Replacing God is Hell || What the…? || Part 8

Welcome back to the “What the…?” Bible study, a series designed to investigate the different and often misunderstood concepts of Hell. Using the Old and New Testaments, we dive into three journeys to examine Sheol, Hades, and Gehenna (different descriptors of Hell) to see if what the Bible says and what we’re taught align.

In the last part, we began our discussion of Gehenna, the real place of evil that existed in Jerusalem, where child sacrifice often occurred. Jesus referred to this place to describe God’s response to the horrible evils of the world, affirming what the prophets wrote about. We learned that this place is more imagery than a literal place we must worry about today. We’re not to focus on the literal sense of it but on what it can teach us about God’s response to evil. We left off understanding how Gehenna is a place of retribution and revenge.

In this part, we’ll continue learning about how Gehenna is a cursed place. Our starting focus will be on Jeremiah 7:31 and 19:2-6.

Jeremiah 7:31, 19:2-6

AMP	NLT	VOICE
7:31 They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben-hinnom (son of Hinnom), to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire [to honor Molech, the fire god] – which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart (mind.)	7:31 They have built pagan shrines at Topheth, the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they burn their sons and daughters in the fire. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing!	7:31 They have built shrines to other gods at Topheth, the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-hinnom, where they sacrifice their own sons and daughters and burn them in the fire to dark and pagan gods. I never taught them to do such unspeakable evil; it never even crossed My mind.
19:2 and go out to the Valley of Bem-hinnom (son of Hinnom), which is near the entrance of Potsherd Gate; and proclaim the words that I tell you,	19:2 Go out through the Gate of Broken Pots to the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and give them this message.	19:2 Take them out of the city through the potsherd gate into the valley of Ben-hinnom, where the city dumps its trash. Once you’re there, cry out for all to hear the words I will give you.
19:3 and say, ‘Hear the words of the Lord, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold (listen carefully), I am going to bring such a disaster on this place that the ears of everyone who hears about it will tingle [in shock].	19:3 Say to them, ‘Listen to this message from the Lord, you kings of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem! This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will bring a terrible disaster on this place, and the ears of those who hear about it will ring!	19:3 Start our saying, “Hear the word of the Eternal, O kings of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem! This is what the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies and God of Israel, has to say.” Tell the leaders, I am certainly bringing on this city a dreadful disaster that will echo in the ears of those who hear about it.
19:4 Because the people [of Jerusalem] have abandoned (rejected) Me and have made this an alien and profaned place by burning sacrifices and incense in it to other gods, that neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent	19:4 “For Israel has forsaken me and turned this valley into a place of wickedness. The people burn incense to foreign gods – idols never before acknowledged by this generation, by their ancestors, or by the kings of Judah. And they have filled this place with the blood of innocent children.	19:4 Why is this happening? Because the people have abandoned Me and defiled this place where you now stand by making sacrifices to foreign gods. They have burned offerings to other gods – idols never before worshiped by My people, their ancestors, or all the kings of Judah. The blood of innocent people has been spilled in this valley – human sacrifices in the shadow of Jerusalem.
19:5 and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind (heart);	19:5 They have built pagan shrines to Baal, and there they burn their sons as sacrifices to Baal. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing!	19:5 They have built high places and altars to Baal where they have sacrificed their own children as burnt offerings to this dark and pagan god. How could this be My people? I never taught them to do such unspeakable evil. It never even crossed My mind.
19:6 therefore, listen very closely, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when this place shall no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.	19:6 So beware, for the time is coming, says the Lord, when this garbage dump will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben-Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter	19:6 So beware: The days are soon coming when this place will not be known as Topheth or even the valley of Ben-hinnom. Soon it will be called the valley of Slaughter.

The valley of Ben-Hinnom was the garbage dump of Jerusalem and the place where children were sacrificed to the pagan god Molech. Topheth was located in this valley, which means “fireplace.” God declared that this place would become a place of slaughter. The killers of the innocent would be judged by losing their own lives. God’s justice is shown here (in a gruesome way at face value), and the people who commit evil acts towards God’s creation will receive that same evil from the divine perspective. The response from the evil in Gehenna is what we need to recognize in our world today. It represents the intense evil and refuse created by humanity and how God’s divine judgment will respond to it.

