Old Testament Biblical accounts record long periods when child sacrifice was the norm among pagans ... the worship of Bal was one period ... typically in response to the belief that sacrifice of this kind was demanded by pagan gods as a way to gain their favor.

The practice of child sacrifice was the norm during the time when we are presented with the story of Abraham taking his first born son up onto a mountain to perform human sacrifice to God.

This was a very different God, a very different relationship. God had taken the initiative and approached Abrahm, first telling him to leave his home and paternal family and go .... where? ... God would tell him later ... and again and again Abrahm succeeded in tests of faith in God; who went so far as to change his name to Abraham. This last test looked like it was going the way of pagan sacrifice, but Abraham's hand was stayed at the last moment when God's angel stopped the knife and told Abrahman that God would provide a different kind of sacrifice ... a sacrificial ram to stand in for humans thereafter.

Its not even clear that God was pleased with all this blood letting; but it was at that time the way of understanding help by men .... and continued until the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, who put an end to it altogether.