Judges 17
Micah admits stealing mother’s money verse 1- 2a
And there was a man of mount Ephraim
whose name was Micah
And he said to his mother
The eleven hundred shekels of silver
that were taken from you – about which you cursed
and spoke of also in mine ears
BEHOLD – the silver is with me – I took it
Mother tells Micah money dedicated to LORD verse 2b- 3
And his mother said
Blessed be you of the LORD – my son
And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver
to his mother and his mother said
I had wholly dedicated the silver to the LORD from my hand
for my son – to make a graven image and a molten image
now therefore I will restore it to you
Mother sets up idols in Micah house with money verse 4- 5
Yet he restored the money to his mother
and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver
and gave them to the founder
who made thereof a graven image and a molten image
And the man Micah had an house of gods
and made an ephod – and teraphim
and consecrated one of his sons
who became his priest
Everyone doing what is right in their own eyes verse 6
In those days there was no king in Israel
BUT every man did that which was right in his own eyes
Levite travelling through Ephraim verse 7- 8
And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah of the family of Judah
who was a Levite – and he sojourned there
And the man departed out of the city from Beth-lehem- Judah
to sojourn where he could find a place
and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of
Micah as he journeyed
Micah hired him as his priest verse 9- 11
And Micah said to him
Whence come you?
And he said to him
I am a Levite of Beth-lehem-judah
and I go to sojourn where I may find a place
And Micah said to him
Dwell with me – and be to me a father and a priest
and I will give you ten shekels of silver by the year
and a suit of apparel – and your victuals
So the Levite went in
and the Levite was content to dwell with the man
and the young man was to him as one of his sons
Micah thinks he is blessed of LORD verse 12- 13
And Micah consecrated the Levite
and the young man became his priest
and was in the house of Micah
Then said Micah
Now know I that the LORD will do me good
seeing I have a Levite to my priest
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 3 And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I have wholly dedicated the silver to the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it to you. (6942 “dedicated” [qadash] means set apart, to be clean, appoint, consecrated, hallow, holy, sanctify or proclaim)
DEVOTION: False religions are easy to start even for those who say they are serving the LORD. What is the difference between true worship and false worship of the LORD? True worship is when the individuals obey the commands of the LORD and live to bring glory to the LORD. False worship or religion is doing whatever makes you feel good.
There was no king in Israel. What does that mean? There was no one in control. Every man did what was right in his own eyes. There was a problem in society. The children of Israel were to be followers of the LORD alone. However, during the time of the judges there was a mixing of beliefs. The children of Israel had forgotten Joshua and his generation. They were a new generation of followers of the LORD or religion.
They could mix worshiping the LORD and worshiping false gods. They saw nothing wrong with it. Here we have a story from the tribe of Ephraim.
The son, Micah, had stolen money from his mother. His mother had placed a curse on the one who had stolen the money. The son confessed. The mother lifted the curse and blessed her son for giving the money back to her.
She had consecrated the money to the LORD. She had declared the money holy. The name ‘LORD” is the Hebrew word for Jehovah. This is the special name of God, which signifies covenant relationship.
She says that her money is the LORD’S but spends it on making a graven image and a molten image, which is against the first commandment HE gave to Moses.
Micah has started another religion and at the same time thought he was serving the LORD. Having a house of gods and worshiping the LORD didn’t mix. He thought the LORD was blessing him but that was not true.
Many times people think because things are going well they must be pleasing the LORD. Just because a house is blessed doesn’t mean it is of the LORD. Satan is a deceiver and wants to deceive people into thinking that they can worship the LORD and other gods at the same time and it won’t hurt them.
Many pastors can teach that if their church is big, that the LORD is blessing the work. That is not always true. Satan would like big churches around to attract people into a false sense of security. Micah had a false sense of security. Some big churches are faithful to the Word of God.
Even pastors of small churches can think that they are a select few who are more faithful to the LORD and blessed more than any other group. This also can be a false sense of security. Legalism is what the Pharisees loved but they were not close to the LORD. Jesus even stated that their father was the devil. Some small churches are faithful to the Word of God.
