It was on this day in 1939 that the Nazi Governor of conquered Poland issued a prohibition against the ritual slaughter of animals. This was directed at those Jewish people who wanted to slaughter their animals in accordance with the laws of kashrut, so that they could eat things in accordance with their beliefs. The reason given by the governor for this prohibition was that to slaughter animals in this way was inhumane and cruel.

Think of the irony. Those who were responsible for the murder of millions of people, including six million Jews, were calling those who wanted to butcher their livestock a certain way “inhumane and cruel.” The prophet Hosea speaks to this blatant hypocrisy when he wrote:

“And now they sin more and more and have made them molded images of their silver, according to their own understanding; even idols, all of them the work of craftsmen. Of them they say, ‘They that sacrifice men kiss calves!’” (Hosea 13:2)

This is, in essence, what was happening in Nazi Germany, Poland and a large part of Europe in those days; those who would gladly sacrifice men would be willing to kiss calves. Now consider what’s going in the world today. Those who scream the loudest for tolerance and acceptance, social justice and coexistence, are the very ones who would “kiss calves” and be willing to sacrifice men. More specifically, those who scream for social justice and the rights of animals will be the first to defend abortion clinics and with violence if need be. 

Those who demand the freedom  to spew vile, vulgar speech and indulge in disgusting behavior are typically the ones “offended” by the Word of God, wanting it silenced. You could say that they behave just as the Nazis did. They accuse others who are innocent of what they are, in fact, guilty of. They employ this tactic in order to shame, intimidate and, if it comes to it, enforce their world view on others. They have no desire to co-exist with those who hold to a more traditional worldview, much less a biblical one. They have no intentions of tolerating any other opinion that doesn’t agree with their own. Tolerance and coexistence is merely a ploy to lure the unsuspecting into a false sense of security so that, once they’ve gained the upper hand, they may spring the trap.  

The goal is this: they want people who believe in the God of Israel and in His Word to be silenced and then destroyed. That’s what the tares do. They are not sown in the wheat field in order to coexist with the wheat; tares are sown in the midst of the wheat so that they might first steal, then kill, and ultimately destroy. This is what is going on right now in our world. However, do not be overcome with despair; we must read what Hosea said in the following verse:

“Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud and as the dew that passes away early, as chaff that is driven with the wind out of the threshing floor and as the smoke out of the window.”

These kinds of people who would sacrifice men yet kiss calves, come along and make their play, and then they fade away. According to the Scripture, they are not going to last very long; their tenure on this earth is very short. Knowing this, God’s people, need to stand for those things that will never pass away; we need to uphold those things that are eternal. Yes, the days are perilous and troubling but we knew that this day was coming. If we stand for His eternal principles in the face of adversity, He will strengthen us to overcome the “calf kissers.” So be encouraged. 

Shalom.