2 Kings 17:17

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17 They made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire [as human sacrifices], and used divination [to foretell the future] and enchantments; and they sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger.	17 They even sacrificed their own sons and daughters in the fire. They consulted fortune-tellers and practiced sorcery and sold themselves to evil, arousing the Lord’s anger.	17 They made their child pass through the fire, they performed witchcraft and diving, and they committed evil in the eyes of the Eternal and provoked Him to burn with anger.

God forbids witchcraft, fortune-telling, and black magic. These were considered sinful because using them meant seeking power and guidance totally separate from God, his law, and the words of his prophets. Isaiah echoed this sentiment and prophesied complete destruction to those who participated in them. Evil comes from the idea of seeking power and guidance separate from God. This is an evil act equitable to the child sacrifice happening in Gehenna. When we seek to gain power and guidance outside of God, we’ll find ourselves worshipping different divine powers other than God if things go right and not worshipping anything if it goes wrong. We avoid seeing Yahweh God in our lives to see what he wants for us or not. We can avoid it because it might be uncomfortable. We can avoid it because it might be painful, but God’s justice will prevail however it needs to.

2 Kings 21:6

AMP	NLT	VOICE
6 He made his son pass through the fire and burned him [as an offering to Molech]; he practiced witchcraft and divination, and dealt with mediums and soothsayers. He did great evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger.	6 Manasseh also sacrificed his own son in the fire. He practiced sorcery and divination, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the Lord’s sight, arousing his anger.	6 He forced his son to go through the fire as a burnt offering, and he was trained in the dark arts of witchcraft and fortune-telling. He practiced with both. He consulted necromancers and clairvoyants. He committed many wicked acts in the Eternal’s eyes, which caused Him to boil in anger.

Manasseh was an evil king, and he angered God with his sin. Listed among them are the occult practices of sorcery and divination and consulting mediums and psychics. These acts were forbidden by God because they demonstrate a lack of faith in him, involve sinful actions, and open the door to demonic influences. The demonic influences are often the evil spirits we find in this world, spirits that allow us to use the things God dislikes to accomplish things that God would be eligible to do. When we replace God, intentionally or not, we find ourselves in dangerous territory, given God’s ability to punish those who commit these evil acts.

Jeremiah 32:35

AMP	NLT	VOICE
35 They built the high places [for worship] of Baal in the Valley of Ben-hinnom (son of Hinnom) to make their sons and their daughters pass through the fire to [worship and honor] Molech – which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this repulsive thing, to cause Judah to sin.	35 They have built pagan shrines to Baal in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing. What an incredible evil, causing Judah to sin so greatly!	35 They built altars to another master in the valley of Ben-hinnom so they’d have a place to sacrifice their own children to Molech! I never demanded they do such a thing – it never even crossed My mind that they would do such a disgusting evil or that Judah would sin like that.

These pagan shrines were where the offensive worship rituals were enacted to please Molech, the god of the Ammonites. Children were killed in sacrifice to this pagan god. Such a practice was unthinkable in Hebrew worship. God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, but that had been a test of faith, and God provided an animal for him to sacrifice instead. This is a crucial evil shown often in the biblical narrative: people using God’s teaching for their own agenda. People often misunderstand or take God’s teaching out of context and try to accomplish God’s will according to their principles. We see this happening to the people in Jeremiah’s audience today. People often try to change the world to a heavy biblical-law-focused world instead of living in the world the way God called us, loving him with all of who we are and loving each other as Jesus loved us.

We learned more about Gehenna as a concept: a place of God’s justice for those who committed evil by trying to replace the strength and wisdom of God’s teaching. The focus of replacement is the act of sacrifice, witchcraft, sorcery, mediums, and more. We’ll look at how Jesus talks about Gehenna in our series finale. Until then, stay blessed!