We live in confusing times. There are many people who claim to be followers of Christ and yet they have no problem being politically correct with society. They have no problem building up their personal faith, to the exclusion of the Word of God. Some are teaching that individuals can be spiritual without the Word of God. This is confusion in the church with many beliefs from the world entering into our services.
Are we really worshiping the LORD in spirit and in truth????
A side note is the fact that she had dedicated eleven hundred shekel of silver to the LORD but only gave two hundred shekels of silver to that purpose. Our tithe is to go wholly to the work of the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Know what true worship is from the Word of God. If we are not sure, we need to study the whole counsel of God on the matter of worship.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 5 And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and a teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. (8655 “teraphim” [taraphiym] means image, idol, family idol, or domestic gods)
DEVOTION: Here we have an example of what it was like during the time period of the Judges. They were not worshiping the LORD as HE commanded but made up their own form of religion, so that, they could feel religious without having to obey the LORD.
They made up their own gods and even had a worship center on their own property with one of their own family members as the leader of their home made religion.
Many people don’t think they need to go to a Biblical church if they can make their own religion at home or out in the woods or someplace else. Homemade religion is only correct if it is based on the Word of God. We can worship at home if there is not a good Biblical church in the area but our responsibility is to eventually to form a Biblical church with a Biblical pastor with officers that fill the offices of deacon to help the pastor lead the church in the right direction.
If one family is in control of the worship of the LORD it can establish a religion rather than a Biblical church. God doesn’t want us to establish our worship except around the principles of the Word of God.
It is usually way too hard for a family member to correct other family members because the family members know the faults of their fellow family member and don’t want to be judged by them.
So in this kind of relationship there is very little church discipline. Without discipline there is very little or no growth in the other family members.
God established a Tabernacle and then a Temple for HIS people to worship in and today HE has established the local church as the ideal meeting place with proper officers in control under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
CHALLENGE: Are you attending the right place of worship to grow in the LORD?
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: 6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (3477 “right” [yashar] means straight, level, smooth, the quality of conforming to a moral standard, upright, righteous, or correct)
DEVOTION: Society makes all the rules for the rest of society. There is no religious standard that is correct or incorrect. It is all up the individual to decide what is the right way to worship.
In the Old Testament we find that most of the world worshiped a god of their own making. The children of Israel were to follow the God of the Ten Commandments who created the world in the beginning according to their writings.
However, most of the time we find that even the children of Israel worshiped the god of their own making rather than the God who created the world.
Here we find that there were no leader in Israel and everyone was doing what was correct in their own eyes. They made up their own god according to their own standard and thought it was right.
In this chapter we find a man who wants to worship God in his own way and makes graven images and a molten image and puts it in a house of gods. He also makes an ephod and a teraphim and dedicates them.
He establishes a place of worship of his own making thinking that the LORD would honor him because he has set up such a place.
The one True God of the Bible established the children of Aaron to be the spiritual leaders of the nation. They were the only ones that HE had chosen.
Today the LORD calls men into ministry. The standards for those who are to serve in this office are sent in the New Testament. The standards are high and the individual who wants to serve the LORD in this capacity needs to know that the LORD has called him and gifted him in that area.
We find that many think they are called of God but are preaching their own message rather than the message of the Word of God. This is causing many people to not find the true meaning of worshiping the LORD will all their heart and all their soul.
On the news today there was a church established that met to smoke weed. They had a leader and he had many followers but this is not a church that the LORD established but one just like the church that this man of mount Ephraim established.
CHALLENGE: Are we making a church to our liking or one that is true to the Word of God?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 10 And Micah said to him, Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and your victuals. So, the Levite went in. (3548 “priest” [Kohen] means chief ruler, officer, pagan priests, priests of Jehovah, Levitical priests, or Aaronic priests)
DEVOTION: Here we have a Levite traveling the countryside looking for a place to live and make a living. Remember that the tribe of Levi was given cities and their suburbs to live in and they were supposed to be supported by the children of Israel out of the offerings that were offered to the LORD.
