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Yes.
“And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer
him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” Genesis 22:2
“Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou
give unto me.” Exodus 22:29
“No devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast ... shall be sold
or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD. None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed;
but shall surely be put to death.” Leviticus 27: 28-29
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and
Eleazar the priest, and the chief fathers of the congregation: And divide the prey into two parts; between them that took
the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congregation: And levy a tribute unto the Lord of the men of
war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the
sheep: Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for an heave offering of the LORD.” Numbers 31:25-29
“Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the
LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.... The king took the two sons of
Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of
Saul ... And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD....And after
that God was intreated for the land.” 2 Samuel 21:1, 8-9, 14
“Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah.... And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt
without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of
my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD's, and I will offer it up
for a burnt offering. So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them
into his hands.... And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels
and with dances: and she was his only child.... And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said,
Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto
the LORD, and I cannot go back. And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according
to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth.... And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her
father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed.” Judges 11:29-40
“And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child
shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn
incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.” 1 Kings 13:2
“And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there upon the altars, and burned men's bones upon them.”
2 Kings 23:20
No.
“And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy
God: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 18:21
“Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that
sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall
stone him with stones.” Leviticus 20:2
“There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire....”
Deuteronomy 18:10
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Explanation:
Gathering the first-fruits of man signifies a symbolic sacrifice to God; that is, the firstborn son is dedicated to the Lord,
and he gains all of the privileges and select purposes of God therewith. I will yield to a superior exposition of this issue
by the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia:
“Firstborn; Firstling
furst'-born, furst'-ling (bekhor; prototokos): The Hebrew word denotes the firstborn of human beings as well as of animals
(Exodus 11:5), while a word from the same root denotes first-fruits (Exodus 23:16). All the data point to the conclusion that
among the ancestors of the Hebrews the sacrifice of the firstborn was practiced, just as the firstlings of the flocks and
the first-fruits of the produce of the earth were devoted to the deity. The narrative of the Moabite war records the sacrifice
of the heir to the throne by Mesha, to Chemosh, the national god (2 Kings 3:27). The barbarous custom must have become extinct
at an early period in the religion of Israel (Genesis 22:12). It was probably due to the influence of surrounding nations
that the cruel practice was revived toward the close of the monarchical period (2 Kings 16:3; 2 Kings 17:17; 2 Kings 21:6;
Jeremiah 7:31; Ezekiel 16:20; Ezekiel 23:37; Micah 6:7). Jeremiah denies that the offering of human beings could have been
an instruction from Yahweh (Jeremiah 7:31; Jeremiah 19:5). The prophetic conception of God had rendered such a doctrine inconceivable.
Clear evidence of the spiritualization and humanizati0n of religion among the Israelites is furnished in the replacement,
at an early stage, of the actual sacrifice of the firstborn by their dedication to the service of Yahweh. At a later stage
the Levites were substituted for the firstborn. Just as the firstlings of unclean animals were redeemed with money (Exodus
13:13; Exodus 34:20), for the dedication of the firstborn was substituted the consecration of the Levites to the service of
the sanctuary (Numbers 3:11-13, Numbers 3:15). On the 30th day after birth the firstborn was brought to the priest by the
father, who paid five shekels for the child's redemption from service in the temple (compare Luke 2:27; Mishna Bekhoroth viii.8).
For that service the Levites were accepted in place of the redeemed firstborn (Numbers 3:45). See note. According to Exodus
22:29-31 the firstborn were to be given to Yahweh. (The firstborn of clean animals, if free from spot or blemish, were to
be sacrificed after eight days, Numbers 18:16 ff.) This allusion to the sacrifice of the firstborn as part of the religion
of Yahweh has been variously explained. Some scholars suspect the text, but in all probability the verse means no more than
similar references to the fact that the firstborn belonged to Yahweh (Exodus 13:2; Exodus 34:19). The modifying clause, with
regard to the redemption of the firstborn, has been omitted. The firstborn possessed definite privileges which were denied
to other members of the family. The Law forbade the disinheriting of the firstborn (Deuteronomy 21:15-17). Such legislation,
in polygamous times, was necessary to prevent a favorite wife from exercising undue influence over her husband in distributing
his property, as in the case of Jacob (Genesis 25:23). The oldest son's share was twice as large as that of any other son.
When Elisha prayed for a double portion of Elijah's spirit, he simply wished to be considered the firstborn, i.e. the successor,
of the dying prophet. Israel was Yahweh's firstborn (Exodus 4:22; compare Jeremiah 31:9 (Ephraim)). Israel, as compared with
other nations, was entitled to special privileges. She occupied a unique position in virtue of the special relationship between
Yahweh and the nation. In three passages (Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:6), Jesus Christ is the firstborn--among
many brethren (Romans 8:29); of every creature (Colossians 1:16). This application of the term to Jesus Christ may be traced
back to Psalms 89:27 where the Davidic ruler, or perhaps the nation, is alluded to as the firstborn of Yahweh.
See CHILD; CIRCUMCISION; FIRST-BEGOTTEN; PLAGUES OF EGYPT.
NOTE--The custom of redeeming the firstborn son is preserved among the Jews to this day. After thirty days the father invites
the "Kohen," i.e. a supposed descendant of Aaron, to the house. The child is brought and shown to the "Kohen," and the father
declares the mother of the child to be an Israelite. If she is a "Kohen," redemption is not necessary. The "Kohen" asks the
father which he prefers, his child or the five shekels; the father answers that he prefers his son, and pays to the "Kohen"
a sum equivalent to five shekels. After receiving the redemption-money, the "Kohen" puts his hands on the child's head and
pronounces the Aaronite blessing (Numbers 6:22-27).”
As for the killing of the wicked false prophets and priests: that is not human sacrifice; it was the extermination of evil
within the body of Israel. The killing was an act of war against Satan’s followers, just as it was when Israel fought
the Canaanites and put them to death upon arrival and victory. This was a way that God purified His theocracy; He didn’t
do it often-- only when it was needed.
Also, the story from Judges 9 shows us that we must not be hasty and inconsiderate in our vows to the Lord; rather, we must
show utmost prudence. It is imperative that a vow be performed to God as stated.
Last but not least, God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac was a test of Abraham’s love to God. God would not
let him sacrifice his son; that is why He called out to stop at the last minute. God loved Abraham and the rest of the world
so much that He sacrificed His only begotten Son Jesus, so God wanted to know if Abraham’s love for Him was just as
great. This would be the necessary bond to seal the covenant with Abraham, and later, with the nation of Israel-- all of
it due to one man’s righteous love.
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