“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 NASB
“An ill-conceived pregnancy is bad. An unintended pregnancy is regrettable. An abortion when needed is a blessing. It is a gift, a grace, a mercy, a cause for gratitude, a new lease on life. Being able to choose when and whether to bring a child into the world enables us and our children to flourish.” [“Abortion as a Blessing, Grace or Gift: Changing the Conversation about Reproductive Rights and Moral Values”; Valerie Tarico, Op-Ed; Away Point, January 2013]
A huge contrast
What a contrast between God’s word and the statement above by Valerie Tarico, a psychologist and self-proclaimed “former evangelical” that is looking at “old beliefs in a new light.” God has already told us what is right in His eyes. He is not evolving into new insights because of what we think or what we want. One of His most powerful attributes is that He is immutable—He does not change. Unlike man who is constantly morphing morality into his own image, God is forever holy, just and sovereign.
What Does God Require of Us?
- Justice—Mishpat is the Hebrew word for just/justice. It can be used for judicial decisions but when applied to God and His people it means judgment according to goodness and righteousness. Isaiah 30:18 states that God is a God of justice; as such He expects those who claim to be His to be just. The question to ask ourselves when considering the so-called “enlightened view” of religious mores is “Who decides whether a child is ‘ill-conceived”? Can we really say that an “unintended pregnancy” is grounds for judicially ending the life of a human being? One of the abominations that God detests is the shedding of innocent blood. Who could be more innocent than a child in the womb?
- Kindness/mercy—the Hebrew word for mercy or loving-kindness is chesed; it is one of the most important words in the Old Testament and is the framework for God’s extension of mercy toward us who do not deserve that mercy. Mercy is central to God’s character so He expects His people to extend that mercy to others. Abortion is not merciful; it is anything but kind. It is not a new lease on life; it is ending a life for the benefit of the one who is more powerful.
- Walking humbly—the Hebrew word used here is s?na’ which means to be modest/without arrogance. It is used only here in the Old Testament. It implies that we walk with God in a way that gives Him supremacy. This turns the modern version of the spin on abortion on its head. If we walk humbly with God, we will give Him first place in everything—our decisions, our behavior and our will. We will recognize Him as the arbiter of justice and mercy, not us. Ms Tarico’s idea of mercy is one-sided—abortion is the mercy of “relief” and a new lease on life, but whose life?
A manifestation of humility—placing God on His throne
God requires us to do justice which results in loving mercy which in turn is the manifestation of walking humbly with God. Pro-abortion folks like to tell us that they are the compassionate ones—the purveyors of their idea of compassion which translates “what is best for me.”
What could they have been?
An estimate published by the National Right to Life Committee in 2011 indicates there have been 55,559,615 abortions since 1973. According to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider over the last three reported years (2009-2011) they have performed nearly one million abortions (995,687). While their much-touted health screening has continued to drop (cancer screening and prevention services by 29%), they have had record years in providing abortions. In terms of Ms. Tarico’s statement, they are providing grace, mercy and blessings to millions of women—92% of their “pregnancy services.” However, that grace seems to come at a large price much of which is picked up by the taxpayer ($542 million in 2011-2012). The bigger price is those children that will never be able to tickle their parent’s heart, never realize their promise; and never even have a chance to defend themselves.
Is this justice and mercy? Have women made themselves to be god? Think about it.
Today’s guest blogger is Judy Smith, who serves as State Director for CWA of Kansas.