MrsDrPoe: Seeing God Where He Isn't

Happy Theology Thursday here on the blog!  As always, I invite you to open up your Bibles with me as we look at another portion of God's  word.

As I've shared with you in earlier months, I was a class on the Judges last segment.  Toward the end of the book are a couple of stories that show us just how bad things had gotten in the kingdom of God because of sin.  In chapter 17, we open up on a man named Micah who had stolen some silver from his mother.  As the story plays out, we see that this man is also an idolater who has a shrine and idols in his household.  In verse 7, we are introduced to a young Levite on his way to find a place to stay.  This Levite comes across Micah's house, and Micah invites him to be the priest for his shrine.  The Levite agrees, and in verse 13, Micah says:

"Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, since I have a Levite as a priest!"


The law of Moses clearly teaches that Jews should not be worshiping idols (or stealing for that matter), but that did not stop these men from doing so.  They were doing, as is said so often in the book of Judges, "what was right in their own eyes."  And Micah took it as a sign from God that he was doing right since a Levite had come to be his priest, as if God was pleased with his worship of idols.

While in this instance the error of their was seems obvious to us, we need to realize that often times we do the exact same thing in our own lives.  Too often we let our desires put words in God's mouth as if a bolt of lightning from heaven is the only way He would show His disapproval of something.  But "there is a way that seems right to a man, but it's end is the way of death." (Prov 14:12, 16:25)


We must remember that God speaks to us through His word, and only through study and prayer are we able to see what the will of the Lord is for us (keeping in mind that it's generally not as specific as "I should marry Bob Jones"). AND we must remember that Satan is out there too, stalking about like a lion, waiting to devour us.  Micah didn't blatantly forsake God- he thought he was serving Him!  We need to be careful not to make the same mistake or we'll be the people in Mat 7:22:


"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!'"