Reading

• Judg. 17:1-18:31

Devotional

In the days of the Judges there was a man named Micah of the tribe of Ephraim who made an idol and a shrine in his home to that idol. He then hired a young Levite to live in his home and be a priest for his family. Micah treated the Levite as one of his own sons. After these things Micah concluded:

“Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!”
(Judg. 17:13 NKJV)

After some time men from the tribe of Dan came to Micah’s house and spent the night. The Danites were searching for a place to live because they had not yet received their land inheritance. They told the Levite to inquire of GOD whether their journey would be successful and he said yes.

The Danites went on their way and conquered the small town they had spied out previously. Then they came back with the army of soldiers and took the idols away from Micah and extended the offer to the young Levite to come be the priest of their tribe, which he accepted.

Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
(Judg. 18:30-31 NKJV)

Judges 17:6 says, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Micah thought that he was doing a good thing when he paid to have the idol created. Regarding the silver used to make the idol, Micah’s mother said, “I had wholly dedicated the silver from my hand to the LORD for my son, to make a carved image and a molded image; now therefore, I will return it to you.” (Judg. 17:3) They were trying to do something good but they actually sinned because they didn’t know the Word of GOD. And the end results were catastrophic—the entire tribe of Dan was carried away with idolatry until the captivity of the land.

People make the exact same mistake every day that Micah, his mother, and the Levite priest made. Rather than reading GOD’s Word and following it, they instead do what seems right to them. Even though they have the right attitude in trying to please GOD they do not please Him because they don’t do what He said to do.

Jesus told the Jews that sincerity alone was not enough.

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
(Matt. 7:21-23 NKJV)

If we want to please GOD, the solution is easy to understand:

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
(John 14:15 NKJV)