” — Deuteronomy 12:31

The people thought themselves practical, maybe even noble—sacrificing one life to secure many. But God called it what it was: an abomination. The land itself was said to vomit out its inhabitants because of such deeds (Leviticus 18:25).

The Modern Altars of Choice

Fast forward thousands of years. The statues of Molech are gone, toppled long ago. The drums are silent. Yet in our age, the same logic resurfaces—only dressed in sterile language and framed as compassion.

Today, children are not burned on bronze arms but quietly removed in clinical rooms. They are not called sons and daughters but fetuses. The justification? To secure the future, to preserve autonomy, to prevent hardship, to maintain comfort. The altar is no longer visibly religious, but it is profoundly spiritual.

Where ancient people said, “I must give my child to Molech for prosperity,” modern people say, “I must end this pregnancy for the sake of my freedom, my future, my peace.” The cultural gods have new names: choice, autonomy, convenience, self-fulfillment.

The language has changed, but the heart remains. As Israel was tempted to moralize idolatry, so we have moralized abortion. What God calls sin is reframed as virtue. What God calls evil is rebranded as good.

> “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness…” — Isaiah 5:20

The Moralization of Sin

This is perhaps the sharpest parallel between then and now: the ability of a culture to rebrand wickedness as wisdom.

Then: Sacrifice was justified as devotion, as necessary religion.

Now: Abortion is justified as moral duty, as necessary healthcare.

But beneath the language lies the same deception. In Jeremiah’s day, God thundered that such practices had not even “entered His mind” (Jeremiah 32:35). They were utterly foreign to His will. Likewise, no matter how society frames it, the destruction of innocent life cannot be baptized into morality.

And yet—here is the sobering truth—many of God’s own people in Israel eventually followed the nations into this practice. The very ones entrusted with His Word fell prey to cultural rationalization. And if it happened then, it warns us now: God’s people are not immune to cultural moralization.

The Heart Beneath the Fire

Why did they do it then? Why do we do it now? The reasons rhyme across history:

Idolatry of self-rule: placing human will above God’s authority.

Fear of loss: fearing poverty, shame, or instability more than God.

Devaluing the image of God: treating human life as expendable rather than sacred.

Psalm 139 shatters these rationalizations with radiant clarity:

> “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb… your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me.” — Psalm 139:13,16

To end life in the womb is not merely a decision about one’s own body—it is a decision against a person knit together by God’s hand, a person bearing His image.

The Gospel Contrast

Here lies the deepest chasm between false gods and the living God.

Molech demanded children be sacrificed to gain prosperity.

Our culture demands children be sacrificed to preserve autonomy.

But the living God did the opposite: He gave His own Son to rescue us.

> “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God.” — 1 Peter 3:18

The cross is God’s counter-testimony to every false altar. Where idols say, “Give your child to prove your devotion,” the gospel says, “God gave His child to prove His love.” Where the world justifies destroying life to preserve freedom, Christ destroys death itself to grant eternal freedom.

This is why the blood of Christ speaks a better word than the blood of children sacrificed to idols (Hebrews 12:24). His blood cries out forgiveness, redemption, and new creation.

The Invitation of Grace

We cannot speak about abortion without recognizing its weight. Some who read these words may carry wounds—whether from choosing abortion, supporting it, or suffering its aftermath. Hear this: the cross of Jesus is big enough for this sin too.

At the very place where we see mankind’s darkest cruelty, we also see God’s brightest mercy. He bore not only our lies, our greed, and our pride—He bore our shedding of innocent blood. On His shoulders hung the guilt of every altar, ancient and modern.

> “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” — 1 John 1:9

Grace does not minimize sin, but it maximizes Christ. It takes what was unthinkable and places it under the finished work of Jesus. Forgiveness is real. Healing is real. Hope is real.

The Call for Witness

But forgiveness does not mean silence. Just as God called Israel to stand apart from the nations, so He calls His church today:

To uphold the sanctity of life, not only in the womb but in every stage of human existence.

To speak truth in love, even when the culture labels it hate.

To live as those who know that every human being—from the unborn to the elderly—bears God’s image.

The altars of Molech stood tall until righteous kings tore them down (2 Kings 23:10). Likewise, God’s people today are called not only to lament but to act: to defend, to intercede, to proclaim the gospel that dismantles deception.

Reflection Questions

Where have I accepted cultural moralizations that make sin sound righteous?

Do I trust God’s sovereignty enough to believe He can sustain me even when life feels unplanned or inconvenient?

How can I reflect the gospel contrast—not by condemnation alone but by offering the hope of Christ?

Closing Exhortation

The fires of Topheth burned long ago, but their logic has not died. Every age finds its altars. The question is: will we stand by while they are built, or will we live as witnesses to the God who tore down the power of sin at the cross?

For the gospel still calls: lay no child on the altar of convenience, for Christ has laid Himself on the altar of Calvary. There is no freedom in death—only in Him who conquered death.