Scripture Daily

Context No. 2491 of 4322 · Leviticus

Context · Reflection

Leviticus 20:1-5: in context

1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Moreover, you shall tell the children of Israel, ‘Anyone of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners in Israel, who gives any of his offspring to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone that person with stones. 3I also will set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given of his offspring to Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name. 4If the people of the land all hide their eyes from that person when he gives of his offspring to Molech, and don’t put him to death, 5then I will set my face against that man and against his family, and will cut him off, and all who play the prostitute after him to play the prostitute with Molech, from among their people.

Leviticus turns to one of the darkest practices of the surrounding nations: giving children to the god Molech, child sacrifice. The penalty is death, and God says he will set his face against anyone who does it. But then he adds something pointed: if the people of the land hide their eyes from that person and do not act, then I will set my face against him and against his family too. The community that looks away is not innocent.

The specific horror is ancient and monstrous, but the principle about looking away reaches into every age. God's anger falls not only on the one who does the evil, but on the community that averts its eyes and pretends not to see. Silence in the face of a known evil is treated as its own kind of participation. It is always tempting to decide that someone else's wrongdoing is not my concern, to hide my eyes and stay comfortable. The passage refuses that exit. To see clearly and do nothing is itself a failure God notices.

What evil am I hiding my eyes from, telling myself it is not my concern, when seeing and staying silent is its own kind of complicity?

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