Judges 17 and 18
record the story of a man named
Micah
who built a shrine
and worshiped
human-made idols
(This man should not to be confused with the prophet Micah.)
Obviously, what
Micah did was
wrong
The author of the Book of Judges includes the story
in order
To teach us some lessons
First, it is clear
That worshiping
Idols stands in Opposition to
God’s
commands
The first of the Ten Commandments reads,
“You shall have no other gods
before me”
(Exodus 20:3)
Second,
external religious actions are
not enough;
faith in the true God is
required.
Micah was certainly zealous.
He built a shrine,
made an ephod to use in
religious activities,
and
fashioned some household idols.
He was excited to have hired his own, personal priest:
“Now I know that the LORD will be good to me,
since this Levite has become my priest”
(Judges 17:13).
However,
Micah’s actions were not based on
The teachings
of
God’s Word.
He sought to serve God the way he wanted,
Not The Way
God had commanded.
Third,
false beliefs
lead to
wrong actions
When the people of Dan inquired concerning a place to settle,
Micah’s priest told them what they
“wanted to hear”
Go in peace.
Your journey has the LORD’s approval”
(Judges 18:6).
Yet the Danites’
journey
was a violent one that resulted
in the
destruction of a peaceful
town
Fourth,
sinful actions by one person
can have
a long-term impact
The closing verses of this account leave us with these words:
“The Danites set up for themselves the idol,
and Jonathan son of Gershom,
the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for
the tribe of Dan until the time of the
captivity of the land.
They continued to
use the idol
Micah had made,
all the time the house of God was in Shiloh”
(Judges 18:30–31).
Micah’s false gods
led to
false worship among
an entire
tribe of Israel
for
several generations
We may not think
our sinful
actions hurt others,
yet
they do.
They can even leave a
long-term
negative impact
on
entire communities
for
years to come.
The Micah of Judges 17—18 offers
an example
of how
not to worship God,
and his story illustrates
the
consequences
of
practicing religion
according to what we think is best
rather than
according to
God’s teachings
God’s Word
is given to
guide and protect us,
as well as
to
Bring Him Glory
As 2 Timothy 3:16–17teaches,
“
All Scripture is God-breathed
and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness,
so that the servant of God may
be thoroughly
equipped for every good work.”
Josiah
was the king of Judah
from
approximately 640 to 609 B.C.
His reign in Jerusalem
is discussed in 2 Kings 22–23 and 2 Chronicles 34–35.
Josiah was the son of
King Amon and the grandson of King Manasseh--
both of them wicked kings of Judah.
Yet Josiah was a godly king and known as one of the
world’s youngest kings;
he began his reign at age 8 after his father was assassinated.
A highlight of Josiah’s reign
was his
rediscovery
of the
Law of the Lord.
Second Kings 22:2
introduces Josiah by saying, “
And he did what
was right in the eyes of the
LORD and walked in all the way of
David his father,
and he did not turn
aside to the right or to the left.”
In the eighteenth year of his reign,
he raised money to
repair the temple,
and during the repairs the high priest Hilkiah found the
Book of the Law.
When Shapan the secretary read it to Josiah,
the king tore his clothes,
a sign of mourning and repentance
(2 Kings 22:10–11).
King Josiah
called for a time of
national repentance.
The Law was read to the people of the land,
and a covenant
made between the people and the Lord: “
The king stood by the pillar and made a
covenant before the LORD,
to walk after the LORD and to keep his
commandments and
his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart
and all his soul, to perform the words of this
covenant that were written in this book.
And all the people joined in the covenant
” (2 Kings 23:3).
Many reforms followed.
The temple was cleansed
from all
objects of pagan
worship,
and the idolatrous
high places
in the
land were demolished.
Josiah restored the observance of the
Passover
(2 Kings 23:2–23)
and
removed mediums and witches from the land.
Second Kings 23:25 records,
“Before him there was no king like him,
who turned to the LORD with all his heart
and with all his soul
and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses,
nor did any like him arise after him.”
God’s wrath would later come upon Judah
due to the evil King Manasseh had done
(2 Kings 23:25),
but the judgment was delayed
because of Josiah’s
godly life and leadership
(2 Kings 22:20).
Josiah died in battle against the Egyptian Pharaoh Necho at Megiddo.
King Josiah was buried in Jerusalem
in his own tomb,
and his son Jehoahaz took the role of king.
Much can be learned from Josiah’s life that is positive. First, Josiah shows the influence a person can have from a very young age. Even children have enormous potential to live for God and to have great impact.
Second, Josiah lived a life fully
committed and
obedient to God and was blessed for it.
Third, Josiah
properly responded to
God’s Word.
By the time he became king,
the Scriptures
had long been neglected,
and Josiah’s heart was smitten by the
failure of his people
to honor God’s Word.
Josiah had Scripture read to the people and
made a commitment to live by it. “‘
Because your heart was responsive
and you humbled yourself before the Lord
when you heard what I have spoken . . .
I also have heard you,’ declares the Lord
” (2 Kings 22:19).
RSS Feed
