We now meet a young Levite who was passing through the area looking for a new place to live.
If you don’t know about the Levites they were one of the twelve tribes of Israel. God had set them apart from the other eleven to serve Him in worship, to teaching His law to His people, and to help the people of Israel live in obedience to Him.
But something is wrong here. Why is he wandering around with no clear assignment? While we don’t know specifically what has happened it seems that there has been a breakdown in the priesthood. He should be in Bethlehem doing something. But considering how bad things are (see the previous two blog posts) it doesn’t surprise me that something has gone horribly wrong.
When given the opportunity, this young mad jumps at the chance to get paid, have his needs met and experience a place of belonging and value to him. Who wouldn’t?
Micah “ordains” him in verse 12 and installs him as his personal priest saying “Now I know the Lord will bless me since I have a Levite as my priest.”
There are so many things I want to say here, but for times sake let’s keep to the point.
Micah has created his own religion which replaces God’s design. In doing so, he replaces faith in God with his own personal control.
How many times have we decided how we will express our faith, rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us?
How many times have we decided how we will worship, give and serve others, rather than allowing the love of God to direct our decisions?
After decades of pastoring I can tell you that there are people, sitting in churches, who are controlling their own faith rather than asking God, “What can I do?”
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