This was a time period when everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes and so they didn’t think they needed to give their offerings to the LORD or support the tribe of Levi.
In the tribe of Levi the people were divided into priests and Levites that helped the priests. Here we have a helper of the priests not a priest. Only the descendants of Aaron could be genuine priests. So when he arrived in the house of Micah he was offered a job that he was not called of God to do. He was hungry and needed work so he agreed to disobey the LORD.
Today we find many individuals who are not called to be pastor/teachers but yet they are in the pulpits of our land most of which are not really teaching the Word of God but their own form of religion.
Families like the idea that they don’t have to be rigid followers of the Word of God. There are many small churches that are run by one family. It is sad but true. If the family or a family member doesn’t want to follow the leadership of a man who is really called of God they will just find one that will agree with them.
Our responsibility is to follow the instructions found in the Word of God no matter what others might think. We should not form our own version of what we like about our church but what the Bible says is a genuine church that honors the LORD and is a lighthouse to the neighborhood.
CHALLENGE: Today only those who are called and gifted to be a pastor should be in that position.
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: 13 Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest. (2895 “good” [towb] means to go well with, to please, to be agreeable, to cause to be marked by well-being and prosperity, to be merry, glad, joyful or is going well)
DEVOTION: Do you know that it is easy to lie to ourselves regarding our relationship to the LORD? It takes others in our life to help us know if we are genuinely trying to be obedient to the LORD.
Here is a man who has disobeyed the Word of God and thinks that God is going to bless him for his actions. He has made graven idols to worship. He has set up other household gods to worship. He has set up his own place to worship. He has organized a religion around his own personal family.
Now he makes the statement that the LORD will be good to him because of all the things he had done to worship HIM in his own way in his own location. This is a lie he believed.
God had set up the priests from the tribe of Levi as those who could offer sacrifices and make judgments for the people. HE had set up one place for them to bring their sacrifices regularly. All the men were to come to three feasts a year and bring their tithes and offerings to the LORD.
The commandments condemned the worship of graven images. So God had established the proper way to worship and Micah had established his way to worship. One of them was wrong. Guess who was wrong! God always wins when it comes to true worship.
Don’t make your own personal form of worship your way to worship unless it is based on the truth of the Word of God. All other worship is false worship worshiping a false god.
CHALLENGE: Are you worshiping the one true God of the Bible are a god of your own making with rules that you make up?
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 2, 3, 13
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Curse verse 2
Money dedicated to LORD used for idols verse 3
Making graven image verse 3, 4
Making of molten image verse 3, 4
House of gods verse 5
Right in own eyes verse 6
Levite serving as a priest verse 10
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Man of Mount Ephraim: Micah verse 1 – 5
stole eleven hundred shekels of silver
from mother
restored money to make false gods
had house of gods (false)
made an ephod
made a teraphim
consecrated one of his sons to be priest
thought the LORD would do him good
No king in Israel verse 6
Young man from Bethlehem- Judah verse 7- 13
Family of Judah
Levite
Went to house of Micah
Made a priest by Micah
Paid by Micah
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
17:7 The scene shifts in v. 7 with the introduction of a new character (lit., “now there was a young man from Bethlehem of Judah”), about whom the narrator provides some vital personal information.
First, he is labeled a youth (naʿar). The narrator’s portrayal of the man as a youth probably should be interpreted in light of the Mosaic prescription that priestly service for descendants of Aaronite was to begin at age thirty.47 His relative youth compounds the irregularity of his later appointment as priest of Micah.
Second, his geographic roots are traced to Bethlehem of Judah. The tribal reference intentionally distinguishes this site nine kilometers/five miles south of Jerusalem, from a Zebulunite place of the same name near Nazareth mentioned in Josh 19:15. The narrator’s threefold repetition of the phrase “from Bethlehem in Judah” in vv. 7–9 renders unlikely any interpretation that treats the book primarily as a pro-Davidic/ anti-Saulide or pro-Judahite/anti-Ephraimite polemic. By describing how this Judahite finds a home with Micah, an Ephraimite, the narrator expresses his view that these two tribes, Judah and Ephraim, are akin to one another, for both suffer from the same spiritual disease. This character is an embarrassment to anyone who comes from Bethlehem.
