Today's Reading: Judges 17; Judges 18; Psalm 89; 2 Corinthians 3
Scripture: Judges 17:5-6 Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some idols and installed one of his sons as his priest. In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.
Observation: How bizarre! The book of Judges is full of weird stories. And the story of Micah is certainly one of them. This young man has stolen money from his mother, and when he finally confesses, she acts like he should get the Nobel Prize for honesty! She decides that her son deserves a special reward for being such a wonderful son so she has an idol made for him!?! Well, since he has a idol, he figures he needs a shrine, an ephod, and a priest! Makes perfect sense, right? So he sets all this up in his house. (This is so strange.) The big problem with all of this is that the Israelites were forbidden to worship idols in the first place. So the whole thing shows that they had departed from what God had told them. And in verse 6 we read a key to the whole situation. "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit." In other words, it was a totally free society. Anybody could do anything. Sounds like a great environment, doesn't it? No rules, nobody to tell you what to do... Hmmm...
As you read through this story and the others in Judges, you can see what this kind of rule-free society produces. And it's not good. In fact, it gets pretty sick in a short time.
Application: We all need boundaries and limits to be healthy. Without them, our human brokenness is able to manifest in all sorts of disfunctional and destructive activity. The human condition is such that people need proper and appropriate laws and guidelines to keep from hurting each other. King David wrote, "I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You." David understood that without the word of God, he would fall into words, actions, and attitudes that hurt himself and others. The story of Micah demonstrates the confusion and danger that results from every person just following their conscience, which is what "everyone did as he saw fit" means.
Personal application: I need leadership and limits to stay on a path of wellness and growth. If every person just does his own thing, our church, or community, our lives would be in confusion. We must submit to God and to other human authority if we are to experience healthy and productive living. It is not easy to live in submission to God-given authority, but it is an absolute requirement if I am to follow the Lord and live for Him. And our society is in trouble if "freedom" begins to mean "lawlessness" or "morally free".
Prayer: Lord, help us to embrace the limits that You put on our lives. May we live in the understanding that You provide a place for us to thrive and when we move outside of Your provision, we move into places and situations that threaten our well-being in every way. May we, first of all, settle the issue that You are in charge, and then follow You fully, including fully following those whom You have placed in authority in our lives. It's not enough to do what we think is right, may we do what You tell us is right. May we follow You.
This I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
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