Our Creator is speaking to us - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 18:19-20,

"'Come with us, and be our father and priest. Isn't it better that you
serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man's
household?' Then the priest was glad. He took the ephod, the other
household gods and the carved image and went along with the people."

A man named Micah hired a wandering Levite to be his "father and
priest". Micah had a shrine and had made an ephod and some idols. His
mother also contributed to this enterprise by giving about five pounds
of silver to a silversmith who made it into an image and an idol.
These were placed in Micah's home as well. Now, in this account, five
men from a war party of six hundred from the tribe of Dan in route to
Laish came to Micah's house. After seizing the carved image, the
ephod, the other household gods and the cast idol, they offered this
Levite a great opportunity for his career. "Isn't it better that you
serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man's
household?" Judges 18:19. They hired him out from under Micah without
his knowledge as they were stealing Micah's idolatrous religious
stuff.

These all are Jews, of whom we are told, "everyone did as he saw fit."
It takes place during a period of time following the passing of both
Moses and Joshua which meant they had abandoned the law, the
tabernacle worship and the appropriate installment of God's own
choosing for a priesthood. Everyone was certainly doing as he saw fit
and what God had given was now replaced.

It is not hard to see the same thing in play today in Christendom.
Folks have set themselves up with positions of authority they have
claimed for themselves. Many have abandoned some or much of Scripture,
turned their backs on apostolic teaching and instituted their own
concept of worship and practice within the church. They are very
enthusiastic in their own defense and castigate those who oppose their
teachings. I like Arno Clement Gaebelein's comment on this passage,
"... The Levite exchanges his ministry for priesthood in the house of
Micah, where the idolatry of the place is sanctified with Jehovah's
name. All this is simple enough to read by those that care, and
Christendom has exhibited every detail of this transformation--not,
alas, as it would seem, a long process: a manufactured priesthood for
manufactured gods, all covered with a fair name of orthodoxy, and men
doing with great satisfaction what is right in their own eyes!"

The human heart is deceptive. Men in their foolishness arrive at their
own perspective on the things of God, apart from what God has revealed
of himself, and then seek to convert the rest of us for the usual
reasons: power, influence, fortune and fame.

The Lord, knowing the capacity of our hearts for deception, has
provided us a clear and authentic library of documents that we might
know the truth, that we might know accurately the things of him, that
we might be equipped to worship him acceptably and serve him
appropriately. I am reminded of Paul's word to Timothy regarding the
Scriptures, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of
God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy
3:16-17.

When the church runs off the tracks it is not God's doing, as he has
provided us all we need. "His divine power has given us everything we
need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us
by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very
great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate
in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by
evil desires." 2 Peter 1:3-4. I am ever appreciative of what the Lord
has done for us by revealing himself, his agenda, his purposes, his
truth, his desires for us through the Scriptures. All of it has come
from him through men he raised up for the purpose of providing us his
written record, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of
Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy
never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as
they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com