Third, he is from one of the clans of Judah. The NIV rendering, “who had been living within the clan of Judah” is literally, “from a clan of Judah. Now he was a Levite, and he was sojourning there.” The expression mimmišpaḥat yĕhûdâ, “from a clan of Judah,” could be interpreted in one of two ways. For legal purposes he could be considered a Judahite if he is the product of a Levite-Judahite intermarriage. In keeping with the compromising religious environment of the story, however, the narrator deliberately highlights his Levitical heritage. On the other hand, he may have been a true Levite. Not having been allotted territory like the rest of the Israelite tribes, the Levites were assigned forty-eight cities within the territories of the other tribes. Since Bethlehem is not listed among these, it seems that some Levites had left their allotted cities and settled in unassigned towns and villages among their non-Levite countryfolk. Nevertheless, the narrator’s circumstantial note that “he was sojourning there” suggests that this man’s roots had not been firmly planted in Bethlehem.50
Fourth, with an added circumstantial clause the narrator observes that this young man was a Levite, the tribe that was given responsibility for the spiritual leadership of the nation by Moses. According to Exod 32:25–29, because the descendants of Levi had distinguished themselves by standing with Moses against the apostasy represented by the golden calf, they were rewarded for their faithfulness to Yahweh by receiving the divine blessing and being dedicated for priestly service. The significance of this young man’s Levitical status will not be lost to Micah in v. 13.
Fifth, the man was a sojourner in Bethlehem. As if to highlight his disposition, the narrator adds a second circumstantial clause to v. 7. The present statement, wĕhûʾ gār šām, “and he was sojourning there,” echoes ʾăšer gār šām, “where he resides as an alien,” in Deut 18:6, suggesting that the author is interpreting the present event as a parody of Moses’ instructions regarding Levites in Deut 18:6–9. According to these verses, a Levite may leave his place of sojourn any time to go and live in the place Yahweh chooses, where he may offer cultic service in the name of Yahweh like his fellow Levites who stand before Yahweh and be rewarded with the same gifts as the resident Levites. As the present story progresses, however, this young man’s conduct will violate those instructions in several vital respects. (1) His intended destination is not the central shrine of Yahweh but any place where he might find … (2) He does not join other Levites but displaces another unauthorized priest. (3) He does not serve in the name of Yahweh but in the name of Micah. (4) He does not serve at the place of Yahweh’s choosing but at a place chosen by a man. (5) He does not receive the honorarium prescribed in Deut 18:1–5 but room and board and garments agreed upon through negotiation.
The missing element in the description of the young man in v. 7 is his name, though the reader learns at the end of the next chapter (18:30) that his name was Jonathan (“The Lord has given”) and that he was the son of Gershom and grandson of Moses. Ironically, while his employer Micah has a fine Yahwistic name, the reader is left to wonder who this character is. From the narrator’s refusal to name him we may draw two conclusions. On the one hand, the author is embarrassed about his identity and tries to protect the memory of Moses. On the other hand, by keeping the man anonymous the narrator invites the reader to generalize the present specific event to the Levite tribe as a whole. This man’s behavior is typical of the group. (Block, D. I. (1999). Judges, Ruth (Vol. 6, pp. 485–487). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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7–9 The law had specified that priests were to come from the tribe of Levi; so Micah was quick to “upgrade” his religious establishment when the opportunity arose. The Levite he hired had been living in Bethlehem (v.9), a town that also figures prominently in the grim account beginning in 19:1. Ironically, Bethlehem was to be the birthplace of King David, whose righteous rule contrasted sharply with the perversions associated with the town in Judges.
