I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Deuteronomy 18-20.

Moses warned the Israelites against adopting the detestable practices of the people who already lived in the land they were entering.  The practices they were not to imitate were sacrificing their children, various forms of predicting the future, attempts to control the world around them using spells, and contacting the dead.  Moses then goes on to tell the people how to recognize a genuine prophet of God.  Anyone who claims to be a genuine prophet of God will make predictions about the future.  If those predictions fail to come true, the prophet is a fraud.  So, Moses links sacrificing children with soothsaying, witchcraft, and necromancy.  When I read the Old Testament prophecies against child sacrifice I find myself seeing abortion as a modern form of the same practices.  All of these linked practices represent attempts to gain control over the universe around us and cheat death, rather than turn to the One who does indeed control the universe around us and Who has power over death.