It's hard to find a follower of nearly any flavor of Christianity or even its myriad imitations who does not believe that Israel must return from its dispersal among the nations, also known as the "diaspora". Endless arguments may ensue as to the chronology and eschatology of each one's belief as to the framework and timeline of the End Times, but this anticipated return is rarely debated. Mostly it's a discussion of when and how. But in all the biblical examples, the return is accompanied by something else: a mass return to God. The full return occurs when hearts and minds return to God, not just bodies.
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Sometimes…every ONCE in awhile…we finally give in. We become tired of the way things have been going, acknowledge to God that we've been a willful, rebellious person who has been running amok according to our own desires, and now sincerely want to return to Him so that everything will be put in order again. But everything doesn't instantly return to normal or anywhere close. We might find ourselves still in and around the circumstances our sin so desperately brought us to and that we so sincerely want to leave. We may think we're ready for the return, but God knows that many more things have to be set aright.
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I think one of the most difficult issues we face is how to be a Christian in every environment. In any given week we can cross the boundaries of church, home, work, school, or any number of places in the world we need and want to go. One of the marks of a mature Christian is that an outside observer does not detect a difference in their demeanor and behavior whether in church or at work. Wherever they go, the quality of their faith and walk remains the same. They live according to one standard.
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This isn't the first time that God has made this stipulation (Leviticus 19:9-10) nor will it be the last. (Deuteronomy 24:19) What is fascinating about His stating it this particular time is its location. As God is going through a list of the religious festivals that Israel will observe, seemingly in the middle He just sort of pops in this admonition. He explains the observance of the Sabbath, the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, inserts this admonition, then details the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Booths. Did an ancient editor damage a scroll and put it back together wrong or something?
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Of all the false religions, that of Molech was the worst. It required one to offer their own child as a burnt offering. Among many other justifiable reasons for this to be singled out as bad by God, one of the most prominent is how this practice was an almost opposite mirror of what God would do through giving His only Son, an unholy twisting of God's ultimate plan. Worship of Molech was not just going after a false religion, it was following something that twisted the very foundations of God's ways into the most offensive version possible.
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Isn't it fascinating when we read famous Bible quotes within their whole context? Human nature—being what it is—often provides images and definitions of phrases according to one's own individual vision of what they might mean rather than seeking to know the originator's precise meaning. I am convinced that quite a few people would argue that "you may surely reprove your neighbor" has no business being within a thousand miles of "love your neighbor as yourself". Biblical love is defined by accountability to God's Truth on the part of both parties involved. But we seem to have embraced the notion that love can't exist in the same sphere as criticism.
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We are saved out of our old life—symbolized often in the Bible by "Egypt"—and are supposed to live according to a different set of rules going forward. But now that our path has been redirected with a new destination appointed by God, we're also not to embrace the new customs and behavior of those we encounter going forward. We're not supposed to exchange the values of the bad influences of the old life for the values of the bad influences that will cross our path in the new; BOTH are equally wrong and unacceptable. In fact, our obedience is not limited to just changing us personally, but changing every place we visit.
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