Bethlehem was not one of the forty-eight Levitical cities assigned by Moses. The Levites were doubtless scattered because of lack of support, a situation that prevailed all too often in Israel’s history (cf. Neh 13:10). In an attempt to improve his situation (v.8), the young Levite traveled north and found Micah eager to hire a more “legitimate” priest. (Wolf, H. (1992). Judges. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 482). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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17:7–13. A young Bethlehem Levite (Moses’ grandson, Jonathan son of Gershom; cf. 18:30) moved to the hill country of Ephraim where he was employed by Micah to be his father (a term of honor; cf. Gen. 45:8; 2 Kings 6:21; 13:14) and priest. Micah took care of him like one of his sons. So Micah installed the Levite (cf. Jud. 18:4) as his priest (in addition to Micah’s own son, who was made a priest, 17:5). Micah rejoiced because of his superstitious notion that having a Levite (a young man; cf. 18:3) for his priest would bring blessings from the Lord, when in fact it was forbidden in the Law (cf. Num. 3:10). The Levite, of course, was as much (or more) to blame for having accepted the position. These acts of disobedience to God’s Law were typical of the Israelites in the time of the Judges. (Lindsey, F. D. (1985). Judges. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 409). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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17:7–13 a Levite. He compromised in departing from one of the 48 cities God gave for Levite service to Israel (Jos 21). Then he sinned grossly by prostituting himself as a priest in a private idolatry. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Jdg 17:7–13). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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A young Levite named Jonathan (18:30) had been living in Bethlehem of Judah, which was not one of the cities assigned to the priests and Levites (Josh. 21; Num. 35). He was probably there because the people of Israel weren’t supporting the tabernacle and its ministry with their tithes and offerings as God commanded them to do (Num. 18:21–32; Deut. 14:28–29; 26:12–15). Why live in one of the Levitical cities if you’re going to starve? When God’s people grow indifferent to spiritual things, one of the first evidences of their apathy is a decline in their giving to the work of the Lord; as a result, everybody suffers.
Instead of seeking the mind of the Lord, Jonathan set out to find a place to live and work, even if it meant abandoning his calling as a servant of God. The nation was at a low ebb spiritually and he could have done something to help bring the people back to God. He was only one man, but that’s all God needs to begin a great work that can make a difference in the history of a nation. Instead of being available to God, Jonathan was agreeable only to men; and he eventually found himself a comfortable home and job with Micah.
If Jonathan is typical of God’s servants in that period of history, then it’s no wonder the nation of Israel was confused and corrupt. He had no appreciation for his high calling as a Levite, a chosen servant of God. Not only were the Levites to assist the priests in their ministries (Num. 3:6–13; 8:17–18), but also, they were to teach the Law to the people (Neh. 8:7–9; 2 Chron. 17:7–9; 35:3) and be involved in the sacred music and the praises of Israel (1 Chron. 23:28–32; Ezra 3:10). Jonathan gave all that up for comfort and security in the home of an idolater.
Jonathan’s ministry, however, wasn’t a spiritual ministry at all. To begin with, he was a hireling and not a true shepherd (Jdg. 18:4; John 10:12–13). He didn’t serve the true and living God; he worked for Micah and his idols. Jonathan wasn’t a spokesperson for the Lord; he gave people just the message they wanted to hear (Jdg. 18:6). When he was offered a place involving more money, more people, and more prestige, he took it immediately and gave thanks for it (v. 19). And then he assisted his new employers in stealing his former employer’s gods!
Whenever the church has a “hireling ministry,” it can’t enjoy the blessing of God. The church needs true and faithful shepherds who work for the Lord, not for personal gain, and who will stay with the flock to feed them and protect them. True shepherds don’t see their work as a “career” and run off to a “better job” when the opportunity comes. They stay where God puts them and don’t move until He sends them.
True shepherds receive their calling and authority from God, not from people (Gal. 1:6ff); and they honor the true God, not the idols that people make. It must grieve the Lord today to see people worshiping the idols of ministerial “success,” statistics, buildings, and reputation. In today’s “consumer society,” self-appointed preachers and “prophets” have no problem getting a following and peddling their religious wares to a church that acts more like a Hollywood fan club than a holy people of God. And to make it worse, these hirelings will call what’s happening “the blessing of God.” Jonathans and Micahs will always find each other because they need each other.
