Judges 17-18
Internal Threat
People of Israel fell so far away from God that they started doing things that completely contradicted what God said through Moses to people of Israel; yet they thought they were doing the right thing.
Micah made an idol and then took in a Levite as the priest in his house, and offered to pay to him for his service. Micah made an ephod, teraphim, and a metal image, along with other household gods. Micah thought that because he had a Levite as a priest God would approve of all his doings,
"Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest." (Ch.17 verse 13)
In the next chapter it is written that people of Dan were still seeking for the land of their inheritance, they were one of the tribes that failed to claim their land by getting rid of all the nations and gentiles that were on it. So they too abandon God. They knew of a city, Laish that they wanted to take over so they could live there.
On the way to capturing the land they passed and went into Micah's house and instead of confronting him that what he was doing was wrong they took it for themselves, the ephod, the gods, the metal image and the Levite. They offered the Levite whose name is Jonathan more pay, and he gladly went along with them.
They went and destroyed the city of Laish and named it Dan. "And the people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves, and Jonathan [Levite] the son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priest of the tribe of the Danites." (Ch.18 verse 30)
In these chapters we see how far Israel was from God, they though that just because they had a Levite being their priest they were doing the right thing in God's eyes.
Today...
It is dangerous to think that you are doing a right thing without know that God left you.
In some situations I am not sure where is the dividing line between right and wrong, and if I don't pray to God and ask Him what is right and what is wrong I often choose the wrong thing, which after I feel guilty or ashamed, and only then I know that it was the wrong thing to do.
But if I have these situations that means I am not in close contact with God. When I catch myself drifting away from the Word of God, when I feel that I don't know what is right and wrong I thank God that He still cares enough for me that he bothers my heart to make me rethink my actions to make me "wake-up" and realize that I'm drifting away.
He forgave me for so many things, it's truly a mystery how much He really loves His creation. But God will not be forgiving forever, there will be an end to this graceful period of forgiveness and it's coming.
We all need to be alert and check our own lives in the light of the Word of God. The only person who can do it is you yourself, because no one knows what's going on in our heart except you and God, so there is no room for hiding things.
People of Israel fell so far away from God that they started doing things that completely contradicted what God said through Moses to people of Israel; yet they thought they were doing the right thing.
Micah made an idol and then took in a Levite as the priest in his house, and offered to pay to him for his service. Micah made an ephod, teraphim, and a metal image, along with other household gods. Micah thought that because he had a Levite as a priest God would approve of all his doings,
"Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest." (Ch.17 verse 13)
In the next chapter it is written that people of Dan were still seeking for the land of their inheritance, they were one of the tribes that failed to claim their land by getting rid of all the nations and gentiles that were on it. So they too abandon God. They knew of a city, Laish that they wanted to take over so they could live there.
On the way to capturing the land they passed and went into Micah's house and instead of confronting him that what he was doing was wrong they took it for themselves, the ephod, the gods, the metal image and the Levite. They offered the Levite whose name is Jonathan more pay, and he gladly went along with them.
They went and destroyed the city of Laish and named it Dan. "And the people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves, and Jonathan [Levite] the son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priest of the tribe of the Danites." (Ch.18 verse 30)
In these chapters we see how far Israel was from God, they though that just because they had a Levite being their priest they were doing the right thing in God's eyes.
Today...
It is dangerous to think that you are doing a right thing without know that God left you.
In some situations I am not sure where is the dividing line between right and wrong, and if I don't pray to God and ask Him what is right and what is wrong I often choose the wrong thing, which after I feel guilty or ashamed, and only then I know that it was the wrong thing to do.
But if I have these situations that means I am not in close contact with God. When I catch myself drifting away from the Word of God, when I feel that I don't know what is right and wrong I thank God that He still cares enough for me that he bothers my heart to make me rethink my actions to make me "wake-up" and realize that I'm drifting away.
He forgave me for so many things, it's truly a mystery how much He really loves His creation. But God will not be forgiving forever, there will be an end to this graceful period of forgiveness and it's coming.
We all need to be alert and check our own lives in the light of the Word of God. The only person who can do it is you yourself, because no one knows what's going on in our heart except you and God, so there is no room for hiding things.
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