A 15-day-old baby was found abandoned in a forest in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district. The baby’s lips were sealed shut with glue, and a stone was allegedly stuffed in his mouth to make sure he couldn’t cry or make any sounds that would invite attention. Despite attempts to kill him, the child survived. A cattle herder spotted the child, removed the stone, and rushed him to the hospital. (NDTV 23 September 2025) The birth of a child, and even a pregnancy, could create such fear and insecurity that adults try to kill the child.
Extreme act: Can a mother forget her child? (Isaiah 49:15) Forgetting, abandoning, and killing a child by a mother is an extreme act. First, the mother could be unwed, and the child could be an illegitimate boy. Second, the mother could have been abandoned or widowed and did not wish to be a single parent. Third, the parents thought they did not have the resources to bring up the child. Whatever the excuse, parents do not have the right to determine whether a child can live. Either before birth (abortion) or after birth. Abandoning oneself to be murdered is a violation of the commandment: You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:13)
Sarah and Hagar: Sarah’s pregnancy created envy, insecurity, and oppression, and Hagar ran away from home. (Genesis 16:5-6) God sent her back with a promise.
Pharaoh: The New ruler who did not know Joseph, his contribution to the preservation and growth of Egypt as a superpower, ill-treated the Israelites. He did not want male children to be born and commanded midwives to kill them. When they did not, he commanded that newborn males should be thrown into the River Nile. (Exodus 1:22)
Herod: The Magi from the East did not come back and report to Herod about the newborn king of the Jews. Warned by an angel, they returned to their homeland. Felt deceived by the wise men, Herod commanded that all male babies below the age of two years be killed. (Matthew 2:1-12)
Do I realise each child is precious in God’s sight and should be nurtured?