The sad part of the story is that Micah now thought he had the favor of God because a genuine levitical priest was serving as his private chaplain. Micah practiced a false religion and worshiped false gods (with Jehovah thrown in for good measure), and all the while he rested on the false confidence that God was blessing him! Little did he know that the day would come when his priest and his gods would be taken from him and nothing would be left of his religion. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1994). Be available (pp. 130–132). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Ver. 7. And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem–judah, &c.] As there were two Beth-lehems, one in the tribe of Zebulun, Josh. 19:15 and another in the tribe of Judah, the place here designed, Judah is added to it, to distinguish it from the other: of the family of Judah; which refers either to the young man, who was by his father’s side a Levite, and by his mother’s side, as Jarchi thinks, of the tribe of Judah, which seems very probable, though the genealogies of families were not reckoned from the mother; wherefore he might be so called because he had lived chiefly in the tribe of Judah, and particularly at Beth-lehem; but Kimchi, and several other Jewish commentators, refer this to the city of Beth-lehem, that was of the tribe of Judah, family being put for the tribe; or belonged to the children of Judah; though one would think there was no need to have added this, since it was fully expressed before by calling it Beth-lehem-judah; the former sense therefore seems best: who was a Levite; his father being, as before observed, of that tribe, though his mother might be of the tribe of Judah: and he sojurned there; that is, at Beth-lehem; he was not a native, nor an inhabitant there, but a sojourner, it not being a Levitical city. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 369). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)\
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Needless to say, teraphim were never condoned in the ot as legitimate appurtenances to the worship of the Lord; in fact, they came under frequent prophetic condemnation (I Sam 15:23; II Kgs 23:24; Zech 10:2). (Youngblood, R. F. (1999). 2545 תְּרָפִים. (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke, Eds.)Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press.)
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Marching Orders
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers . . . the powers . . . the world forces of this darkness. EPHESIANS 6:12
Whether you realize it or not, you are engaged in a spiritual battle every day. You live in a culture that is increasingly hostile to your faith. The devil and those who promote his self-indulgent agenda are relentless in their assault on your mind and affections. You can’t afford to drop your guard for a minute.
Here are some suggestions for surviving—and thriving—in the battle:
1. Don’t engage the enemy alone. Ephesians 6:10 says, “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” Whatever temptations you’re facing right now, it is His strength alone—not yours—that can see you through. Keep on surrendering daily to the Master.
2. Employ every piece of your spiritual armor. As Ephesians 6:13 says, to resist the schemes of the devil, you must “take up the full armor of God.” Not just the belt of truth, but also the shoes of His gospel, the breastplate of His righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of His salvation and the sword of His Spirit—the Word of God (see verses 14-17). Don’t head off into battle without them.
3. Go on the offensive. It’s not enough just to play defense. Though people without Christ may seem fulfilled and self-satisfied, the truth is that they need to know God’s forgiveness.
4. Quit wasting time. You and I are fighting for the soul of future generations. So turn off the television. Put down the sports page. Unplug from the Internet. The consequences of your life are too eternal to waste on forgettable moments.
Never forget that your marriage is taking place on a spiritual battlefield, not on a romantic balcony. Help one another maintain your “war footing.”
If you do, you won’t be a casualty.
DISCUSS
Identify two or three areas where the constant pull of the world has been wearing down your spiritual sharpness lately. Talk about what you need to do. (written by Dennis and Barbara Rainey in “Moments with You Couples Devotional”)
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Exodus 2
Moses is born and later flees to Midian.
INSIGHT
God is sovereign in all the earth; we must never forget that. Much inner distress in life comes from losing sight of that one fact.
