Saturday, June
25, 2022
CHOOSE LIFE
Deut 30:19
19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have
set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life,
that both thou and thy seed may live:
For the past fifty
years, the debate regarding abortion has either raged or seethed. It is a moral
choice with societal pressures and an entire shift in language and word definitions have been developed to prop up certain
positions.
Choice is not the
opposite of life. At this point I have lost at least some of my audience. No, the
opposite of life is death. In Texas, the legal definition of manslaughter is as follows: Manslaughter is referred to as a type of criminal
homicide in §19.01 of the Texas Penal Code, which states that
(a) A person
commits criminal homicide if he intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence causes the death
of an individual.
Ex 21:22-25
22 If men strive,
and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no
mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband
will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.
23 And if any
mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,
24 Eye for eye,
tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 Burning for
burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
Dr. Warren Wiersbe
comments: “Scholars don't agree on the translation of verse 22. Is it "and
she gives birth prematurely" (NIV) or "and she has a
miscarriage"? (NIV margin, NASB) The clause "but there is no serious
injury" (either to the mother or the child) would suggest that the first
translation is to be preferred, since a miscarriage would certainly be a
serious thing.
(from The Bible
Exposition Commentary: Old Testament © 2001-2004 by Warren W. Wiersbe. All
rights reserved.)
Dr. Adam Clarke
adds: “…if the child had been fully formed, and was killed by this means, or
the woman lost her life in consequence, then the punishment was as in other
cases of murder-the person was put to death; Ex 21:23.
(from Adam
Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006 by
Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
“But it may save
the life of the mother!” Certainly, there are extreme circumstances which
may call for terminating a pregnancy – taking a life, but those who
shout the loudest about this, do so from what they see as a right. Right, unlike wright, is one of the most
commonly used words in the English language. It has numerous meanings and
grammatical functions. Right can act as a noun, verb, adjective as well as an
adverb. To suggest that a woman, because she bears the child, has the right (an
inherent liberty) to decide to curtail approaching motherhood, just doesn’t
seem “right.”
Population control. The gritty
underbelly of our current argument is simply about allowing a woman to avoid
the consequences of sexual activity. I don’t know a softer way to express it!
However, the “choice” should be made prior to coitus. Indeed, there are dozens
of methods and mechanisms to avoid pregnancy. For the sake of the child, one should
be used.
She ran away
weeping! My wife was at a ladies’ home Bible study when the topic of abortion
came up. Suddenly one woman began weeping uncontrollably and ran from the living
room to a bedroom. My wife followed trying to console this woman. She learned
that she had, in the past, aborted a pregnancy and the guilt was smothering. Sometimes
it is not the consequences that form the best argument. Sometimes it is the
consequences of the consequences!
Ps 139:13-17
13 For thou hast
possessed my reins: thou hast covered me
in my mother's womb.
14 I will praise
thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are
thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance
was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the
lowest parts of the earth.
16 Thine eyes did
see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book
all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet
there was none of them.
17 How precious
also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
Oh, God! Heal our heart and our land. AMEN
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