One Year Bible Readings and Commentary for Tuesday, May 3rd
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Click Here to Listen to Judges 17-18
Micah's Idols
Verse 6 pretty much sums up this chapter and also the spiritual climate of the Israel at this time.
"In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes."
Micah basically tried to create his own religion that looked enough like Judaism to seem like a true religion, but it was complete idolatry. First of all, he believed his mother could curse him, so he returned the money he stole from her. So she took the money and "dedicated" it to the Lord by having a silversmith make an idol. This is an oxymoron. She dedicated something to the Lord by breaking the 2nd commandment and making an idol.
Her son was not much better, as he built a shrine or temple in which one could worship these idols. He made other household idols and even a sacred ephod, which priests in the temple were to wear per the Law of Moses. Since he didn't have any of his own priests, he appointed his sons to be priests. None of what he is doing is in any way prescribed in the scripture. Finally, when a young Levite wandered away from Jerusalem, where he was a legitimate priest, Micah decided to make him his own personal priest.
Micah thought he could mix and match different elements of Judaism and create his own version of it in his own house.
In a sense things are not too much different today. People twist God's Word to make it work for them and their lifestyle. People go to churches where the pastors or priests tell them what they want to hear and give a big offering to make sure the person is paid. Anyone who believes in "absolutes" of right and wrong are seen as old fashioned, or if no other label fits just call them "racist".
Would you agree with me that the spiritual condition in our country is not much different than the one described in Judges 17:6
Idolatry in the Tribe of Dan
Things only get worse in chapter 18. In Chapter 17, one man Micah, tried to create his own temple, his own gods, and his own priest. The tribe of Dan had not yet occupied the land they were allotted. That statement alone should cause one to ask why not? Obviously at this late stage. they had either not trusted in the Lord to take the land, or just been lazy or afraid or settled. Whatever the case, they are now looking for land in Ephraim where Micah lived.
They run into Micah's own personal priest, the Levite, who they recognized by his Jerusalem accent. Once they recognized it, they tried coaxing him to tell them that they would be blessed in their mission. So they went back home and brought 600 warriors to conquer a small town called Laish. When they came back, the five scouts took them to Micah's house and stole the idols, images, and sacred ephod. They also convinced the young Levite to accompany them on their journey. Of course the Levite went thinking, "Why not? An even better paying gig!"
When Micah found out, he chased the men of Dan down and asked them why they took all of his religious paraphrenalia. The men basically told him to get lost, and if not the warriors' tempers would be directed at them. So Micah went back home realizing he didn't have a chance. The men of Dan conquered the people of Laish, because they were so isolated from any help. They burned the town, killed the people, and rebuilt it and called it the city of Dan.
The new tabernacle's centerpiece was none other than Micah's carved idols. As we look at the evil that will soon start infiltrating Israel in the Northern Kingdom, you can see what happened here was just the beginning.
"Through a strange chain of events, this began with a son stealing 1,100 shekels from his mother (Judges 17:1-2). It ended with an entire tribe of Israel led into established idolatry." - Guzik
Click Here to Read John 3:1-21
This is one of the most famous chapters in the bible, with the most famous verse, John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son that whoever would believe in him would not perish but have eternal life."
We also meet Nicodemus, who approaches Jesus at night for fear of what it might look like that he is fraternizing with Jesus. Nicodemus is curious about all the miracles Jesus is doing and how God's kingdom is coming through him. Jesus replies, "Unless a man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."
Nicodemus takes him literally and asks Jesus how a man can be born a second time. How could he physically get back into his mother's womb. Jesus tells him that a man must be born BOTH of water and of the Spirit. The second birth he is talking about is of the Spirit. We might call it a spiritual birth. Just as human beings produce physical life, the Spirit can create spiritual life.
Then he uses an example from Israel's history where Moses lifted up a bronze serpent in the wilderness. This was a symbol of judgment.
Serpents are often used as pictures of evil in the Bible (Genesis 3:1-5 and Revelation 12:9). However, Moses’ serpent in Numbers 21 was made of bronze, and bronze is a metal associated with judgment in the Bible, because bronze is with fire, a picture of judgment.
The bottom line was that like the serpent Jesus would be lifted up on a cross. On the cross Jesus suffered for our sin and took on God's judgment so that as we look up to him and trust and believe we can live.
Most importantly, God SO LOVED the world that He gave us His Only Son that is we believe in Him we will be born again. We will be born again and become part of God's kingdom. A kingdom that begins when we come to faith in Christ, and will last forever. When anyone puts their trust in Jesus and what He did on the cross for them, they are born again. They are born from above and become children of God!
Jesus did not come to CONDEMN the world, but to SAVE IT!
Click Here to Read Proverbs 14:20-21
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