The same God who cared for Moses promises to care for us — perhaps not as dramatically, but just as certainly. The peace that God promises — the peace which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7) — is ours only if we embrace that fundamental truth. (Quiet Walk)
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Free at Last
If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36
Twenty long years passed before British journalist John McCarthy—a five-year hostage during Lebanon’s grueling civil war—met the man who negotiated his release. When McCarthy finally met U.N. envoy Giandomenico Picco, McCarthy simply said, “Thank you for my freedom!” His heartfelt words carried great weight because Picco had risked his own life during dangerous negotiations to secure freedom for McCarthy and others.
We as believers can relate to such hard-won freedom. Jesus gave up His life—enduring death on a Roman cross—to secure spiritual freedom for all people, including each of us. Now as His children, we know “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free,” the apostle Paul boldly declared (Galatians 5:1).
The gospel of John also teaches of freedom in Christ, noting, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).
But free in what ways? In Jesus, we experience freedom not only from sin and its hold on us but also from guilt, shame, worry, Satan’s lies, superstitions, false teaching, and eternal death. No longer hostages, we have freedom to show love to enemies, walk in kindness, live with hope, and love our neighbors. As we follow the Holy Spirit’s leading, we can forgive as we’ve been forgiven.
For all of this, let’s thank God today. Then let’s love so others will know the power of His freedom too. (By Patricia Raybon, Our Daily Bread)
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BECOMING HOLY
Be not conformed to this world. Romans 12:2
The Scriptures place great emphasis on our part in sanctification, on what you and I have to do. What is the point of the mighty arguments of Paul and the apostles in their letters if sanctification is something that I am to receive? Why the exhortations?
Here is one exhortation from the apostle Peter: “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11). Do you notice what he says? We do not receive our sanctification and are then delivered from these things. No; he tells us to abstain from them and to keep ourselves from them. And the tragedy is that so many people are spending their lives waiting to receive something, and in the meantime they are not abstaining from these fleshly lusts.
Take a statement from Paul: “Let him that stole steal no more” (Ephesians 4:28). That is what he is to do. He is not to wait to receive something; he is commanded to give up stealing. What can be more specific than that? And people who are guilty of foolish talking and jesting and other unseemly things are not to do them (Ephesians 5:4). “Be not conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2). You do not wait to receive something; if up to this moment you have been conforming to the world, you must stop.
People have often come to me about this and said, “You know, I’ve been trying so hard, but I can’t get this experience.” To which the reply is that the Scripture commands you to abstain: “Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (James 4:8). And I repeat that these injunctions are quite pointless and a sheer waste of ink if sanctification is something that I can receive. If it is, we would surely be told, “You need not worry about this question of sin—you can receive your sanctification in one act, and all you do then is to maintain it and abide in it.” But this is most certainly not the New Testament teaching.
A Thought to Ponder: The Scriptures place great emphasis on our part in sanctification.
(From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 215-216, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Delivered by the Word
“Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law. Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word.” (Psalm 119:153-154)
Much of the Old Testament records God’s intervention into the affairs of men, often in huge victories on the battlefield. The great military king David wrote frequently of his deliverance amid slaughter, and certainly there is an overtone of physical deliverance felt in these verses.
The key to this prayer, however, is in verse 158: “I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.” Although the psalmist spoke of his many “persecutors and..enemies” (v. 157), his desire was fixed directly on the faithfulness of God’s promises. Note the constant reliance on the truth of what God has said:
- “I do not forget thy law” (v. 153). God spoke of the opposite condition through Hosea: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).
- “Quicken me according to thy word” (v. 154), for the “wicked…seek not thy statutes” (v. 155).
- Even though there are many enemies who persecuted him “without cause” (Psalm 35:7), this godly man would not “decline from thy testimonies” (Psalm 119:157).
- “I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word” (v. 158). Jesus felt the same righteous emotion when He “looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts” (Mark 3:5).
Hearts not stirred with the Holy Spirit’s indignation at the wicked culture and flagrant violators of God’s Word should “give diligence to make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10). Those who love God’s holiness also love God’s Word.
(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Let me get this straight …. A party that supports abortion over life, illegals over it’s own citizens, and refuges over it’s homeless veterans, is going to lecture me on morals? I don’t think so cupcake! (Thank you Kim B)
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NEW
We now have a Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.