#401 Circling

And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.

2 And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my son.

3 And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.

4 Yet he restored the money unto 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 they were in the house of Micah.

5 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.

6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

7 And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.

8 And the man departed out of the city from Bethlehemjudah to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.

9 And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Bethlehemjudah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place.

10 And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in.

11 And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.

12 And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.

13 Then said Micah, Now know I that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest. Judges 17 KJV

Sounds like he stole from mom and she was able to guilt him into returning the money. I think it's wonderful as a parent to be able to help my children, but as their teacher and introducing them to the world, the goal is that they can thrive on their own merit. There is nothing more disgusting than to watch children become vultures, perching across the way, waiting for their parents to pass away. Some, like this gentlemen, don't even wait, and probably justify someway in their mind that that which will be theirs upon the departure of their parents is in someway also theirs now. They have either asked and been told no or they sense the "no" and do not ask. It's stealing, greed, covetousness regardless of how you spin it. I often think how wonderful it would be to give my kids beyond education, a roof over their heads now, and meals as they grow, beyond all that, a leg up into life. It is not owed to them, but it would be nice to help them get a house, that largest of expenses that dictates so much else of what we do or can afford. Yet, at the same time, if they were to behave as I did as a young man and waste my pay on drugs, then it would be foolish to fund that. I have seen so many parents do that, enable their kids destruction, "love them to death." I will not do that. That is not preparing them, that is not love, it is another type of dependency. We want to be liked, even at the cost of our children. 

They make a little god from the silver and Micah consecrates a priest of the Levites. You shall have no graven images, so they make one. This most immediate and effectual test of the priest disqualifies this particular Levite. He should have said no, I will not have an idol whether to worship God or other, for God must only be worshiped in spirit and in truth. As nice as it may be to have a place of worship near you, if it is not a house that glorifies and honors the One true God, then you must travel. You must seek out a place where the word is spoken, and the lives of the men preaching show that they are born again. God killed Aaron's sons for not being honorable in their station. I did not like the things I heard from God's word when I was young, because like Micah my eyes saw shiny things, I was quick to justify that which God rejected. The priest here is like a leprechaun and the idols, lucky charms. This is like the dark ages, a waste, a church of nothing and a joke for a priest. What does Micah say? "Now know I that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest." That and a rabbit's foot and you will go far my son. 

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,

and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”[a]

7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 “Make level paths for your feet,”[b] so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Hebrews 12: 1-13

Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseerdesires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full[a] respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

8 In the same way, deacons[b] are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.

11 In the same way, the women[c] are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.

12 A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 3: 1-12