Is there a parallel in Deuteronomy 18 not letting your children “pass through the fire” and modern day abortion with the religion of self gratification

I. The Biblical Command (Deuteronomy 18:9-14 KJV)

“There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD…” — Deuteronomy 18:10-12 KJV

In Moses’ time, the Canaanites practiced child sacrifice, often to the false god Molech, by burning their infants as offerings to gain favor or prosperity (Leviticus 18:21; 2 Kings 23:10). This was the most shocking symbol of spiritual apostasy — murdering one’s own children in the name of personal blessing.

God commanded Israel to have no fellowship with such abominations. It wasn’t merely a moral rule but a demand for covenant purity — to serve the true God alone.

II. The Modern Equivalent: “Passing Children Through the Fire”

Though modern culture no longer bows before Molech’s bronze idol, the spirit of Molech remains alive wherever innocent life is destroyed for personal gain or convenience.

1. Abortion as a Modern Sacrifice

• In ancient times, children were killed so their parents might have “a better life” — prosperity, harvest, or safety.

• Today, unborn children are killed for the same reasons — career, reputation, comfort, or convenience.

• The altar has changed from a furnace of bronze to a sterile clinic, but the offering remains the same: innocent life sacrificed to selfish desire.

Psalm 106:37-38 (KJV) says of Israel’s apostasy:

“Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,
And shed innocent blood… whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan.”

That indictment echoes through every abortion chamber.

III. The Religion of Self-Gratification

At the heart of ancient idolatry was self-worship — seeking personal fulfillment apart from the will of God.
Modern abortion is upheld by the same false religion — the worship of Self.

• The god of Molech promised prosperity if one sacrificed the inconvenient child.

• The god of Self promises freedom and happiness if one sacrifices moral restraint and accountability.

This “religion” preaches autonomy (“my body, my choice”), but in truth it enthrones the sinful flesh above the Creator. Romans 1:25 (KJV) describes it exactly:

“Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator…”

The worship of the creature — self — lies behind both ancient idolatry and modern abortion.

IV. The Spiritual Parallel

V. The Doctrinal Lesson

God’s command to Israel — “There shall not be found among you…” — reminds believers that holiness demands separation from the world’s sins, not accommodation of them.
Abortion, like the worship of Molech, is not merely a political issue but a theological abomination, a manifestation of man’s rebellion against God’s image in man (Genesis 1:27).

Every child is a divine creation. To destroy that life is to attack the Creator’s authority and defile His image.

VI. The Practical Application for Believers

1. Reject the modern idol of self-gratification.
   The cross calls believers to self-denial (Luke 9:23), not self-worship.

2. Defend the sanctity of life.
   Proverbs 24:11 (KJV): “If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death… doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it?”
   God expects His people to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

3. Offer redemption, not condemnation alone.
   While the sin is grave, grace is greater. Through Christ, even the blood of abortion can be cleansed (1 John 1:7).
   The gospel alone delivers from the bondage of the “religion of self.”

VII. Summary

Then: The Canaanites sacrificed their children to Molech to obtain personal benefit.
Now: Modern society sacrifices its unborn to the god of self — comfort, pleasure, and autonomy.
Always: God declares, “Thou shalt not…” because He alone is the Giver of life, and He demands His people to be holy and separate from the abominations of the world.